The Verse: 51:22
“And in the heaven is your provision (rizqukum), and what you are promised” (al-Dhariyat 51:22).
Zahir tafsir: This verse is taken as an affirmation of divine provision — God’s guarantee that all creatures will be sustained. The “heaven” is the source of rain, which causes crops, which provides food. God controls provision.
Ismaili ta’wil: “Heaven” (al-sama’) maps to the da’wa hierarchy in its cosmological dimension. The Imam and the da’wa represent the “heavenly” dimension of guidance in the world. “Your provision is in heaven” = your spiritual sustenance (ta’lim) comes from the Imam through the da’wa.
Two Kinds of Bread
The parallel in Ismaili thought between material and spiritual sustenance structures much of the esoteric tradition:
Zahir Rizq: Food, wealth, physical health — real and important, provided by God, will run out when life ends.
Batin Rizq: The Imam’s ta’lim — the knowledge that feeds the soul, enables it to recognize haqiqa, and prepares it for its ultimate return. This rizq does not perish; it “nourishes” the soul in ways that the body cannot observe.
Rizq and Tawakkul
The connection between rizq and tawakkul (see also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Tawakkul): to trust God regarding material rizq means to not be anxious about provision. To trust God regarding spiritual rizq means to rely on the Imam’s ta’lim rather than one’s own independent spiritual search.
The soul that has batin tawakkul is the soul that places its spiritual nourishment in the Imam’s hands, rather than in its own scholarship, asceticism, or philosophical reasoning.
See also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Tawakkul, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Sawm, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Haqiqa, Ismaili Cosmology Hudud Al Din, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation