Tawakkul itself translates as 'trust and reliance' Tawakkul is a Muslim's trust and acceptance of the divine will, which no one knows, understands or controls except Allah.
"And He will provide him from [sources] he could never imagine. And whoever puts their trust in Allāh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allāh will accomplish His purpose. Indeed, Allāh has set a measure for all things."
This is because in order to gain at least some level of Tawakkul, the person needs to be aware of the fact that all the matters of this world and the Hereafter lie in the Hands of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). Nothing occurs except by His Permission and His Leave.
As Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) says 'so worship Him and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you do'.
Say: "He is the Most Gracious (Allāh) in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust. So, you will come to know who it is that is in manifest error.'[4]
Know that Allah (SWT) is pleased with those servants who persevere and He (SWT) loves those that trust in Him. A beautiful example that never fails to touch my heart is that of our mother: Umm Salamah (RA), when her husband Abu Salamah (RA) passed away and she remained steadfast, uttering the best statement at the time of any calamity: 'Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oon -Surely to Allah we belong and surely to Him we will return'. And she received exactly as Allah (SWT) promises: blessings and mercy:
'And give good news to those who persevere, those who say, when a misfortune strikes them, Surely to Allah we belong, and surely to Him we will return, these are the ones on whom blessings from their Lord descend, and mercy, and these are the ones who are rightly guided'.
[Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 155-157]As for the levels of Tawakkul, then the first level is to know Allāh by His qualities and attributes, such as the fact that He is all capable and sufficient to rely on; that He is the Sustainer and that He is All–Knowing and that things can only happen with His Will and Decree.
The second level is to believe that every matter has a cause or a means. we should do everything that is available to us to reach our goals.
The third level is to remain firm in relying on Allāh alone. Indeed, a person's reliance on Allāh cannot be fulfilled until one relies on Him alone. 'If Allāh helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allāh (Alone) let the believers put their trust'.
The fourth level is to depend on Allāh wholeheartedly and feel tranquillity when doing so, to the extent that one does not feel anxious or confused about their provision.true reliance is when a person does not care if means are available or not, because they know that all matters are in the Hands of Allāh. All Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has to do for a matter to occur is say 'Be! And it becomes'[7]. Of course, a person will have to utilise all the means available to them also.
The highest level of Tawakkul, towards which we should all strive of course, is to realise that the essence of reliance on Allāh is to entrust all matters to Him willingly, without feeling forced to do so.
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