This post was originally written on November 9, 2017 and was reposted on December 26, 2023.
Here we are on the next part of the topic of Tawakkul. I will talk about action and duas, and how having reliance on Allah SWT is really, what the ultimate goal is.
Note: If you have not read the first part of this blog series, please click here to read Why it is important for us to have Tawakkul – Part 1.
Is it true that we have to take action in order for our dua to be manifested?
There is a hadith that a Bedouin was going inside the mosque without tying his camel. One day, the Prophet (SAW) noticed this and asked the Bedouin why didn’t he tie the camel. The Bedouin responded to the Prophet (SAW) saying that he left the camel because he put his complete trust in Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) then responded that what the Bedouin should do first is to tie his camel, and then put his trust in Allah SWT that the camel will be there and taken care of. This hadith was related by Tirmidhi and is an authentic hadith.
There is another version of the hadith where the Bedouin asked the Prophet (SAW) whether he should leave the camel and rely on Allah SWT, or whether he should tie the camel and then have tawakkul on Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) answered that the Bedouin should tie the camel and then have tawakkul upon Allah SWT.
Either way, you do have to take some action. And you know, dua is a huge action on its own!
Tawakkul is the means to the end result. What this means is having full complete trust in Allah SWT with regards to your duas and the answer to the duas. You are not putting the trust on the action step itself, but rather, in Allah SWT Himself.
You’re ultimately saying “Allah SWT, if this is good for me, then I trust You in providing this for me.” You build your patience through tawakkul.
You don’t need to take big action steps or even small ones. You simply take a step, and trust that as you take that step, Allah SWT will help you with each milestone you achieve toward your goal. It is Allah SWT who guides your action steps, if you really think about it. And it is Allah SWT who brings miracles into existence when things are going to happen for you as it is meant to be.
So, is it true that you absolutely need to take an action step in order for your duas to be manifested? Not all the time. Sometimes, we don’t even know where to begin!
When we don’t know where to begin, what do we do? We make dua to ask Allah SWT for guidance on what to do next. Then Allah SWT guides us through putting the ideas and thoughts in our intuition (this is another blog post for another time about intuition). The next thing you know, action begins to happen.
How do you think the street lights were built? When cars were first being built, no one thought about potential accidents that could happen without street lights, and stop signs. But then Allah SWT provided guidance to someone by giving them the idea, and then the street lights, and stop signs came about. There is rich history behind the creation of the first street light, but that’s again, a topic for another blog.
Who do you think came up with the idea of technology and computers? Again, Allah SWT guides people towards the ideas and thoughts that bring about what we use today.
Let’s go back eons ago to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) Before the flood, no one had a clue what a ship was. Hadrat Jibreel (A.S.), upon Allah SWT’s command, came down to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) and taught him how to build an ark that would guide him, his family and believers along with animals in pairs to safety while the disbelievers would not survive the huge flood as punishment for not believing in the Oneness of Allah SWT and not heeding the message Prophet Nuh (A.S.) was spreading. From that moment on, we had ships that were built to help us travel, trade with other countries, and so much more.
This is Tawakkul. Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, everything happens in Allah SWT’s will. Not in ours. So, when we do not know of what action step to take, Allah SWT guides us – even when we aren’t aware about what we want, or how to obtain our needs and wants.
Let me talk about tawakkul from what I have personally experienced.
I didn’t actually think about becoming a professional speaker, or even to go down the path of becoming a certified life and leadership coach/consultant at all. Ten years ago, I had finished my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BSBA) and I went to law school full time for a year and a half. Halfway into law school, I decided to quit. I had a nervous breakdown and I couldn’t handle all the stress that I had collected over the years I was in college, then law school (studying for exams, LSATs, finals, etc.). When I left law school, and took time off (two years), I was trying hard to find a stable job but we were going through a recession in the United States. It was hard to find anything, and although I took action with sending out resumes, I couldn’t find any jobs I was qualified for no matter my educational background. I was not called into interviews or anything of the sort. I lost hope.
I was upset, depressed and didn’t know what to do.
Reality was that I wanted to be a professor and teach college ever since I started my bachelors, but to be able to do that, you need to have a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. Both of which I didn’t have at the time (and my main reason for going to law school).
Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen at that moment.
What was I supposed to do? I had no clue what action to take. This is where Allah SWT steps in and says, “I will provide guidance to you because I know what you do not know.”
This is so true! Allah SWT knows what we do not know about our lives, our future, and we are unaware. We follow the guidance set forth, and make the choice of taking the path He provides for us, or to follow a different path that may or may not be good for us (this is the concept of free will, which I will get into another time).
Side note: I have this personal belief that no matter what path you take, Allah SWT will always guide you to your destiny because it is already preordained for us. Always choose that which Allah SWT guides you to, for it is the best path, and one that will lead you to where you need to be in the right time.
Back to what I was talking about…..
I spent two years looking for work, sitting at home trying to find ways to keep busy and do what I could. In 2010, I fell sick for a year with panic attacks that were coming from out of nowhere, and other health issues due to the chronic stress I had built up from many years of schooling. After speaking to my doctor, I was guided to go back to college again. I had wanted to get my Masters, and at that time, I decided to become a certified coach. I figured that since my friends and others come to me for advice about anything ranging from academics, to relationship issues, to life problems that I could become a coach and help people out with credentials behind me.
I became a certified life coach, and a certified health coach in 2012. In 2014, I became a certified clinical hypnotherapist as well. I decided to open up my own business in coaching and therapy, and started getting a few clients. Things were slow at first, and I was learning more about how to run a business than I was doing the coaching or therapy sessions.
Gradually, I started learning more about the coaching industry, and what my purpose was in the world. I realized I had a strong passion about speaking, personal development, and leadership. In 2012, I heard about Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) from a friend of mine (who wasn’t even in Toastmasters and really didn’t have a clue about it at the time). Allah SWT guided me to finding a really amazing Toastmasters club, and I started giving speeches, while taking on various leadership roles that really built my skills up more. This gave me the credibility and the confidence I needed, and helped me grow as a coach, speaker, leader and as a better person.
I started working on my own personal development, and found the passion I had lost when I took that two year hiatus from life, pretty much.
A few weeks ago, I had an epiphany. All along, Allah SWT had already chosen my path for me. Everything I’ve been doing in the last 10-12 years of my life has brought me to where I am today. When I didn’t know what to do, Allah SWT guided me because He knew I was ready. He taught me what I needed to understand and still to this day, Allah SWT is guiding me to inspire others through this blog, and through other ways. He has helped me to work on being a better version of myself each day. Honestly, I do all of this for Allah SWT. Not for anyone else. The action steps I took were guidance from Allah SWT.
When you are ready to follow your path, Allah SWT shows you where to go. This is Tawakkul. Without reliance on Allah SWT, and on Him alone, we will never be able to find our way.
My story is just an example of how Allah SWT guides us – this is why we should have tawakkul. It is through our trust in Allah SWT that we know our lives are worth living and being. It is our trust in our Lord that we are able to survive the pain and the problems life brings us. Everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, are all life lessons for us coming from Allah SWT. He wants us to continue having trust in His plans for us. We may feel that our life is so hard, or we have hardships going on when bad things happen more than the good things we want. But that does not mean that Allah SWT has left us. No. It means that there is a greater purpose behind why we go through what we do, and we have to trust that Allah SWT will protect us, guide us and bring us the salvation we are looking for both in this world, and rewards in the Hereafter.
Without tawakkul in Allah SWT, we will be completely lost, misguided and our lives will never be good in this world or in the afterlife. Therefore, with ALL your heart, put your trust in Allah SWT, and only pray to Him for ALL of your needs. Why do you need to ask anyone when the Lord of the Worlds is the One to pray to and Who gives us freely of His bounties? When we take action, and Allah SWT guides us to where we need to go. So amp up your tawakkul, and your yaqeen, and keep making those duas in the sincerest way possible.
Take the risk by tying your camel, and trust in Allah SWT.
-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi