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Fatwa CenterA weak Hadeeth about Tawakkul
Question
One of my friend told me about below hadith, can you please verify if this is authentic? A Sahabi asked his wife for some to eat, and she said there was nothing in the house. He went to the Masjid prayed 2 rakaat, came back, still there was nothing. He figured there was something wrong with his Salaat, so he went back to the Masjid prayed 2 more Rakaats and came back home and asked his wife again. He found that the wheat grinder (chakki) he had in his house started operating by itself and was churning out flour that filled up every container in the house. My friend also told me that most of the sahabis did not work for food and they always gets magically from Allah taa'la, how authentic is this as well? Jazak Allah khair
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Saying that the Companions 
did not use to work for a living and that their living used to come to them in an extraordinary manner, is a false statement that has no basis in reality.
This statement could only be said by those who do not know the situation of the Companions whom the Prophet 
taught to employ the means as doing so is a part of having full trust in Allaah. Allaah Says (what means): {It is He who made the earth tame for you, so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision and to Him is the resurrection.}[Quran 67:15]
Besides, when Imaam Ahmad 
was asked about a man who stays in his house or in the mosque and says: “I would not work until my livelihood would come to me”, he (Imaam Ahmad) said: “This man has no (religious) knowledge; as the Prophet said: "If only you rely on Allaah with due reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does for the birds: They go forth hungry in the morning and come back with full bellies in the evening.” Thus, the Prophet mentioned that they (birds) go forth in the morning seeking provision. He added: “The Companions used to trade and to work in their palm fields, and we have to follow their example.” This was quoted from him by Ibn Hajar in his book entitled Fat'h Al-Baari.
Moreover, Abu Hurayrah 
said: "My brothers from among the emigrants used to get busy in trading in the markets and my brothers from the Ansaar used to get busy with their properties, and I was a poor man who used to stick to the Prophet content with what fills my stomach, so I used to be present when they used to be absent and I used to remember when they used to forget.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] So, there were traders and farmers among the Companions .
Indeed, among the best statements that were quoted from ‘Umar is his saying: “One of you should not refrain from seeking his livelihood and say “O Allaah, grant me with provision”, as you know that the sky does not rain gold or silver.”
As regards the story which your friend mentioned, we have not come across it with this meaning. He probably meant what was narrated by Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad from Abu Hurayrah who said: “A man entered upon his family and when he saw that they were unbearably needy he went out to the desert. When his wife saw him leaving, she stood up and brought the hand mill and lit the furnace and then she said: “O Allaah, provide for us!” Then she looked around to find that the bowl was full, and then she went to the furnace to find that it was full. He (Abu Hurayrah) said: Then the husband came back and said: “Did you find anything after I went out?” His wife said: “Yes, it is from our Lord”. Then, her husband checked the hand mill (and lifted it up). When the matter was mentioned to the Prophet he said: ''Had he not lifted it up, it would keep revolving until the Day of Judgment.”
However, Shaykh Al-Albaani classified this narration as Dha’eef [weak] in his book entitled Silsilatul Al-Ahaadeeth Adh-Dha’eefah.
Finally, even if we presume that this story is authentic, it only indicates that Allaah may honor whomever He wills from His slaves with such extraordinary matters and this may happen many times. But this story does not indicate that the Companions used to abandon working and rely on extraordinary things, as this is dispraised Tawaakul (i.e. to put one's trust in Allaah without working or taking any necessary means) and not Tawakkul (i.e. to take the proper means while putting one's trust in Allaah).
Allaah Knows best.
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