Look Beyond Your Actions and Rely on God

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

It is not enough that we say that we believe in Allah and in the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) but this belief should manifest one’s actions. That is why the scholars said, “Belief is what settles in the heart and manifest itself on one’s limbs.” It is part of Islam to act on what you believe in by acting upon the guidance of the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Actions are very important and should never be minimized or neglected. They are the foundation of subsequent spiritual stations. Ibn ‘Ata Allah alludes to this in an aphorism, “Whoever has an enlightened beginning will have an enlightened end." (Al-Hikam, no. 27). The enlightened beginning lies in consistency and vigorous enthusiasm in devotional actions. The enlightenment at the end lies in refined spiritual stations.

There are times when we are unable to perform our normal portion of devotional actions due to illness or lawful preoccupation, and we may feel that we are not doing enough to invite Allah's mercy into our lives. This becomes a source of lessening our hope in Allah. Allah, the All-Knowing, knows our state and that it is He who has tested us with the situation that resulted in a lessening of our actions. If we persevere, and maintain a good opinion of Allah, we will find that our patience brings us greater spiritual benefits than our actions ever could.

Reflect on the saying of the Prophet, "When the child of Adam falls ill or travels the reward of the devotional actions he used to perform while in residence or in good health is recorded for him." (Bukhari). In other words, Allah, from the profundity of His grace bestows upon him the reward of those devotional acts, even though he has done nothing, other than entertaining a good opinion of Allah, and patiently enduring the trial that prevented him from acting.

When we understand this we understand that our responsibility is to work. As far as the consequences or outcomes of our work that is something we depute to Allah.

While actions play a critical, necessary part in this life and in salvation, sufficiency, however, lies with Allah. Allah reminds us in the Qur’an,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ حَسْبُكَ ٱللَّـهُ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

O Prophet, sufficient for you is Allah and for whoever follows you of the believers. (64)

[Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:64]

There is no source of harm or benefit except Allah. Abu al-‘Abbas ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (radhiAllahu anhuma) reports:

One day I was riding (a horse/camel) behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said, ‘Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of Allah. If you need help, seek it from Allah. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if Allah had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.’

[Tirmidhi]

We rely on Allah alone. Reliance on other than Allah, including on the acts we undertake ostensibly for Allah, can become a factor that erodes the purity of tawhid, or Divine unity, and, hence, sour our relationship with Allah.

When we believe that our actions affect outcomes, which are solely controlled by Allah, we might tend to lose hope in Allah when we perform certain acts and the outcomes we consider to be associated with those acts do not ensue. If we can look beyond our actions, we will never be disappointed or lose hope. We work as assiduously as we can in undertaking the worldly means normally associated with a particular outcome. However, we leave the outcome to Allah. This is not only a key to actualizing the reality of tawhid and maintaining good manners with Allah, it is also a great source of internal peace and tranquility.

May Allah grant us tawfiq. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.