Destiny in Islam
Alhamdulillah,
Bismillahirahmanirraheem,
All praise is for Allah, may peace and blessings be upon the prophet, his family and companions, Amin.
Destiny is a reality
A Muslim cannot be a Muslim without believing in destiny, both the good of it and the bad of it. This is an article of faith according to the Prophet PBUH as affirmed by Jibreel AS.
Rasulullah ﷺ said about Eeman (faith) that "It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day and that you believe in preordainment (destiny), its bad and good consequences."
“And whoever rejects the faith (belief in Qadr is included), all their good deeds will be void and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers.” - Qur’an 5:5.
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Everything has been made with a determind destiny.” Quran 54:49
Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ who is the most truthful (of the human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) said:
“The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother's womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood (after conception) in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god (Allah), one amongst you could act like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.” - Sahih Muslim.
The Pen and The Preserved Tablet
Allah created the pen and ordered it to write the decree of everything that will happen until the day of judgement in Al Lawh Al Mahfuz (The preserved tablet). And the pen has been lifted. It is complete and nothing will be added or taken away.
Allah speaks about Al Lawh Al Mahfuz, he says:
“This is a glorious Qur’an, recorded in a tablet preserved.”
Qur’an 85:21 & 22
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
“When Allah decreed the Creation He
pledged Himself by writing in His book
which is laid down with Him: My mercy
prevails over my wrath.” - Hadith Qudsi 1.
What is meant to be will be
Abu Darda reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Everything has a reality, and the servant will not reach the reality of faith until he knows that what afflicted him could never miss him, and that what missed him could never have afflicted him.”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 26944
Grade: Sahih (authentic)
On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
“One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) [riding on the same mount] and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a good and sound hadeeth. Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhi, reads: Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognise and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.” - Hadith 19, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi.
Freewill & Qadr
Although there is predestiny we also have freewill to chose to act and Allah creates our actions and enables us at the time we chose to act.
Proof we have freewill is found in the Qur’an where Allah says,
“(It is) He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;” Qur’an 67:2.
Based on this Aya life is a test for a muslim & due to his choices he will either be rewarded out of mercy or punished out of justice, if Allah wills. We chose what is in our destiny, freewill and qadr is in harmony together and Allah destines our ultimate fate through his justice or mercy. And Allah created us and our choices. No one is forced into the Fire or Paradise,
Allah says “One who follows guidance does so for himself and one who goes astray does so against his soul. No one will suffer for the sins of others. We have never punished anyone without sending them Our Messenger first.” Qur’an 17:15.
Ali RA said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in a funeral procession an he picked up something and began to scratch the ground with it. He said, 'There is none of you who does not have his seat written either in the Fire or in the Garden.' They said, 'Messenger of Allah, then should we not rely on what is written for us and abandon action?' 'Act.' he said. 'Every thing is easy if you were created for it.' He added, 'As for someone who is one of the people of happiness, it is easy for him to perform the actions of happiness. As for someone who is one of the people of wretchedness, it is easy for him to perform the actions of wretchedness.' Then he recited, 'As for him who gives out and has taqwa and confirms the Good' (Qur’an 92:5-10) - Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 903 - Sahih.
Reward and Punishment for words and deeds.
Allah says “Surely Allah will admit those who believe and do good into Gardens under which rivers flow. As for the disbelievers, they enjoy themselves and feed like cattle. But the Fire will be their home.” Qur’an 47:12
It is narrated on the authority of Amir al-Mu'minin (Leader of the Believers), Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), say
"Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended. Whoever migrates with an intention for Allah and His messenger, the migration will be for the sake of Allah and his Messenger. And whoever migrates for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his migration will be for the sake of whatever he migrated for."
Related by Bukhari & Muslim
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man utters a word pleasing to Allah without considering it of any significance for which Allah exalts his ranks (in Jannah); another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell."
Riyad as-Salihin 1515 - from Al-Bukhari.
On the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), from what he has related from his Lord:
“Verily Allah ta’ala has written down the good deeds and the evil deeds, and then explained it [by saying]: “Whosoever intended to perform a good deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended to perform it and then did perform it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds up to seven hundred times, up to many times multiplied. And if he intended to perform an evil deed, but did not do it, then Allah writes it down with Himself as a complete good deed. And if he intended it [i.e., the evil deed] and then performed it, then Allah writes it down as one evil deed.” [Al-Bukhari] [Muslim]. Hadith 37, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi.
Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“Whomever Allah promises to reward for a good deed, He will surely bring it about. Whomever Allah warns to punish for an evil deed, He has the choice to carry it out or not.”
Source: al-Sunnah li-Ibn Abī ‘Āṣim 960
Grade: Hasan (fair)
We must be content with what Allah has decreed but not content with evil and İnjustice that man commits.
Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"When Allah wants good for his slave, He hastens his punishment in the world. And when He wants bad for His slave, He withholds his sins from him until he appears before Him on the Day of Judgement."
And with this (same) chain, (it was reported) from the Prophet (ﷺ) who said: "Indeed greater reward comes with greater trial. And indeed, when Allah loves a people He subjects them to trials, so whoever is content, then for him is pleasure, and whoever is discontent, then for him is wrath." - Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2396
Allah says,
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” - Qur’an 4:135
4 points of Ahlus Sunnah on Qadr and Qadha
- Allah knows everything, he is Al Alim.
- Everything is written in Al lahw Al mahfuz 50’000 years before heavens and earth were created.
- Nothing comes into existence except if Allah wills.
- Allah is the creator & he creates you and whatever you do.
What is Qadr & Qadha
Qadr (Divine decree) is the divine declaration that all events, either good or bad, for eternity, are decreed by Allah ta’ala and He has full knowledge of all of them.
Qadha (Divine will) is the divine willing of all the incidents which were decreed by Allah Ta’ala in pre-eternity, at their due times and in total accordance with the divine will and knowledge for example, it is of Qadar (fate) when Allah ta’ala has decreed and willed someone's birth at a certain time. It is of Qadha when she/he is born on that day İ.e events decreed by Allah that were not our chosing.
The only thing that can change the decree is dua (and that change was already seen and written in the preserved tablet which doesnt change)
Salman reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Nothing repels the divine decree but supplication.” - Sunan al-Tirmidhī 2139, Grade: Hasan.
Evil eye & destiny
Ibn 'Abbas reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ as saying:
“The influence of an evil eye is a fact; if anything would precede the destiny it would be the influence of an evil eye, and when you are asked to take bath (as a cure) from the influence of an evil eye, you should take bath.”
Rasulullah SAW said: "Sadaqah (charity) repels calamities.”
May Allah protects us from all sorts of calamities and troubles and to grant us lives in health and prosperity and protect us from the harm of others and a bad fate.
Amin.
Sent from my iPhone
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