She Trusted, He Delivered
Perched on top of the mountain with nothing and no one around her, the lady peered into the distance. She saw no one. She ran down the mountain and across the valley and climbed another mountain, peering into the distance again. Again, nothing could be seen.
Her child was crying; the little baby boy was thirsty, and mommy didn’t have a drop of water to give to him. Among the harshest of sounds to the ears of a parent is the cry of his or her child, and it was to hers, too. Thus she kept running between the two mountains over and over again until Allah Himself intervened.
He’ll Even Split the Sea For You
He sent the angel Gabriel to strike the earth and bring out water for the mother and the child. And to this day, this run of Hajar is done by millions of pilgrims who go for Hajj and Umrah. She trusted in Allah, and Allah delivered.
As they escaped, running for their lives through the night, Pharaoh was notified. He followed them with his army and his cavalry.
After years and years murder, pillage, and slavery, Allah sent a man to a nation that had suffered much. He willed that this man was to take them from the darkness of oppression to the light of freedom, from the murderer to the just ruler. He ordered Moses to take the Children of Israel from the clutches of Pharaoh and cross into the blessed lands.
The Children of Israel were stuck right in front of the Red Sea. Some of them despaired, some of them cursed Moses for only bringing them more trouble, while some just kept looking back at the approaching army of Pharaoh.
Moses simply said, inna ma’eyah rabbi sayahdeen (Most certainly, My Lord is with me, He will guide). Allah ordered Moses to strike the sea with his staff, and the sea split. He trusted, and Allah split the sea for him.
What is Tawakkul?
In both these stories, we see an unwavering and amazing trust in the plan and the decree of Allah. These are examples so profound that Allah immortalized them in the Quran, to the end of times.
So, what is it that made these people so dependent on Allah, and, more importantly, what makes Allah send His help to them in the most critical of junctures? Tawakkul. So what exactly is tawakkul?
One of the names of the Prophet Muhammad is al-Mutawakkil, the One who continuously places his trust on Allah. And one of the names of Allah is al-Wakeel, the One who can be trusted.
When Ibrahim was being thrown into the fire, he said:
Hasbi Allahu wa ni’m-al wakeel (Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best One to trust).
We notice that tawakkul is such an amazing quality that the Prophet is even defined by it! It is seen to be among the qualities of the prophets and saintly people before him as well!
So, Again, what Exactly is Tawakkul?
When this realization takes over, we know that no matter where the situation gets, He alone is enough for us, and He is the only One we need.
The first part of the dua of Ibrahim gives us the first point of tawakkul– Hasbi Allah— Allah is sufficient for me. The first and most important thing to understand in life, in all spheres of life and at all times, is that no matter what we think, Allah alone is sufficient for us.
The second part is understanding our neediness before Allah. It is understanding that while we are reading this at home, we are in as much need of Allah as the one who is drowning and his heart desperately calling out for help.
It is understanding that the starving child who doesn’t know if he will have food for the next meal is in as much need of Allah as us who have five days’ worth of food in our fridge!
The third part is understanding that whatever Allah does is good for us, whether we perceive it or not.
Yusuf was thrown into a well. It was wrong. He was picked up and sold into slavery. It was preposterous! His master’s wife tried to seduce him, and when he refused, he was put into prison! It was blatant injustice. And yet, all of it was good for him!
And that is why later when Yusuf became the King of Egypt, he remarked that Allah was “al-Lateef” towards Him.
Al-Lateef is the One who is subtle. He is the One who brings benefit to His slave in a way that the slave can never perceive. The One who is doing good for His slave, while the world thinks the slave is being punished!
Understanding that Allah is enough for us, that we are in need of Him and that whatever He will allow to happen is good for us are the foundations of trusting in Him. How can you not have trust in the One who is enough for you? Of whom you are in perpetual need of? And the One who will only allow good to happen to you?
Tawakkul is to follow the commands of Allah even when disobeying Him seems easier. It is to believe that He will grant us paradise for choosing Him over the fleeting pleasures of this dunya.
It is to entrust our affairs to Allah and be content knowing that He will take care of us.
Tawakkul is to know that all will be well, even if things look impossible.
Tawakkul is knowing that at the end of the tunnel there is light, even if we don’t see it. It is understanding that when Allah shields something from us, He is actually redirecting us to something better.
Tawakkul is among the biggest keys that cause miracles to happen in our lives. It is among the most beautiful fruits of the tree of la ilaha illa Allah.
We ask Allah that He makes us from among those who have Tawakkul in Him.
Source: Understand Quran
(From Discovering Islam archive)
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