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Trusting God, The Provider with Dr. Jinan Yousef
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In the 51st chapter of the Qur’an, verse 22, Allah (SWT) says, “In heaven is your rizq and whatever you are promised.” Rizq, meaning provision or sustenance, comes in different forms, but Allah is clear that He is the One who provides it.
Can we control our rizq to get the things we want? If our provision is already determined, what is the purpose of our effort? How can our understanding of God as The Provider change our day-to-day actions?
Join host Mohamad Zaoud for a conversation with Dr. Jinan Yousef, a fellow at Yaqeen and author of the popular book, "Reflecting on the Names of Allah."
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Assalamualaikum warahmatullah In surah al-dhariyat Allah says wa fissamai rizqukum wa ma tu'adun that in heaven is your rizq and whatever you are promised Rizq meaning provision or sustenance comes in different forms but Allah is clear that he is the one who provides it So are we actually in control of our rizq? If our provision is already determined what is the purpose of our effort? How can our understanding of our rizq be understood? How can our understanding of our rizq be understood? How can our understanding of our rizq be understood? How can our understanding of our rizq be understood? How can our understanding of our rizq be understood? How can our understanding of God as the Provider, the Rizaq change our day to day actions? Whenever we have a question about Allah's names and attributes our guest today is our first go to Today I sat down with Dr. Jinan Yousef to understand and connect with God, through one of his names Al-Razaq The Provider Welcome to a new episode of double take a podcast by Yaqeen Institute about the questions and ideas around Islam and Muslims that give us pause. Remember to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check out the links in the show notes if you want to share feedback with the team, or if you'd like to join our new email newsletter. Dr. Jinnan Youssef is a senior fellow at Yaqeen Institute. She most recently published the book, Reflecting on Names of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Dr. Jinnan is a student of Sheikh Akram Nadwi and currently studies Tafsir and Hadith at As-Salam Institute. She also teaches classes on the names of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for Swiss Online. She is passionate about helping Muslims connect to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala through His names. Enjoy the episode. Dr. Jinnan, As-salamu alaykum and welcome back to Double Take. Wa alaykum as-salamu alaykum, thank you so much for having me. Dr. Jinnan, we're living in a time where many people are struggling with inflation, cost of living, and even poverty.
I've been thinking a lot recently about the relationship between Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, ourselves, and our material circumstances. In Surah Al-Dhariyat, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, Inna Allaha huwa ar-razaqu dhul quwwati al-mateen. That God, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, is the Provider, the Lord of Power, the Ever Mighty. It is the only place in the Quran that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala calls Himself by this name, Ar-Razaq. So, as someone who's published, mashallah, about the names and attributes of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, I'd like to ask you, can you please introduce me to Allah's name, Ar-Razaq? Barakallah fiqh, thank you so much for that. I think that's such an important question and such an important name for all of us to know. And I hope, I hope that inshallah, we'll get introduced to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, Ar-Razaq, and really fall in love with who Allah is and the fact that He is Ar-Razaq. So, if we want to know who Ar-Razaq is, we need to first know what rizq means, right? And so, when we think of rizq, a lot of times, and especially if we're Arab, right, that we use the word rizq to mean wealth, right? Sometimes food as well. And so, when we think of Allah being Ar-Razaq, then we're like, oh, Allah is the Provider, Allah's going to provide me with wealth, Allah's going to provide me with food, for example, right? But over here, we're really limiting, we're really limiting what rizq means and who Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Ar-Razaq is. Because rizq, if we define it, is huwa kullu ma yuntafa'u bihi. So, basically, it's everything that a person can benefit from, right? And it's also defined as al-ata'u al-jari, right? So, like, basically, like, giving, right? Or like, something that is continuously given, okay?
And so, if we start to just break it down, that if it's kullu ma yuntafa'u bihi, that if it's everything that one can gain benefit from, I mean, sure, wealth benefits us, you know, food benefits us, but there are other things that benefit us. There are different parts of us that need different types of provision. So, I might, in order to live, I might need, yes, wealth, and I might need, obviously, you know, food, but Subhanallah, my soul, what can my soul benefit from, right? And so, Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, He gives us spiritual sustenance. What can my mind benefit from, right? Like, wisdom is kind of the sustenance for the mind. What we learn that benefits us, it's sustenance for the mind, right? And so, when we talk about rizq, we like to limit it to, like, these two categories, but it's so much more vast than that. And it's also not just rizq of this world. We like to think of Allah ar-Razzaq, and Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is going to provide us with, if we understand the expansive meaning of rizq, these types of rizq, these types of provision in this world. But Allah says in the Qur'an, إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَرِزْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِن نَفَادٍ This is our rizq in Jannah, that it doesn't end. And Allah also says in Surah Taha, وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى The rizq of Allah, meaning in Paradise, is better and more lasting. And rizq is also, we like to think of it as an outcome. So, I have money in my hands, this is an outcome, right? And I think that is rizq. But rizq is also the means to that outcome. So, the job itself, right? This is rizq. And not just, for example, the salary that I get at the end of the month. And so, Allah, al-Razzaq, He is, firstly, He is the source of all that is beneficial. And what does that do when we understand that? It teaches us where to look.
And He is also the one who is continuously providing us with that which is beneficial. So, when we say, so Allah being razzaq means that there is rizq, and means that there is marzuq, right? Means that there is one who is receiving the sustenance. So, the rizq is all of these things. Rizq is rain. It's sunshine that gives us vitamin D and increases serotonin production in the brain. And it's wealth, and it's children, and it's good people in our lives. This is like rizq for the hearts, right? If you feel loved in your life, right? This is rizq from Allah, right? If you feel contentment, right? This is spiritual rizq, this is rizq for the heart. Prayer, all of these things, subhanAllah, they are rizq from Allah. And for who, when we say, okay, who is Allah giving this rizq to? Allah is al-razzaq, so we don't limit it, right? Allah actually gives rizq to firstly everyone, right? And continually, Muslim, non-Muslim, woman, man, humans, animals, plants. It encompasses all of these things, right? And this is general rizq. But then there is a special rizq of the hearts, and that special rizq is for those who seek Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Help me understand, how does one attain rizq? What happens in someone's life in order to gain rizq? So anything beneficial in their life. So we can split up, I guess, rizq into two types, okay? I mean, these are obviously many, many types, but in terms of the categories in which they fall under, right? So there is rizq that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in a sense, He gives us without much effort on our part, okay? And so, you know, you might grow up in a country that is, you know, mashallah, it's like super green, and there's like, there are a lot of trees, and you're breathing this wonderful, you know, clean air. This is rizq from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, right? So that's the first type. You didn't do anything for this rizq, right? You're not, you know, you didn't make the trees, right? You didn't do anything with this rizq.
But then there's the other type of rizq, right? Which Allah makes conditional upon your sa'i, right? Sa'i meaning you're striving. Now, Allah made this, right? And so this has implications for us. So I know, and everybody knows, right? Like, you know, if I want to, even if I want to become healthy, I can't just, you know, will myself into health. I cannot sit down and be like, be healthy, Junaan, be healthy, be healthy, be healthy, and khalas. Trust me, I know. Trust me, I know. So subhanAllah, right? But I know that if I wake up every morning and I go for a jog, or if I, I don't know, you go to the gym and you lift weights, whatever it is, right? I understand that there's going to be an effect, right? That comes from doing that, right? This is not outside of Allah's power, right? Allah created the world with these laws in such a way that if I do these things, then I will get a certain type of rizq. And inshallah, this is the rizq of my health, right? Now, I don't know what the outcome can be. So for example, if I go and I'm working, you know, for wealth, for example, right? I could become a multimillionaire. I could just be okay, or I could kind of be struggling. So I don't, you know, I don't really know. But the fact is, I have to ask about, when I know Allah is a Razzaq, I have to ask about what are my responsibilities. My responsibilities are sa'i, because Allah is not going to ask me about the outcome. He's going to ask me about my effort, right? But when I understand that Allah is a Razzaq, it also means that I only seek the ethical and permissible means to get that rizq. And that's for all types of rizq. So again, we're talking about the expansive definition. So whether it's wealth in terms of material wealth, right? So I have to do things in a halal way, because I understand that Allah is the one who's guaranteed my rizq for me. So I have to do things in the correct way. But this can go even, you know, for health, for example.
I'm not going to go and take, you know, drugs in order to be healthy, you know, or whatever, right? So we do the things that are, that we know that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has sanctioned, has approved of, has recommended, right? In order for us to attain that rizq. Even if we talk about relationships, right? Somebody wants to, you know, get married. And so you might go about doing that in two different ways. In a halal way, in an ethical way, in the permissible way, or another way. And you can't say, okay, you know, you're working for your rizq, right? In both ways. But when you understand Allah's ar-Razzaq, you're like, I'm going to do things in a way that Allah approves of, because He's the one who's going to provide me with that rizq, and not my boss, the, you know, the gym person, this person's dad, whatever. We grew up being told, and there are some authentic hadiths to this effect, that our rizq is predetermined. And as we were researching for this episode, one hadith, for example, is narrated by Ibn Majah, it's an authentic hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said, O people, fear Allah and be moderate in seeking a living, for no soul will die until it has received all its provision, even if it is slow in coming. So as I understand this, you know, with the kind of traditional definition of rizq, which is kind of wealth and material benefits, that this is already written by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You know, there is no dollar extra that I'm going to earn that Allah has not written for me in this life. And so I struggle sometimes to reconcile that concept, and we grew up on it, and we read it in the hadith, and we understand Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ar-razaq, the one who has provided for us.
I struggle to reconcile that with what you just mentioned, which is you still need to make the effort. So can you help me kind of understand the relationship here? Like if I do more effort, do I get more rizq? That's a great question. And I think subhanAllah, it's almost like the question as well, if everything is written, then why should I make dua, right? You know, and it's like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us make dua, right? And so like I said before, you know, Allah makes some types of our rizq conditional upon or dependent upon the striving. So if we look at, for example, you know, Hajar alayha salam, right? When she is in the desert, you know, and she's stuck with this crying baby, and she doesn't know what to do, but she has trust in Allah. Now she could have sat there and be like, you know what? My rizq is absolutely guaranteed. I'm going to sit down and I'm just going to wait for it to come. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to wait for it to come. But she doesn't. She goes back and forth, safa al marwa, back and forth, not once, not twice, not three times, seven times. Like we copy her. When we go on Umrah and Hajj, we're literally following in her footsteps. It's called the sa'i, right? Like the striving. And so, subhanAllah, there was this understanding that the people before us, they had that like, that I have to strive because Allah is actually going to ask me about my striving. Allah is not going to ask me about my rizq because he's guaranteed that rizq, right? Allah is going to ask me about my striving, right? So don't worry about your rizq. Allah's guaranteed that. You worry about what you are doing and how you are doing for that rizq. But Allah says also something very interesting in the Quran. So in many ayat, but I've picked one here. وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
If only the people of these societies believed and had God consciousness, we would have opened for them blessings from the heavens and the earth. So Allah here is telling us, if they had done this, we would have given them that, right? So Allah here is pointing us to the fact that you can expand your rizq. You can, subhanAllah, when you ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, like we know the hadith that if you ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah will respond, Allah will defer. Or there could have been something bad that's written for you, right? That's coming down, that is going to, subhanAllah, subhanAllah, kalamati yurdu billah, your dua stops it, right? So when we say, you know, rizq is predetermined, subhanAllah, there's also different types of predeterminations, right? But I think sometimes when we focus on that too much, right, we like to go into the ghayb, we're just like, okay, but Allah's guaranteed. But yeah, but you don't know what Allah's guaranteed. Allah's not going to ask you about what He's guaranteed. You leave what He's guaranteed to Him, right? But you put all of your effort, because at the end of the day, we're striving for Allah, right? And so let's just say, just as an example, now, imagine, I, you know, I have good intentions. I really want to make a lot of money. Let's keep it to money, for example. I want to make a lot of money because I want to benefit the ummah, okay? And so I'm like, ya Rabb, really help me. I want to become a multimillionaire because I want to build schools and hospitals and do all these different things. And I work super hard. I open my own business, whatever, all these things happen. But I'm not as successful, right, as I hoped I would be. And my contentment comes that like, ya Rabb, you know, You guaranteed the rizq. I did everything I could. I left no stone unturned, right? But the problem is here, if I get sad that like, ah, but I want to do this for Allah,
and like, I wanted to become this multimillionaire, and I'm kind of only like a thousandaire, right? But I'm ignoring all of the other types of rizq that Allah gave me because of my intention, right? And I'm just focusing on this one type that I feel I didn't get. Maybe because I tried to do things in the halal way, and my intention was this really high, lofty intention. Allah put amazing people in my life. I feel so rich and wealthy because of the relationships that I've cultivated in this path. I had the most amazing prayers because I had this lofty intention, right? I, subhanAllah, things in my life became organized and good because of that. So I'm now focusing on one type of sustenance that I feel that I've been denied, while ignoring all of the other types of provision and sustenance that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given me, right? And shaitaan makes us do this, right? This is like, it's like, oh, you know, I wanted this, but I got that. And you're just like, you're sad. Okay, fine. You know, this is guaranteed. Wait, wait, you're ignoring all these beautiful types of rizq that Allah has given you, right? Because you're focusing on this one, one thing. So we have to take ourselves out of what Allah's guaranteed, leave that to Allah. But you do what you are going to be asked about. Focus on that. Don't focus on what Allah's guaranteed. JazakAllah khair. You mentioned there's two types of rizq, the rizq that you're, I guess, born into, born into a certain country with beautiful trees or born into a certain family. But there is another type of rizq, which is generally the rizq that we talk about, which is the one that's conditional on effort. How do I know what rizq is conditional upon my effort versus that that is not? Okay, I love this question because I get this question a lot with different aspects of our religion, right? It's always about how do I know? So I pray the istikhara, but how do I know? Right?
I did this, but how do I know? And subhanAllah, you know, I feel over here, like we, the actual answer is that I don't know. Right? Allah, this is in the ghayb. We don't know. I don't know which rizq of mine is conditional upon rizq and which rizq is going to come to me while I'm sitting at home and it's just going to literally like be like come wrapped up in this beautiful package. I don't know. And that's why I have to strive for all of my rizq. Meaning, you know, if I want the rizq of my soul, I have to go out and find beneficial circles of knowledge. I have to go out to places to really, I have to go and learn about how I get khushu on my prayers. Right? I have to go and seek out good company. Right? Because I don't know. Right? Allah could, you know, subhanAllah, I had a friend who straight after university, you know, had a great degree from a great university, applied to so many jobs. Right? And either never got a response, got rejected, and really like did their sa'i, they did their striving. And then suddenly somebody emails them out of nowhere being like, hey, I heard you're looking for a job. And we have this opening. My friend didn't apply for that job. Right? That job literally came to my friend. Right? But it's like, oh, I could have just done nothing. No, no, no. You get rewarded for all of that striving. Right? That you did, that you were applying for halal jobs, that you were, you know, trying to find something that you could contribute to. Right? But Allah decided just to show you that provision is in His hands. Right? That it would come to you from where you could not imagine. So we shouldn't really focus about how do I know? Because you're not going to know. Allah did not give you ilm al-ghaib. Allah did not give me ilm al-ghaib. We don't know the unknown, the unseen. We don't know these things. So what we do is, okay, I don't know if this is a type that's conditional or not, but I'm going to strive and I'm going to work for it as if it is.
JazakAllah khair. You know, I do feel like as Muslims, we do have an advantage in our tradition regarding wealth and regarding contentment. I think we're pushed in our religion to focus on two things, which is the effort, but also to be content with what has been ordained for us. And just a few weeks ago, I was in a different country and someone who, mashallah, mashallah, is very wealthy, looked at me and said, man, like, how are you not stressed about this situation? Like we were talking about contracts. and income and whatnot. Like, how are you not like stressed? How do you keep your calm in this conversation? We were negotiating. I'm like, alhamdulillah, as a Muslim, this was a non-Muslim, as a Muslim, like I'm judged on my effort and that is something that is so deeply intertwined in what I believe that I feel like if I do the effort and I don't get this contract, it is from Allah. Like every single situation is khair, whether I get it or I don't get it. And that's what keeps me at ease, like alhamdulillah. But I think what you've done in this conversation so far, Dr. Jinnan, is you've actually introduced another dimension to this, which is, sure, I'm making dua or I'm striving for this particular contract or job or materialistic kind of ambition and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, maybe he doesn't give me exactly what I had, but he's provided for me in various other means. Like I'm not considering my health or my family or my security or safety. I'm not considering kind of the opportunity that I might have in
a couple of years for not taking this particular job. And that's something that's new to me, that the rizq is encompassing other aspects of my life, not just the kind of material sustenance. So jazakallah khair for that. So a question then, is there something that I can do to guarantee my rizq or a provision that I want? So I guess we as human beings, can't really talk about we guarantee our rizq, because you said Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah says wafassama'i rizqukum wa ma tu'adun, like in the heavens, with Allah is your rizq, right? And what you've been promised. So in terms of guaranteeing, what Allah asks of us, right, is you do the effort, right, and leave the result on Allah. Now when we think of effort though, so for example, you are thinking, let's go back to material wealth, right? So I have to strive, I'm going to wake up in the morning, I'm going to go to my job, or I'm an entrepreneur, I'm going to do XYZ, that's great. But Allah, or and as well also in so many ahadith, we're actually told of ways to increase our rizq, right? And so, you know, Allah, for example, says, you know, this very famous ayah in the Quran, man yattaqilla yaj'al lahum makhraja wa yarzuqhu min haythu la yahtasab. Whoever has taqwa of Allah, right, that Allah will make him a way out, like you're in trouble, Allah will make a way out for you, right, and yarzuqhu, give him rizq, provide for him or her, from where you cannot imagine, right? That Allah also says that, for example, wala an shakartum la azidannakum, if you're grateful, if you're thankful, I'll increase you, I will give you more. We don't know more what, but Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is guaranteed that he will increase you, right? Also, for example, seeking forgiveness, right, and repentance, going
to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the Quran, Allah also says, this is on the tongue of Nuh alayhi salam, wa astaghfiru rabbakum innahu kana ghaffara yursir al-samaa alaykum midrara wa yumdidkum bi-anwalin wa banin, wa yaj'al lakum jannatin wa yaj'al lakum anhara. So Nuh is telling his people, you know, ask forgiveness of your Lord, right? He is the perpetual forgiver. He's ghaffara, right? He will then, yursir al-samaa, so he's like, he will send rain from the sky upon you and continuing showers. He'll give you an increase in wealth and children. Provide for you gardens, provide for you rivers, right? So there are certain things in the Quran, you know, another thing, for example, charity, right? man thaladhi yuqridu allahu qaltan hasanan fayda'ifuhu la So whoever, who's going to give Allah like a loan, right? A good loan that Allah will multiply for this, for the person many times over, right? So when we talk about you want to guarantee a risk, remember that Allah's guaranteed a risk. But if you want barakah in your risk, if you want an expansion in the various types of risk, right, do your sa'i, do your effort, but don't forget these other things in your sa'i for your material risk, in your sa'i for your health, for your relationships, all of those efforts, don't forget these other things. Don't forget taqwa, don't forget gratitude. Don't forget seeking forgiveness from Allah. Don't forget all of these things, like, you know, even the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam in the hadith, you know, like keep, you know, good relations with your relatives, right? Yeah, exactly, your family members, right? So all of these things they give us barakah, right, like blessings and an increase in risk, but in a way that Allah has defined, not in the way that I've defined. I can't be like, I have good relationship with my family, but like I'm poor and this is terrible, right? This is like, okay, well, Allah has guaranteed different types of risk and expansion in different ways. So is it fair to say that risk can change and there's a correlation between some of these actions such as charity, such as the ties
of kinship, such as shukr, such as repentance, istighfar. Is there a correlation between that and increased rizq? So yes, but again, the expanded definition of rizq, right? So like we can't like limit it to like if I do all these things and I do my istighfar, I'm, you know, going to become like a multi-millionaire, right? It's like Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, yes, so Allah can increase your rizq, like I said before that, that I mentioned before that if only these people had done this, Allah would have opened for them blessings and so on and so forth, right? So Allah can expand, Allah can give you more, right? But in the way that he decides is actually most beneficial for you and we have to remember that because the rizq is also the rizq of the akhira, we cannot forget that. It's the rizq of the akhira, like don't be sad if you feel like your material rizq is a little bit, you know, kind of less or maybe you're suffering in your health and you're just like, ah, but I did all the right things. You know, Allah is saving for you an amazing rizq, ma lahum min nafad, this rizq does not end, right? In Jannah, so you might be sad that you're not a multi-millionaire, but guess what? Because you're not a multi-millionaire, you actually get a fast track in your hisab and your, you know, when Allah holds you to account and the person who was a multi-millionaire, who was a billionaire is actually standing in line, is being held to account for so much longer, right? So we can't forget, we cannot limit to this to this world, right? We have to think of it holistically, all of the types, but in this world and in the hereafter. So once we start to think of it in that way, like yes, there's an expansion. So do your istighfar, do your gratitude, do all of these things. There's going to be an expansion of rizq, but maybe Allah decides expansion of rizq, you know, I'm going to make a portion of it in this world, but the majority of it in the hereafter and you're going to be so grateful for that. Like when the time comes, you'll be like, I actually wish Allah did all of this expansion for my rizq in the hereafter. So we have to not forget that and really think of rizq, you know, holistically. You know, we're taught that we should be using Allah's names and attributes to make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Can you help guide me through the scenarios where you would be using the name al-Razzaq, the one who provides subhanahu wa ta'ala. When do I call upon al-Razzaq? How do I, you know, inject the name al-Razzaq in my day-to-day life? Okay, I love this question. I think, you know, when we understand who al-Razzaq is, sometimes, you know, it comes to us naturally because it's like, you know, if I know that I have a friend who is a lawyer, naturally when there's like a legal question that comes up, I'm going to call up my friend, right? Because I know that, you know, she is a lawyer. And so when you understand rizq, like sometimes, you know, I ask Allah, for example, like Allahumma rizqni as-suhba saliha Right? So I'll say like Allah provide me with righteous company, right? Because I understand that provision is from Him. You can ask Allah, you know, that Allah gives you halal rizq. Allahumma yas'alika ilman naafi'an warizqan tayyiban wa amalan mutaqabbalan. This is the da'a of the Prophet ﷺ. So beneficial knowledge, right? Good provision and accepted deeds, accepted works, right? So you have to think of yourself like, you know, ask Allah, you know, ask Allah for health, right? Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for good wealth, right? Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you know, if a person is not married, like ask Allah to give you the rizq of, right? A good spouse. Ask Allah for good company, right? Ask Allah, you know, like literally, suhbat as-saliheen, right? For the company of good and righteous people. But when you understand again Allah, because if we understand Allah is just rizq in terms of money, right? So it's only when you need money, you're going to be like, ya rizq, rizqni, ya rizq, Allahumma anta khayru al-raziqeen, right? But it's like, if you understand the rizq in this holistic sense, right? You say, ya Allah, Allahumma rizqni dunya wa akhira, right? So, you know, Allah provides for me, you know, in this world and the next world.
And so I have to internalize that Allah is al-rizq. And when I internalize that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is al-rizq, right? It actually comes naturally to me, right? Because I recognize all the different forms of rizq. But there are obviously du'as, you know, from the sunnah. There's also du'as from the Quran as well. And so we can obviously, you know, lean on those to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But again, when you know who Allah is and you recognize the different types of rizq, it comes to you naturally, right? That you're just like, I need this type of rizq. I need good people around me. I need XYZ. So you ask like, ya rizq, ya rab, rizq is from you. You guarantee that ya rabi, just please like make it easy and coming to me. Like ya rab, bring it to me or show me how I can get this rizq, right? So that's the way that inshallah we ask Allah by his name al-rizq. Dr. Jinnan, normally we end these episodes with a question from my nine-year-old niece. And I'm going to ask you the question on her behalf, but I'm also going to do something a little different this time and share a story from my nine-year-old niece that I want you to respond to in light of today's episode. So the question which is inshallah should be an easy one. My nine-year-old niece comes to you and says, Dr. Jinnan, you wrote a book about the names and attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so help me understand who al-rizq is and I've only got 30 seconds. Okay, that's the question. Okay. So I would first say look around you. Look at everything that you have in your life. Who provided all of this? Now Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he's the source of everything we can benefit from. So what in your life are you deriving benefit from, right? You have good relationships. You have a good and healthy spiritual life. You're being provided for, you have a home. All of that is from Allah al-rizq. Why? Because he is the source.
And so Allah, so we should never do haram things to gain the provision that we want, right? Because Allah's guaranteed because he's al-rizq, right? And that might affect us in the other parts of our life. So if you want to know who al-rizq is, just look at everything that you've been provided with in your life, right? That benefits you and remember that that is from al-rizq. I hope that's a good 30 seconds. SubhanAllah. Yes, and she says to you, Dr. Jinnah, I listened to the episode and you mentioned that we need to make effort and some rizq, some sustenance, some benefit in this life and the hereafter is contingent on our effort. But I heard a story once, this is my nine-year-old niece saying, not me. She says, I heard a story and I'd like you to kind of react to it. And the story is that there's a fisherman sitting there fishing all day and then someone rocks up to the wharf and says to him, man, you're a really good fisherman. Why don't you do this as a business and go sell the fish? And he says, why would I want to do that? Well, you're catching a hundred fish a day. You can sell that and make money. And he's like, why would I want to do that? He's like, so you can be rich. Well, why do I want to be rich? So that you can have wealth. Well, why do I want wealth? So that you can go fishing all day. He's, well, I'm doing that already. So how would you respond to that? Well, I'd be like, he's doing the right thing and he has a risk that many people don't have, right? Which is the risk of the heart, which is contentment, right? So he's doing his thing. He's going out. He's fishing, right? So he has his material substance and sense of his food for the day, but he has something that's even greater than that. And that is the risk of the heart, which is that he has
contentment, right? And that's something that's very difficult. That's the risk that we really have to strive for and ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for, because that's a really difficult type of risk to attain because you can have all these different types of risk. But if you don't have that contentment in your heart, nothing is enough for you. You could be super healthy, you know, you could be so super rich, you could have so much love around you, but it's never enough, right? And so this person, I mean, I commend this fisherman, right? So for having this amazing risk of the heart, but it's never enough, right? And may Allah give us, you know, this contentment. Ameen. Dr. Junaan, JazakAllah khair. Thank you very much for that episode. We're going to change gears to our rapid-fire segment. We're going to ask you a series of questions and you've only got a couple of seconds. You're allowed to pass once, but that's all and you've only got a few seconds. So the first question, what's the last book that you were reading? I was reading a novel actually called Alif the Unseen. Okay, and what was the last book you were writing? The last book I was writing, obviously the night, they're reflecting on the names of Allah, but inshallah, I have a new project that I am going to be embarking upon, bi adnillah, so make dua. InshaAllah, Allah yuftaaliki. Ameen. What's your favorite or one of your favorite hadiths? Oh, one of my favorite hadiths. I love the hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him, when he gives the advice to his cousin, Ibn Abbas, and he says ahfadallah yahfaduk, right? So it's a longer hadith, but it's, you know, be mindful of Allah, right? And Allah will protect you. And I mean, and now I'm blanking, but it starts with that and then ahfadallah yahfaduk, ahfadallah, tajidhu tujahak, that like you will find Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with you. If you ask, ask from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and if you
seek help, then seek help from Allah, and if all of the nations were to gather, you know, to benefit you, they can't benefit you unless Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows that, and if all of the nations wanted to harm you, they wouldn't be able to do that unless Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows that. So I love this hadith because I think that really, it just teaches us to rely on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and just recognize that like everything is in his hands and just to trust him and to be with him. So, you know, I have Lebanese heritage. So I'm hoping not to kind of deter you from the next question. Yemeni food or Shami food? God, I like both. I like both. Tea or coffee? Coffee. If you were sitting in front of Dr. Jinan, who was 20 years old, what would you say to her? Just be with Allah, just be with Allah and everything will be okay, inshallah. You're currently doing a series of posts on Instagram called a Dhikr series. Why is Dhikr important to you? Oh, it's so important because Dhikr is me remembering Allah and if I'm not in a state of remembrance and it means that I'm in a state of forgetting and we have these beautiful adhkar that like we just say with our tongues, but we're not actually remembering. And so the purpose of the series is to really actually get our hearts involved and like actually remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Dr. Jinan, Jazakallah khair. Honestly, you're a gem for the ummah, someone who has championed the names and attributes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the propagation of the names of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So I appreciate your work and I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule for this episode. Honestly, I'd love to do a whole series on every single name with you. Barakallah fiki, jazakallah khair. And inshallah, we'll have you again on Double Take. In a way, Yaakub, thank you so much for having me and thank you so much for these great questions. I really enjoy coming on your show. So I look forward to inshallah more meetings like this. Inshallah, jazakallah khair. Assalamualaikum.
Waalaikum salam.
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