ABSOLUTE TRUST IN ALLAH
Afzal Shah Madudi 
Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) states in the Holy Qur'an: "And when someone puts all his trust in Allah, He will be enough for him." (Surah At-Talaq, Verse 3).
Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "if you were to rely upon Allah with reliance due to Him, He would provide for you just as He provides for the birds. They go out in the morning with empty stomachs and return full." (Sunan At-Tirmidhi, 2344).
Our master, Ghousal Azam (The Supreme Helper), Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) advises that the real meaning of absolute trust is leaving all of one's affairs to Allah and escaping from the darkness of personal choice and self-management and moving forward to where the Divine decrees are experienced directly.
The servant of the Lord must be convinced that there is no possibility of changing the allotment of destiny so whatever has been allotted to him cannot pass him by and that he can never obtain what has not been allowed to him. Once his heart is confident on his Lord, he will then receive from his Lord.
Sayydidina Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Qaddas Allahu Sirrahu) states that absolute trust in the Lord is letting oneself go and holding fast to Allah. It is living one day at a time, leaving doubts and leaving one's concerns to the King of kings. It is that you let your self-management become absorbed into His management and that you are perfectly satisfied with Allah as a Trustee (Wakil) as a Manager (Mudabbir) and as a Helper (Nasir).
The amount of trouble experienced by any person is in proportion to his quarrel with destiny (qadar) over that which is foreordained, his compliance with his own desire (hawa) and his lack of contentment (rida) with the divine decree. Whenever someone is content to accept the divine decree, that person can enjoy rest and relaxation.
The shaykh further explains that enterprising activity with the outer being in accordance with the Sunnah (Practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ) is not incompatible with the absolute trust experienced by the inner feeling after the servant has come to realize, within his inner feeling that the power to decide is up to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He). This is because the location of absolute trust is the inner feeling and is the actualization of faith.
If some difficulty is encountered in relation to the material means (asbab), it is due to the decree of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), and if something is found to be easy, it is due to His facilitation. The limbs of the physical body and all the external faculties must be actively involved in the instrumental process in compliance with the commandment of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) while the inner being remains calmly reliant on the promise of Allah .
Silsila - E - Aliya Khushhaliya !!
(Ref: Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq, Volume 5, of Sayyidina Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani translated from Arabic by Muhtar Holland, pages 114-125).
-Syed Afzal Ali Shah Maududi.
Editor cum Bureau chief.
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