Believe in Him

﴿...وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا (2) وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ ۚ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا ﴾

… And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (2) And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent. (3) – (Quran 65: 2-3)

Faith is planted in your soul by believing firmly in your heart that Allah is the One and Only God and that He is to be worshiped. Furthermore, once the roots of faith are planted in your heart, your belief in Allah blooms into your personality in which the way you approach life displays your belief. 

In any situation you face or any matter you are handling, your faith in Allah will direct your instincts to naturally tell you to first act in a manner that will satisfy Allah, the One you worship. Fearing Allah does not necessarily have to mean that we should be afraid of Him, rather it implies that we fear disobeying Him. Consider when you love a person so passionately you dread displeasing them because your love for them makes you wish for nothing but their happiness. Likewise, your first and greatest love for Allah, your Creator, will compel you to act in any manner only to avoid displeasing Him. Therefore, the one who firmly believes in Allah and fears His dissatisfaction will “do only what Allah has commanded and avoid what He has forbidden” (ibn Kathir, pg.5208). When you are facing a difficult challenge and it seems like there is no solution and absolutely no way out, submit to your faith in Allah. Do not lose hope in Him, and maintain your belief by only obeying Him.  By satisfying Allah’s commandments, Allah will reward His believer by miraculously leading you through an exit that you were so sure that could never even exist. By fearing His dissatisfaction and believing in Him, He will lead you out of a problem with no predetermined solution, a way out of the depression that has been glooming over your life, a way out of your pain, a way out of any darkness that has taken over your heart. By giving up a practice that disobeyed Allah or refusing to give into the only solution that seemed possible yet could displease Allah, Allah, the most Giving, will compensate you with resources be it money, a job, new people, from where you could never possibly see in your mind's eye.

When your faith is planted well deep into the core of your heart, you will be capable of laying your trust in Allah. Trusting Allah, and trusting what He has destined for you is known as tawakul. The feeling of Tawakul can be found when you are in the midst of the harshest situations but deep down at the bottom of your heart your faith in Allah reassures you that everything is going to be okay, because Allah is by your side. Allah is there for you, He has written for you only what is best for you, even if it seems like it will never come, even if at the moment you cannot see how it will benefit you. Tawakul comes with faith in Allah which gives you the ability to believe in Him, yet it requires plenty of patience, acceptance, and most importantly confidence that Allah is more than enough for you. Therefore, as long as you are certain that Allah will give you the ability to fight your battles, then indeed He will provide you with the help you need by “carrying out the decisions and judgment He has made for you and granting you with what is best for you by whatever means and form He chooses” (ibn Kathir, pg. 5210).  Consequently, whatsoever Allah has selected for you is only what is appropriate for you because in the end, He has arranged everything for your life carefully and perfectly. 

Image courtesy of @tazawadoo

Reference:

Tafsir ibn Kathir (English Version), pg 5208 - 5210