Reclaim Your Heart: Personal insights on breaking free from life's shackles

tawakkul must always follow. Allah says in the Qur’an: "The believers are
only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and
when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon
their Lord they rely (have tawakkul)". (Qur’an, 8:2)
If one truly understands the Reality and the power of Allah, one will
realize that it is in fact an infirmity of the human mind to not rely on Allah.
Nothing in the entire universe happens except by the permission of Allah.
Not even a leaf falls from a tree without His leave (hadith). It is He who
provides for everything in existence; "He has power over all things, and in
His hand is the dominion of the heavens and the earth". (Qur’an, 67:1-2)
So how could we not but put our entire trust in Him?
Allah tells the believers in the Qur’an: "Say, ‘Never will we be struck
except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.’ And upon
Allah let the believers rely". (Qur’an, 9:51)
The Qur’an explains that: "And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is
sufficient for him". (Qur’an, 65:3) "And the Reality is that there is nothing
and nowhere else that will be sufficient. Allah is the only handhold that
never breaks." (Qur’an, 2:256)
The Messenger of Allah 
said: "If you trust Allah with the right kind
of tawakkul, He will provide you sustenance as He provides for the birds –
they go out in the morning with empty stomachs and come back in the
evening with full stomachs". (Tirmidhi)
And just like He does for the birds and the newborn child, Allah
provides for us from places we could never imagine.
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At first she was terrified. She called out to her husband who now turned
to leave. "Will you leave us here to die?" There was no reply. She called
after him again. Still there was no reply. Suddenly she called out again:
"Were you commanded by your Lord to bring us here?"
"Yes," replied the Prophet Ibraheem.
It was then that Hajar’s fear disappeared. Although she suddenly found
herself alone in the middle of a desert, with her newborn child and no sign
of water, she knew with full certainty that Allah would never leave her side.
Her faith was strong, her conviction untouched.
But soon after Prophet Ibraheem left, her child Ismail began to cry from
thirst. And although Hajar had complete tawakkul (trust and reliance) in
Allah, she did not remain sitting, waiting for the water to fall down from the
sky.
Reliance on Allah filled Hajar’s heart; but with her limbs, Hajar strove
with everything she had. She began to run quickly between the mountains
of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa, looking for any sign of water for her son. Each
time Hajar came to the top of the mountain and found nothing, she did not
despair, nor did she lose hope. Her will was unshaken, and she continued to
strive. In fact, Hajar strove so hard that the ritual itself became known as
Sa’ee—which literally means "to strive".
Many people confuse tawakkul with resignation and the secession of
striving. But by no means does tawakkul mean one ceases to struggle. The
story of Hajar serves as one of the most beautiful examples of this lesson
taught to us by our beloved Prophet 
. When a man came to Prophet
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Mohammed 
and asked him if he should have trust in Allah, or tie his
camel and then have trust in Allah, the Prophet 
replied that he should
tie his camel securely and then put his trust in Allah.
Tawwakul is not an act of the limbs—it is an act of the heart. And so
while the limbs are striving hard, the heart is completely reliant on Allah.
This means whatever the outcome of the limbs’ striving, the heart will be
completely satisfied, knowing that it is the flawless decision of Allah.
But in order to reach this level, one must hold on to hope, strive with the
limbs, and let go with the heart.
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It’s hard to describe the feeling. Imagine living your entire life in a cave
and believing it was your whole world. Then suddenly you step outside. For
the first time in your life, you see the sky. You see the trees and the birds
and the sun. For the first time in your life, you realize that the world you
once knew was false. For the first time, you discover a Truer, more
beautiful Reality. Imagine the high of that realization. For a moment, you
feel you can do anything. Suddenly, nothing from your previous life in the
cave matters. You become empowered, fully awake, fully alive, fully aware
for the very first time. It is an unexplainable feeling. This is the spiritual
high that comes with newly discovered Truth.
This is Awakening.
A convert to Islam knows this feeling. A born Muslim who comes back
to the deen knows this feeling. Any human being, who lives their life away
from God, and returns, knows this feeling. This state is what Ibn ul Qayyim
(RA) calls ‘yaqatha’ (awakening) in his book Madarij Al Salikeen (Stations
on the Path to God). He describes this state as the first station on the path to
Allah. This is the state sometimes referred to as the "convert zeal". When a
person first converts or starts coming back to Allah they are often full of
motivation and energy that others do not have. The reason for this energy is
the spiritual high, characteristic of this state.