Sacred texts · Islam
35 Quran verses about trust in Allah (tawakkul)
Trust in God, tawakkul in Arabic, means doing your best and then leaving the outcome in His hands. The Quran returns to it often, in short verses that are easy to remember, such as “And put thy trust in Allah, for Allah is sufficient as Trustee.” (33:3). This page brings together about thirty of them in four groups: relying on God, God who is sufficient, what is beyond your control, and guidance.
The verses are quoted from Marmaduke Pickthall’s English translation, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), with the surah and number of each verse; the French version of the page quotes Albin de Biberstein Kazimirski (1840). Both texts are in the public domain and were checked word for word. If worry is what brought you here, the verses for anxiety and hard times may help too, as may Selfia’s affirmations for anxiety.
Putting your trust in Allah (tawakkul)
Verse 3:159 sets out the order of things: think, decide, then rely on God. The other verses in this group repeat the idea in several forms, from the prayers of the prophets to the instruction given to believers. Trust does not replace effort here; it goes along with it.
When thou art resolved, then put thy trust in Allah. Lo! Allah loveth those who put their trust (in Him).
And put thy trust in Allah, for Allah is sufficient as Trustee.
Put thy trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as Trustee.
So worship Him and put thy trust in Him.
And if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah.
Lo! I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord.
My welfare is only in Allah. In Him I trust and unto Him I turn (repentant).
The decision rests with Allah only. In Him do I put my trust, and in Him let all the trusting put their trust.
How should we not put our trust in Allah when He hath shown us our ways?
Allah! There is no God save Him. In Allah, therefore, let believers put their trust.
Allah is my all. In Him do (all) the trusting put their trust.
Allah is sufficient: verses for anxious days
“Allah is Sufficient for us” (3:173), in Arabic Hasbuna Allah wa ni’ma al-wakil, is a phrase many Muslims repeat when fear rises. This group gathers the verses saying that God is enough for whoever relies on Him, and that He opens a way out where none could be seen (65:2–3).
Allah is Sufficient for us! Most Excellent is He in Whom we trust!
Allah sufficeth me. There is no God save Him. In Him have I put my trust.
And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him, And will provide for him from (a quarter) whence he hath no expectation. And whosoever putteth his trust in Allah, He will suffice him. Lo! Allah bringeth His command to pass. Allah hath set a measure for all things.
Will not Allah defend His slave?
I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.
If Allah is your helper none can overcome you, and if He withdraw His help from you, who is there who can help you after Him? In Allah let believers put their trust.
Allah is better at guarding, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
Thou art my Protecting Guardian in the world and the Hereafter.
What befalls you and what is provided
These verses are about what lies beyond your control: misfortune that comes only by God’s leave (64:11), the provision assured to every creature (11:6), the animal that carries no provision of its own (29:60). Here too is the prayer of Moses, exhausted, by a well in Midian (28:24).
Naught befalleth us save that which Allah hath decreed for us. He is our Protecting Friend. In Allah let believers put their trust!
No calamity befalleth save by Allah’s leave. And whosoever believeth in Allah, He guideth his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things.
If Allah touch thee with affliction, there is none that can relieve therefrom save Him, and if He touch thee with good fortune (there is none that can impair it); for He is Able to do all things.
That which Allah willeth (will come to pass)! There is no strength save in Allah.
And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof dependeth on Allah.
And how many an animal there is that beareth not its own provision! Allah provideth for it and for you. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
Allah is gracious unto His slaves. He provideth for whom He will. And He is the Strong, the Mighty.
My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me.
Being guided on the way
The last group is about direction: God who brings people out of darkness into light (2:257), who makes the course easy for whoever keeps their duty (65:4), who guides “unto paths of peace,” in Pickthall’s words at verse 5:16. Relying on Him also means letting yourself be led.
My Lord is with me. He will guide me.
Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He bringeth them out of darkness into light.
As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths, and lo! Allah is with the good.
And whosoever keepeth his duty to Allah, He maketh his course easy for him.
Our Lord is He Who gave unto everything its nature, then guided it aright.
Allah guideth him who seeketh His good pleasure unto paths of peace. He bringeth them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and guideth them unto a straight path.
And Allah summoneth to the abode of peace, and leadeth whom He will to a straight path.
Whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah while doing good, he verily hath grasped the firm hand-hold.
How to keep a verse with you
The shortest verses on this page fit on a single line: choose one and learn it by heart, in Arabic if you can, in English otherwise. Repeat it before something that worries you, an exam, a medical appointment, a decision you have been putting off.
Verse 3:159 sets the order of things: trust comes after the decision, not instead of it. Prepare what depends on you, then let the rest go. To understand a verse in context, read a few verses before and after it in its surah; a commentary (tafsir) will tell you more about the circumstances.
In the Selfia app, the Islam path (Settings › Spirituality) offers Quran verses in a separate section. That choice stays on your phone.
Frequently asked questions
What is tawakkul?
Tawakkul is trust in God: doing what depends on you, then relying on Him for the outcome. The word shares its root with wakil, “guardian” or “trustee,” one of the names of God. The Quran links it with decision (3:159) and effort, never with passivity.
Where is the verse “Allah is Sufficient for us”?
It is in Surah Al Imran, verse 3:173, which Pickthall renders “Allah is Sufficient for us,” adding that He is the most excellent in whom we trust. The Arabic phrase, Hasbuna Allah wa ni’ma al-wakil, is repeated by many Muslims in moments of fear. A first-person form appears in verse 9:129.
Which verse speaks of a way out from where you never expected?
Verses 2 and 3 of Surah At-Talaq (65) say that God will appoint a way out for whoever keeps their duty to Him, and provide for them from where they had no expectation; then, that God is sufficient for whoever trusts in Him. The full passage is in the second group on this page.