One of the issues related to qadar (destiny) is the issue of “tawakkul”. Tawakkul (trust in Allah) stems from the Muslim’s belief in qadar.
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Meaning
The word tawakkul literally means to appoint someone as a deputy. The one who will appoint a substitute wants to rely on a person who is stronger, more compassionate, more knowledgeable and wiser than him and appoint him as a substitute.
Tawakkul means to perform all one’s duties and then leave the result to Allah and accept the result with confidence and consent. In short, it means trusting in Allah and not worrying about the end.
A Muslim who trusts in Allah thinks as follows; “Only He can give us the good that can come to us and only He can prevent all the evil and evil that can come to us.”
Allah created everything by ascribing causes to it and He wants us to act in accordance with those causes. For example, if we want to earn more money in our business, we must act accordingly. To say, “I trust in Allah, He will give me what will be given to me” does not mean tawakkul, but this actually is acting lazily and not knowing Allah.
A Muslim knows that he cannot earn money without working and he takes the necessary measures for worldly affairs; likewise, he knows that one cannot enter Paradise without worshiping Allah, carrying out His commands and avoiding His prohibitions; so he fulfills his duties and relies on Allah.
Express agreement
Tawakkul means to agree with the decision that Allah Almighty takes after acting on the causes and taking the necessary measures. Such a person lives in peace and does not hurt his spirit by worrying about his livelihood; the following hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) becomes a great source of hope for him:
“If you trust in Allah as it is necessary, He will give you sustenance as He gives sustenance to the birds.”
Tawakkul never prevents man from working and acting in accordance with the causes. Allah Almighty states the following in the Qur’an:
“That man can have nothing but what he pursues.” (An-Najm, 53/39)
Once a man came to the Prophet and asked him, “Shall I trust in Allah by letting my camel go or by tying it?” The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Tie your camel first and then put your trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 60) This is how he expressed the criterion for tawakkul on the best way.
Why did Allah create evil?
It is Allah Who creates good and evil. This belief is an inseparable part of the belief in qadar.
The good things created in the world, however, are essential; the bad things are details. The good things are like the products; the bad things are like the waste material.
The bad is created to show the truth and the beauty of the good, as expressed in the line: “Everything is known (understood) by its opposite.” For example, if there were no diseases, it would be impossible to know what a great abundance health is. If there was no darkness, the value of light would not be understood. If there were no bad things, the merit and superiority of the good things would not be understood.
If the bad things, which are weak in comparison with the good, had not been created in the world, the nature and beauty of the good things would not be fully seen, and the levels, grades, and kinds of the good things would not be understood. Thus many good things would not exist because a little bad thing was not created; therefore, a great amount of evil and evil would appear.
“…But it may be that you dislike something when it is good for you; and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you do not know. (Quran, 2:216)
When do we know if something is bad/good?
Besides, the view of the bad and the good usually changes according to a man’s understanding and outlook. It is possible that man sometimes considers something evil and ugly for himself, but actually it is very good for him. But because man is egoistic and he cares about appearances, he can label as evil everything that at first seems against his interests.
Let us give an example to explain: When a person has an important business to do and misses a plane, it seems to him a great evil, because his interest is harmed and his cause is hindered. However, let’s assume that the plane crashed. In that case, that person will begin to consider how good that which he considered evil is for him.
It means that many things that seem evil at first can be good in the end. Ibrahim Hakkı of Erzurum explains the matter very well in the following poem:
“Allah turns evil into good
Don’t think He does anything else
The smart man looks at it
Let us see what Allah will do
Whatever He does, He does it well…”
To say that bad and evil things occur outside the knowledge and will of Allah is to say that there is a limit to the attributes of knowledge, will and power of Allah. It necessitates a deficiency in the divinity; it is also in conflict with the fact that the universe was created according to a plan and program.
Therefore, the issue that good and evil come from Allah and that they are created by Allah is included in the belief of qada and qadar; it was deemed necessary to reconsider and confirm it.