❖ Adopting Means and Relying on Allah: Shar‘i Guidance and Islamic Teachings ❖
📚 Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
❖ Question:
During the Gulf War, some people adopted protective measures while others avoided them, claiming they were relying on Allah.
Does adopting worldly means contradict true tawakkul (reliance on Allah)?
✔ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
❖ Introduction: The Believer’s Duty
A true believer must:
✔ Keep their heart attached to Allah,
✔ Rely solely on Him for gaining benefit and repelling harm,
✔ Believe that Allah alone is the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth.
📖 Qur’anic Evidence:
﴿وَلِلَّهِ غَيبُ السَّمـٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضِ وَإِلَيهِ يُرجَعُ الأَمرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعبُدهُ وَتَوَكَّل عَلَيهِ﴾
(Hūd: 123)
“To Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth. To Him alone all affairs return, so worship Him and place your trust in Him.”
❖ The Prophetic Way: Trust Alongside Action
📖 Mūsā (عليه السلام) said to his people:
﴿فَعَلَيهِ تَوَكَّلوا﴾
(Yūnus: 84–86)
“Put your trust in Him if you are truly Muslims…”
📖 Likewise, Allah commands:
﴿وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَليَتَوَكَّلِ المُؤمِنونَ﴾ (Āl ʿImrān: 160)
﴿وَمَن يَتَوَكَّل عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسبُهُ﴾ (al-Ṭalāq: 3)
“Whoever places his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him.”
❖ Tawakkul with Asbāb (Means): Islamic Balance
A believer is:
➤ Obligated to place hope and reliance upon Allah,
➤ While also adopting Sharʿī, practical, and natural means that Allah has permitted or commanded.
✔ Adopting means is not against tawḥīd or tawakkul.
Rather, it is an expression of one’s faith in Allah’s wisdom and obedience to His divine laws.
❖ The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ:
The Prophet ﷺ, despite being Sayyid al-Mutawakkilīn (Master of the Trusting), would take all necessary precautions:
❀ He ﷺ used to recite Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ and Muʿawwidhatayn and perform ruqyah before sleeping.
❀ He ﷺ wore armor in battles.
❀ When threatened by enemies, he ﷺ supervised the digging of a trench (Khandaq) around Madinah.
❖ Means Are a Blessing from Allah
📖 Allah praised the protective measures of past prophets:
﴿وَعَلَّمنـهُ صَنعَةَ لَبوسٍ لَكُم لِتُحصِنَكُم مِن بَأسِكُم﴾ (al-Anbiyāʾ: 80)
“We taught him the skill of making armor to protect you in battle…”
🛡 The armor of Dāwūd (عليه السلام) was a means of protection, taught and permitted by Allah Himself.
❖ Safety Measures in Times of War:
Those living in conflict zones are allowed to:
◈ Use protective masks against harmful gases
◈ Take precautions to block toxins from entering homes
◈ Store food and essentials, anticipating shortages
✅ Such actions are wise, permitted, and even recommended, especially when risk is high.
❖ The Key Principle: The Heart Must Trust Allah
Even when all means are in place:
➤ One’s heart should never rely on the means themselves.
➤ Rather, firm belief must remain that:
✔ Benefit and harm rest solely with Allah,
✔ Means are only tools, granted by Allah and effective only by His will,
✔ Gratitude should be shown for these means as blessings from Allah, not as independent powers.
❖ Supplication:
May Allah protect us from trials and destruction,
Grant us sincere īmān and tawakkul,
And enable us to adopt the lawful means in a way that earns His pleasure.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
