Hal Anta min al-Mutawakkilin ala Allah Taala
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- Dār Ibn Khuzaymah
Hal Anta min al-Mutawakkilin ala Allah Taala (Are You Among Those Who Rely upon God Almighty?) is an Islamic exhortative treatise written by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud, focusing on the reality, spiritual station, and practice of relying upon God (tawakkul).
Purpose and Scope
The treatise is framed as a personal spiritual self-examination (muhasaba), calling on the reader to reflect on whether they genuinely depend on God in daily matters—such as seeking sustenance, facing hardships, and embarking on daily undertakings—or whether their hearts have grown reliant on worldly causes and created beings.
Structure and Content
The author articulates the core concepts of reliance through definitions, scriptural proofs, and historical accounts from early Muslim figures:
- Definition of Reliance: The text defines tawakkul around trust in God, inner tranquility regarding His promise, and delegating one's affairs entirely to Him. It quotes early definitions, including Shaqiq al-Balkhi’s statement that tawakkul is the heart's peace with God's promise, Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s definition of it as consigning one's affair to God and placing trust in Him, and al-Hasan al-Basri’s remark that true reliance lies in God being one's sole reliance.
- Scriptural Evidence and Sayings of Early Figures: The work brings together Quranic passages commanding believers to place their trust in God, such as وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ("And upon God let the believers rely") and وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ("And whoever relies upon God, then He is sufficient for him"). It quotes prophetic traditions illustrating reliance in hardship and seeking sustenance, including the hadith: لو أنَّكم توكلتم على الله حقَّ توكله لرزقكم كما يرزق الطير، تغدو خماسًا، وتروح بطانًا ("If you were to rely upon God with true reliance, He would provide for you just as He provides for birds: they leave empty-bellied in the morning and return full at dusk"). It further relates narratives and statements attributed to figures such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ibrahim ibn Adham, Sulayman al-Khawwas, Abu Qudama al-Ramli, 'Amir ibn 'Abd Qays, Wuheyb ibn al-Ward, Hatim al-Asamm, and Yahya ibn Mu'adh.
- Reconciling Reliance with Material Causes: The work addresses the relationship between reliance and taking practical measures (al-asbab). The author explains that taking outward means is part of the perfection of reliance and does not impair one's monotheism (tawhid), whereas relying internally on the means themselves rather than their Causer (al-Musabbib) is what compromises faith. To support this distinction, he cites Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibrahim al-Khawwas.
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