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Relying on Allah

trust in allah
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July 20, 2019
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Trusting Allah

trust in allah

Reliance on Allah is the core of imaan

Allah Almighty loves those who rely on Him. He loves them because it is the core of our imaan. Our aim is to be connected to Allah 24/7 and when that happens your level of tawakkul (reliance) becomes firmer and you reap the rewards of your certainty and reliance. The fruits of tawakkul are the gaining of Allah Almighty’s love.

Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves Al-Mutawakkileen those who put their trust (in Him). (3:159)

Connecting with Allah 24/7

If you are the lastminute.com guy who only comes to Allah Almighty when in need, Allah Almighty will still respond but you are not on the same level as the one who was supplicating continuously. Always connected and part-time connected are not the same.

Ghazali (d.505 AH) in his Ihya Ulum ad din wrote a full chapter on tawakkul along with many other scholars, as the essence of imaan, and the importance of having ikhlas (sincerity) in seeking rizq and acquiring knowledge.

The difference between relying on Allah and being lazy

In Arabic if you add one letter to a word it changes the meaning, thus adding alif to tawakkul changes it to  tawaakkul which means laziness. Tawakkul is the opposite of laziness, and means you work hard and you trust Allah Almighty. Do the needful, prepare for your interview and exams, work hard.

The Prophet (peace be on him) described tawakkul as the birds, who do not sit and wait for sustenance in their nests, but fly out to find their food every morning.

If you were to rely on Allah true reliance, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They go out early in the morning hungry and return in the evening full. (Tirmidhi)

Rely sincerely on Allah Almighty, knowing that He is the source of all provision, just as He provides for the birds, who are fragile, weak and small. Whereas we assume our muscles, brain or intelligence are what secures our rizq (provision), the birds have full tawakkul, so if you want to improve your tawakkul look at the bird, who leaves its nest trusting that Allah Almighty will provide for it and comes back with its rizq. You need to have conviction and deep trust. Nothing should distract you. No matter what He will provide for you.

Relying on Allah Almighty does not mean being lazy, it means striving hard, but knowing ultimately it is Allah Almighty who gives success.

Relying on Allah in good times

Relying on Allah Almighty is an internal status of being connected to Allah Almighty in all circumstances, good or bad. Being conscious that you are relying heavily on Him in prosperity is reflected by being on the status of shukr. 

This is why in the hadith, the Prophet (peace be on him) said that whoever wants his supplications to be accepted should increase his supplications in times of prosperity.

Whoever wishes that Allah would respond to him during hardship and grief, then let him supplicate plentifully when at ease.’ (Tirmidhi)

Tafweed is close to tawakkul, it is submission to Allah Almighty. Say, ‘I am pleased with what You destined for me.’ He wants us to believe in Him truly and deeply and put the case in His court and stop carrying the case by ourself. Once you’ve done your homework, put your case in His hands. Say: ‘I’ve done my best Ya Rabb, it is in your hands.’ This shows how much we need Him and He loves listening to our calls.

And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ (40:60)

Satisfaction is contentment with Allah Almighty’s will, though this does not mean being lazy or prevent you from asking for more. When you have real contentment, you do not envy others, you do not blame Allah Almighty for the things you don’t have and wish you did, and you are pleased with what He destined for you. When we do this, Allah Almighty changes our situation. If you don’t have this quality the situation may change physically, but it will not change spiritually.

Trusting in Allah even when life is bitter

The nature of life is that it is filled with tests. The nature of tests is that they are bitter. All tribulations test our level of imaan and our qualities.

When you realise that tests make you stronger you can see life in a more positive light. Allah Almighty reminds us to have trust in Him as well as tawakul (reliance).

Trusting in Allah even when people are plotting against you

We have all experienced times when even though you have sincerity and are trying to behave in accordance with Allah’s commands, there are those who plot against you. People keep coming to me to vent their frustration that they are trying to fulfil the job description, but others keep obstructing them. I say, remember:

The evil plot rebounds on the plotters (35:43)

If they are conniving against you, but you are acting with your conscience, don’t worry about them. As long as you are doing the right thing, Allah Almighty will protect you. So often, those who came to me, anxious about people scheming against them, returned sooner or later to say that their spiteful plots were exposed in public. This is what Allah Almighty promised. It requires deep imaan (faith) and tawakkul (trust) and tafweed (submission).

When you put your trust in Allah Almighty you remember the story of Talut (Saul) and Jalut (Goliath) which we came across in Surah Baqarah, we saw a nervous army, wavering in their confidence about to confront a mighty opponent in a terrifyingly unevenly matched battle, in need of inspiration. The reassurance comes to them:

‘So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: “We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts.” But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: “How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah’s Leave?” And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones). (2:249)

Through these verses, Allah Almighty reminds us that victory does not depend on size, as so many small groups have defeated larger armies with the will of Allah. It is obedience, sincerity to Him and the right preparation that is the key factors. It is not solely about preparation and numbers, or arsenal; it’s about the depth of their certainty in Allah Almighty. Without doubt, being prepared, trained, having a good strategic plan and dealing with the practicalities and reality of the situation is necessary, but underlying all this, at a deeper level, there should be trust in Allah that He is the One who provides victory- Fath because He is Al Fattah.

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

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