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**Article Six**
It explains in four points the necessity and importance of complete trust (tevekkul) regarding provision (rizq) for everyone. [246/a]
O beloved! Know that the friends of Allah have said: “Whoever contemplates these four matters concerning provision and acts accordingly, he will be freed from all anxieties and sorrows that may enter his heart regarding his provision. He will find peace of heart with complete trust.”
The first point is this: First, you must consider that the Exalted God has taken upon Himself in the Holy Quran the provision of all creation, and thus surely He has taken your provision upon Himself and become a guarantor for you concerning it. If a worldly sultan were to say to you, "You are my guest tonight; I will give you a feast, feed you," what would you say? How would you have good hopes regarding him? Because he is a just ruler who keeps his word. Even if a generous merchant or a wealthy Jew invites you, would you not trust his invitation and respond to it, given that he is a sensible person? Would you not be relieved of the worry about how you will eat the evening meal on account of his words?
Then what state are you in, that the Generous and Bountiful Lord of the Worlds has become your guarantor for your provision with His majesty and glory, having promised it to you in the Holy Quran and sworn regarding it, yet you do not trust His promise and thus find no peace? How can you not be secure by confirming His promise and trusting in His oath? How can you not look upon the countless blessings and favors that God has bestowed, the gifts and kindnesses He has given? Rather, your soul influences your heart, causing it to remain distressed and constantly thinking about provision. If you knew this, it would be a great calamity, the greatest of disrespect. As Hz. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) explains this matter in two couplets:
Couplet:
1- You seek the provision of God from other than Him?
And how do you dawn secure from your consequences?
2- You trust a money changer even if he is a polytheist,
But how can you not trust your Lord as Your Guarantor?
This is why thinking about what will happen regarding provision gives rise to doubt and suspicion; it is feared that the believer’s faith and understanding will be lost. For the Exalted God says in the Holy Quran: “If you are believers, then put your trust in Allah.” (Ma'idah, 5/23)
The second point is this: Since the apportioned provision (rizq-i maksūm) cannot be changed and what is written on the Preserved Tablet (Lawh al-Mahfūz) does not alter, if you deny destiny or deem it possible for what has been written to be altered – may God protect us – then you will stray from the path of Islam. If you know with certainty that God’s apportionment is true and unchanging, yet you pursue provision with greed and anxiety, then what else can you obtain in this world and the Hereafter besides disgrace and abjection, hardship and loss? As it is related in a hadith: “Written upon every morsel is ‘This is so-and-so's provision.’” Therefore, those who possess trust (tevekkul) attain their provision with honor. The greedy ones are ruined. For greed does not increase or decrease provision. The apportioned provision loves its owner and pursues it. So take your provision with dignity; why should you debase yourself with humiliation?
The third point is this: Know that provision is only necessary for sustenance and life. Life and provision are gifts from the Exalted God, who is questioned about neither, and they are inseparable. Just as the lives of His servants are in the hand of Allah’s power and within His hidden treasure, so too is provision with Him; He gives it if He wills, and He does not give it if He wills. The servant does not know this; the Lord arranges and decrees as He pleases. In such a state, how can you be a servant who is not in tranquility and submission to God’s decree?
The fourth point is this: The Exalted God has become a guarantor for His servant's provision. However, this guarantee includes the provision necessary for nourishment, growth, development, and protection. If the servant abandons the means (sebebs) for the sake of his Lord and puts his trust in Him, then it may happen that Allah removes those means, granting him strength and power from Himself, and the servant experiences no distress or sorrow from the removal of these means. Rather, his heart becomes tranquil with closeness and friendship to Allah who created the means, deriving spiritual pleasure from communion. For he knows the true nature of the matter: God’s guarantee is for the survival and development of the body. Putting trust in God in this sense means the continuation of the vitality of the body. Those who expect provision from God in this manner will surely receive sustenance and help until their lives are sufficient for him to fulfill Allah's commands. The ultimate goal regarding provision is to meet the need for food (eating and drinking) so that the body remains alive until the end of its life.
God’s power is perfect, and this perfection means that He does what He wills in whatever way He wills. He may provide nourishment to His servant's body with food and drink, or He may grant him strength and power through glorification (tasbih) and exaltation (tahleel), just as He does with the angels. For the purpose is for the body to remain fit for worship and for the servant to be able to perform acts of devotion. It is not for satisfying appetites for eating and drinking. In this case, no reliance on means is placed. This is why ascetics and recluses have been able to endure nights and days without food, to undertake long journeys with little provision. Some remained hungry for ten days, some for twenty days, some for one or two months, yet their bodies remained strong.
As the Exalted God granted Ibrahim Adham clay, and others…
Okay, here's the translation of the provided text, aiming for faithfulness and preservation of meaning within a classical Islamic/Sufi context:
***
Within the world, hidden and manifest,
Surely what is destined shall come to you.
The seeking of a person, night and day,
Does not cause abundant provision to increase.
Those who are content with their sustenance,
Become a manifestation of the Name of the Sustainer.
He Who brought you forth from non-existence,
Will not leave you destitute, nor compel you to need others.
Proceed, place your trust in God,
Practice patience and forbearance in your state.
The corner of the treasury is pleasant,
Contentment with what God has given is pleasing.
The All-Wise Sustainer knows your condition,
He delivers provision at its appointed time.
Provision is not dependent on wealth;
Other means bring it forth from the Sustainer.
Make your gaze and heart generous,
Do not be a beggar with a base eye.
Do not fear poverty; be at ease,
Is the Giver of Grace ever one who leaves his servant destitute?
O Living, Exalted God!
Do not make our circumstances wretched regarding provision.
Let remembrance be the nourishment of the soul within us,
Open the door of wisdom in our hearts.