Faith and personal agency meet in an Islamic approach to uncertainty

Uncertain work and responsibilities to relatives abroad raise a difficult question: how much responsibility can people reasonably bear for outcomes they cannot control? In a Guardian opinion essay published on 15 November 2026, Shadi Khan Saif considers that question through tawakkul, presenting religious trust as compatible with deliberate action rather than withdrawal from responsibility.

Saif draws on his experience as a journalist and migrant in Australia, alongside references to the Qur’an and a hadith teaching. His argument distinguishes responsibility for preparation and effort from control over results. The piece offers a faith-based interpretation of everyday pressures; it does not report research establishing psychological benefits or demonstrate how widely others share his experience.

Analysis: By linking career decisions made by others with family obligations across borders, Saif identifies situations where effort cannot guarantee a desired result. That makes his interpretation relevant to questions of agency and self-blame, especially for migrants. Its value here is reflective: personal experience and religious teaching do not establish a universal response to distress.