Chapter 7: About Certitude and Reliance

Translation: [ Imam Abu-Hamid Al-Ghazali talked in detail about this topic. Below is a quotation from what he said on this topic taken from ' Ihya'a Ulum Al-Din (Revival of the Religious Sciences) '.

Translation: Al-Tawakkol (putting one's trust in Allah) consists of knowledge, adoption, and practice. Knowledge is its source and practice is its fruit. The scholars differ over its definition. Each one of them summarized his experience concerning it, so it is better not to quote what they have said, but let us explain the subject.

Al-Tawakkol (putting one's trust in Allah) is derived from a proxy. When someone authorizes another to work on his behalf, this is called Tawkeel. At-Tawakkol is putting one's trust in the authorized one, in whom one has no fear that he has any disabilities or flaws, so he puts his trust in him.

Let us coin a similitude of one authorized to resolve a dispute. If one is falsely accused of having committed an act and authorized another person to confute that accusation, the authorizer should have complete conviction that the authorized person meets the following four conditions: he has extreme guidance, extreme power, extreme eloquence, and extreme tenderness.

1 Certitude and reliance mean that the believer should have an unshakable conviction that no one except Allah sustains all that exists and no action takes place except by His Will.

As to extreme guidance, this is essential because it enables the authorized one to detect any trick or loophole.

As to extreme power, this prompts him to declare the truth publicly without shyness, cowardice, or fear. For, he may uncover a fault but shyness, cowardice, or fear prevent him from declaring it.

As to extreme eloquence, this enables him to translate what the heart has inferred and deduced without any shyness, cowardice, or fear. For not every one is able to declare the dilemma of fraud.

As to extreme tenderness, this enables him to exert the due effort in this concern. For, more ability does not mean more effort if one does not care about the subject. If the authorizer doubts the presence of these four conditions or just one of them, he will not feel calm or tranquil about the authorized one, rather he will remain restless and disheartened searching for any means to compensate for the authorized one's deficit to overcome his accuser's argument. Confidence in the abilities of the authorized one proportionally matches the authorizer's conviction about him.

The conviction and thoughts of people vary limitlessly. Hence, there is no wonder that confidence varies between weakness and strength until it reaches the highest degree as in the case of a son and his father as the authorizer and the authorized one respectively. In this case one quality becomes unquestioned and the same applies to other three conditions.

If you followed that similitude, apply the analogy to putting one's trust in Allah. If you had utter conviction in Allah's Omnipotence, Omniscience, perfect tenderness, and that there is no one more Merciful than Him, your heart will put its complete trust in Him. It will forsake any idea of your own power, knowledge, or ability.

If you do not find that state in your heart, this can be attributed to two matters: weakness of conviction over one of these four elements or weakness of the heart due to erroneous impressions and cowardice overpowering it.

Thus, putting one's trust in Allah does not occur except where there is of strength of the heart and conviction combined. These two elements combined lead to tranquility and calmness of the heart. Thus, tranquility and conviction of the heart are two different things. How many situations are there where conviction exists without tranquility?

Thus, you have understood the meaning of At-Tawakkol, now we will explain to you that Al-Tawakkol has three degrees of weakness and strength.

The First Degree:

This degree comprises that we have mentioned, i.e. that the authorizer has absolute confidence in Allah like the confidence an authorizer has in the authorized one.

The Second Degree:

This degree is stronger than the previous one. In this degree, the authorizer has confidence in Allah like that of a child in his mother. He knows none but her. He resorts to none besides her. If he sees her, he is attached to her. If any trouble visits him, the first thing he utters is: " Mother! " She is his sole resort as he has put all his trust in her, in her guardianship, and in her tenderness.

He whose trust and reliance is in Allah is the similitude of the child's relationship with his mother. The child puts trust in his mother. His reliance on his mother differs from the

Tawakkol, in that the child does not understand Al-Tawakkol. His only care is for the one upon whom he relies his mother. There is no place in his heart for other than his mother. The other has put his trust in Allah but in the meantime he is obsessed by things other than the relied-upon One.

Thus, he is liable to be distracted from Him. Sahl referred to this degree when he was asked about Al-Tawakkol: ' What is its lowest degree? ' He said: " The giving up of vain hopes. ' It was said: ' What is its moderate degree? ' He said: ' The giving up choice. This refers to the second degree. When he was asked about its highest degree, he mentioned nothing, but he said: ' None knows it except he that has known its moderate degree. '

The Third Degree:

The third degree is the highest one. Whenever one is before Allah he becomes like a dead body in the hands of the person who washes it. There is no difference between them except that the living one in our simile is convinced that he is a dead body that is being moved by the Eternal Power as one washing the dead body does. It is this person who has realized that he is a result of Allah's Ability, Will, Knowledge, and other Attributes.

There is another difference in the simile of the child. While the child resorts to his mother, attaches to her, and walks behind her, he that puts his trust in Allah knows well that even if he does not call, he is responded to and if he does not ask for milk, he is given it abundantly.

If you say: ' Can this be? ' We say ' You have to be sure that this is impossible but it occurs rarely. The second and the third cases are rarer, and the first is the most probable. The second and the third cases are so rare. The third case lasts for a very short while, and resembles the yellowness of the skin

Translation: resulting from fear. For, the heart is created to be confident in one's power and resources, while disdaining them is accidental. Fear is caused due to a constriction of the blood that causes a temporary yellowness of the complexion. This constriction of the blood is incidental, while its infusion is natural. The same applies to the heart and its shrinking from reliance on one's strength that is temporary too.

As to the second status, this is like yellowness of a person in fever. It lasts for two or three days, while the first is like yellowness of a serious disease that lasts for a long or a short time. It is liable to last and liable to cease.

He that does not know or believe in the meaning of: " None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, " and the meaning of: " There is neither movement nor ability except with Allah, " does not know the meaning of Al-Tawakkol. Consequently, he is not able to practice Al-Tawakkol. '

So, now, let us ponder over what Imam Al-Nawawi compiled concerning this topic.]

Allah said:

Translation: " And when the believers saw Al-Ahzab (the Confederates), they said: ' This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth. And it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah). * " (33: 22) And

Translation: " Those (i.e. believers) to whom the people (the hypocrites) said: ' Verily, the people (the pagans) have mobilized against you (a great army), therefore, fear them. But it (only) increased them in faith, and they said: ' Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of all affairs. ' * So, they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them, and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty. * " (3173-174) And

Translation: " And put your trust (O Muhammad!) in the Ever Living One Who dies not, and glorify His Praises, and Sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His servants. * (25: 58) And

Translation: " And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). " And

Translation: " And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things. " And

Translation: " The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses (this Koran) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone). (8: 2)

Translation: The verses related to showing patience and its supremacy in the Noble Koran are too many to enumerate.

Translation: As to the Hadiths:

Translation: 60. Narrated Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): Allah's Messenger said: " Nations were displayed before me, one or two Prophets would pass by, along with few followers. Another Prophet would pass by accompanied by nobody. Then a big crowd of people passed in front of me and I asked: ' Who are they? Are they my followers? " It was said: ' No. It is Moses and his followers. " It was said to me: ' Look at the horizon. Behold! There was a multitude of people filling the horizon. Then it was said to me: ' Look there and there along the horizon! ' Behold! There was a multitude filling the horizon. It was said to me: ' This is your nation, out of whom seventy thousand shall enter Paradise without reckoning. Then the Prophet ﷺ entered his house without telling his companions who they (the 70,000 people who will enter Paradise without reckoning) were. So the people started talking about the issue and said: " We are the ones who have believed in Allah and followed His Messenger, those people are either us or our children who are born during the Islamic revelation, because we were born in the time of Ignorance. " When the Prophet heard what they said he came out and said: “ Those people are the ones who do not treat themselves with Roqya, nor do they believe in bad or good omens (from birds... etc.), and those who do not get themselves branded (cauterized), but they put their trust (only) in their Lord. At that Okasha ibn Mihsan said: " Am I one of them, O Allah's Messenger? " The Prophet ﷺ said: “ Yes. ” Then another person got up and said: " Am I one of them? " The Prophet said: " Okasha has preceded you in that. " (Bukhari)

Translation: 61. Narrated Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): ' The Prophet used to pray: " I seek refuge (with You) by Your Izza (Honor, Power, Dignity, or Glory) La ilah illa Ant, (None has the right to be worshipped but You), Who does not die while the jinn and the human beings die. " (Bukhari)

Translation: 62. Narrated Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them): " Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of all affairs, was said by Abraham a when he was thrown into fire, and it was said by Muhammad when they (the hypocrites) said: " Verily, the people (pagans) have mobilized against you (a great army) therefore, fear them. " But it (only) increased them in faith and they said: “ Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us). " (Bukhari)

Translation: 63. Jaber ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that he fought in a Battle to Najd (the central region of the Arabian Peninsula) along with Allah's Messenger ﷺ and when Allah's Messenger ﷺ returned he too returned along with him. The time of the afternoon sleep came to them while they were in a valley full of thorny trees. Allah's Messenger dismounted and the people dispersed amongst the thorny trees, seeking the shade. Allah's Messenger took shelter under a Samoura (pine) tree and hung his sword on it. We had only slept for a while when Allah's Messenger suddenly called us, and we went to him finding a nomad sitting with him. Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: “ This (nomad (took my sword out of its sheath while I was asleep. When I woke up, the naked sword was in his hand and he said to me: ' Who can save you from me? " I replied: ' Allah. ' And I repeated this thrice, and now, here he is sitting. " Allah's Messenger did not punish him (for that). ' (Bukhari)

Translation: 64. Narrated Omar ibn Al-Khattab: ' The Messenger of Allah said: “ If you relied on Allah as you should, you would be provided for in the same way as the birds are provided for. They leave early in the morning hungry and return filled before sunset². "

Translation: 2 This Hadith tells us that Allah is the Sustainer of all creatures. It guides us to adopt the material means to attain our aims in the same way as the birds exert their efforts to earn their food, we are

Translation: 65. Narrated Abu-Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): ' I said to the Prophet while I was in the Cave: " If anyone of them looked around under his feet, he would see us. " The Prophet said: " O Abu-Bakr! What do you think of two (persons) the third of whom is Allah? " (Bukhari)