The meaning of tawakkul (complete reliance on God) is expressed by the term taukeel (to make or appoint a wakeel or a counselor, agent, representative). The one who is going to appoint a wakeel wants a wakeel who is more powerful (in all meanings), more compassionate, and more intellectual than him/her is.
A Muslim has a firm belief in God, which there is no other who is mightier, greater in wisdom, more compassionate and merciful than He is. By having a clear conception of other creatures that they are no different than themselves –as weak, poor, faulty, deficient as they are; obey and trust in God (of the Will of Him); surrender to Him.
The one who puts all his/her trust in God, realizes that, All the good comes from Him and all the evil that comes upon me can be expelled by Him.
A Muslim, by knowing that there could be no reward without work and effort- as he/she takes all preventive measures, he/she also by knowing that there is no way to get into heaven other than worshipping and doing things within the boundaries laid down by God and avoiding what is prohibited by Him, servitudes to God and trusts in Him.
Therefore, after committing all of the causes and taking all preventative measures Tawakkul is to accept all the consequences that whatever God has decreed. Only this kind of person lives his/her life in peace and comfort; and does not torture his/her soul by having fears and anxieties. The following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would be a sign of hope for him/her: Umar ibn Khattab reported: "If you had all relied upon Allah with implicit trust, he would certainly have given you your livelihood as He supplied provision to the birds who awake hungry in the morning and return with full belly at dusk." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
Never Tawakkul holds you back from work or commit causes. God decreed in Quran as, And that human has only that for which he labors... (An-Najm Surah, 53:39)
One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He 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" (Tirmidhi). By this way the proper way of putting tawakkul has been introduced.
FAQ in the category of Tawakkul (trust in God)
According to a narration from Hz. Umar, the Prophet (pbuh) said,
“If you relied on Allah truly, you would be given sustenance like birds. They leave the nest hungry and return with full stomachs." (see Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 33; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 14; Ibn Hanbal,1/332)
- Attention is attracted to the virtue and importance of tawakkul (reliance on Allah). If people believe that the one that really gives sustenance is only Allah and rely on Him, they will definitely find legitimate (halal) sustenance.
“...And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out, And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him...” (at-Talaq, 65/2-3)
We can understand from the verses above the issue of tawakkul given by the hadith above.
- The reason why birds are given as an example is that they leave their nests hungry in the morning by relying on Allah, their Sustainer, and return with full stomachs in the evening thanks to that reliance. That is presented as a living example.
“Indeed, whoever made and bestowed life, which is a most brilliant miracle of the Eternally Besought One’s art and a wonder of dominical wisdom, is the one who maintains and perpetuates it through sustenance. It cannot be another. Do you want proof? The most impotent and stupid animals are the best nourished; like fish, and worms in fruit. And it is the most helpless and delicate creatures who have the choicest food; like infants and the young of all species.”
“For sure, it is enough to compare fish with foxes, newly born animals with wild beasts, and trees with animals in order to understand that licit food is obtained not through power and will, but through impotence and helplessness.” (see Nursi, Sözler, p. 23)
- The difference between human beings and birds is that humans make efforts in accordance with causes. In fact, birds leaving their nests also shows acting in accordance with causes. For, causes are among Allah’s principles that are valid in the universe. It is necessary to act in accordance with them. However, it is wrong to act in accordance with them as if adoring them and to forget Allah’s power and mercy. It is wrong for people to abandon their duties to Allah. Let us listen to what Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states regarding the issue:
“That is to say, someone who gives up performing the prescribed prayers because of the struggle for livelihood resembles the soldier who abandoned his training and trench and went and begged in the market. But to seek one’s rations from the kitchens of the All-Generous Provider’s mercy after performing the prayers, and to go oneself so as not to be a burden on others is fine and manly. It too is a sort of worship.” (see ibid)
To sum up:
- If man acts in accordance with causes at the beginning of his deeds, it is good; it means to act in accordance with the wisdom of Allah’s name the Perfectly Wise (Hakim).
- Not to act in accordance with causes at the beginning of his deeds due to “tawakkul” and to abandon working means laziness, not tawakkul.
- Showing consent to what one obtains after working is real tawakkul.
There are two kinds of decrees of shari'ah:
1. The decrees and prohibitions that come directly from Allah; we call them “taabbudi”, that is to say, their reasons (wisdom) are not known.
2. The part whose reasons (wisdom) that lay on the divine decrees and prohibitions may be searched about; we call them “maqul al-mana”.
We can look at your question from a different aspect. "Why is the morning prayer four rak'ahs but not ten or twenty rak'ahs?" The answer is "because Allah commanded us to do so."
The noon prayer was determined by Allah as 10 rak'ahs. To search the wisdom behind it will turn out to be in vain. The real answer to the question is because Allah commanded so. However, some shari'ah rules may be explained with wisdom, but they are not the real reasons. The actual reason is Allah’s command and prohibition.
For example, "Why did Allah command salah (prayer)?" One can list the wisdoms and purposes of it in volumes of books. One can answer why we fast by searching its wisdom and reasons. However, reasons (wisdom) and benefits cannot replace Allah’s decrees. For example, one of the reasons of fasting is to empathize with the people who suffer hunger and approach them with compassion.
So, a person can say “I will experience more hunger so that my feeling of compassion can be increased and I can help the poor much more.” Although the time of imsak (the time to begin fasting) is at 4.00 a.m., if one intends to start fasting at 11 o’clock at night, but if he breaks his fast 5 minutes before iftar (the breaking of fast at sunset), can his fast be acceptable? Certainly not. There is a determined time to break the fast. And although that person stays hungry longer, his fast is not accepted. That is to say, the wisdom that required for fasting is applied (by staying hungry), but because of breaking the fast at a time that Allah does not permit, his fast is not accepted.
Thus, we should look at the all of the decrees and prohibitions in this way. That is to say, we do it because Allah ordered us to do so. Certainly, there may be reasons (wisdom) behind it, too. And these reasons can be searched. It is also knowledge and worship. However, wisdoms and benefits are definitely not the actual reasons, but details.
Children are sent to the world as weak beings that cannot meet their own needs. Allah, who is their real owner, “equips their mothers and fathers with compassion and brings up and feeds children with their merciful hands”. Mothers and fathers do not feel disturbed by it; on the contrary, “they love their children with perfect compassion and mercy“ (Sözler, 32. Söz) since they are the gifts of the Merciful and Generous Being and guard them; “they sacrifice their lives for the lives of their children with perfect pleasure.”
This love, mercy and compassion make children feel so safe that they can never find such safety anywhere else; therefore, they feel happy and peaceful in the presence of their mothers and fathers. They always want their parents to be alive.
Our sublime creator placed a great feeling of love and respect in the hearts of children for their parents.
“Every child who has not lost his humanity and become a monster honors those respected, loyal, self-sacrificing friends, serves them sincerely, and tries to please them and make them happy.” (see Mektubat, 21. Mektup)
This voluntary love, compassion, mercy and respect between the parents and the child bring about family happiness, which no other institution and person can ensure.
Thus, that house is transformed into a Paradise, asylum and sanctuary for worldly happiness.
Parents are afraid of losing their children because of this heavenly life that makes people happy and satisfies their senses of security and safety; similarly, children are worried about losing their parents, and they do not even want to think about their death.
That is a just anxiety and it is actually normal because anxiety is like an alarm system placed by the Creator in man in order to make him happy, survive and take precautions against dangers. Due this feeling of anxiety, we take care of our beloved ones more, work harder for our future, and leave the house earlier to get to the place we want on time.
If there is no anxiety, none of them will exist.
Besides, everybody may feel anxious from time to time in the course of daily life. Or, man may have a delusion that something bad will happen to him or his beloved ones for no apparent reason. Since everybody's perception of events is different, these worries man feels vary from very mild ones and to the ones at the level of panic.
If this anxiety goes out of control and reaches a level that is very intense and that disturbs the peace of the person, anxiety disorder occurs. It bothers the person psychologically. Complaints like anger, tension, sleep disorder, distraction, palpitation, shortness of breath, dyspnea and sweating may occur. Those complaints appear for a certain period; then, they weaken and disappear sometimes through professional treatment and sometimes spontaneously based on their degree.
Negative childhood experiences, genetic structure, parents' perfectionist and anxious education approach, death of a relative, fear of the possibility of the divorce of the parents or one of them being away from home for a long time, fear of being sent to a boarding school at a young age or losing the love of parents for various reasons, etc. may be the underlying reasons for this disturbing intense anxiety. In addition, not having encountered the difficulties of life due to overprotective parents may also cause extreme anxiety in a person in the face of the possibility of their death.
How to get rid of it
1) First of all, we should accept that anxiety is something human; almost everybody experiences similar anxieties at some point in their life. Today, almost everybody has anxiety, though on a small scale; besides, three out of ten people experience intense anxiety disorder. That is, it is not something peculiar to you; it is something human.
2) Remind yourself frequently that what disturbs you has nothing to do with realities. Tell yourself frequently that it is a delusion that you form completely in your mind, you suppose that it is real and then you believe it. Accepting this will allow you to proceed.
3) Do not take every thought that comes to your mind seriously; sometimes a thought is just a thought. These thoughts come and go involuntarily. They pass just like cars going very fast on the highway. You cannot prevent them. Let them pass.
4) Thoughts are sometimes like traps. Do not try to escape them but do not take them seriously either. Do not intervene. Those worries resemble a calamity! The more importance they are given, the more they grow. If you give them no importance, they die away. If you see them as big, they grow bigger. If you see them as small, they grow smaller. If you fear them, they swell and make you ill.” (Sözler, 21. Söz)
5) There are several reasons for anxiety disorder or fear of losing, as it has been explained at the beginning. Try to find the underlying cause of your anxiety because “if you do not know the nature of this kind of anxiety, it will continue and settle; and if you know its nature and recognize it, it will leave”. When you understand this, your anxiety might not disappear immediately, but since you will understand the underlying psychological dynamics related to your anxiety about your parents' death, you will both relax a bit and pay less attention to your anxiety.
6) That television series or news dramatize the lives of orphans by exaggerating or that they display foster parents as cruel people may have an effect on your anxiety. People experience the same suffering as they identify themselves with the aggrieved child. It will be useful to be more careful about those series and news.
7) Imagine the scenes that you live happily in separate houses and cities from your parents in the future. Imagine that you visit them from time to time, but return again and continue to live in your own house and work.
8) Fear of the death of parents may sometimes originate from the feeling of inadequacy. Develop yourself in a way that suits your gender and age. As your feeling of adequacy and self-confidence improves, your fears of staying alone will decrease. We hope your fears will disappear as you get older.
9) Since it is always stated in childhood that life is full of dangers, that it is necessary not to trust anyone other than parents, and that everybody is selfish, one relies on his parents only. We perceive their death as being left alone in the face of the dangers of life; that is why we fear. Therefore, the more friends and close relatives that you can rely on you have in your environment, the better.
10) Instead of being constantly with your parents, stay in the house of a relative or friend, in a dormitory or some other trusted place for a while from time to time. Let your subconscious realize by experiencing that life continues without them too.
11) When this state, which disturbs you, occurs during the day, relax with breathing and relaxation exercises.
12) Keep your heart relaxed and put your trust in Allah; take refuge in Him.
"And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is made to thee by the Evil One, seek refuge in Allah. He is the One Who hears and knows all things." (Fussilat, 41/36)
13) Do not forget that our Lord, who is Compassionate, does not place a burden on anybody greater than he can bear. People themselves make it a burden. If Allah gives people some trouble like poverty, sickness and death, He will definitely give them patience too unless they waste the power of patience beforehand.
14) If your worries still continue to disturb you seriously after a certain time, you can easily overcome this problem by getting help from mental health professionals like a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.
Will you please click on the links given below;
I think about death a lot and I'm afraid of dying. What should I do?
Working legitimately is regarded as worshipping. Acting in accordance with causes is dua (prayer) in a sense. However, it is necessary to regard what is given as a result of working as Allah’s grant and grace. A thought and work that is contrary to those two criteria is wrong. Therefore, worrying about finding food is not appropriate. We need to act in accordance with the understanding ‘We need to work; success comes from Allah’.
We have to think about our future too. However, this should not be in the sense of worrying and not relying on Allah’s mercy. We need to give more importance to our future in the hereafter than in the world.
On the other hand, tawakkul does not mean not to work. Tawakkul means to act in accordance with causes, to take all necessary measures and then to accept the result determined by God Almighty. Such a person lives in peace and does not give his spirit pain by worrying about his sustenance. The following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) becomes a great source of hope for him:
“If you rely on Allah truly, He will give you sustenance as He gives sustenance to birds.” (See: Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 33; Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 14; Ibn Hanbal, 1/332)
Tawakkul never prohibits working and acting in accordance with causes. God Almighty states the following in the Quran:
“That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (an-Najm, 53/39)
Once, a man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “Shall I make tawakkul by releasing my camel or by tying it?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “First, tie your camel; then, make tawakkul (rely on Allah).” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 60) Thus, he expressed the best criterion on tawakkul.
We also advise you to read the following:
"I observe that the most fortunate person in this worldly life is he who sees the world as a military guest-house, and submits himself and acts accordingly. Seeing it in this way, he may rise swiftly to the rank of winning God’s pleasure, the highest rank. Such a person will not give the price of a lasting diamond for something as valueless as glass, doomed to be broken. He will pass his life uprightly and with pleasure
Yes, matters to do with this world are like pieces of glass that will be broken, while the lasting matters of the hereafter are as precious as flawless diamonds. The intense curiosity, fervent love, terrible greed, stubborn desires, and other intense innate human emotions were given to gain the matters of the hereafter. To direct them fervently towards the transitory things of this world is to give the price of eternal diamonds for doomed fragments of glass. A point has occurred to me in connection with this, so I shall recount it. It is like this:
Passionate love is an ardent sort of love. When it is directed towards transitory objects, it either causes its owner perpetual torment and pain, or, since the ephemeral beloved is not worth the price of such fervent love, it causes the lover to search for an eternal one. Then passing love is transformed into true love.
Man possesses thousands of emotions, each of which has two degrees, one worldly, the other, true. For example, everyone feels anxiety about the future. A person is intensely anxious about the future, but then sees that he has no guarantee that he will reach the future he is so anxious about. Also, if it is his livelihood he is worried about, anyway it is promised, and the brief future is not worth such terrible anxiety. So he turns away from the future towards the true future beyond the grave, which is long-lasting and which for the heedless has not been promised.
Man also displays intense ambition for possessions and rank, then he sees that the transient property which has been put temporarily under his supervision, and calamitous fame and high rank, which are dangerous and lead to hypocrisy, are not worth such intense ambition. He turns away from them towards spiritual rank and degrees in closeness to God, which constitute true rank, and towards provisions for the hereafter, and good works, which are true property. Worldly ambition, which is a bad quality, is transformed into true ambition, a lofty quality.
And, for example, with willful obstinacy man expends his emotions on trivial, fleeting, transient things. Then he sees that he pursues for a year something not worth even a minute’s obstinacy. Also, just to be obstinate, he persists in something damaging and harmful. Then he sees that this powerful emotion was not given to him for such things and that to expend it on them is contrary to wisdom and truth. So he utilizes his intense obstinacy, not on those unnecessary transient matters, but on the elevated and eternal truths of belief and essentials of Islam and service and duties pertaining to the hereafter. Worldly obstinacy, a base quality, is transformed into true obstinacy; that is, ardent steadfastness and constancy in what is right, a fine and good quality.
As these three examples show, if man uses the faculties given to him on account of the soul and this world, and behaves heedlessly as though he were going to remain here for ever, they will be the cause of bad morals and will be misspent and futile. But if he expends the lesser of them on the matters of this world and the more intense of them on spiritual duties and tasks pertaining to the hereafter, they become the source of laudable morals and the means to happiness in this world and the next in conformity with wisdom and reality." (Nursi, Mektubat (Letters), Dokuzuncu Mektup (Ninth Letter))
