shake the palm trunk

A woman in the throes of childbirth is commanded by God to shake a palm tree! How can a woman in labor, giving birth for the first time, be required to shake a fruitful palm tree of such size and weight just to obtain fresh dates? Couldn't God have simply said "Be, and it is," sending the dates down to her by His divine decree without any effort on her part? Yes! However, God Almighty teaches us here one of the eternal laws of life: the taking of means. Nothing in this life will come to you without exerting effort, however simple it may be. None of your dreams or ambitions will be realized without striving, trying, and taking risks. Waking up from sleep is striving; going out to meet people is striving; working on a presentation is striving; investing in a person or a place is striving.

This brings us to another question: does everyone who strives succeed? Unfortunately, no. In the story of the palm tree, Mary (peace be upon her) shook the trunk, and the dates fell. Did they fall because of the strength of her shake? Possibly? Have you ever tried shaking a palm tree to make dates fall? Try it and tell me. The idea here is that Mary was not responsible for the falling of the dates; she was only responsible for shaking the tree. This illustrates the concept that we are only responsible for the effort (Sa'y), while success and facilitation come from God. We perform the action, and it is up to the Generous God to provide the result through His grace and bounty.

This indicates that our entire focus should be on improving the quality of our striving—to do everything within our power and leave the rest to God. You must undertake the "complete attempt"—exerting full effort before judging it as a success or failure. Imagine someone who bought a Ferrari, pressed the gas pedal halfway, and then said, "Man, this car is slow!" His effort was incomplete because he didn't floor it. If you have a project you believe will succeed, do it right first, then judge. Someone might say, "I know people who put in half-hearted effort and made it." True, but remember the Ferrari example: if the car is on a downhill slope, even a quarter-press will make it fly—not because of the driver’s effort, but because of the slope. However, that doesn't mean they didn't at least try to "shake the trunk" and have it work out.

It is impossible to win a project without bidding for it. It is impossible to get work without agreeing to take it on. Do the work, put in the effort, and leave the rest to God.

General examples of things that increase the chances of your effort's success:

Supplication (Dua): Ask God to grant you success and ease your affairs.

Honoring your parents: Their prayers for you are powerful.

Charity: Giving and doing good for others.

Correct methodology: Striving the right way and raising the quality of your work.

Partners and teams: Having people who complement and support you.

Good reputation: Building a solid name in your field.

Tolerance and goodwill: Wishing well for others.

Environment: Leaving surroundings that don't benefit you or hinder your progress.