He had read the verse many times, but he couldn’t fully grasp its meaning. He repeatedly pondered over it in his mind:
“And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him.” [1]
What exactly is God’s message in this verse? How can a person surrender themselves to God in all matters and truly place their trust in Him? How is trust the solution to all worries?
Eventually, Ali ibn Suwayd decided to discuss this matter with his master, Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him).
So one day, when he was in the presence of the eighth Imam (peace be upon him), he asked the Imam for an interpretation of this blessed verse.
Imam al-Reza (peace be upon him) replied, “Trust (Tawakkul) has different levels. One of them is that you place your trust in Allah in all your affairs and be content with what He decrees for you, knowing that Allah only wants good for you, and that ultimately, all matters are in His control. Thus, by entrusting your affairs to Him, you place your trust in Him. Another level of trust is believing in the unseen matters that are with Allah, which you do not have knowledge of. You should entrust the knowledge of them to Him and His trusted representatives (the Prophets and Imams) and place your trust in them, as well as in all other matters.” [2]
Upon hearing these words from the Imam, his heart was at ease. In fact, Imam al-Reza (peace be upon him) revealed the secret of trust: when a servant relies upon their Lord, they are relying on the One who knows everything and desires only good for His servant. So, indeed, what room is there for worry?
Footnotes:
[1] (Quran, Surah At-Talaq, verse 3)
[2] (Tuhaf al-Uqul, p. 443)