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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Faith and Reason Question 33: The role a person plays in obtaining his sustenance Question: What is the relationship between man’s efforts and the sustenance that has been measured out for him?

The answer to this question can be explained in the form of two preliminaries and one conclusion: First Premise: The sustenance that Allah (awj) has taken upon Himself is the following: The allotment and portion that must reach the creatures in order for them to continue existing. Of course the Divine pledge and the giving out of sustenance that we attribute to Allah (awj) is different from that of creatures.

If it has come in the Qur`an that: “The sustenance of every creature is upon Allah.”[^1] then one must not loose sight of the fact that the sustenance of the creatures is upon Allah (awj) and not any of His creatures. Allah (awj) is that being who has created the realm of existence and who is the Creator of all things.

For this reason, the promise of Allah (awj) differs from the promise of the creature that is itself part of this realm of existence and that is under the influence of the beings of this realm. To know the actions of Allah (awj) and His sustenance one must know the world. We are ourselves a part of this world and have responsibilities.

Of course the responsibilities that we have with regards to sustenance - those which the laws of nature or laws of religion have laid upon us - are just so many minor aspects and weak manifestations of the all -pervasive sustenance of Allah (awj). The power of digestion that is in plants, the desires that are in animate beings and that guide them towards food all are manifestations of Allah’s (awj) sustenance.

Ultimately, it is Allah (awj) who has taken control of each animal by means of the sum of its desires in order for it to go after all that it is in need of and so that it struggles and works to satisfy these desires. Thought, work, and effort are but preliminaries to Allah’s (awj) sustenance. Allah (awj) has created an attraction between the sustenance and the one that partakes of the sustenance - sending one after the other.

There is a special kind of connection between the various parts of existence that connects them with one another. When a person is still an infant and does not have the power to find his own nourishment, his sustenance is provided for him.