In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-Salāmu ʿAlaykum Wa-Raḥmatullāhi Wa-Barakātuh
Allah ﷻ may allow a smaller calamity or difficulty to occur in order to protect a person from a greater calamity or harm. This is entirely consistent with His wisdom and decree. Therefore, it is possible that a person may experience a particular difficulty which, through Allah’s wisdom, protects him from greater difficulties that might otherwise have arisen later. However, we cannot state with certainty that this was the specific reason Allah ﷻ decreed that particular calamity unless there is evidence for it.
At the same time, a believer should not assume that every calamity is necessarily a hidden blessing while overlooking his own actions. A calamity may also result, at least in part, from negligence, poor judgement, or failure to take reasonable precautions. If one’s own actions contributed to the difficulty, he should acknowledge this, seek Allah’s forgiveness, rectify the matter, and learn from it.
Thus, when a calamity occurs, the believer responds from both a spiritual and practical perspective. He exercises ṣabr, turns to Allah ﷻ through duʿāʾ and worship, and maintains good expectations of Him. At the same time, he examines the causes, takes the permissible means available to him, corrects any mistakes or negligence on his part, and takes reasonable precautions against further harm.
Tawakkul does not mean abandoning the means available to us. Rather, the believer takes responsibility for what is within his ability while placing his ultimate reliance upon Allah ﷻ.
And Allah Taʿāla Knows Best.
Baba Abu Bakr
Student Darul Iftaa
Accra, Ghana
Checked and Approved by
Mufti Muhammad Zakariyya Desai