The Ultimate Provider

Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) in response to his special prayer to Allah was granted Kingdom and was given power over the forces of nature, over the Jinns and men and devils and other living creatures. He was also endowed with knowledge of their language and could easily communicate with them.

Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) once was sitting on the bank of a lake deeply engrossed in the beauties of nature around and appreciating the various forms of Allah’s creation on earth.

Suddenly Prophet Sulayman’s (peace be upon him) attention was drawn towards an ant creeping forward with a grain of wheat in its mouth. As it reached near the water, a tortoise came out, opened its mouth and the ant crept into it. The tortoise closing its mouth disappeared under the water. After a while, the tortoise again sprung out of the water and standing on the bank opened its mouth and the ant came out. But this time it had no grain of wheat in its mouth.

Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) became anxious to know what had been happening under water. On inquiring, the ant explained that at the bottom of the lake, was a stone and underneath it lived a blind ant. Allah had created it there and because of blindness, it could not move about. The ant further said that “I have been appointed by Allah to provide its daily sustenance with the assistance of the tortoise and hence, I do perform this duty everyday.”

Let us ponder over one thing. If a tiny creature like an ant living under a stone at the bottom of a sea is not denied its sustenance, why should man the noblest of all creatures ever suspect loss of his sustenance from Almighty Allah? Why should we worry so much about our food, wealth, daily food, if Allah is the Ultimate Provider? Should we not turn to Him first?