Tawakkul vs. Fatalism

[Ibn-Ali-Shah]

http://dailyhadith.adaptivesolutionsinc.com/hadith/Tawakkul-or-Fatalism.htm

Hadith Explanation

Tawakkul or Fatalism

Umar Bin Khattaab (radi Allahu anhu) heard the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) saying, “If you trust Allah with the right kind of Tawakkul, He will 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, praising Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), will not have its stomach filled. It has to go out to seek food. It is only the bird that after glorifying Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) goes out and makes an effort to find food, that comes back full.

Belief in Allah's qada and qadar does not preclude action. Hazrat Umar (radi Allahu anhu) asked a group of people sitting around: “Who are you?” They replied: “We are resigned to the will of Allah and have placed our trust (made Tawakkul) in Him.” These people refused to bother with trying to earn a living using Tawakkul as an excuse. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) hit them and told them not to twist the concept of Tawakkul. He said, “You lie! Such a person is resigned to the will of Allah who sows the seed and then places his trust in Him. It is not Tawakkul to sit with idle hands. Gold and silver do not descend from the sky.”

 

[strive-may-i]

.....Thread: Sincerity in relying upon Allah (Tawakkul)

The Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam said: "There was a man from the children of Israel who asked one of his people to loan him 1,000 dinars. The man asked him to bring some witnesses so that he could verify the loan. He (the man asking for the loan) said: "Allah is witness enough." He was then asked to bring a grantor. He said "Allah is grantor enough." The man replied: "You are right," and then gave him the money for a fixed term. The debtor then went away with the money and travelled on a boat to acquire his needs. When he did so he then started to look for a boat in which to travel back to the creditor and repay his loan since his term was about to expire. He was not able to do so. He found a piece of wood, bore a hole in it, placed the 1,000 dinars in the hole with an attached letter to the creditor and then sealed the hole. He then said "Oh Allah! You know that certain person has loaned me 1,000 dinars. I made you both my witness and my grantor. my creditor agreed to this. I have tried my utmost to find a boat that can take me to him, but i have failed. I am now making You in charge of this money." Having said this, he threw the piece of wood into the sea and turned away when he saw the waves take it in. In the meantime, he continued to look for a boat that could take him home.

The creditor was also eagerly awaiting for the debtor to come back. he used to wait on the shore to see if any boat was approaching. One day, he saw a piece of wood coming towards the beach and took home for firewood. When he cut the wood, he found the very same note and money which the debtor placed in it. Soon afterwards, the debtor returned and immediately approached his creditor to apologise for his delay. "Did you send me something? asked the creditor. "I tried my best to find a boat..." "Dont worry," the creditor reassured him. "Allah has delieved what you sent me with the piece of wood."

Hadith Ibid and Al-Bukharee