Keys to Practicing Islam Trusting in Allah

There are two kinds of trust in Allah To trust in Him concerning one's needs and worldly interests or for the sake of removing worldly harms and misfortunes. To trust in Him in order to obtain that which He loves and what pleases Him Between the two kinds, there is great excellence that cannot be counted by anyone but Allah. So when a person puts his trust in Allah as He should be trusted according to the second kind, this will suffice him without the first one. And when he puts his trust in Him according to the first kind without the second one, it will also suffice him, but he will not have the same blessed end; for the second kind is higher than the first

The second kind is better because such a person lives his life only for Allah His likes and dislikes are all based on what Allah likes and dislikes. The deeds he does are all based on what is pleasing to allah. The Prophet (saw) said: “The best of the actions is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah.” (Sunan Abu Dawud) Ibn Shayba reports that the Prophet said: "The strongest bond of faith is love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake."

So thus Whereas the first type of trust involved depending and relying on Allah to get one through life; the second type of trust is for Allah's sake thus bringing the person closer to him due to the sacrifices the person makes to please Him This second type of trust leads to following the example of the Prophet and which also puts the person on a higher level with Allah

Trusting in Allah is sometimes done out of necessity, in the sense that the person does not have any other choice but to trust in Him This occurs like when life's circumstances become stressed and the person perceives that there is no refuge except with Allah. This is the type of trust refered to in the following verse of the Quran: "And when the believers saw Al-Ahzab (the Confederates), they said: 'This is what Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)) had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)) had spoken the truth, and it only added to their Faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah)". (33:2)

Then there are other times trusting in Allah is voluntarily and this is the kind of trust referred to in the following: "The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts; and when His Verses (this Qur'an) are recited unto them, they (i.e., the Verses) increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Rubb (Alone).'' (8:2) "... Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah...'' (3:159) "And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him". (65:3)

The True Believer maintains a balance of both When he is faced with circumstances out of his control and beyond his means, instead of panicking he instead remains firm and trusts in Allah And when times are calm and good he too remains firm and remembers and trusts in Allah This is the way the believer should always be.. Firm and trusting in Allah

The prophet (sa) said: “I saw the religious communities [umam] at the gathering place [mawsim], and I noticed that my Community [Ummati] filled both the plain and the mountainside, so I was astonished at their number and their condition. I was asked: "Are you well pleased?" "Yes," said I. Then I was told: "Together with these, seventy thousand will enter the Garden of Paradise without undergoing any reckoning. They do not play with fire. They do not look for bad omens. They do not practice subterfuge. They put all their trust in their Lord."

We should strive to be of those seventy thousand in the front and a Key in getting there is trusting in Allah As a wise man once said: "In order to have absolute trust in the Lord, it is sufficient that you seek for yourself no helper other than Allah, for your sustenance no keeper other than Him, and for your conduct no witness other than Him." And as Allah himself has said: “And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee.” (4:81)