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Belief in Destiny

In the name of Allah. Praise be to Allah.

Essentiality of the belief in destiny

The sixth pillar of faith is to believe in destiny, that the good of it and the bad of it is all from
Allah. Allah, the Exalted, is the creator, Lord and sustainer of everything in existence. Neither good nor evil comes into being without His will and knowledge. We do not say, as some religions do, that Allah is Lord of good, but Satan is in charge of the evil. Exalted is Allah above all partners! “Say : Praise be to Allah Who has not taken a son, nor has He any partner in sovereignty.” [(17) Al-Isra, 111] “Blessed is He in Whose Hand is sovereignty, and He has power over all things.” [(67) Al-Mulk, 1]

Belief in destiny is a necessary consequence of belief in Allah, for it follows directly from the belief that Allah’s knowledge is perfect and unchanging. The well-known Gabriel hadith, which describes Islam, Iman and Ihsan, states quite clearly that belief in destiny (al-qadar) is a part of faith. Similarly, the Qur’anic texts are quite unambiguous over this concept, and hence one who denies Destiny falls outside the pale of Islam. This is in controversion to and in spite of the fact that disbelievers will often use destiny as a pretext to not believe. This argument is not by any means a new one; it is a ploy which was used by the stubborn rejectors of yore, and has merely been been perpetuated by their contemporary successors. Allah mentions such people in the Qur’an, “The pagans will say, ‘If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him, nor would our fathers, nor would we have forbidden [to ourselves] anything.’ Thus did those before them give lie to the truth until they tasted Our might. Say : Do you have any knowledge [that Allah actually approves of your conduct], so that you might bring it forth for us? You follow only conjecture, and you are only lying. Say : For Allah’s is the decisive argument, for had He willed, He would have guided you all.” [(6) Al-An`am, 148-149] So, some pagans claimed that since Allah had allowed them to commit disbelief and practice polytheism, He must approve it, and thus they attempted to shield their misdeeds behind Destiny. Others may claim that there is no sense in their believing and doing good if Allah already knows their outcomes. These and similar arguments are, as we shall see, baseless and false, and therefore rejectors cannot take refuge behind them.

Imam Ahmad has narrated that the pagans came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi-wa-sallam, disputing with him over Destiny. Thereupon, Allah revealed some verses of Surah al-Qamar as a descisive rebuttal to them: “Indeed, the guilty ones are in error and frenzy. The day when they shall be dragged into the Fire on their faces, [it will said to them] ‘Taste the touch of Saqar [i.e. Hell]’. Indeed, We have created everything according to a Decree (qadar).” [(54) Al-Qamar, 47-49] So, it is as if He is telling them : You disbelievers should be warned of a horrific punishment in the hereafter, and although you argue over Destiny, I have indeed created everything according to a measure and proportion, and in accordance with My pre-eternal knowledge. So, rather than persisting upon barren disputation, you should rather accept the reality and prepare for it.

This incident establishes clearly the essentiality of belief in Destiny. It also contains a valuable lesson for us related to propagating Islam, and that is that we cannot compromize on the fundamentals of Islam merely to please people or to try to increase the number of Muslims. The Christians succumbed to this folly, and introduced numerous polytheistic rites and beliefs into their religion, which played a significant role in the distortion of the pure message taught by Jesus (`alayhis-salam). “Say : the truth is from your Lord, so let whoever wishes believe, and let whoever wishes disbelieve.” [(18) Al-Kahf, 29] The truth is whatever Allah has decreed it to be, and it is not our right to modify it to suit people’s desires. Of course, this is is not to say that we be blunt and short when making da`wah; we should always attempt to present the truth with wisdom and insight, so as to facilitate the understanding of the listener.

The Pre-ordination of things

We are required to believe that Allah has always known everything that was ever going to happen. “Indeed, Allah knows all things.” [(8) Al-Anfal, 75] “He knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, and they do not encompass any of His knowledge, except what He wills.” [(2) Al-Baqarah, 255] Furthermore, before bringing creation into existence, Allah wrote on a tablet all things which were to come. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) said, “Allah wrote the measures of creation 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and earth.” [Muslim] According to another hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, the first thing that Allah created was the Pen, and He ordered it to write everything that would occur until the Day of Judgement. This information is thus inscribed in what is called, ‘The Preserved Tablet’ (Al-LawH al-MaHfooz). “And all things have We recorded in a clear record.” [(36) Ya-Seen, 12] “Nay, it is a glorious Qur’an. in a preserved tablet.” [(85) Al-Burooj, 21-22] This tablet is also referred to in the hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, “When Allah created creation, He wrote a book, which is with Him above the Throne, (it says), ‘My mercy overcomes My wrath.’” Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani mentions, in his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, that this book is the Preserved Tablet.

Al-Waleed ibn `Ubadah entered upon his father, `Ubadah while the latter was on his death-bed, and asked him for advice. `Ubadah said, “Help me to sit up.” They did so, and then he said, “My son! You will never taste faith, nor reach the true reality of knowing Allah, until you believe in Destiny, the good of it and the bad of it.” His son said, “O father! How am I to know what is the good of Destiny and [what is] the evil of it?” He said, “You should know that whatever missed you could never have befallen you, and whatever befell you could never have missed you . . . . O son! If you died without being [certain] on this, you would enter the Fire.” [Narrated by Ahmad]

A synopsis of the belief in Destiny is given by the following paragraph by Imam Abu Ja`far al-Tahawi, a renowned scholar of the fourth Islamic century, whose statement of the doctrine (from which the extract is taken) has been unanimously accepted by Ahlu’s-Sunnah wa’l-Jama`ah. He says, “Allah created the creation with His knowledge. He appointed measures for them and laid out lifespans. Nothing was hidden from Him before He created them, and He knew what they would do before He created them. He commanded them to obey Him and forbade them from disobeying Him. Everything runs according to His decree and will, and His will becomes effective. The servants have no will except that which Allah wills them to have, for whatever Allah wills is, and whatever He does not will is not. [Allah] guides whom He wills and grants him protection and well-being out of His grace. And He leaves to stray whom He wills, and forsakes him and puts him to trial out of justice. Mankind acts in whatever way he wills, between His grace and justice. [Allah] is exalted above partners and rivals. There is no repeller of His decree, nor any postponer of His command, nor any predominator of His order. We believe in all of this, and are certain that all is from Him.”

Allah knows all

We have already established that Allah knows all, be it past, present or future. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) said, “There is not any one of you whose places in Hell and Heaven have not been written.” The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Shall we then not rely [on this]?” He said, “Act, and each shall be eased [to that to which he was created].” Then, he recited the verses meaning, “So, whoever gives [in charity] and is pious, and affirms the Good [i.e. Islam], We shall ease him to ease. And, whoever is miserly and considers himself free of need, and denies the Good, We shall ease him to adversity.” [(92) Al-Layl, 5-10]

So, although Allah already knows who is going to Heaven and who is going to Hell, He does not compel us to act the way we do. What we do is based on our own choice and free-will granted to us by Allah, but He already knows what choices we will make. Nor is Allah’s guidance and leading astray arbitrary. He guides those who are sincere and honest and who seek guidance. “Those who strive in Our way, We shall guide them to Our paths.” [(29) Al-`Ankabut, 69] And He leaves to stray those who consciously and stubbornly reject the truth. “And they say, ‘Our hearts are in a covering from that to which you call us, and in our ears is a deafness, and between us and you is a barrier, so act [in your way], we [also] are acting [in our way].” [(41) Fussilat, 4] It is about such people that Allah tells us that “If Allah had known of [any] good in them, He would have made them hear, but even if He had made them hear, they would have turned away, averse.” [(8) Al-Anfal, 23]

Difference between Will and Pleasure

To conclude this month’s article, let us point out the important difference between Allah’s will and His pleasure. Anything that occurs does so by the will of Allah. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) used to teach his Household and Companions, that “Whatever Allah wills is, and whatever He has not willed is not.” [Narrated by Bayhaqi] So, if something occurs, we know then that Allah willed it, while we know also that anything that did not occur was not willed by Allah to occur. This does not by any means imply that Allah is pleased by all that occurs. Although He wills and allows many different things to occur, He is pleased by some of them and displeased by others. This is the point which the pagans neglected when they claimed, as we have referred to before, “If [Allah] the Most Gracious had willed, we would not have worshipped them [(other gods)].” [(43) Al-Zukhruf, 20] So, for example, Allah is pleased by Islam and good deeds done by Muslims, but He is displeased by disbelief and sin. And, finally, it should be pointed out that although Allah is the creator of the good and the bad, we should not single out the bad and attribute it to Allah, as a matter of respect and etiquette.

PART II

Accepting Destiny with submission

Last month, we discussed the essentiality of the belief in Destiny, and that this belief is intertwined with the fact that everything which occurs does so by the will of Allah (but not necessarily His approval) and within His pre-eternal knowledge. Mankind acts within this destiny by his own free will. We should not try to ponder excessively over the issue of Destiny, for its precise reality is not accessible to our minds. A man once asked Imam Hasan al-Basri (a famous scholar of the Tabi`in), “Has Allah forced servants to do their deeds?” Hasan replied, “He is more just than that!” “Did He leave things up to them [entirely] then?” the man asked. Hasan said, “He is mightier than that! If He had forced them, He would not punish them, but if He had left things up to them, the order [to obey] would have had no meaning. In fact, the truth is somewhere between the two, and Allah has kept it hidden, so you cannot understand it.”

This is a crucial point to keep in mind : that we are incapable of grasping the full reality of Destiny. It has been kept hidden from even the most pious Muslims, the Prophets and the angels. This concept should not be difficult to accept, for even in thermodynamics and computer science, there are problems which are proven to have no solution. Hence, we should beware of pronouncing personal opinions or becoming pre-occupied with the issue, for that is a fruitless pursuit. In fact, one who treads that path deprives himself of the benefits of other, more productive endeavors, such as doing good deeds or using his mind to solve practical problems. He is at his own peril, and, moreover, runs the additional risk of uttering lies against Allah, in an attempt to try to master the reality of Destiny. Eventually, his frustration may even lead him to protest Allah’s decree, saying, “Why did Allah decree such and such?” and to challenge Allah’s decree is disbelief. “He may not be questioned regarding that which He does, but they will be questioned [about their deeds].” [(21) Al-Anbiya’, 23]

Justice

Believing in the justice of Allah is related to the belief in Destiny. “Allah does not do injustice of the weight of an atom. And, if it is a good deed, He multiplies it, and gives from Himself a good reward.” [(4) Al-Nisa’, 40] “Nor am I the least unjust to My servants.” [(50) Qaf, 29] Allah does not punish anyone for the deeds of another, nor for other things absolutely beyond his capability. He rewards the righteous by His Grace, and punishes the evil out of justice. Allah is the absolute sovereign, Who has full authority over and ownership of all, and is therefore free to do whatever He wills. He is never unjust. Anyone who attributes injustice to Allah is a disbeliever. We should be careful not to complain about Allah in times of misfortune.

Deeds

Our deeds are created by Allah, for Allah is the Creator of all things. “Allah creates you and what you do.” [(37), Al-Saaffaat, 97] We merely earn the deeds, such that whenever we make the intention and effort to do something, Allah will usually create the deed for us at that time. However, the responsibility for the deed is ours, since we chose to do it. If we try our utmost to do something, but the deed is not created for us, then the reward or sin we get is the same as if we had actually done the deed. This is why those who stay back from jihad due to genuine, serious illness get the same reward as the mujahideen, and also why Hell is deserved by a Muslim who is killed by another Muslim while the two are engaged in unjustified mortal combat.

There is no strength to maintain piety and uprightness without the assistance and grace of Allah, nor is there any power to keep away from evil and sin other than that granted by Allah. The most one human being can do for another’s guidance is to present the truth to him and remind him, and to pray to Allah for the other’s guidance.

Heretic Sects

The Qadariyyah denied Destiny. In their pre-occupation with trying to reduce the issue to full comprehension, they claimed that Allah does not know the future before it occurs, and they thereby became disbelievers. They also claimed that Allah does not will evil, thus implying that He is not the creator of all. The Companions and Tabi`in who were alive at the time of emergence of the Qadariyyah were, justifiedly, very harsh against them. They used to warn people not greet the Qadariyyah with salam, not to visit their ill nor to pray over their dead.

The Jabriyyah went to the other extreme - fatalism. They claimed that human beings are under compulsion and have no free will. This is also disbelief, and such people are in fact even denying the experienced reality of free will. This is reminiscent of the disbelievers’ argument that it is Allah’s will that they disbelieve, and that therefore they will let it be. If such people are sincere in their claim, they should abandon making effort for their worldly needs just as they ignore their Hereafter.
Practical Applications of the Belief in Destiny

1. Thankfulness in times of prosperity and well-being

The Muslim should always be thankful to Allah, for he owes all his favors to Him. We should be thankful in the good times such that we do not become arrogant and conceited. We should realize that any success we attain is from Allah, Who could withdraw it whenever He wills. We should not, therefore, be like Qarun, the evil kinsman of Prophet Moses `alayhis-salam, who had been given immense wealth, but claimed the credit for himself. “He said, ‘I have only been given it only because of knowledge which I possess.’ Did he not know that Allah has destroyed before him generations who were mightier than him in power, and greater in number?” [(28) Al-Qasas, 78]

Qarun attributed his wealth to knowledge : either religious knowledge - for it is said that he had memorized the Torah - or worldly knowledge, such as that of trade and commerce. He thus failed the test, for even if the wealth were a partial reward for piety, then in order to remain in the favor of Allah, he should have been thankful to Him and spent the money in good causes such as feeding the poor and helping the mujahideen. And, even if he had obtained the money through some worldly business expertise, he overlooked the fact that that was only a means, and that in fact the means themselves could not have been obtained, maintained and exercised without the will and grace of Allah. “Then, when affliction smites man, he cries out to Us, then when We have removed it, as a favor from Us, he says, ‘I have only been given it based on knowledge.’ Nay! It is a test, but most of them do not know. Those before them said [the same], but all they earned did not avail them [aught].” [(39) Al-Zumar, 49-50]

2. Patience in times of calamity

Similarly, we should bear patiently any calamities or misfortunes which come our way. We should realize that this misfortune could not possibly have been avoided, for it was part of the Decree. “No misfortune strikes, upon the earth or in your own selves, except that it is in a record before We create it. Indeed, that is easy for Allah. [It is] in order that you do not despair over that which passed you by, nor exult in that which He has given you.” [(57) Al-Hadeed, 22-23]

At the same time, if the misfortune was brought about by some misdeed on our part, we should try to correct ourselves so as not to repeat the same mistake; we should not try to attribute our faults to Destiny. If the misfortune was a consequence of some sins, then although it is a punishment, it can be a means for obtaining forgiveness for those sins. Allah will not punish a believer twice for the same sin, and the punishment of this world is far lighter than that of the Hereafter.

“We shall surely test you with something [in the way] of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, life and produce. And give glad tidings to the patient ones. Those who, when a calamity afflcits them, say, ‘To Allah We belong, and to Him we return. They are those upon whom there are blessings from their Lord, and mercy, and they are the rightly-guided ones.” [(2) Al-Baqarah, 155] The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said, “How wonderful is the case of the believer! All of his matters are good for him, and this is not [the case] for any other than the believer. If prosperity comes his way, he gives thanks [to Allah], and so it is good for him. And, if adversity afflicts him, he is patient, and so it is good for him.” [Narrated by Muslim] If we are not patient, however, and instead complain and are dissatisfied, then rather than obtaining forgiveness and/or raising of ranks in the Hereafter, we may only be adding to our troubles.

3. Submission to the orders of Allah

Since we believe that everything is pre-known to Allah, and that He is the Wise, we realize that it is always to our benefit to obey Allah. We do not, therefore, compromize on the fundamentals of our religion merely to earn a living, for we know that our sustenance is in the control of Allah. It is up to us whether we obtain what is written for us through lawful means or unlawful.

Similarly, we realize that the time of our death is already written, and if we break the orders of Allah in trying to escape death, then we are bound to fail. “Say : Fleeing will never benefit you if you are fleeing from death or killing, and in that case you will be reprieved only for a short while.” [(33) Al-Ahzab, 33] And the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said, “Indeed, the Holy Spirit [i.e. Angel Gabriel] has inspired me [with the fact] that a soul shall not die until it has depleted its lifespan and sustenance.” [Narrated by Ibn Hibban]

Hence, we see the folly of the stance of the hypocrites, and take steps to distance ourselves from it. Allah describes them, in a time of war, as, “A group, whom their own souls had rendered anxious, thinking vain thoughts about Allah, thoughts of ignorance. [They were] saying, ‘Is any of the matter up to us? ‘ Say, ‘Indeed, the matter is all Allah’s.’ They hide within themselves what they do not expose to you. They say, ‘If any of the matter had been up to us, we should not have been killed here.’ Say : Even if you were in your homes, those for whom killing had been written would have come forth to their lying places [to lie down and die]. [It is] in order that Allah might test that [sincerity] which is in your hearts, and that He might purify what is in your breasts. Indeed, Allah knows what the hearts contain.” [(3) Aal-`Imran, 154] So, the choice is the Muslim’s - whether he dies fighting in the path of Allah and thereby attains martyrdom, or holds back out of fear, in which case death comes to him at the same time anyway.

4. Using means and precautions, such as medicines and supplications

The use of these does not violate the belief in Destiny. The Companions asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), “O Messenger of Allah! Have you considered medicines with which we heal ourselves, curing invocations (ruqyah) which we recite over ourselves, and [various] precautions that we take; do they turn away any of the Destiny of Allah?” He said, “It is [part] of the Destiny of Allah.” [Narrated by Bayhaqi in al-I`tiqad] So, if we are cured through using medicine, it is Allah that cured us by means of it, and Allah knew that we were going to take that medicine, although He could have cured us even without the medicine. Yet, we are, in all aspects of life, required to take certain precautions and to adopt certain means, and then to leave the results to Allah.

From Suheil Laher's Islam Page