Tawakkul – Relying on Allah

Tawakkul is one of the secret ingredients of living a successful life as a believer. So, what does it mean? And how should we embody this concept in our lives. In simple terms, tawakkul refers to total reliance and trust in Allah. Tawakkul is when someone has full faith and trust in Allah’s decisions, irrespective of whether something is perceived to be good or bad. 

Allah says in the Quran:
وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّـهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا 
 “And whoever relies upon Allah - then Allah is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.” [65:3] 

If we analyse the lives of the Prophets, we will see numerous examples of tawakkul, total reliance on Allah. During the time of Firawn (i.e. Pharaoh), Firawn ordered his soldiers to kill all male babies. As a result, when Prophet Musa was born, his life was at risk. Allah instructed Musa’s mother to put the baby in a casket and throw it in the river. When the mother of Musa threw the casket into the river, her heart almost reached her throat, because many things could have gone wrong, and as a result, Musa would have died. For example, the soldiers could’ve gotten hold of the casket and killed Musa. A flesh-eating marine animal could have eaten him. Or maybe the casket could have flipped. So many things could have gone wrong, but Allah gave the mother of Musa the ability to overcome her state of fear and anxiety, and Allah made a way out for her. What can we learn from this example? If we have true tawakkul, and we take the necessary means, then Allah will intervene and give us the ability to overcome our trials. If we rely on Allah and fulfil our duties, then Allah will help us. If we pray and perform all the other acts of worship, and we put the maximum effort into our studies, then Allah will make a way for us to succeed. 

Another example is that of our Prophet ﷺ. When Allah gave the permission for our Prophet ﷺ to migrate to Madinah, the Messenger of Allah had tawakkul and took the means, even though the whole journey was very risky. The Prophet ﷺ planned the journey in detail: when to leave, what animal to ride on, who to take with him, who to use as a guide for the journey, and so on. The Prophet ﷺ did everything possible and had trust in Allah. We all know the famous incident when the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr were hiding in the cave. Allah told us in the Quran what happened: …. 
إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ…. 
“And he (Prophet Muhammad) said to his companion (Abu Bakr),"Be not sad (or afraid), surely God is with us.”  Then God sent down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquillity, peace) upon him…...”. [9:40]  

Eventually Allah made a safe way out for the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr. 

We sometimes find people on either end of the spectrum. People either don’t rely on Allah at all and think that their brain, health, wealth, and so on will lead them to success. On the other hand, you have people who sit down and do nothing, and claim that they rely on Allah and expect good results. A true believer is in the middle. He takes the means necessary to be successful and simultaneously relies on Allah. One day, a Bedouin came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked about tawakkul.  

The Bedouin inquired, “Should I tie my camel and rely upon Allah, or should I leave her untied and rely upon Allah?”  

The Messenger ﷺ replied, “Tie her and rely upon Allah.” [Tirmidhi] 

A student who has tawakkul will try his best with work and revision, he will also make time for prayer and other duties. He won’t be too afraid or too scared in the exam and after the exam. He won’t be terrified and anxious to the point that it paralyses him and stops him worshipping Allah. A student who has tawakkul will carry on worshipping Allah, whether he does well or not in the exam. A student who has tawakkul will thank Allah and ask Allah to give him the tawfeeq (ability) to do more. 

The Prophet ﷺ gave us a parable to explain the concept of tawakkul. ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying,“If you trusted Allah with due Tawakkul, He would provide you sustenance as He provides for the birds; they go out in the morning with empty stomachs and come back in the evening with full stomachs.” [Tirmidhi] 

A bird sitting in its nest and praising Allah will not have a full stomach. The birds have to go out every single day and work hard to find food from morning to evening. The one who goes out and expends effort while knowing that Allah provides will obtain what he desires. If you embed this concept of tawakkul in your student life now, then you will see that later on, as you grow older and as the challenges of life become more difficult, you will be able to remain calm under difficult situations and you will be able to respond in the best possible manner. Why? Because you know Allah has planned all of this for you, and therefore, after trying your best, you will be content with the outcome. 

If you really want to change and be a good student, even though you had a bad start, say, “Bismillah,” make the change, and rely upon Allah. If you want to stop ingesting toxic chemicals, take the necessary steps, make dua, and rely upon Allah. If you want to enjoy family life, be the one who helps everyone and have tawakkul in Allah, and watch how Allah changes your family situations. Once we truly grasp the concept of tawakkul and put it into our lives, then we will be successful people in this world and in the Hereafter. 

May Allah grant us the tawfeeq to increase our level of tawakkul, and may Allah grant us the best in this world and the next. Ameen.