What is the difference between relying on Allah (tawakkul) and seeking refuge in Him (i'tisam)?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Reliance on Allah and seeking refuge in Him are both acts of the heart, and their meanings are similar in demonstrating helplessness and neediness before Allah. Reliance () is to depend on Allah and entrust all matters to Him. As for seeking refuge (I'tisam) in Allah, it is to seek protection in Him, to refrain from evil by Him, and to draw strength from Him. Ibn al-Athir said: "I entrusted my matter to so-and-so, meaning: I resorted to him and relied on him in it." Al-Qurtubi said in his exegesis of the verse: "And hold fast (wa'tasimu)": "Al-'Ismah (refuge/protection) means strength/inaccessibility."
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/69401
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 69401
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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