Is Manifestation Just a Secular Tawakkul?

Authors

• Essraa Nawar, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-21-2025

Abstract

"

In recent years, the concept of manifestation has surged in popularity — especially among Gen Z and millennials. Vision boards, affirmation journals, scripting, and social media reels promise that if you just 'believe it hard enough,' the universe will deliver your desires. Rooted in the New Thought movement and later popularized by books like The Secret, manifestation is often promoted as a spiritual law: think positively, align your energy, and attract what you want.

But as I sat with friends over karak tea last night, we found ourselves deep in conversation about this very trend. One of them spoke with conviction about the power of 'speaking it into existence' and 'sending positive energy to the universe.' I paused, smiled, and said, 'You know, we’ve had this in the Islamic tradition for centuries. It’s called tawakkul.'"

Comments

This article was originally published on Medium in 2025.

Copyright

The author

Recommended Citation

Essraa, N. (2025, May 21). Is manifestation just a secular tawakkul?. Medium. https://medium.com/@israam/is-manifestation-just-a-secular-tawakkul-a9fb35532893