Al-Risala (English), March-April 1996
Al-Risala (English), March-April 1996, p. 2
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
Trust in God
1996 3-4 March-April 2 Trust in God (335) The Qur’an counsels: “Then, when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah.” (3: 159).
Umar ibn al-Khattab once said that he heard the Prophet say that if one trusts in Allah as is proper, He will certainly provide him sustenance in the same way as he provides for a bird. In the morning the bird flies out with an empty stomach and in the evening, it returns, having eaten its fill. (At-Tirmidhi)
The bird leaves its nest in search of sustenance. This moving out is the only action the bird takes. Thereafter, the sustenance it receives is provided by Allah. The search for sustenance is the responsibility of the bird and the result of that search is in the hands of Allah.
Al-Tirmidhi recounts in Kitab al-Qiyamah that a man once asked, “O, Messenger of God, should I first rope my camel and then trust in Allah, or leave it free and then trust in Him?” The Holy Prophet replied, “First rope the camel, and thereafter trust in Allah.” Thus it is the duty of man to fasten his animal; afterwards whether the animal remains secure or runs away breaks the rope and depends on the will of Allah. This is explained in terms of it being up to the individual to make the effort, while the consequences remain in the hand of the Almighty.
Every task has an effort factor and a result factor. Trust in Allah is not related to effort but to the result of effort. A man should, when he decides to take up a task, perform it with full determination. He should put all the energy at his command into it, leaving the result factor to the scheme of Allah. If he depended on Allah instead of on his own effort and toil, it would lead to idleness and inertia; and if, as regards the result, he did not adopt an attitude of complete trust in Allah, he would become a victim of depression and pessimism. (4.5S/9.95)
