Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, said, "Allah Almighty said, 'I have declared war on anyone who shows enmity (Enmi...
Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, said, "Allah Almighty said, 'I have declared war on anyone who shows enmity (Enmity is the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something) to a friend of Mine. My slave does not draw near to Me with anything I love more than what I have made obligatory on him. And my slave continues to draw near to Me with superogatory actions until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. If he were to ask Me for something, I would give it to him. If he were to ask Me for refuge, I would give him refuge.'" (Al-Bukhari)
- Allah has put me in this world temporarily for a test and all of my good and bad circumstances are part of the test.
- The test is about my performance in given circumstances, not about how good or bad my circumstances are. Regardless of what circumstances I encounter, the test is about how well I exhaust all my efforts in achieving the objective of the Deen Allaah has prescribed for me for His pleasure.
- My success depends on the quality (in terms of relevance, wisdom, propriety, tactics, strategy and sincerity) and quantity I put in, not on the material results they appear to produce, regardless of what kind of good or bad circumstances I happen to encounter.
- Whatever Allah has commanded us to do and the objectives He wants us to achieve are the best things for us in this world and in the hereafter. My duty is to continue steadfastly on the job Allah has assigned to me utilizing every tool humanly possible and doing my earnest best, without worrying about the results, but instead leaving the results totally to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.
- The real success is attaining the pleasure of Allah, not the results in this world. Whether my efforts bear any visible result in this world or not, I must continue on my course steadfastly.
- Whatever hardships, test, trials and sufferings I endure during my servitude to Him are all part of His plan for my ultimate success. Enduring them with contentment without a word of complaint or without being disheartened in any way is a part of my job as His slave that I am doing for His pleasure.
Thus, Tawakkul is a natural corollary of true faith and is one of the evidences (Shahada) of faith. A person with true faith will always rely on Allah / have Tawakkul. Lack of Tawakkul indicates lack of true faith. This was true for previous Ummah's as it is for us:
The believers are only those who: when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful; when His verses are recited to them, they increase their faith; and only on their Lord they rely (have Tawakkul). (Al Anfaal 8:2)
When Moosa `alayhi invited Bane Israel to enter Palestine, they refused to do so, being scared of the strength of the enemy. Two of the believers endowed with true faith spoke up and said,
And Moosa said, "O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then rely on Him (have Tawakkul in Him), if you are Muslims." So they said, "Upon Allah do we rely (have Tawakkul). Our Lord! Do not make us (object of) trial (persecution) of theunjust/wrongdoers. And save us by Your mercy from the disbelievers." (Younus 10:83-85)
As is evident from the verses quoted above as well as those quoted below, Tawakkul is closely related to the untiring struggle that a Muslim undertakes to achieve both the personal and collective goals of Deen -- Iqaamah of Deen in personal life to achieve personal excellence as a Muslim and in collective life to achieve the establishment and dominance of the Islamic system of peace and justice.
Personal struggle and Tawakkul:
Indeed, there is no authority for him (Shaytaan) over those who believe and rely upon their Lord (have Tawakkul). (An-Nahl 16:99)
If Shaytaan tries to sow doubts in the mind of a believer, a believer with Tawakkul is protected by Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala:
The Messenger of Allah, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "The human mind keeps wandering and branching away into different valleys. If someone follows his mind in all those wanderings, Allah does not care which valley ruins that person. On the other hand, whoever has Tawakkul in Allah, He will be sufficient to save him from those wanderings." (Ibn Maajah from 'Amr Ibn Al-'Aas)
A person without Tawakkul will fall prey to many un-Islamic practices in the face of adversity that a true believer with Tawakkul on Allah will avoid at every cost. Those who have Tawakkul will be appropriately rewarded in the Hereafter:
Seventy thousand of my Ummah will enter Jannah without reckoning. They will be those who did not seek cure through mantras, who did not take omens and who had Tawakkul in their Lord. (Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn 'Abbaas)
Islamic work and Tawakkul: A person with tawakkul on Allah will bravely, unflinchingly and steadfastly continue working for Islamic objectives regardless of the impediments, threats and hardships encountered. When Nooh `alayhissalaam was rebuked and threatened, this is how he responded:
And recite to them the news of Nooh when he said to his people: O my people, if my stay (among you) and my reminding (you) Aayaat of Allah is hard on you, then I have put my Tawakkul (trust / reliance) in Allah So devise your plan and (call upon) your Shurakaa (any entity equated with Allah) and let not your plan be obscure to you. Then carry it out upon me and do not give me respite. (Younus 10:71)
During resistance from his people, the Messenger Hood `alayhissalaam said to them:
I put my Tawakkul in (I rely on) Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is not a creature but He holds its forelock (controls it). (Hood 11:56)
Shu'aib `alayhissalaam said to his people:
I do not want to do the things from which I stop you. I only desire reform as much as I am able. My potential and inclination is only through Allah, upon Him I rely (in him I have Tawakkul) and to Him I turn. (Hood 11:88)
Ibrahim `alayhissalaam and his people's struggle and Tawakkul are presented as a model:
Indeed there has been for you an excellent model in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people: "Verily we disassociate from you and whatever you worship other than Allah We have rejected you and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone… Our Lord upon You we have relied (have Tawakkul), to You we have turned and to You is the destination. Our Lord, do not make us (object of) persecution for the disbelievers, and forgive us, our Lord. Indeed, only You are the All-Mighty, the Wise." (Al-Mumtahinah 60:5-6)
In fact, that has been the way of all prophets, messengers and Islamic workers:
Their messengers said to them: True, we are human like yourselves, but Allah bestows His grace on whom He pleases of His slaves. It is not for us to bring you a miracle except by Allah's permission. And on Allah should the believers rely (have Tawakkul). How should we not rely upon (have Tawakkul in) Allah when He has indeed guided us in our ways? Certainly we would persevere against the persecution that you may inflict on us . And upon Allah must the reliant rely (have Tawakkul).(Ibrahim 14:11-12)
For our Ummah:
Thus have We sent you to a community, before whom other communities have passed away, in order that you recite to them what We have revealed to you, but they disbelieve in the Most Gracious. Say: He is my Lord; there is no deity except Him; upon Him I rely (in Him I have Tawakkul) and to him is my return in repentance. (Ar-Ra'd 13:30)
When commenting on Uhad, Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala said,
When two parties among you were about to lose courage, while Allah was their ally; and upon Allah must the believers rely (have Tawakkul). (Aali-'Imraan 3:122) And when you have made a decision, then rely upon Allah (have Tawakkul). Verily, Allah loves those who rely on Him. If Allah helps you, no one can overcome you; but if He forsakes you, who is there who can help you after Him. And upon Allah must the believers rely (have Tawakkul). (Aali-'Imraan 3:159-160)
On the Prophet, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam's concern for enemies' attacks over his marriage to Zainab radhiallahu `anha on Allah's command, Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala admonished:
O Prophet! Fear Allah and do not obey disbelievers or hypocrites, certainly Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise; follow what is revealed to you from your Lord, certainly Allah is fully aware of what you do; and, (have Tawakkul) rely on Allah, He is sufficient as a Trustee. (Al-Ahzaab 33:1-3)
If at any point, a believer feels powerless or hopeless, he should refresh his faith and tawakkul in Allah and continue his personal or Islamic struggle with hope and a winning attitude. The Prophet, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:
Allah Ta`alaa condemns powerlessness / hopelessness. It is incumbent upon you to take a stand with hope and intelligent resolve. If you are overpowered in a matter, then say, "Sufficient is Allah for my means and He is the best supporter." (Reported by Aboo Dawoodfrom 'Owf Bin Maalik)
Otherwise, a true believer knows that the best of the successes is for him in the hereafter, if he relies only on Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala:
As for those who emigrated for Allah after they had been persecuted, We will certainly settle them in this world nicely, but their reward of the Hereafter will be greater, if only they knew. They are those who persevered and relied in their Lord. (An-Nahl 16:41-42)
With the degeneration of the Ummah, Tawakkul has also taken on wrong connotations. Some people think that Tawakkul entails only sitting like monks and doing nothing, hoping that Allah will do something. That meaning is from Shaytaan to make Muslims inactive and indolent. The real Tawakkul, as evidenced by the verses of the Qur'an quoted above, is such a strong conviction of Allah's approval and mercy being with you in your Islamic struggle that no problem in the world is able to dampen your spirit or make you feel defeated or helpless. The life of the Prophet, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam was a superb example of Islamic tawakkul. In every move he made and at every stage of his mission, he used the best tactics and strategies at human disposal, and then fully relied on Allah without having even a bit of worry of the consequences.
A person asked, "Should I tie my camel and have Tawakkul (trust in Allah for her protection) or should I leave her untied and have Tawakkul." The Messenger, Sall Allaahu `alayhi wa sallam replied, "Tie her and then have Tawakkul." (Reported by Tirmidzi from Anas)
A bird sitting in his nest, praising Allah, will not have his stomach filled. It has to go out to seek food. It is only the one that goes out and does its best to find food, comes back full.