Allah Provides

Ubaid Ibn Waaqid Al-Laithi Al-Basri says : “I once went on Haj. On route I stopped and I met a man with a very handsome young boy. I asked the man who the boy was and he replied that the boy was his son. The man continued explaining: “I was once on my way to perform Haj and with me was the mother of this boy. She was pregnant with him at the time. After we had travelled a fair distance, she suddenly began having labour pains. She then gave birth to this boy and thereafter she passed away. When the time came for us to continue our journey, I wrapped the baby up in a cloth, took it into a cave and placed a number of rocks over it. In this way I left the child, thinking to myself that it would soon die.

We performed our Haj and proceeded to return home. When we reached the same place, some of my companions hastened to the cave and removed the rocks to see what had happened to the baby. To their amazement, they saw the baby sucking its thumbs from which milk was flowing. I picked up the baby and took it with me. This is the same young boy you see with me now. (Hayaatul Hayawaan)

Lesson

Allah Azza Wajal is the Provider of sustenance for every living thing in the universe. Just as He provides food for man, He also provides food for the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky and the insects that live beneath the earth. Man needs to develop this tawakkul (trust) in Allah that only He can provide. How beautifully Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam explained this in a hadith narrated by Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu:

"If you could only have trust in Allah in the manner that is befitting of Him, you would be provided with sustenance just as the birds are provided with sustenance. They leave in the morning with empty bellies and return at evening time with their bellies full." (Tirmidhi) 

Man has to make an effort and use his intelliegence to earn sustenance but he must have the correct belief that his efforts and intelligence are not the reason for his receiving sustenance. Allah has shown many times how the best of man's efforts and intelligence come to nothing. It is only Allah who provides and sustains.