Reliance on Allah: a door of sustenance

Shishani

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Tawakkal alallaah : One of the Doors of Sustenance
– Shaykh Muhammad Al-Wassãbi

Tawakkal alallaah (having trust in Allaah) : If you placed your trust in Allaah, a true trust in Allaah, Allaah would have provided for you like the bird who goes out in the morning hungry and returns in the evening full. Having trust in Allaah, not on oneself, not on the pocket, not on the job, not on the friend, not on the merchant, not on the car or the store you might own. That is just a means that you work with, however it is obligatory for your heart to be dependant on Allaah.

The fourth door is : Tawakkal alallaah (having trust in Allaah) : The Prophet said, (as recorded in Tirmidhi & Ahmad) ‘If you placed your trust in Allaah, a true trusting in Allaah, Allaah would provide for you just like he provides for the birds. It goes out in the morning hungry and returns in the evening full.’

At-tawakkal alallaah – ‘having trust in alAllaah, not on oneself, not on the pocket, not on the bag, not on the job or employment, not on the friend, not on the merchant, not on the farm, not on the car or the store you might own. That is just a means that you work. It is nothing more than a means. However it is obligatory for your heart to be dependant on Allaah and to trust in Allaah.

He alahis-salaatu wassalaam, you have heard him say : If you put your trust in Allaah, a true trusting in Allaah, He would have sustained or provided for you as He provides for the birds. That is the rizq or the sustenance of the bird is easy. i.e the sustenance of the bird is very easy. It goes out in the morning hungry and returns in the evening satisfied with their bellies filled not with difficulty. It gets its rights with ease and then returns and birds are of many types. Take notice. Some of those birds are those that are big and don’t eat except meat. And Allaah azzawajal gives it meat. And every bird takes what Allaah has decreed for it. And no one enumerates it except Allaah and the amount that no one can enumerate except Allaah and their sustenance is due upon Allaah. i.e He will sustain it. And He mentions the ayah :

‘And so many a moving creature carries not its own provision. Allaah provides for it and for you.’

‘And there is no moving creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allaah and He knows its dwelling and its deposit i.e in the uterus or in the grave. All is in a clear Book.’

He is talking about the ‘Lawh al Mahfudh’ — the Book of Decree which is with Allaah.

‘ We have not created the Jinn and the mankind except that they should worship Me. I do not want from them sustenance nor do I want them to feed Me. Verily Allaah is the One that provides. He is the Owner of Power and Strong.’

‘In the sky is your sustenance and what you are promised and by the Lord of the sky or the Heavens and the earth, verily it is the truth just like it is the truth that you can speak. Verily it is the truth that Allaah is Ar-Razzaak and your rizk is with Allaah and it is written for you and that is coming to you and there is no doubt about it.’

And the Sheikh reiterates :

Verily by the Lord of the Heavens and the earth, it is true, just like it is true that you can speak. However where is the Eemaan in the Book and the Sunnah these days? Where is the one who wholeheartedly believes in the word of Allaah and the words of the Rasool alaisalaathu wassalaam and who is aware and feels the power of Eemaan and the power of tawakkal alallaah? And Tawakkal alallaah does not mean that you don’t work with the means. No, you carry out the means. However, you don’t depend totally on the means. You carry out the means. However you depend upon the ‘Musabbibul Asbaab’ – the One that makes the means and actually from above. He is Allaah. Look at the bird – it carries out the means; it went out hungry and returns satisfied. So it carried out the means. It flew and moved from tree to tree, and from place to place with comfort and received its sustenance and then it returns. So you also carry out the means in a way that is best without torment, without toil and adverse hardship and that is the way that is best. No more than a means. For example the cure for a disease – a mere means. A man is sick and they say he is tired and sick. Give him some black seed or a little honey or give him some pure milk to drink. Someone has an acidic stomach – so pure milk is good for his stomach. A small thing in a way that is good. And Allaah healed him.

A mere means that they used to do in the past. Someone got sick in the times of the Salaf and their medicine was very simple – maybe with 5 Riyals or 6 Riyals. Not like now where a man may have to sell his house, his property and his car and sell and sell and sell .. so that he can go around and get treatment, go abroad and get treatment and if he had taqwa of Allaah azzawajal he would have got cured with 5 Riyals easily. However, when they opposed look at the punishment? And they didn’t depend upon Allaah, they depended upon the pocket, upon their money, upon his pocket, upon his money, and leaned on himself and didn’t lean on Allaah and in turn Allaah entrusted them to their own selves. My slave did not trust in Me and depended on himself so Allaah entrusted him to himself. So he sells what he owns and he returns sick – the same way he went. Sometimes even more sick and he dies there. And they comes with him dead, wrapped up.

There has to be tawakkal alallaah along with carrying out the legislated means. The salaf there used to be from them who used to sell oil and this is present in the biographies of the narrators of Hadeeth – so and so, the son of so and so As-Zayyaath. Meaning he sells zaith – olive oil and such. He spends on himself and his immediate and extended family. So and so, the son of so and so as-Sammaam – he sells saman which is called ghee (a butter material from cattle) and he spends on himself and his family. So and so, the son of so and so al- Assaal – he sells honey. So and so, the son of so and so is al-Hannar – he sells wheat; and they depend on Allaah. Right now you’ll find in most stores and supermarkets – in some of them you will find a thousand type of products as if he wants to put the whole dunya into his pocket.

From : Means of Sustenance : Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab al-WassaabeeMay Allaah reward the sister who Transcribed from the Audio

https://abdurrahman.org/2016/07/27/tawakkal-ilallaah-one-of-the-doors-of-sustenance/
 
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