Reliance on Allah: Definition and Secret
Reliance (Tawakkul) is when a person, recognizing their own weakness, entrusts all their power and strength to Allah. True reliance involves abandoning the perception of finite beings and causes as providers and completely binding the heart to Allah. Shaykh Najm al-Din Kubra defines reliance as “remaining distant from all means and precautions, like a dead person, trusting in Allah.” The verse, “If you believe in Allah, He is sufficient for you” (At-Talaq, 3), is the clearest evidence of the infinite peace and divine guarantee that reliance brings to the heart.
The Balance Between Effort and Reliance
In Islam, reliance does not mean laziness or abandoning work. On the path of perfecting faith, a servant first resorts to means, seeks sustenance through lawful ways; but they must know in their hearts that it is Allah who provides sustenance, not their efforts. The prophets also worked and exerted themselves in this world, yet they relied on Allah by leaving the results to Him. Clinging to causes is the work of the body, while trusting in the Creator of those causes is the work of the heart. When a servant performs their work with a sincere intention and then surrenders the outcome to Allah, they are freed from worldly worries and fear of sustenance.
Seeing the True Agent Beyond Causes
The pinnacle of reliance is setting aside outward means and witnessing the absolute will behind every affair. Imam Ghazali (may Allah sanctify his secret) explains this with a tremendous example: An ant, seeing letters on a piece of paper, would say, ‘These were written by a pen,’ because it cannot lift its head to see the fingers holding the pen, the hand, the will that moves it, and the true creator. Most people also look at events in this way, getting stuck with the closest cause. However, those who are perfected in reliance see the “Creator of Causes” (Musabbib al-Asbab) behind events and find peace by binding their hearts to Him alone, with complete submission.