وَ مَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فىِ الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلىَ اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَ يَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَ مُسْتَوْدَعَهَا كلٌُّ فىِ كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
There is no moving creature on earth, but its sustenance depends on Allah, and He knows where it lives and where it rests. Everything is in a Clear Book. [Surah Hud Verse-6]
Allah SWT is Al Razzaq (the Sustainer or Provider), and Al Aleem (the All-Knowing). He knows everything, and He provides sustenance to even a creature that has the slightest movement.
As I read this Ayat, I remember two recent incidents at home.
I was plucking chickoos and placing them in a large tub. My eyes caught sight of a long worm. It was hidden amidst the chickoos. I almost missed catching sight of it, as it was camouflaged in the fruits. The color of the worm was no different from the fruits. I would have missed it if it wasn’t for its movement.
I sat for a few minutes watching its wriggling movements. It wasn’t easy for the little fellow to wiggle amidst 200+ chickoos, and it wasn’t easy for me to keep track of its movements either. I didn’t want to lose sight of it. While I focused on the worm, several questions ran through my mind. Should I remove it or leave it? Is it a harmful worm or a beneficial one? Does it feed on the chickoos or something else?
I quickly clicked a picture of the worm and shared it with a friend who is a worm expert. I got the reply instantly.
Guess what!!
My friend advised me to either kill it or bury it in the soil, as it is a harmful worm, and it can damage other plants.
For a moment I felt sorry for the little fellow. Then I started searching for something with which I could pick it up. Imagine removing it from a huge tub full of chickoos!
I finally found a twig. No sooner had I started walking towards the tub, a little bird that must have been waiting and watching me get away from its food flew down from the adjacent mango tree, picked the worm in its beak, and flew away swiftly.
Everything happened within flash seconds. I stood there watching. What a masterstroke that was! How did the bird know this worm was there hidden amidst the fruits? How did it manage to pick it up in a split second? How did it fly away without dropping it? So perfect!!
Allah had fixed its provision here in the tub of chickoos. Subhan Allah!! The life of the worm was fixed. All this while, its provision was the fruits on the tree, until Allah commanded it to become the provision for the bird. Every little creature gets its provision from its creator Allah who is Al Khaliq and is also Al Razzaq.
The famous age-old Hindi proverb ‘Dane Dane par likha hai khane wale ka naam’ translated as ‘On every morsel is inscribed the name of the one who is going to eat it’ is also based on this truth.
It was mango season, and my three mango trees were full of mangoes. I plucked all of them but for some reason not known to me, I missed plucking a few, although they were accessible. The next morning, while I was sky gazing, I suddenly heard a hush-hush sound. I looked around, and there on the mango tree were two monkeys that were feasting on the leftover mangoes.
Well! That was indeed Allah’s planning!! Perhaps He had earmarked these mangoes as provision for these monkeys! Subhan Allah!
I am happy that Allah SWT choose my garden as a source of provision for some of His Maqlooq.
As a child I would rush to the terrace every day at dawn and around sunset, to watch the beautiful formation of the birds that flew past my house in opposite directions. I used to be overwhelmed by their flight coordination, their sense of direction, and their timings. Perhaps they knew where their food was. As it is mentioned in the Ayat, Allah Al Aleem knows where they live and rest, and where they should go to find their food.
Nature is full of these examples that reiterate the truth that we humans are not Providers. It is Allah SWT who plans and provides. Sometimes we slog our entire life and don’t get what we desire, and sometimes we get more than what we expect. He gives to whom He wants to give, and how much He wants to give.
Related: Know the Connection between the Qur’an & nature.
As people of Imaan, we must lay our hope and confidence only on Allah SWT who is Al Razzaq. Like the birds and other creatures of Allah that work hard to attain the sustenance that their Creator has fixed for them, we must also work to attain the sustenance that Allah SWT has fixed for us.
May Allah SWT keep us steadfast in our efforts. Ameen.
