You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide from Your Rizq

﷽

Trusting in Allah’s ﷻ Decree and the Limits of Human Striving

Al-Ḥāfiẓ Zayn al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raʾūf al-Munāwī (d. 1031 AH / 1622 CE) رحمه الله said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If the son of Adam were to run from his provision just as he runs from death, his provision would still find him just as death finds him.” If the son of Adam were to flee from his rizq as he flees from death, his rizq would still reach him in the same way that death inevitably reaches him. This is because Allah ﷻ has guaranteed his provision and has even sworn an oath concerning it:

وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ ۞
فَوَرَبِّ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ مِثْلَ مَا أَنَّكُمْ تَنْطِقُونَ ۞

“And in the heaven is your provision and that which you are promised. Then, by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, it is the truth, just as it is true that you can speak.”
(Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt, 51:22–23, translation based on Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī and Muḥammad Muḥsin Khān)

Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Ṣan‘ānī (d. 1182 AH / 1768 CE) رحمه الله commented:

“If it is said: ‘But it is observed that striving brings wealth,’ I reply: This ḥadīth concerns the one who abandons striving altogether and tries to flee from his provision. Even then, what Allah has decreed to sustain him will reach him ‘just as death reaches him,’ and fleeing will not save him from it.”

Understanding Rizq and Reliance upon Allah

This narration reminds us that rizq is ultimately from Allah ﷻ alone. No matter how much a person worries, struggles, or attempts to control outcomes, what has been written for them will certainly reach them, just as death will reach every soul at its appointed time.

Islam does not negate lawful striving or responsible effort. Rather, it teaches that effort must be accompanied by tawakkul (reliance upon Allah) and firm belief in divine decree. The believer works within the means permitted by the Sharī‘ah while placing complete trust in Allah’s ﷻ wisdom and promise.

From this principle arise several important spiritual lessons:

First, excessive anxiety over provision contradicts true reliance upon Allah ﷻ. Persistent fear of poverty weakens the heart’s attachment to its Lord.

Secondly, envy of others’ wealth reflects dissatisfaction with divine allocation. Each person’s sustenance is apportioned with perfect knowledge and justice.

Thirdly, fear of scarcity often leads to unlawful behaviour, miserliness, or compromise of religious principles. Sound faith safeguards the believer from such moral decline.

Therefore, recognising that provision is divinely decreed nurtures contentment, tranquillity, and gratitude. It frees the heart from destructive worry and strengthens its connection with Allah ﷻ.

The believer thus strives responsibly, supplicates sincerely, and remains satisfied with whatever Allah ﷻ decrees, confident that nothing destined for them will ever miss them.

Reference

Al-Munāwī, Zayn al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raʾūf (d. 1031 AH / 1622 CE). Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ al-Jāmi‘ al-Ṣaghīr. 2nd edn. Beirut: Dār al-Ma‘rifah, 1972. Vol. 5, p. 389.

Al-Qārī, ‘Alī ibn Sulṭān Muḥammad (d. 1014 AH / 1606 CE). Sharḥ Musnad Abī Ḥanīfah. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1999. Vol. 1, p. 123.

Al-Ṣan‘ānī, Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl (d. 1182 AH / 1768 CE). Subul al-Salām Sharḥ Bulūgh al-Marām. Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2004. Vol. 2, pp. 671–672.