TAWAKKUL OF A PERSON WHO WORKS

Imam-i Ghazali says in his book Kimya-i Sa'adat:

The tawakkul of a person who works is not to depend on his capital. And its symptom is that when he loses his capital his heart does not feel worried, or give up hope of his sustenance. For, a person who relies on Allahu ta'ala knows that He will send his sustenance from places he does not expect at all. If He does not send him sustenance, he will think that this is better for him. It is not easy to acquire such tawakkul. All your property has been stolen, or you have undergone a great catastrophe, and your heart still does not change; this is not something everybody can do. Those who have such tawakkul are very few, but they are not nonexistent. Attaining such tawakkul requires the heart's complete and positive belief in the endlessness of Allah's blessing, compassion and favouring, and in that His power is in the greatest perfection. One must think that He sends sustenance to many people though they do not have any capital, while, on the other hand, many fortunes cause perdition. One must as well know that it is good for oneself if one loses one's own capital. Rasulullah 'sallallahu alaihi wa sallam' stated, "A person spends the night thinking of the things he is going to do the next day. But that things will bring calamity upon him. Allahu ta'ala, pitying this slave of His, does not let him do it. And he, in his turn, becomes sorry because he is not able to do it. Thinking, 'Why hasn't this business of mine been accomplished? Who doesn't let me do it? Who on earth is imposing this enmity upon me?' and he begins to think ill of his friends. However, Allahu ta'ala, having mercy upon him, has protected him against calamity." For this reason Hadrat [1] 'Umar 'radiyallahu anh' said, "If I become poor, needy tomorrow, I will never feel sorry. I will never think of getting rich, for I do not know which is better for me."

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GLOSSARY

[1] Hadrat: title of respect used before the names of great people like and Islamic scholars.