Tawakkal (Trust Upon Allah)

Quran and Tawakkal

The Quran repeatedly lays great emphasis upon Tawakkal:

اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ اٰمَنۡتُمۡ بِاللّٰہِ فَعَلَیۡہِ تَوَکَّلُوۡۤا اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۸۴﴾

Meaning: If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him alone if you are (truly) believers. (Yunus 84)

When the entire umma of Noah left him and became hostile towards him, he said:

فَعَلَی اللّٰہِ تَوَکَّلۡتُ فَاَجۡمِعُوۡۤا اَمۡرَکُمۡ

Meaning: I have put my trust in Allah alone. Therefore, mature your plot (against me). (Yunus 71)

When Prophet Jacob was about to send Benjamin to Egypt, he took vows from his other sons and said:
“And I cannot save you by any means from Allah’s (decree) because judgment (i.e. destiny) rests with Allah alone. In Him have I put my trust, and all those who trust must trust in Him alone.” (Yusuf 67)

It is in sura an-Namlverse 79,

فَتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّکَ عَلَی الۡحَقِّ الۡمُبِیۡنِ

“So put your trust in Allah.”
According to sura at-Talaaqverse 3,

وَ مَنۡ یَّتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَہُوَ حَسۡبُہٗ ؕ

“And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He (Allah) is sufficient for him.”
Sura aal-Imranverse 160 states, “If Allah helps you, none can overpower you; but if He abandons you taking away all support, then who is it that can help you after Him? And the believers should have firm Tawakkal in Allah alone.”

Sustenance and Tawakkal

Sustenance is not restricted to a particular place but reaches everyone wherever one may be. When an individual migrates from one place to another and observes patience with ikhlas regarding his livelihood, Allah creates such circumstances that his sustenance reaches him. This is similar to the way Allah provides food for the birds and animals. Tawakkal (Trust upon Allah) is necessary for getting sustenance. In this regard, Allah says:

وَّ یَرۡزُقۡہُ مِنۡ حَیۡثُ لَا یَحۡتَسِبُ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَہُوَ حَسۡبُہٗ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بَالِغُ اَمۡرِہٖ ؕ قَدۡ جَعَلَ اللّٰہُ لِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدۡرًا ﴿۳

Meaning: And He gives him sustenance from a source which he can never think of. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He (Allah) is Sufficient for him. Surely, Allah accomplishes His work entirely. He has certainly appointed a measure for everything. (At-Talaaq 3)

To the faithful, Allah provides sustenance from the most unexpected sources. Hence, whoever trusts Allah in matters of sustenance, Allah is enough for him.

Hadiths and Tawakkal (Trust in Allah)

There is a hadits about Tawakkal which goes, Abu Darda related Prophet Mohammad to have said, “Sustenance searches a man in the same way as death searches him.”

• Umar ibn Khattab narrated that he heard the Holy Prophet said, “If you trust Allah as He should be trusted then you would be given your sustenance even as He does for the birds who leave empty-stomach in the morning and return satiated in the evening.” (Ibn-e-Majah)
• Abu Huraira related the tradition that he heard the Prophet of Allah said, “Allah says, ‘If My men put their trust in Me (have firm Tawakkal) then I would shower rain upon them all night and would make the sun rise again and again each morning without making them hear the noise of thunder’.” (Musnad Imam Ahmad)
• There is another hadis Tawakal from Abdullah bin Abbas. He reported that once he was (riding) behind Prophet Mohammad and he said, “O young man! Protect Allah’s rights and He shall protect your rights and you would find Him right in front of you. Whatever it is that you want, seek it from Allah. Know that even if the entire world gathers to profit you, it cannot help you in the least except as Allah decrees. If the whole world is adamant to harm you, it cannot except as Allah has written for you. The pens (of destiny) have been lifted and the pages dried.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

Al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani

• Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani said: “Do not get worried about your sustenance because its search for you is more intense than your search for it. When you have obtained today’s sustenance, stop worrying about tomorrow’s, just as you have left yesterday behind. Yesterday is in the past and as for tomorrow, you do not know whether it will come to you or not, so concentrate on your present.” (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani Section 17)
• Do not trust your wealth as it would render you weak and deficient. Have Tawakkal (trust upon Allah) as it would make you powerful and would help you. He would grace you with success from unexpected places. He would favour you with such spiritual power that you would not have to get concerned about the world and its people. Then you would become the most powerful person but if you will trust upon your wealth, family and property instead of Allah, then you shall invite Allah’s wrath and will have to face the decline of these possessions. (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani Section 42)
• Prophet Mohammad said, “Cursed is he who has trust in created beings like himself.” Most people are hence, among the cursed ones and very few actually have trust upon Allah (tawakkal) and have held the rope of Allah whereas the example of those who have trust upon created things is that of an illusion. (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani Section 45)
• Trust is the name of quitting all the sources and leaving all the causes. (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani)

Allah – the Provider

رزق ہر چند باسباب تعلق دارد

روزِ میثاق اسباب ہائے مسبب انگخیت

Explanation: Although one gains livelihood through different mediums and causes, but the fact is that Allah created the mediums and causes in eternity. (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed Kalan)

ہمہ عالم ز دل و جان بسبب بستہ کمر

کمتر است آنکہ دل و جان بمسبب انگخیت

Explanation: Everyone has placed his hopes and expectations in the causes, only a few have true Tawakkal on the Provider. (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed Kalan)

Listen O dearest! There is nothing superior then Allah. The creation searches for sustenance whereas the Fakirs seek the Sustainer (Allah). People are after the riches of this world whereas the Fakirs always remain attentive towards Allah – the Greatest and Omnipotent. Prophet Mohammad said, “Whoever died in a state of Divine love, his death is that of a martyr.” Hence, the seekers of Allah are martyrs while the seekers of the world are unfortunate because they remain deprived of the desire for Allah. Nothing in both the worlds is better or superior than the desire of Allah. (Mehek-ul-Faqr Kalan)

Sustenance seeks man

If sustenance did not seek man, a grain of wheat would never split the earth to sprout and come out. (Kaleed-ul-Tauheed Kalan)

Sustenance of Fakirs comes from Tawakkal in Allah

Destiny is divided into four categories. The destiny of Fakirs is that whatever they eat and drink, it generates the light of the gnosis of Allah within them because their sustenance comes from Tawakkal in Allah. From wherever they get their sustenance, they recognize it to be from Allah only. Some believe that sustenance comes from trade and profession, some get education to earn income to get sustenance, whereas some get their sustenance by unjustly snatching it from the poor. In short, Faqr is the only treasure which brings the ranks of honour, respect and felicity. Allah bestows the highest ranks of Faqr upon those great people who are one with Allah whereas the strangers (who neither have vision of Allah nor a peck of His gnosis) can never come close to Faqr at all. (Mehak-ul-Faqr Kalan)