Taking Allah as Trustee: Surrender in Decisions, Not Just Words

4 August 2021

What Does Taking Allah as Trustee Mean in Our Lives?

Let us think about what we do when we entrust a matter to someone else. We give a lawyer power of attorney, authorize a relative to handle a sale, or ask someone we trust for help with a matter. In each case, there is a relationship of trust. As we consider the call in Surah Al-Muzzammil to take Allah as Trustee, we should also ask how this trust appears in our lives. Do we settle for merely saying, “I have left it to Allah,” or do we remember these words when making decisions and facing the outcome, too?

Let us not understand this call as sitting all day and waiting without doing anything. We need to work, learn, prepare, and take responsibility. If we are going to start a business, we make calculations, understand the needs, and strive to fulfill the work we have promised. If we are going to build a relationship, we listen to the other person, examine our own behavior, and remain honest. Then we accept that we cannot manage every outcome on our own. Trust finds its place in knowing the limits of our power, not in abandoning the work we can do.

Because sometimes, when people work very hard, they assume the outcome will certainly be as they wish. They think they have definitely earned something because they have put in effort. When the result is different, they may feel as though all of life is against them. Yet effort matters, but it does not purchase the whole future. Preserving integrity while doing our best, then leaving the unknown outcome to our Lord, is a different perspective. This perspective does not leave us without purpose; it helps us avoid considering ourselves the owners of everything as we pursue our purpose.

Let Us Look Not Only at Our Words but Also at Our Decisions

A person may say, “I trust Allah.” But if they immediately begin lying when the possibility of losing money arises, there is a gap here that they need to consider. What do they choose when acting rightly and protecting their earnings come face to face? What justifications do they produce when they see that they need to give up a habit? Let us not measure our trust solely by words spoken on easy days. What we try to protect when a difficult decision comes may reveal our inner direction more clearly.

Let us ask this question to know ourselves, not to accuse ourselves. Each of us has fears and weaknesses. For one of us, losing money may weigh more heavily; for another, not being liked; for another, the ending of a job or relationship. If we struggle repeatedly with the same matter, let us look at which desire we have made into the sole condition of life there. The point at which we say, “If this does not happen, I can no longer be well,” can sometimes make us more open to a wrong decision.

It is also possible to say that we have entrusted a matter to Allah while tying every detail to the outcome we want. We say, “May it be for the best,” yet reject every possibility other than the one we desire. Here, we can take a step back and ask ourselves: Do I truly want what is right, or am I merely expecting what I want to be considered right? Expressing our own desire and assuming that we know all its consequences are not the same thing.

Preserving Patience While Explaining What Is Right

In Surah Al-Muzzammil, the call to patience and gracious separation is considered alongside the difficulties experienced when explaining to someone else the truth one has learned. When we have newly learned something, we may want everyone to accept it immediately. We explain it to someone close to us and insist more when they object. Sometimes the aim of the conversation changes without our noticing: Instead of helping them understand, we try to make them accept us. If we do not recognize this change, words that began with a good intention can turn into an argument.

We can tell someone what we consider wrong. But we cannot forcibly change their entire thinking. Reflecting on words they have heard, investigating, and deciding are also their responsibility. Our duty is to be honest and measured while explaining, and also to try to set an example through our own conduct. The fact that the other person does not accept what we say gives us no right to insult or belittle them. Patience does not mean concealing the truth; it means not losing our own standard while explaining it.

Withdrawing graciously sometimes means being able to leave a conversation at an appropriate point. Reopening the same argument every day may confine our relationship to that issue alone. Setting a boundary does not mean becoming everyone’s enemy. While protecting our own effort, time, and inner peace, we can also leave the other person room to think. The time, manner, and purpose with which we speak matter as much as speaking a truthful word.

Possessing Blessings Does Not Mean We Cannot Be Mistaken

A person’s business may have grown, and they may have acquired a home and a car. When we see them, we may immediately think all their decisions are right. We may even imagine that if we act as they do, we will reach the same place. But a result does not show us every detail of the path leading to it. A person’s wealth does not justify every one of their actions. We also need to look at what they do with their resources, whose rights they respect, and what kind of responsibility they bear.

The same care applies to ourselves. When we succeed, we may begin to say, “Without me, this business would not run; without me, this family could not stand.” Recognizing our effort is one thing; considering ourselves the sole support of all of life is another. We, too, benefit from others’ effort, the knowledge we have learned, and the opportunities given to us. If we forget these things and constantly place ourselves at the center, we may create a sense of constriction both in our relationships and within ourselves.

Sharing is an important reminder at this point. Harvesting a crop from a field does not mean that all responsibility for that crop has ended. Learning something does not require us to turn it solely into a means of superiority, either. Let us consider how we can benefit others through our wealth, time, or knowledge. Seeing someone else’s need while using what we have been given can help us move away from the thinking that ties everything solely to ourselves.

There Is a Reckoning beyond the Visible Outcome

Seeing injustice can weigh heavily on us. We may think that those who do wrong live comfortably, while those who act honestly struggle. Faced with this picture, we may be drawn into the question, “Then what is the point of being upright?” The reminders of the Hereafter in Surah Al-Muzzammil suggest that we should not confine the reckoning solely to today’s visible gain. The fact that a person is comfortable now does not show that they bear no responsibility for what they have done.

This does not mean turning a blind eye to injustice in this world. When we are able, we need to protect rights, try to stop wrongdoing, and support those harmed. But if we make it a condition to see every outcome within our own lifetime, we may fall into hopelessness at some point. Remembering the reckoning we believe in also reminds us that we should not do what is right only when we receive an immediate return. Even if no one notices today, let us not measure the value of our behavior solely by visible gain.

Thinking about death and the temporary nature of life is important here, too. Our home, work, savings, and position are not permanent. We do not have to live by disregarding them; but basing our entire existence solely on them may make us fragile. As we ask, “Who would I be if I lost these things?” let us also ask, “What kind of person am I while I have them?” Our essential responsibility concerns which behavior we choose within the time given to us.

Does Turning Away from Wrong Mean Everything Immediately Becomes Easy?

When people recognize their mistake and begin to change, they may expect all their problems to end at once. Putting debt arrangements in order, moving away from a bad habit, or repairing a relationship can take time. There are promises made in the past, people affected, and matters to resolve. Turning toward what is right does not make these responsibilities invisible. Sometimes the first step is to confront more openly the matters we have ignored until that day.

When we see this in ourselves, let us not immediately despair, asking, “I am trying to put things right, but why am I still struggling?” Instead of attributing a workplace problem solely to outside conditions, we can also examine what is happening inside. Is our product right, do we keep our promises, do we give our employees their due on time, and do we see our expenses and debts realistically? Each of these questions requires separate attention. Good intentions do not replace this necessary examination.

The lesson also uses the example of cleaning to reflect on this process of change. Cleaning something is not completed merely by wanting it to be clean; it requires effort, time, and an appropriate process. As we put our own lives in order, we should also turn the truth we learn into steps to be taken. Let us not conclude from this that we know the cause of every pain. What we should focus on is which responsibility we can recognize within the difficulty we face and what we can do more rightly.

Let repentance not remain merely a general statement of regret. Let us think about whom we have wronged, what information we have given incorrectly, and which promise we have not kept. If correction is possible, let us begin. If we need to speak with the other person, let us seek an appropriate way. Let us also recognize the conditions that lead to repeating the same mistake. Without defining ourselves solely by our past error, we can take responsibility for our step today. While asking our Lord for forgiveness, let us also be open to making amends.

One Piece of Knowledge Does Not Automatically Put All of Life in Order

Fuel alone is not enough for a car to move. The wheels, engine, transmission, and many other parts need to work. In the lesson, this example explains how the different responsibilities in our lives are connected. We cannot say, “I pray, so I no longer need to look at anything else.” Nor can we say, “I work very hard, so my behavior or intention does not matter.” Doing one part while abandoning the others entirely can mislead us.

So let us open up a concrete area for evaluating ourselves. In what matter is our knowledge lacking? What task do we continually postpone? Which desire puts us under excessive strain? Do we agree to a false statement to avoid losing a customer? While expecting help, are we doing our own part? We may not be able to answer all these questions completely on the same day. But even recognizing one and working on it is a step beyond merely complaining.

If we struggle repeatedly in a line of work, simply changing jobs each time may not be the solution. We carry our old behaviors into a new beginning as well. Moving to another sector, another relationship, or another city may change certain conditions; but if we do not understand our own mistake, we may encounter a similar issue again. Experience does not mean merely having lived through many things. What we learn from what we have experienced and what we do differently in our next decision also matter.

When evaluating ourselves, let us not limit ourselves to listing our shortcomings. Remembering where we previously did right, made corrections, or showed patience can give us strength. Having overcome a problem before does not mean we now know everything; but it shows that we can learn again. Without copying someone else’s path exactly into our own lives, let us try to understand our own circumstances and responsibilities. Sound consultation, careful research, and sincere self-examination can support one another in this process.

Letting Go of the Outcome without Letting Go of Effort

We need to preserve the distinction between working toward a goal and making it life’s only acceptable outcome. We may want our business to grow, but we cannot consider it normal to abandon honesty or neglect our entire family life for this. We may want a relationship to continue, but we cannot control the other person’s entire will. As our effort continues, let us also observe how our expectation affects us. An outcome’s failure to happen does not always mean that all our worth has disappeared.

That is why taking Allah as Trustee should not be merely a sentence spoken at the beginning. Let us consider our intention at the start, our conduct along the way, and our response to the outcome we face at the end. When we succeed, let us give thanks. When we are mistaken, let us acknowledge it and make corrections. When we struggle, let us seek appropriate support. Where we have not done our best, let us recognize this; and where something truly exceeds our power, let us not consider ourselves solely responsible for everything.

We can take a small step toward this today. It may mean clarifying an account, making amends for a wrong, setting a limit on a desire, or rebuilding a connection we have neglected between our work and our family. Then we turn to our Lord and ask to see what is right and to live in accordance with the truth we see. Knowing the whole future is not our duty. Our responsibility is to live today by the truth we know, sustain our effort, and trust while accepting that we cannot manage the outcome in every circumstance.