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The arabic word tawakkul [توكّل] means trust.

The sense is that the believer should have total trust in Allāh, One and Pure, free from all conceivable associations and ascriptions, not simply theoretically but in deeds too and in all states and conditions of one's life.

In a sound Ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ has said that this does not mean that one should abandon material causes and means when it comes to taking care of ones legitimate needs.

The point is that one should not consider material means and instruments as sufficient for real success, instead of which, one should do his best, subject to his ability and courage, to assemble and utilise necessary material means.

It is only after that one should entrust his matter with Allah, believing that He is the One who has created all the means and He is certainly the One who makes means to bear fruits. What would come to be has to be what He has willed.

In another Ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ has said 'Make a moderate effort to procure what you need through material means and then place your trust in Him.'

[Maʿāriful Qurʾān, Volume 4, page 154-155]

Reliance upon Allāh means entrusting one's affairs to Allāh and relying upon Allāh for the matter at hand as well as all other matters, whether religious or worldly. This is a sign of one's faith in Allāh and evidence for one's belief in and implementation of tawḥīd. Relying upon others when only Allāh can help is considered to be a form of shirk.

During times of trauma and difficulty, reliance upon Allāh entails employing the means created by Allāh that are likely to lead to the desired outcome, as long as they are within the limits of the Sharʿīah. At the same time, one should trust in and depend upon Allāh and upon Allāh's mercy, power and ability to do things. Those who rely upon Allāh do not abandon the means to achieve the end result, nor do they abandon hope in Allāh's mercy and rely upon themselves instead.

Relying upon Allāh is an act of worship of the heart. It encompasses the understanding that, in reality, there is no helper except Allāh. We may consult others, ask others for their assistance and even pay for their services, but in the end, the only true help comes from Allāh and Allāh is the only One who can save us from the predicaments in which we find ourselves.

The righteous servants of Allāh ﷻ go to incredible lengths to earn divine rewards.

Imām Abū Dāwūd, the renowned Muḥaddith and the compiler of Sunan Abī Dāwūd was on board a ship when he heard a person on the shore sneeze and say 'الحمد لله' (All praise belongs to Allāh).

Imām Abū Dāwūd hired a small boat for one Dirham and went ashore in order to reply to the person who sneezed with 'يرحمك الله' (may Allāh have mercy upon you).

When Imām Abū Dāwūd returned to the ship, Imām Abū Dāwūd was asked why he had done so.

Imām Abū Dāwūd answered, "It is possible that the person who sneezed was a Mustajābud-Daʿwāt (one whose du'ās are readily accepted by Allāh).

When the people on board later went to sleep, they heard a voice proclaiming, "O people of the ship, (Imām) Abū Dāwūd (رحمه الله) purchased Jannah from Allāh at the cost of one Dirham!"

[Fatḥul Bārī, Volume 10, Page 610 || Pearls from the Path, Volume 3, Page 39-40]

Jannah purchased for only one Dirham! Naturally we assume Jannah can only be acheived by the performance of extensive good deed. We think we have to do loads of great actions and often overlook the small deeds. These small deeds can also be our ticket into Jannah. Little do we realise that it may be some tiny, 'insignificant' action of ours that brings about the pleasure of Allāh and can be the cause for us entering Paradise.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا، وَاعْلَمُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُدْخِلَ أَحَدَكُمْ عَمَلُهُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَنَّ أَحَبَّ الأَعْمَالِ أَدْوَمُهَا إِلَى اللهِ، وَ
إِنْ قَلَّ

Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little.

[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī]

RAMADAN DAY 29

Look at life with a spirit of love and optimism, for life is a gift from Allāh to man. So accept this gift from the One, take it with joy and embrace the morning with its glow, the night with its quietness and the day with its brightness.

Drink this fresh water with gratitude, breathe this fresh air with joy, smell the roses and glorify Allāh.

Think about the universe and learn from it, make use of the blessed gift of land, the beautiful flowers, the sweet air, the delights of the garden, the warmth of the sun, the light of the moon.

Let these blessings motivate you to obey Allāh, the Exalted, give thanks to Him and praise Him for His endless blessings and bounty.

Do not let worry and distress prevent you from being grateful for these blessings and make you ungrateful; rather, remember that the Creator and Provider has only created these blessings as a means to help you obey Him.

RAMADAN DAY 27

The ʿabd (of Allah) is then ordered to stand with his face in the direction of the qiblah all the while having his heart facing Him as well (being fully attentive to Him) so as to renounce his previous state of rebellion and to stop turning away (from his Lord).

The slave (of Allah) should therefore stand up before his Master in humility and submission calling for His Compassion with his hands thrown at his sides and his head low, while at the same time his heart is fully attentive to Him in a state of humility, as he devotes all his senses to His service and glorification by declaring with his tongue and proclaiming in his heart that He is the Greatest, which is to express that Allah is greater than anything he may have in his heart. And he affirms this statement by dismissing everything except Allah from his heart so his heart is completely occupied with Allah and nothing else. This is because occupying himself with anything else would connote that he finds what he is busy with is of more importance or greater than Allah.

Indeed, a person whose heart is busied with what distracts him from Allah (in ṣalāh) is someone whose heart does not conform to the statement made by his tongue declaring Allah is the Greatest. Having the heart in harmony with the tongue when saying that Allah is the Greatest will strip the heart from the attire of arrogance as such garment does not befit the state of his enslavement to Allah. Furthermore, it would prevent the heart from thinking of anything except Allah. This is because the rights of these two words; Allah is Greater than everything, and the resolve to establish his servitude to Allah through the takbīr protects the heart from the aforementioned defects (being occupied with something else other than Allah and wearing a garment that does not befit the servitude to Allah).

[Inner Dimensions of the Prayer by Imām Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah]