Trust in God, Tie Your Camel
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, the hadith outlines the story of a bedouin man who was leaving his camel without tying it.
The Prophet (SAW) asked him, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?”
“I put my trust in Allah,” the bedouin replied.
The Prophet then replied, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in Allah.”
Tawakkul. We all have heard it before: to have full faith in God’s plan. That our lives are written by the best of writers; that we plan, and He plans.
There will be hard times, and there will be easy times - but if you have faith, then you understand that even the difficult times are necessary because it is written.
That’s it, right? Tawakkul.
Not fully. Tawakkul doesn’t mean that we should go through life without taking responsibility for our own actions. Or rather, just go through life with simply dreaming, but not doing.
Make dua, yes, but also DO.
While we’re told to always have full faith in Allah, we’re also told to use the tools that Allah has given us, to do our part.
Or, tie your camel.
One of the perfect examples of this is the story of Hajar (AS), who trusted that Allah put her in a barren desert for a reason and that He would provide for her and ensure her needs were taken care of. Nonetheless, when her milk began to run dry and her baby grew hungry, she did not sit around waiting for a miracle.
Hajar searched and searched for help, pacing seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa until the miracle of Zamzam water sprouted before her.
While we learn the stories of the Quran and Seerah to teach us how to tie your camel, there are countless other examples you see in your daily life.
During exam season at school, we simply cannot go into an exam without any prior knowledge of the subject matter, or studying, and expect to ace it because we have faith in Allah. Trusting in God is a BIG part of you doing well in school, but studying? That’s tying your camel.
Another example: let’s say you know there’s been a series of car thefts in your neighbourhood, but you still don’t lock your doors at night. In fact, not only do you not lock your doors, you leave your wallet and AirPods on the dashboard, too. You did not tie your camel.
Tying your camel is easier said than done in some cases, especially when it comes to things like getting help for mental health or abuse. We know how difficult it can be, and that’s what we’re here for.
Know that we’re here to help you tie your camel - you don’t have to do it alone. Just reach out.
We’ll help you find that rope, or we’ll help you rope in the camel - and we can tie it together, insh’Allah.
Written by Hafsa Pathan- Chief Operating Officer at Sakeenah Canada. I’m a wannabe Pinterest mom, who loves traveling, planning parties and camels, of course!
About Sakeenah
Sakeenah Canada, a national charitable organization, was founded in 2018 in response to a gap in culturally and religiously sensitive services available for women and children facing domestic violence and homelessness. Since then, our services have expanded to include mental health therapy and counseling. Sakeenah has also started The People’s Market, a food program that helps combat food insecurity, and has become the first licensed foster care agency for Muslim children in all of North America. We currently operate 8 transitional homes across Canada: Toronto, Brampton, Milton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Regina, in addition to the first long-term housing program for Muslim women and children in Canada, in Windsor.
Charitable Registration Number: 776013310 RR 0001
