Islams Reformers

meet this need with the word self-reliance. It is seen that tawakkul
is not unnecessary for Muslims. Some being to be trusted in is
necessary.
27 - The reformer says:
“Muslims believe that their sustenance has been determined in
eternity. They think that Allah the Most Generous will meet their
needs. Like an old carriage that may break into pieces at any
moment on the road, they drag on along the road of means of
subsistence which would be shown to them by some chance event.
They do not think that they may increase their earnings by
working. They do not regard it necessary to work. This is the effect
of the religion in their sitting lazily and resignedly.
“A free person having power of will believes that he himself
has some power capable of doing. This self-reliance gives man the
strength of struggle for life. As he struggles, as the hardships
obstructing his purpose increase, he feels stronger and wishful to
fight more with the increased fire of his shocked pride. He is sure
that he will win at last. Nothing can resist against this confidence,
this belief. If we want to live, let’s form self-reliance.”
We learned too much from such bloody and fervent lessons of
self-reliance in the First World War. We saw how great troubles
we got ourselves into. Self-reliance may also result in such crazy
attacks. If tawakkul in Allah had been preferred to self-reliance
during the war, none of the subtle points, which were more
reasonable and more legal than those actions, would have been
neglected, because, in putting one’s trust in Allah it is necessary to
follow the Divine Rules, which make one esteem every subtle
point. Islam commands both to work and to have tawakkul. Those
who idle and say that they have tawakkul are the defective people
who do not perform one of these two duties. Islam disapproves
such people, for they perform one of the two commands of Islam
and neglect the other. Reformers who slander them are as
defective as they are, because they, too, abandon one of the duties
and emphasize only the other duty. In fact, their fault is graver
than that of those who do not work, since we human beings, after
working as hard as we can, are in need of putting our trust in
Allâhu ta’âlâ and expecting the reward of our work from Allâhu
ta’âlâ; we further need to have a second tawakkul so that we shall
not forget Allâhu ta’âlâ but expect His help while utilizing in
working the power which is said by reformers to be in us and is
given to us by Allâhu ta’âlâ since the real, inexhaustible,
unconquerable power can be attained by not forgetting Him.
– 36 –