In the Hands of God

One day, the caliph Omar met a group of people who were sitting around doing nothing. He asked them who they were. We are of those who put their affairs in the hands of God, and we trust in God, they replied.

Indeed you do not! he retorted. You are nothing but freeloaders, parasites upon other people's efforts! Someone who truly trusts in God first plants seed in the belly of this earth, then puts his affairs in the hand of God, the Sustainer.

This Sufi spiritual story is from the book Essential Sufism by James Fadiman and Robert Frager. In addition to excellent information about Sufism, there are also several more Sufi spiritual stories in it.