Psychological Evaluation of Tawakkul

Tawakkul literally means "to appoint someone as a proxy, to leave the job to him, to
order the job to someone else". As a concept, tawakkul means "to expect success from Allah
after attempting the necessary reasons to reach a result, to be content with His will." means.
Let's look at the following hadith that explains the Muslim's understanding of tawakkul:
Working is what I always do, trust is my state. And the description in Risale-i Nur is as
follows:

Tawakkul does not mean rejecting the causes altogether. Maybe, knowing the reasons as the
vest of power and obeying them, and attempting to try to the other people, by considering the
prayer as an actual thing, is to know the relationship only from Allah Almighty and to know
the results from Him.

A Muslim tries to do the necessary reasons to spend his worldly life with better opportunities
and in a more comfortable way, but he knows very well that "This world is not a place of
pleasure and pleasure, but a place of testing and the field of the hereafter. There is freshness,
it is beyond the test and after the harvest.” For this, he has a psychological pre-preparation for
the troubles and troubles of the world. He knows everyone as a guest and everything is
temporary. He does not value any event more than it is. And he spends his life in peace.
Indeed, tawakkul is a great source of peace.

There are many realms to go in front of man. Before entering the grave, he often suffers from
diseases, calamities, desperation, and old age. Can a person live without trust in all these
stages? A patient enters a healing period after the examination and medication phases. His
doctor is waiting for him to recover. This double waiting is nothing but trust in Allah.
Tawakkul is the strongest armor against the cold winds, which are the harbingers of death,
which hit people's face more with the season of old age, as it is with illness. No matter what
kind of fabric their skin is wrapped in, the souls of those who are deprived of this are always
pricked and their peace is always damaged.
A believer is conscious that he lives in the world of causes and that he cannot reap without
sowing. In addition, he knows very well that the soil particles are far from recognizing man
and showing him mercy, and that they do not have the knowledge, power and will to make
food. After attempting the causes, he puts his trust in Allah. For, He is the One who filters
fruit from the tree, grains from the soil, and human beings from the universe as a whole. He
considers not to attempt causes as a rebellion against the laws of nature that Allah has set in
this universe. But he expects the result from Allah, not from causes; He makes his prayers,
supplications and thanks only to Him.

Our Prophet (pbuh) said, "Your biggest enemy is your soul!" he ordered. In the light of this
warning, we can immediately say the following: We have to take refuge in our Lord with the
most steadfast trust against our greatest enemy.

A person who feels that his psychological integrity is broken and who has a feeling of losing
his sense of control can reduce his anxiety when he can create a mental shelter for himself. In
this sense, tawakkul, which is metaphorized as a mental shelter, can be considered as a
spiritual structure that relaxes people psychologically and prepares the ground for happiness.
A person's basic sense of trust can be damaged by internal and external threats. Therefore, it
may seek to provide the strength and competence to cope with these situations. Tawakkul has
a critical importance in situations where a person faces difficulties and is exposed to stress
factors. In case of lack of trust; people's emotional endurance, determination, perseverance
and happiness level decrease.

In tawakkul, with the development of a sense of trust in the transcendent supreme creator,
establishing a healthy bond and learning to surrender takes place. Therefore, there are
psychological benefits of tawakkul at the point of developing a person's sense of trust, adding
meaning to his life and self-realization.

When a person reaches his wishes and desires materially and adds meaning and value to his
life spiritually, he feels good and feelings of happiness develop. On the other hand, a person
may experience anxiety, tension and stress due to certain experiences and may have to cope
with long-term unhappiness. Also, people worry about the future. The state of uncertainty that
arises due to the thoughts and feelings of not being able to control life can cause people to
experience intense anxiety.
At this point, the person needs to know his own limits, realize his strength and realize his
weakness. As a result of this necessity, tawakkul creates a support system that makes people
free and independent, protects their mental health and gives them peace. Tawakkul provides
patience, encourages optimistic thinking and facilitates acceptance. People who trust can
easily get rid of demoralization and are more fortified in the face of failures. Human
psychology; When it acts on the axis of faith and tawakkul, it will function properly. Because,
where there is no faith, yes (hopelessness, lack of trust), psychological disorders will occur.
For example, a child who was thrown into a well by his closest relatives, sold as a slave by
those who took it out of the well, taken to the palace as a slave, separated from his family at a
young age, deprived of his freedom, suffered a great betrayal, Hz. If Yusuf had not trusted his
Lord, he could not have overcome all these difficulties with a sound psychology.

Tawakkul, as a belief rule, is not only specific to situations, it is present in every moment of
life. The emotions that cause tawakkul are distress, helplessness, uncertainty, and expectation.
Although these emotions are frequently encountered in daily life, they can affect the quality
of life of the person depending on their level, and cause various psychiatric disorders,
especially anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or
mood disorders such as depressive disorder.

In this sense, tawakkul shows its importance in situations with the potential for anxiety,
stress, sadness and distress. There are different reactions in the process of tawakkul, both
emotionally, intellectually and behaviorally. Making sense of the process experienced, being
in hope, making an effort about the situation, praying, thinking about the power of creation of
Allah are the leading ones. Thanks to these methods, people stay in the process with an active
struggle regarding the situation they are in, while the event/work is still in the process of
being.