You must have had those moments when you felt so strong, thinking: whatever needs to happen will happen. That sweet feeling of trusting in Allaah subhanahu wa ta’alaa is priceless, granting an amazing peace of mind.
Then there are the times you get tense. You worry. You feel a knot in your stomach. What if things just don’t get better? What if I lose him or her? What if I get ill?
Musa ‘alayhi sallam was standing with his people. He invited them to enter Palestine, but they refused. Why? They were scared. Scared of the future. Scared to be hurt. Scared to fail. Then two courageous believers stood up and announced:
Enter upon them through the gate, for when you enter it, you will be the dominant. And rely upon Allah (have Tawakkul), if you are believers.
[Quran, 5:23]
Rely upon Allah, if you are believers. Let’s learn how this beautiful Quranic advice can make us more productive!
Tawakkul, a Garden in This World
Tawakkul is reliance on Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa. You trust in Allah’s plan and accept whatever He decides, regardless of the results. At first that seems difficult, but in reality it is a very natural and easy thing to do.
Imagine you have a certain illness and you have the chance to go to the best specialist in the whole world. Wouldn’t you feel at ease, fully entrusting your health to him?
We have the Ultimate Trustee to whom we can entrust our affairs and we can be 100% sure He’ll look after them in the best way possible for every single individual. He is Allah, Al-Wakeel.
Give Yourself Over
The word tawakkul also comes from the root وكل (w-k-l), which means “to give oneself over to, to rely/depend on, or have confidence in another.” Tawakkul means that you teach and train yourself to give yourself over to, to rely on, and to have full confidence in Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa.
You can really understand this concept when you’re facing challenges and stress in your life. I can’t say it enough: when you manage to have tawakkul, you’ll feel so relieved. So strong. And so productive.
How to Have Tawakkul: 5 Tips
Here are some tips and motivators on how to train yourself to rely upon Allah alone.
1. Never be lazy.
Tawakkul sometimes is mistaken for “sitting back” and thinking your problems will be solved just by believing Allah will take care of your affairs. But look at what emaan is. It is not just having faith, as it’s often translated. It’s the combination of faith and acting upon that faith.
The same goes for tawakkul. Don’t give up on your own efforts. Rather strive and work with the attitude that Allah will take care of your affairs and will help you get through your trials. This proactive attitude is in fact part of you having tawakkul.
Remember when the Prophet salallaahu alayhi wa sallam asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” [At-Tirmidhi].
2. Never be arrogant.
You should always plan and work based on what Allah has blessed you with in knowledge, intelligence, and free will. You should fully use those blessings by thanking Allah for them, without ever feeling proud or arrogant about your abilities. You work, but it is Allah who gave you the ability to work, and ultimately it’s the favor of Allah which will make you successful or not.
3. Go for the fruit.
Accept whatever happens. You should believe that Allah ‘azza wajal out of His wisdom may decide to supersede all your plans for reasons that only He knows. This is the fruit of tawakkul. Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali said, The fruit of tawakkul is the acceptance of Allah’s decree. Whoever leaves his affairs to Allah and then is accepting of what he is given has truly relied on Allah.
Remind yourself that believing in al-Qadr (Allah’s divine will and decree) is one of the pillars of your faith. Tell yourself that whatever will happen will happen and that you can only do the best you can.
Allah al-Qadeer will never ever let something bad happen to you, even though you might fear it. In every matter is good for a believer. If you live by this fact, what can get you down? You might bend, but you’ll never break!
4. Precaution!
Even as Prophet Yaqub alayhi sallam took all precautionary measures when he sent his sons to Egypt and advised them to enter from different gates of the city, so they wouldn’t look suspicious. His measures were overtaken by the divine decree. But still he took all the measures he could to avoid any possible risk.
This is where most of us go wrong. We either rely on our efforts and measures and discard our trust in Allah, or we rely on “trust in Allah” and don’t adopt any practical measures to solve our problems.
5. Rejoice— Allah is al-Wakeel.
Allah is al-Wakeel, the ultimate and the best trustee. Everything He decrees for us is good for us. He’s the best disposer of affairs. He’s sufficient for all of us. So aren’t you “lucky” you can entrust your affairs to Him? Remind yourself that Allah is the ultimate trustee; give yourself and your affairs over to Him with a sense of full comfort and certainty in your heart.
Benefits of Tawakkul: 3 steps to Success
Let’s strive to understand and apply tawakkul in our daily lives. Because when you taste that amazing feeling of peace in your mind, strength in your limbs, and the breeze of tranquility in your heart, you’ll never want to be without it again!
Train yourself to have tawakkul and you’ll notice that things will not only get resolved more easily with His help, but tawakkul will also relieve you from your daily worries.
Finally, before making any effort, remind yourself of these 3 steps:
- Put your trust in Allah Al-Wakeel
- Use your God-granted faculties to put in your best efforts
- Believe in Qada wal-qadr (the divine decree)
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa make our words and actions the result of tawakkul, aid us to use all His blessings the best way we can while depending on Him, and strengthen us with unshakable belief in His Decree by accepting whatever He chooses to be the outcome, ameen!
I pray you will benefit,
Khawlah bint Yayha, United Kingdom
Credit: understandquran
