DESTINY
Translated Excerpt from an Urdu lecture by Sheikh Siraj Munir, (Makkah).
While explaining and pondering over the greatest verse of the Noble Quran, Ayat Al Kursi, Sheikh hafizahullah reaches the following verse and continues:
وَلَا
يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيۡءٖ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَۚ, يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ
أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا
يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ
He knows what is [presently] before them and
what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except
for what He wills.
I usually talk about destiny, at this point.
- The
knowledge of Allah is perfect.
- He
himself says that I do not wrong anyone. As mentioned in the Qur'an and hadiths
in many places.
There is a hadith Qudsi:
عَنْ
أَبِي ذَرٍّ الْغِفَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، عَنْ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فِيمَا
يَرْوِيهِ عَنْ رَبِّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "يَا عِبَادِي: إِنِّي
حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا
تَظَالَمُوا. يَا عِبَادِي:۔۔۔۔۔ يَا عِبَادِي: إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ
أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ، ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا، فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا
فَلْيَحْمَدْ اللَّهَ، وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا
نَفْسَهُ". رواہ مسلم
O My servants! I have forbidden Zulm
(oppression) for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not
oppress one another. O My servants,
…
O My servants, it is but your deeds that I
account for you, and then recompense you for. So, he who finds good, let him
praise Allah, and he who finds other than that, let him blame none except
himself.
Hadith 24 An Nawawi.
3. And
Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
When
we reflect on the perfect attributes of Allah—His love and mercy, His wisdom,
and His flawless justice and fairness—we should examine our faith, thoughts,
words, and actions, especially in regard to destiny (Qadr).
Often,
people show dissatisfaction with Allah's Qadr through their behavior, and
sometimes even through direct expressions of discontent. But when we question
or object to Allah's decree, we are, in essence, questioning His justice. If we
feel deprived of something we believe we deserved, or ask why a certain
hardship befell us, it’s as if we're accusing Allah of unfairness. Yet the
blessings we do receive are given without us having earned or deserved them.
Every blessing calls for our gratitude.
Ibn
al-Qayyim, rahimahullah, beautifully explained that gratitude itself is a blessing. If Allah
has granted someone the ability to express thanks, that ability is also a gift
for which thanks are due. Being thankful for the gift of gratitude, and then
continuing to express gratitude again and again, creates a never-ending cycle
of thankfulness to Allah. Even if one praised Allah with every breath, they
could never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to Him.
A
person should keep in mind Allah’s complete knowledge, His perfect patience,
wisdom, mercy, and absolute justice when thinking about destiny. Even if we
can’t perceive the wisdom behind certain events, we must trust that Allah’s
decree is never without purpose or good. Sometimes the benefit is clear
immediately; other times it becomes apparent with time. There are also cases
where the wisdom remains hidden. Nonetheless, the duty of a believer is to have
faith in the unseen.
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ
Those who believe in the
unseen.
A
person should reflect and think: “Whatever has happened to me is because of my
own shortcomings.” If he cannot understand something, he should entrust the
matter to Allah and say, “O Allah, I believe in Your decree. I accept what You
have chosen for me, so guide me, correct me, and show me the straight path.”
Objecting
to destiny is, in reality, objecting to Allah’s divine knowledge and His other
magnificent attributes.
There
is a profound saying from the time of the Salaf (the pious predecessors):
“Destiny
is the thread that holds together the necklace of faith.”
If the thread breaks,
the pearls scatter. Likewise, when one objects to destiny, it leads to the
other deeds of faith falling apart.
Such
an objection reveals a lack of true understanding of Allah’s nature. It
indicates that love, fear, and hope in Allah have not truly taken root in the
heart. These internal states or actions of the heart are central to belief, and
when they are missing, faith becomes weak.
True
love means seeing everything associated with the beloved in a positive light.
If this is how we treat human relationships, then how much more so should it
apply to Allah—who is above all. No love should exceed our love for Allah. His
love must come first, followed by love for the Prophet ﷺ.
The love of Allah is interpreted in the Qur'an as follows:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ
فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ
غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١﴾Al e Imran 31
Say, [O
Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love
you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
Following
the Prophet ﷺ is, in essence, an expression of love for
Allah. It’s natural to listen to and obey the one you truly love. That’s why
Allah commands us to follow the Prophet ﷺ. He
was sent as a guide, and by emulating his example, we earn Allah’s love. This
is one of the most powerful ways to attain His affection.
Allah's
knowledge is perfect and complete. He knows the exact amount of knowledge I
will acquire, the efforts I will make after gaining it, the position I’ll
attain, how I’ll be recognized, and how many students I’ll teach—all of this is
already known to Him. If I begin to feel that I deserved more fame or a higher
status, such thoughts harm the sincerity of my intentions. Thinking “I should
have had more” implies that I believe I was entitled to something and that
Allah withheld it. Is this not the attitude of Shaytan? He objected to Allah’s
command, saying, “I am made of fire; why should I bow to Adam who is made of
clay?”—he felt he deserved better, and that the opposite should have happened.
So
whenever someone says, “I should have more than what I have,” they are,
knowingly or unknowingly, blaming Allah for denying them what they perceive as
their due. This mindset often appears in discussions about wealth, career, or
social status. But the truth is, whatever is destined for us will not miss us,
and whatever is not written for us will never reach us.
The famous narration of 'Abdullah ibn
'Abbas is:
عَنْ
عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: "كُنْت خَلْفَ
رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺيَوْمًا، فَقَالَ: يَا غُلَامِ! إنِّي أُعَلِّمُك كَلِمَاتٍ:
احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْك، احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَك، إذَا سَأَلْت
فَاسْأَلْ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْت فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ
الْأُمَّةَ لَوْ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوك
إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَك، وَإِنْ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ
يَضُرُّوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوك إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْك؛
رُفِعَتْ الْأَقْلَامُ، وَجَفَّتْ الصُّحُفُ" . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ
[رقم:2516]
"I was behind the Prophet (ﷺ) one day when he said: 'O boy! I will teach you a statement: Be
mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find
Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's
aid. Know that if the entire creation were to gather together to do something
to benefit you- you would never get any benefit except that Allah had written
for you. And if they were to gather to do something to harm you- you would
never be harmed except that Allah had written for you. The pens are lifted and
the pages are dried.'"
We
must pause and reflect, reevaluate ourselves sincerely, so that we may reform
and grow spiritually. During our daily conversations—often shaped by careless
remarks and misconceptions widespread in society—we may utter words that,
without realizing, amount to objections to destiny (Qadr). In truth, they are
objections to the will of Allah.
It
is vital to review our thoughts and speech, correct our inner selves, and then
seek to improve the society around us. Because when destiny is understood in
the light of Allah’s perfect knowledge and His flawless attributes, we begin to
see that many societal issues stem from misunderstandings about Qadr.
Take,
for instance, everyday examples. When a daughter-in-law joins the household,
she consumes her own sustenance—whether it comes through her husband or another
source. Similarly, every child born brings along their own provision. Allah
assigns their sustenance, even though it may reach them through someone else,
such as a father or relative. Each person consumes what has been divinely
allotted to them; no one eats what belongs to another.
This
is why the Qur’an clearly states:
وَلَا
تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ
ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا
And
do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you.
Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.
Let
us consider further examples. A person may help a relative financially, and
later feels resentment and even complains. Yet, that act was written as
sustenance for the recipient—you were simply chosen as the means through which
Allah granted it to them. You were given the chance to do good, but if
resentment emerges and someone says, “You took what was mine,” they fail to see
that their share was limited to what was divinely destined. In the sustenance or provision provided to you there was
someone else's portion, which was meant to reach them through you.
Similarly,
when someone marries again with sincere intentions, tension may arise. The
second wife may wish to remove the first, or vice versa. But the Prophet ﷺ
clearly warned against this:
Abu
Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
said:
"It
is not permissible for a woman to ask for the divorce of her sister so that she
may take her place. She will receive what is destined for her."
This
means no one should seek another’s downfall for fear of provision—each soul
will receive exactly what has been written for it.
In
countless situations, we hear complaints: “I didn’t get the job,” “My business
failed,” “If I had chosen another path…” People wonder why life did not unfold
better, despite their education or effort. But do qualifications guarantee
sustenance? Many with minimal education earn honorably, abundantly, and in
halal ways. Others, despite scholarly or religious credentials, may earn haram
income, suffer in business, or struggle financially. All this falls under
Allah’s divine distribution. He tests each person uniquely, in ways beyond
human understanding.
That
is why it is essential to continually examine ourselves—are we unknowingly
objecting to Allah’s decree?
Ibn
al-Qayyim, rahimaullah, wrote in Zaad al-Ma'ad, reflecting on the Battle of Uhud:
“If most people searched deeply within their
hearts, they would discover objections to Allah’s Qadr.”
