Derived from the Lecture Series of Nokounam, (Session 247)
This present work constitutes a rigorous and comprehensive scholarly rewriting of the lecture series delivered by Nokounam, , elucidating the chapter on Tawakkul within Maqmt al-Sirn, the immortal masterpiece authored by Khwja Abdullah Ansri, the eminent mystic of the fifth Hijri century. Tawakkul, understood as the complete entrustment of ones affairs to the True Owner (God) and reliance upon His trusteeship, emerges subsequent to steadfastness and divine witnessing at the level known as Jam al-Jam. This station resembles the act of surrendering the vessel of spiritual journeying to the waves of divine mercy, by which the traveller, having secured firmness in intention and the witnessing of truth, is conveyed safely to the shore of certainty.
Tawakkul is the comprehensive delegation of all affairs to the True Owner (God) and trust in His trusteeship. This station manifests after the stage of steadfastness and witnessing God in the third degree of steadfastness (Jam al-Jam), wherein the wayfarer, having beheld God (al-Mashhd f Ayn al-Shhid), places reliance upon Him.
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
(: "And upon God rely, if you are believers." Srah Midah: 23)
Tawakkul resembles the act of entrusting the heavy burden of the spiritual journey to the mighty arm of the Divine, a feat attainable only after firmness in intention and witnessing the truth. This station guides the wayfarer from self-vision to theophany.
Tawakkul follows the chapter on steadfastness and is positioned within the phase of spiritual transactions (mumalt). During steadfastness, the wayfarer attains the witnessing of God (al-Mashhd f Ayn al-Shhid), and in tawakkul, reliance is placed upon this witnessed presence. This sequence forms a bridge whereby the wayfarer advances from resolute intention to total entrustment to God.
The lecture series underscores that tawakkul is contingent upon steadfastness; absent witnessing, the wayfarer cannot place trust in God. Tawakkul resembles the moment when the traveller, having sighted the shore of truth, entrusts himself wholly to the waves of divine mercy.
Tawakkul entails the entrustment of affairs to God and trust in His trusteeship, developed after steadfastness and witnessing at the level of Jam al-Jam. This station acts as a resting-place that, following firmness of intention, leads the wayfarer to divine certainty.
Tawakkul proves challenging for the general populace because they do not behold God and thus rely upon their own power, intellect, and prudence. Such self-reliance is akin to leaning on a fragile staff incapable of bearing the weight of spiritual travel.
The lecture illustrates the common folk as one who, fearing the earth beneath him may break, refrains from stepping forth; this absence of witnessing God obstructs tawakkul. Due to self-vision, the general mass cannot accept God as trustee and instead depend on their own faculties.
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
(: "And to God belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth." Srah Hd: 123)
This verse emphasises God's concealed nature for the masses, rendering tawakkul difficult for them.
For the elect, tawakkul is also arduous because they have witnessed God as the principal trustee (mutaqad al-muwakkil) and find it inconceivable to accept Gods role as an agent (wakl), a secondary position. This difficulty is comparable to attempting to perceive the sun in the guise of a mere lamp.
The lecture, employing the example of Putins political demotion from president to prime minister, exemplifies this diminution. God, as the true principal trustee, becomes agent in a derived sense; however, the elect, due to witnessing the principal station, struggle to conceive of this derived role.
The tawakkul of the elect is vh not in the sense of weak, but in that it is difficult to conceptualise. God, as the true principal trustee, becomes agent by diminution, yet the elect find this diminution unintelligible due to their witnessing of the principal station.
The lecture clarifies that this vh status signifies difficulty of imagination, and the elect actualise this diminution by accepting the Divine command, "Nm al-Mawl wa Nm al-Wakl" ("Excellent is the Guardian and Excellent is the Trustee"). Such acceptance resembles submitting to a decree that astounds reason.
Tawakkul is difficult for both the general masses and the elect: the former, owing to self-vision and lack of witnessing; the latter, owing to witnessing God as principal trustee. The vh character of the elects tawakkul refers to the challenge of imagining Divine diminution. These obstacles are surmounted solely by faith and submission to Divine command.
The hadith, "No faith enters the heart of a person until he attains certainty in what God possesses more than what is in his own hand", indicates that heartfelt faith requires certainty in what lies with God superior to personal possessions.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ وُدًّا
(: "Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection." Srah Maryam: 96)
Heartfelt faith is like a luminous light that dispels the darkness of self-vision from the heart of the wayfarer, guiding him towards tawakkul. Personal possessions wealth, beauty, or knowledge are ephemeral, whereas divine assets such as mercy and sufficiency endure eternally.
Sensory faith, confined to external deeds, may suffice for the general populace; however, heartfelt faith, a prerequisite for tawakkul, requires certainty in the unseen Divine reality.
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ
(: "Those who believe in the unseen." Srah Baqarah: 3)
The lecture distinguishes between sensory and heartfelt faith, illustrating that the general populace remain at sensory faith while the elect, by belief in the unseen, attain tawakkul. This distinction resembles perceiving merely a shadow of truth versus experiencing its illuminating light.
Heartfelt faith is a condition for tawakkul, and by certitude in divine assets, guides the wayfarer from self-vision to theophany. The distinction between sensory and heartfelt faith is akin to the difference between shadow and light of truth, with only heartfelt faith culminating in tawakkul.
God is essentially the principal trustee (the True Owner), yet assumes the role of agent in a derived manner. The wayfarer must appoint Him as agent in accordance with the Divine command "Nm al-Mawl wa Nm al-Wakl" ("Excellent is the Guardian and Excellent is the Trustee").
نِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
(: "What an excellent Guardian and what an excellent Trustee!" Srah l Imrn: 150)
This derived role is akin to a decree from a sovereign monarch to appear in the guise of a humble servant. The lecture, illustrating with the example of Putins demotion from president to prime minister, elucidates how God assumes the agent role derivatively for the wayfarer.
The principal trustee is the origin, while the agent is secondary. God, as the true principal trustee, assumes agency derivatively, and the wayfarer must accept this derivation and appoint God as agent.
وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
(: "And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs." Srah An-Nis: 81)
The lecture emphasizes the secondary nature of the agent, showing that acceptance of this derivation demands submission to Divine command. This relationship resembles obeying a command that bewilders reason but brings repose to the heart.
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
(s translation: "We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth," Al-Ahzab: 72)
The discourse, with an emphasis on the declaration "L awla wa l quwwata ill billh" (There is no power nor might except with God), elucidates that tawakkul is constituted within the domain of divine descent. This descent functions analogously to a delegation of a role that God confers upon the human being, appointing them as His trustee.
Tawakkul manifests within the vessel of divine descent (Gods command to appoint Him as trustee) and the manifestation of Divine Names (such as wakeel, muwakkil, khalfah). The common populace disregards this descent, yet the elect (the khaws) actualise it by embracing the divine price.
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا
(s translation: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them," Al-Araf: 180)
The discourse, accentuating the role of Divine Names in tawakkul, demonstrates that God guides the seeker toward trust through the bestowal of these Names and Titles. This vessel resembles a stage upon which God assumes the role of trustee Himself.
The manifestation of Divine Names and Titles (such as wakeel, muwakkil, khalfah) within tawakkul enables the seeker to acknowledge Gods trusteeship. While the elect attain tawakkul through acceptance of this manifestation, the common people remain ensnared in self-conceit. The discourse, employing the example of Vladimir Putin, illustrates that manifestation acts as a role which God accepts in a delegated fashion to guide the seeker towards tawakkul. This manifestation serves as a mirror reflecting the reality of God as trustee.
This volume, through a meticulous rewriting of the lectures by Nokounam on the chapter of Al-Tawakkul from Manzil al-Sirn, explicates tawakkul as the entrustment of affairs to the true Owner and reliance upon His trusteeship. Tawakkul is contingent upon perseverance and the witnessing of God in the highest spiritual station of Jam al-Jam. The common folk find tawakkul difficult owing to the absence of witnessing, whereas the elect struggle due to the witnessing of God as trustee. Heartfelt faith, fortified by certainty in divine possessions, constitutes the prerequisite for tawakkul. God, as the true principal, becomes the trustee in a delegated manner, and the seeker must accept this divine descent. Tawakkul is shaped within the vessel of divine descent and the manifestation of Divine Names. Quranic verses, such as "Wa-ala Allahi fatawakkalu in kuntum muminn" ("And rely upon God if you are believers") and "Nima al-mawl wa nima al-wakl" ("Excellent is the Protector, and Excellent is the Trustee"), along with the hadith "l yadkhul al-mn f qalb imriin" ("Faith does not enter the heart of a man..."), provide a precise and scientific framework for the understanding of tawakkul. Employing literary allegories and scientific elucidations, this work furnishes a comprehensive resource for researchers of Islamic mysticism and paves the way for the seekers spiritual journey toward Truth.