What does ‘Allah does not leave His slave who takes refuge in Him alone’ mean?

- What exactly should be understood from the statement ‘Allah does not leave His slave who takes refuge in Him alone or in a difficult situation’?
- Does it mean that He will make things easy for His slave, relieve the problem, or does it mean that He will reward him in the hereafter or something else?
- What exactly should we understand from that statement? How should we think?
- How should we believe?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Yes, Allah makes things easy for His slave who takes refuge in Him relieves him, or He will reward him in the world or in the hereafter can be among other meanings.

We can briefly understand the following from the statement “Allah does not leave His slave who takes refuge in Him alone or in a difficult situation”:

Allah never ignores the call of a person who seeks a cure for his problems and takes refuge in Him for them; He bestows a remedy upon him and offers a solution. However, that remedy might not necessarily be in line with the wishes of the person who takes refuge in Him. On the contrary, it might be a precaution foreseen by Allah’s infinite wisdom. It is possible to explain the issue with an example:

a) A patient asks for lansoprazole for stomach complaints; the doctor regards that he is right and gives lansoprazole to him; he does not leave him alone.

b) Another patient asks for aspirin for stomach complaints; the doctor does not give him aspirin because it is harmful to the stomach. Instead, he gives a suitable stomach medicine and does not leave him in a difficult situation.

c) Another patient asks for a medicine for stomach complaints but the doctor does not consider it appropriate to give him any medicine; he advises him to abstain from certain food and does not leave him alone with his problems.

d) It seems that Allah never ignores His slaves - who take refuge in Him because of a problem - and does not leave them alone with their problems.

On the contrary, He fulfills His slave’s request in accordance with His eternal wisdom:

- He either gives what he wants.
- Or He gives him something similar or a better one.
- Or, He does not give it to him at all in this world because it is harmful, but He will reward him in the hereafter.

In any of those cases, He does not ignore the request of His slave. He treats His slave with a prescription that His wisdom deems appropriate, and fulfills his request somehow. He will not leave him in a difficult situation.

e) The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi shedding light on the issue can be a cure for our problems:

“If you say:  We frequently offer supplications, but they are not accepted. But the verse is general, it states that every supplication is answered.”

The Answer:

To answer is one thing, to accept is something quite different. Every supplication is answered, but its being accepted and exactly what was sought being given is dependent on Almighty God’s wisdom. For example, if a sick child calls the doctor, saying: “Doctor! Doctor!”, and he replies: “Here I am, what do you want?”, and the child says: “Give me that medicine!”

The doctor will either give him exactly what he asks for or something better and more beneficial for him. Or knowing that medicine is harmful for his illness, he will give him nothing.

Thus, since Almighty God is all-present and all-seeing, He responds to the supplications of His servants. Through His presence and response, He transforms the desolation of loneliness and solitude into familiarity.

But He does this, not in accordance with man’s capricious and importunate demands, but in accordance with the requirements of dominical wisdom; He gives either what is sought or what is better than it, or He gives nothing at all.

Also, supplication is a form of worship and recognition of man’s servitude to God. The fruits of this pertain to the hereafter. The aims pertaining to this world are the times of a particular sort of supplication and worship.

For example, the prayers and supplications for rain are a form of worship. Drought is the time for such worship. Worship and supplications of this sort are not in order to bring rain. If they are performed with that intention alone they are not worthy of acceptance, for they are not sincere worship.

Sunset is the time of the evening prayers. And eclipses of the sun and moon are the times of two particular prayers known as salat al-kusuf and salat al-khusuf. That is to say, with the veiling of the two luminous signs of the night and day, God’s tremendousness is proclaimed, so Almighty God calls his servants to a sort of worship at those times.

The prayers are not so that the sun and moon will be revealed (whose appearance and how long the eclipses will continue have anyway been reckoned by astronomers).

In just the same way, drought is the time for the prayers for rain, and the visitation of calamities and infliction of harmful things the times of certain supplications when man realizes his impotence and through his supplication and entreaty seeks refuge at the Court of One Possessing Absolute Power.

Even if the calamities are not lifted despite many supplications, it may not be said that they were not accepted. It should rather be said that the time for the supplication is not yet over. If through His graciousness and munificence Almighty God removes the calamity, light upon light, then the time for that supplication is over and done with. That is to say, supplication has the meaning of worship and man’s acknowledging his servitude to God.

As for worship and servitude to God, it should be purely and sincerely for God’s sake. Man should only proclaim his impotence and seek refuge with Him through supplication, he should not interfere in His dominicality. He should leave the taking of measures to Him and rely on His wisdom. He should not accuse His Mercy.” (see Sözler, Yirmi Üçüncü Söz, pp. 317, 318)

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