Tawakkul in the context of Shariah means to fulfill all of one’s duties and then to leave the result to Allah and to accept the result with reliance and consent. In short, it means to trust in Allah and not to worry about one’s end.
As Muslims, we are required to have complete Tawakkul in Allah for all our affairs. We also believe that Allah’s will can supersede our plans. However, this does not mean that we should not plan and work based on what Allah has blessed us in knowledge and intelligence.

As part of our Muharram focus this week we will be looking at the life of Moosa A.S. and the way he found this balance between Tawakkul and the adoption of means.

Baby Moosa in the Nile
It is mentioned that Firawn had a frightening dream wherein he saw a fire coming from the direction of Jerusalem which burned the Copts of Egypt and their homes but did not harm the Children of Israel. Firawn gathered all his priests, soothsayers and magicians so they could interpret his dream. They told him, “There will be a boy born among these people who will destroy the people of Egypt.” It was due to this that Firawn ordered the killing of all the new-born boys, and he spared the girls.
He decreed that the boys born in one year were to be killed, and the boys born in the following year were to be spared. Moosa A.S.’s brother, Haroon A.S., was born in a year of pardon while Moosa A.S. was born in a year of killing.

The Strategy
When Mosa A.S.’s mother become pregnant, it is mentioned that the normal signs of pregnancy did not show on her. When she gave birth, she became fearful. So, Allah, the Most-High, stated:

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ ۖ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِي وَلَا تَحْزَنِي ۖ إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
“And We inspired to the mother of Moosa, ‘Suckle him; but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him [one] of the messengers.’” (Al-Qasas 28:7)

The incident goes on to mention that the wife of Firawn found baby Moosa and persuaded Firawn to keep him in the palace. In this way, Moosa A.S. was saved from the tyranny of Firawn.

If we ponder of this incident, we will find that Allah already made the decision for baby Moosa to survive. Allah had plans for Moosa A.S. Life and death is in the hands of Allah however, to save baby Moosa, his mother had to adopt a strategy. Without this strategy, Moosa A.S. would have sill survived. There is no doubt about it because Allah is in complete control. But we learn from here that adopting the means and using strategies is part of the system of Allah. Moosa A.S.’s mother had complete Tawakkul on Allah but at the same time she need to adopted a strategy. i.e. placing him in a basket and putting him in the Nile.

Firawn did whatever he could to ward off the birth of Mūsā (‘alaihis-salām). He would send men and midwives who would regularly check up on the pregnant women of the Israelites and keep track of their delivery dates. So, no believing woman gave birth except that the people of Firawn would slay him that very moment.