Once a man saw a crow whose wings were cut. He thought: ‘Poor thing, how is it going to survive? From where shall it get its food?’ Hardly a moment had passed when that person spotted an eagle carrying some prey in its beak. The eagle came closer, landed and fed the crow.
On seeing this the man thought: ‘This is how Allah provides for His creatures, so why should I worry about earning a living. Allah will provide for me.’ So he sat down and remained idle. Some days passed but yet the person did not get anything.
One wise man said to him: ‘O servant of Allah, you were shown two birds, one injured crow and an eagle. Why did you prefer to become like the crow? Why did you not think about becoming like the eagle who not only eats himself but also feeds others who are in need?’
This story illustrates the real nature of Tawakkul or trust in Allah. If anyone has ameans of livelihood at his disposal, then he should not give up those means. His case is a like that of the eagle. He should not only fulfil his own needs but also look after others.
Tawakkul means using the best at our disposal to the best of our ability, leaving the result to the descision of Allah.
The World Within by Mufti Muhammad Shafi (late Grand Mufti of Pakistan)
