Riyad al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: Certainty and Reliance upon Allah (Tawakkul).
On the authority of ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"If you were to rely upon Allah with the true reliance He deserves,
He would provide for you just as He provides for the birds:
they set out hungry in the morning and return with full bellies in the evening."
Related by al-Tirmidhi.
The meaning of:
"They set out in the early morning hungry,"
meaning their bellies are lean from hunger,
"and return at the end of the day with full bellies,"
meaning their bellies are full.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The encouragement to realize the true meaning of reliance upon Allah the Exalted.
That it must be accompanied by sincerity and certainty
in every single affair.
Taking the necessary means and striving to seek provision
is part of sincere reliance upon Allah the Exalted,
just as the birds set out and do not cease their striving.
True reliance
is the source of wholesome provision
when combined with the required effort.
Provision does not come through mere strength,
but rather through utilizing the means and relying upon Allah.
Otherwise, a bird would not be provided for alongside an eagle.
On the authority of Abu ‘Umarah,
al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, may Allah be pleased with both of them, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"O so-and-so,
when you go to your bed, say:
'O Allah, I have submitted my soul to You,
I have turned my face toward You,
I have entrusted my affair to You,
and I have sought refuge in You,
out of desire and fear of You.
There is no refuge or escape from You except to You.
I believe in Your Book which You have revealed,
and Your Prophet whom You have sent.'
For if you die that night,
you will die upon the natural state (fitrah),
and if you wake up, you will have attained good."
Agreed upon.
In a narration in the two Sahihs,
on the authority of al-Bara’, he said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to me:
"When you come to your bed,
perform ablution as you do for prayer,
then lie on your right side and say..."
and he mentioned the like of it.
Then he said:
"And let these be the last words you speak."
"When you go to your bed" (awayt):
meaning when you retire and settle down.
"I have submitted my soul to You":
meaning I have made it compliant to You,
obedient to Your command,
and content with Your decree and predestination.
"I have sought refuge" (alja’tu):
meaning I have leaned upon.
"I have turned my face toward You":
meaning I have turned to You, content and satisfied.
"I have entrusted my affair to You":
meaning I have relied upon You in all my affairs.
"I have sought refuge in You" (alja’tu zahri):
meaning I have sought protection in You,
and leaned my soul upon Your preservation.
"Out of desire and fear of You":
meaning out of hope for Your reward and fear of Your punishment.
"No refuge or escape":
meaning no shelter or salvation.
"The natural state" (al-fitrah):
meaning the correct religion and complete faith.
"Your bed" (madja‘ak):
meaning your bedding and place of sleep.
"Your side" (shaqqak):
meaning your flank.
"The like of it":
meaning the same meaning as the preceding hadith.
"The last words you speak":
meaning from the supplications before sleep.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to teach people good
and encourage them to say it.
Islam’s concern for all affairs of life and the matters of the servants,
in their wakefulness and their sleep,
and their life and their death.
Islam is the religion of the sound natural state (fitrah),
to which sound intellects bear witness.
The recommendation to lie on the right side.
The recommendation to make these words the last thing a servant says before sleeping.
The people of faith take refuge in Allah the Exalted in all their states.
Renewing the covenant with Allah the Almighty every night,
and confirming Islam and faith in word and deed,
because the affairs of the servants are in the hands of Allah the Almighty.
The encouragement to perform ablution before sleep,
so that one may sleep in a state of complete purity.
On the authority of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Uthman ibn ‘Amir,
ibn ‘Amr ibn Ka‘b ibn Sa‘d,
ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Ka‘b,
ibn Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib al-Qurashi al-Taymi, may Allah be pleased with him.
He, his father, and his mother were all Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
He said: "I looked at the feet of the polytheists while we were in the cave,
and they were right above our heads.
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
if one of them were to look down at his feet, he would see us.'
He replied: 'What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two
of whom Allah is the third?'"
Agreed upon.
"The feet of the polytheists":
those who were tracking the feet of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and searching for him
when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
The cave is the Cave of Thawr.
"Right above our heads" means above us.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The merit of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him,
in his companionship to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
during his migration from Makkah to Madinah.
The intensity of Abu Bakr’s compassion, may Allah be pleased with him,
and the extent of his love for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and his fear for him and for the Message from the enemies.
The obligation of trust in Allah the Almighty,
and tranquility in His care and protection,
after exerting effort in taking precautions and being wary.
Allah the Exalted’s care for His prophets and His allies,
and His protection of them with victory.
The courage of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and his reassurance of hearts and souls.
Whoever Allah supports, none can overcome.
Whoever wishes to increase the resolve of his brother,
let him connect his heart to Allah the Exalted’s care for him.
The permissibility of hiding from the disbelievers and the oppressors
if a caller to the truth fears for his life,
or that he might be tempted away from his religion.
The obligation of migration from the land of disbelief to the land of Islam.
On the authority of the Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah,
whose name is Hind bint Abi Umayyah Hudhayfah al-Makhzumiyyah,
may Allah be pleased with her,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to say when he left his house:
"In the name of Allah,
I rely upon Allah.
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from going astray or being led astray,
from slipping or being made to slip,
from oppressing or being oppressed,
from acting ignorantly or having ignorance acted upon me."
Related by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and others.
"Going astray" (adill):
meaning to lose the path of truth and not be guided to it.
"Being led astray" (udall):
meaning someone else leads me astray.
"Slipping" (azill):
meaning to slide into falsehood.
"Acting ignorantly" (ajhal):
meaning to fall into error and foolishness.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The servant begins his life outside his house
by remembering Allah the Exalted and relying upon Him,
and entrusting his affair to Him.
The believing servant should be
constantly seeking refuge in Allah from misguidance, ignorance, and oppression,
and from swerving from the straight path.
The source of going astray
is either the whispering of the soul and its falling into seeking worldly gain,
or the plotting of the devils and the doubts of the alarmists.
The recommendation to persist in this remembrance when leaving the house,
so that the servant may be in the protection of Allah.
For whoever protects Allah, He protects him.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever says—
meaning when he leaves his house—
'In the name of Allah,
I rely upon Allah,
and there is no power nor strength except by Allah,'
it is said to him:
'You have been guided, spared, and protected,'
and the devil turns away from him."
Related by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and others.
Abu Dawud added:
"He says—
meaning the devil—
to another devil:
'How can you reach a man who has been guided, spared, and protected?'"
"Protected" (wuqita):
meaning preserved from every evil.
"Turns away" (tanahha):
meaning he moves aside from his direction and stays away from his path.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The virtue of relying upon Allah the Almighty
and taking refuge in Him.
For it is an impregnable fortress
that protects the Muslim from the plotting of the devils.
There is no power or strength for the servant in all his affairs
except by Allah.
Allah’s care and protection for the people of faith from the devil.
The inability of the devils to lead astray those whom Allah has guided.
And for whom He has made faith beloved and adorned it in their hearts.
The collaboration of the devils to misguide the servants of Allah.
The recommendation of reciting this statement when leaving the house.
So that one may attain the good contained within it.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
There were two brothers during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
One of them used to come to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
While the other worked for a living.
The one who worked complained about his brother to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
He replied, "Perhaps you are being provided for because of him."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi with a chain of narration that is authentic according to the criteria of Muslim.
"Worked for a living" means he earned and sought a livelihood.
"Used to come to the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
Means he would stay in his company to receive his knowledge,
And learn the rulings of the religion.
"Complained"
Means he brought the matter of his brother’s abandonment of work
To the Prophet, peace be upon him.
"Provided for because of him"
Means because of him.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
That whoever devotes himself to seeking knowledge and understanding the rulings of the religion,
In order to preserve the Sharia of Allah,
Then Allah will facilitate for him someone to take care of his affairs and suffice his needs.
Encouragement to assist the people of knowledge and students of knowledge.
A person is provided for because of those whom he supports.
The permissibility of expressing a complaint to the leader or authority.
It is incumbent upon the student of knowledge to earn his sustenance by the sweat of his brow,
And not to be a burden upon the people.
For the upper hand is better than the lower hand.
Riyad al-Salihin.