Damning a thief and tawakkul: Can we transform a damnation against a thief into tawakkul?

My friend put 40.000 Euros temporarily in the safe of the company where he works. The money was stolen two days later by thieves. The thieves could not be found and my friend damned the thieves. Can this damnation be transformed into tawakkul? 

Dear Brother / Sister,

Damning means to wish/invoke harm upon a person due to something; it is the opposite of praying for a person.

A person’s wishes against himself or others like "God damn! Plague on it!" are called damning.

Islam prohibits Muslims from damning themselves and other Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Do not damn yourselves, your children and your wealth; your damning will be accepted if you say it at a time when prayers are accepted." (Riyadus-Salihin Translation, III/ 82)

The Prophet (pbuh) avoided damning. He said he was not a prophet that damned but that showed mercy. When he went to Taif from Makkah in order to convey the message of Islam, he was treated very badly; he was stoned while he was returning and his blessed feet were in blood. Meanwhile, he was informed by Allah that "his damning them would be accepted and He would destroy them if he wished." However, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "O Lord! No! Maybe children that will worship You will be born from them."

The Prophet (pbuh) prayed as follows for his enemies who broke his tooth and wounded his face at Uhud:

"O Allah! Guide my nation because they do not know what they are doing." (Tajridi Sarih Translation IV/314)

When he was asked to damn against the tribe of Daws, who did not accept Islam despite all efforts, prayed as follows:  

"O Lord! Guide the tribe of Daws; make them join us." (see ibid)

However, the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes damned the enemies of Allah. He damned the tribe of Kilab, who martyred seventy Muslims who went to them to call them to Islam, in Bi’r Mauna. He also damned the polytheists who made fun of him in the Kaaba while he was performing prayers. He saw that they were killed during the Battle of Badr. (Tajridi Sarih Translation, X/43-45) During the Battle of Khandaq, he prayed Allah so that the enemy who gathered around Madinah would be scattered; thereupon, a storm that broke out suddenly at night turned the enemy upside down. (Tajridi Sarih Translation, VIII/342-343)

We can say that Muslims should avoid damning other Muslims even if they are sinners; however, they should regard it a religious duty to damn those who acted in a hostile manner against the religion of Islam when it is necessary.  

We advise him not to damn even if he is right and pray for him so that he will be good.

Tawakkul:

Tawakkul (trust in, reliance on) means to appoint somebody as one’s deputy. A person to appoint a deputy wants to rely on a person who is stronger, more compassionate and knowledgeable than him and to appoint him as his deputy.

A Muslim believes that there is no power superior to Allah’s power, no knowledge superior to Allah’s knowledge, no compassion and mercy superior to Allah’s compassion and mercy. He understands that the other creatures are weak, poor, faulty and incomplete like him, and trusts in and relies on Allah. He surrenders to Him.

A Muslim who trusts in Allah thinks as follows: “Only Allah can give me good things and only He can keep all kinds of evils and harms from me.”

A Muslim knows that it is not possible to earn without working; therefore, he takes all kinds of measures for worldly affairs; he also knows that it is not possible to go to Paradise without worshipping, without fulling Allah’s orders and without avoiding what He prohibited; therefore, he fulfils his duty of worshipping and then trusts in Allah.

Tawakkul means to act in accordance with causes, to take all kinds of measures and to show consent to the outcome decreed by God Almighty. Such a person lives in peace; he does not agonize his spirit by worrying about sustenance. The following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) becomes a great source of hope for him:

“If you trust in Allah truly, He will give you sustenance in the same way as He gives sustenance to birds.”

Tawakkul never forbids 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 trust in Allah by releasing my camel or by tying it? The Prophet said, “Tie your camel; trust in Allah after that.” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 60) Thus, he showed the criterion of tawakkul in the best way.

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