It is one of its conditions. (Manāzil, 17)
Tawakkul (reliance upon God) is among the ranks of religion and one of the spiritual stations (maqām) of those who possess certainty (yaqīn). Indeed, it is among the highest degrees of the muqarrabūn (those brought near to God). In essence, this is a matter that is difficult to resolve from the perspective of knowledge. Then, in terms of practice, it is also quite arduous.
The aspect of tawakkul that is difficult to understand is this: The idea of clinging to causes and trusting in them is, in the matter of tawhid (the oneness of God), shirk (associating partners with God). On the other hand, being excessively negligent regarding causes is to harm the sunnah and to undermine the sharia (the sacred law). To rely on causes without seeing them as mere means is to alter the principle of reason and to fall into the malady of ignorance.
To investigate the meaning of tawakkul according to the requirements of sharia, transmitted knowledge, and tawhid is extremely problematic and difficult. Despite the intensity of its hiddenness, only the discerning scholars whose eyes have been anointed with the lights of ḥaqīqa (inner reality) by Allah's grace are able to lift this veil. They see, they ascertain the truth, and when asked to speak, they express exactly what they have witnessed. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 300)
The word tawakkul is derived from the verbal noun of agency (wakāla). To say that someone has appointed another as his agent means that he has entrusted his affair to him and placed his trust in him. The one to whom the affair is entrusted is called a wakīl (agent), and the one who entrusts is called a muttaqil or mutawakkil (the one who relies and trusts). The one who entrusts does not accuse the entrusted of deficiency, and if he does not believe the entrusted to be incapable or deficient, his heart is at ease and he trusts him. Thus, in this ḥāl (spiritual state), tawakkul consists solely in the heart's trust in the agent. (Iḥyāʾ, IV, 320-321)
Zunnūn was asked what tawakkul is, and he replied: It is to uproot lords and not to rely on causes. Uprooting lords refers to the knowledge of tawhid, while abandoning causes is an ishāra (allusion) to actions. Although the wording may imply it, in reality, there is nothing explicitly related to the ḥāl (spiritual state). When the questioner sought further clarification, Zunnūn said: It is to remove the nafs (the lower self) from the position of lordship and to bring it to the state of servanthood. This...