Authored by: Sheikh Abdul Salam bin Muhammad (may Allah protect him)
Narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): One day, I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said, “O boy, be mindful of Allah, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask from Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.”
— (Narrated by Tirmidhi, who said: This is a hasan sahih Hadith)
— [Tirmidhi 2516] and see [Sahih Tirmidhi 2043]
The continuation of the Hadith in Tirmidhi reads: “And know that if the entire nation gathered together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you. And if they gathered to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah has written against you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried.”
This means to be conscious of Allah’s limits, His commands, and the prohibitions He has set. When a limit set by Allah appears, do not transgress it. When He commands, obey. When He forbids, abstain. In short, always keep Allah in mind when doing anything. Allah says:
“And those who guard the limits set by Allah.”
— (Surah At-Tawbah 9:112)
And He also says:
“This is what you are promised for every penitent and mindful one.”
— (Surah Qaf 50:32)
Scholars have explained that Hafeez in this context means one who guards the commands of Allah. Others say it refers to someone who is mindful of their sins and immediately repents.
“He will take care of you.”
As Allah says: “Remember Me, and I will remember you.”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:152)
Allah takes care of His servant in both worldly and religious matters. In this world, He grants well-being to the person’s body, family, wealth, and children. Angels protect the believer from harm by Allah's command. Allah says:
“For each person, there are angels in succession, in front and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah.”
— (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11)
In matters of the hereafter, Allah protects the servant’s faith, saves him from misguided desires, and grants him death in the state of belief.
“You will find Him in front of you.”
When a person is mindful of Allah, adheres to His commands, and observes His limits, they will feel Allah's presence in their life, perceiving His help and guidance at all times. Though Allah is with everyone in a general sense, as He says:
“And He is with you wherever you are. And Allah is seeing of what you do.”
— (Surah Al-Hadid 57:4)
This special companionship (Ma’iyyah) refers to divine protection and assistance, as in:
“Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.”
— (Surah At-Tawbah 9:40)
And:
“Do not fear; indeed, I am with you both, hearing and seeing.”
— (Surah Ta-Ha 20:46)
“When you ask, ask from Allah.”
Allah loves for His servants to ask Him and is displeased when they do not. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever does not ask Allah, He becomes angry with him.”
— [Sahih Tirmidhi 2682]
In contrast, asking people often leads to resentment.
One poet expressed it well:
“Allah becomes angry when you stop asking Him, while man becomes angry when you ask him.”
Another poet said:
“O Abu Malik, do not ask people but instead seek Allah’s bounty with your hands, for Allah is most generous. If you were to ask people for even dirt, they would eventually tire of you and refuse to give.”
Asking Only from Allah for Certain Matters:
For things that are beyond human control—like guidance, health, wealth, children, victory, etc.—asking should only be directed to Allah. Allah alone controls these aspects, as He says:
“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”
— (Surah Al-Fatiha 1:2)
Asking these things from other than Allah would be considered shirk (associating partners with Allah). However, when it comes to matters within human capacity, like asking for food or help in lifting oppression, it is permissible to seek assistance from others, as long as the ultimate hope and reliance are on Allah. This was seen when Moses and Khidr asked the townspeople for food, and when Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?”
— (Surah Aal-Imran 3:52)
Even in these cases, the believer should place their hope in Allah, knowing that if He wills, He will incline the hearts of people to help.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) even took an oath of allegiance from a group of his companions that they would not ask anyone for anything. Some among them were so diligent that even if their whip fell while riding, they would not ask someone to pick it up for them.
— [Sahih Muslim, Book of Zakat 1043]
Seek Help from Allah in Everything:
If Allah does not help a person, they cannot succeed in either religious or worldly matters. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to recite the following prayer after every prayer:
“O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner.”
— [Sahih Nasa’i 1236]
Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him) also said to his sons:
“And Allah is the one sought for help against what you describe.”
— (Surah Yusuf 12:18)
Reliance on Allah and Worldly Means:
The four pieces of advice in this Hadith do not mean that one should abandon all worldly means. Seeking livelihood through the channels provided by Allah is part of trusting Him. If one is successful, it is from Allah. If not, it is also from His will. The summary is that ultimate trust and hope should always be in Allah alone.
This Hadith emphasizes complete reliance on Allah for all matters, while also recognizing the importance of personal responsibility and effort within the limits set by Allah.
Narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): One day, I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said, “O boy, be mindful of Allah, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask from Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.”
— (Narrated by Tirmidhi, who said: This is a hasan sahih Hadith)
— [Tirmidhi 2516] and see [Sahih Tirmidhi 2043]
The continuation of the Hadith in Tirmidhi reads: “And know that if the entire nation gathered together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you. And if they gathered to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah has written against you. The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried.”
Benefits:
“Be mindful of Allah.”This means to be conscious of Allah’s limits, His commands, and the prohibitions He has set. When a limit set by Allah appears, do not transgress it. When He commands, obey. When He forbids, abstain. In short, always keep Allah in mind when doing anything. Allah says:
“And those who guard the limits set by Allah.”
— (Surah At-Tawbah 9:112)
And He also says:
“This is what you are promised for every penitent and mindful one.”
— (Surah Qaf 50:32)
Scholars have explained that Hafeez in this context means one who guards the commands of Allah. Others say it refers to someone who is mindful of their sins and immediately repents.
“He will take care of you.”
As Allah says: “Remember Me, and I will remember you.”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:152)
Allah takes care of His servant in both worldly and religious matters. In this world, He grants well-being to the person’s body, family, wealth, and children. Angels protect the believer from harm by Allah's command. Allah says:
“For each person, there are angels in succession, in front and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah.”
— (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11)
In matters of the hereafter, Allah protects the servant’s faith, saves him from misguided desires, and grants him death in the state of belief.
“You will find Him in front of you.”
When a person is mindful of Allah, adheres to His commands, and observes His limits, they will feel Allah's presence in their life, perceiving His help and guidance at all times. Though Allah is with everyone in a general sense, as He says:
“And He is with you wherever you are. And Allah is seeing of what you do.”
— (Surah Al-Hadid 57:4)
This special companionship (Ma’iyyah) refers to divine protection and assistance, as in:
“Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.”
— (Surah At-Tawbah 9:40)
And:
“Do not fear; indeed, I am with you both, hearing and seeing.”
— (Surah Ta-Ha 20:46)
“When you ask, ask from Allah.”
Allah loves for His servants to ask Him and is displeased when they do not. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever does not ask Allah, He becomes angry with him.”
— [Sahih Tirmidhi 2682]
In contrast, asking people often leads to resentment.
One poet expressed it well:
“Allah becomes angry when you stop asking Him, while man becomes angry when you ask him.”
Another poet said:
“O Abu Malik, do not ask people but instead seek Allah’s bounty with your hands, for Allah is most generous. If you were to ask people for even dirt, they would eventually tire of you and refuse to give.”
Asking Only from Allah for Certain Matters:
For things that are beyond human control—like guidance, health, wealth, children, victory, etc.—asking should only be directed to Allah. Allah alone controls these aspects, as He says:
“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”
— (Surah Al-Fatiha 1:2)
Asking these things from other than Allah would be considered shirk (associating partners with Allah). However, when it comes to matters within human capacity, like asking for food or help in lifting oppression, it is permissible to seek assistance from others, as long as the ultimate hope and reliance are on Allah. This was seen when Moses and Khidr asked the townspeople for food, and when Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?”
— (Surah Aal-Imran 3:52)
Even in these cases, the believer should place their hope in Allah, knowing that if He wills, He will incline the hearts of people to help.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) even took an oath of allegiance from a group of his companions that they would not ask anyone for anything. Some among them were so diligent that even if their whip fell while riding, they would not ask someone to pick it up for them.
— [Sahih Muslim, Book of Zakat 1043]
Seek Help from Allah in Everything:
If Allah does not help a person, they cannot succeed in either religious or worldly matters. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) to recite the following prayer after every prayer:
“O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner.”
— [Sahih Nasa’i 1236]
Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him) also said to his sons:
“And Allah is the one sought for help against what you describe.”
— (Surah Yusuf 12:18)
Reliance on Allah and Worldly Means:
The four pieces of advice in this Hadith do not mean that one should abandon all worldly means. Seeking livelihood through the channels provided by Allah is part of trusting Him. If one is successful, it is from Allah. If not, it is also from His will. The summary is that ultimate trust and hope should always be in Allah alone.
This Hadith emphasizes complete reliance on Allah for all matters, while also recognizing the importance of personal responsibility and effort within the limits set by Allah.