Question
Am I allowed to share my problems regarding studies and other stuff with my parents while I am asking Allah for help about the same problems? I feel by doing so I may be showing a lack of reliance on Allah and would be doing shirk.
Answer
Assalamu alaykum,
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for your sincerity and complete reliance on Allah.
Help from creation
It is permissible and praiseworthy to seek advice from others because they are teaching you. Learning how to deal with people, how to show patience, how to acquire coping skills, and resolving conflict are all things that don’t come naturally, one needs to learn them from others. This falls under the category of learning in this prophetic hadith, “This world is cursed and what is in it is cursed, except the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) and what is conducive to that, or one who has knowledge or who acquires knowledge.“ [Ibn Majah] At the end of the day, anyone that helps you, is sent by Allah as a means to do so.
See this link:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/quran/are-we-allowed-to-ask-anyone-for-help-other-than-allah/
https://seekersguidance.org/show/102-wants-give-makes-ask/
Help from the Creator
Allah Most High created us and is the best One to help us in any and every situation. There are those who only asked Allah, and did not ask for help from others even when in dire situations, but this was the rank of the Prophets or saints. Prophet Ibrahim was such one when the disbelievers were about to throw him into a great fire, and angel Jibreel came to him and asked him if he needed help. His response was, “[…] Allah is Sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs.“ [Bukhari]
My advice to you is to take help from both creation and the Creator and know that anything that hits you was never going to miss and anything that misses you was never going to hit. All of your success is from Allah and you should place your reliance on Him for the outcomes of your actions.
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.