Brothers and sisters! The subject of discussion of today’s khutba is divine decree or divine destiny or fate or predestination or qadar, as it is called in Arabic. One of the essential articles of faith in Islam is to believe in the divine destiny. This is established from the Qur’an as well as the hadith. According to a well-known hadith called hadith Jibril, iman or faith includes believing in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, in the Last Day, and in divine destiny.
What is divine destiny or Qadar? Very simply put, it means: Allah knows, but we don’t. This can be understood at two levels. First, we believe that Allah (SWT) knows through His ultimate knowledge all the deeds that His creation will perform, even before their existence. Allah recorded all this knowledge in Lawhul Mahfuz – the Preserved Tablet.
We believe that predestination is the Will of Allah that these deeds will occur regardless of whether they are good or bad. Second, we also have to know that Allah created us with a free choice and the ability to do things. We can only do something if we are willing and capable of doing it. Thus, in spite of the ultimate fate of our actions, we are responsible for the choices we make.
Many Muslims erroneously believe that the actions which they are going to do are caused by what has already been written in Lawhul Mahfuz. Please understand that what we do is not caused by what is written by Allah. Yes, Allah with His ultimate knowledge already knows as to what we are going to do. All that we do in our lives will match that which has already been written, but it is not a matter of causation. Allah is Just. So he will only reward or punish according to what we do. Hence what we do is out of our own willingness and ability and we are fully responsible for the choices we make.
If fate is used as an excuse, then many crimes will go unpunished. A thief can simply claim that he stole because it was destined for him to steal. Likewise a murderer can claim that he murdered someone because it was destined for him to kill that person. Those who abuse the concept of destiny are those who fail to be responsible. They abuse destiny to justify their misdeeds. The same argument holds when it comes to religious obligations. We cannot blame Divine destiny for committing sins or failing to do an obligatory act of worship, as some Muslims do. We have to know that we are responsible for the moral choices we make.
The correct way of thinking destiny as an excuse is in situations that someone exerts himself to do his best to fulfill an obligation, but due to an unavoidable circumstance, which was out of his control, he could not fulfill that obligation. It is in this case that he might be excused. The occurrence of sickness is also a matter of fate. But we have been commanded by the Prophet (SAW) to look for a cure should we become sick. He said:
تَدَاوَوْا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَضَعْ دَاءً إِلاَّ وَضَعَ مَعَهُ شِفَاءً إِلاَّ الْهَرَمَ
“Seek treatment, O slaves of Allah! For Allah does not create any disease but He also creates with it the cure, except for old age.” Therefore, finding a cure is also fate. Thus, one qadar or fate can be dealt with another qadar.
If something unfortunate happens to us, such as losing our job, we should not react by saying that this is qadar and take a defeatist attitude by doing nothing about it. We should take an optimistic approach to this, and look for another job. The consequence of this will be another qadar. Hence for any hardship that comes in our path, we must try to minimize it or overcome it. In one hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said:
اِحْرِصْ عَلَى مَا يَنْفَعُكَ, وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ, وَلَا تَعْجَزْ
“Be keen for whatever is beneficial to you. Seek the assistance of Allah and do not give up (or do not be reckless).” This hadith implies that we must make the effort to do the right thing.
In a situation that a believer has no control over the blows of fate, such as the untimely death of a loved one in the prime of his or her youth, a baby born with a congenital deformity, an unexpected and sudden accident or calamity, and so on, then the only recourse to relieve oneself from the sad and stressful condition is to submit to the Divine destiny and strive to actualize a state of contentment with patience and dignity. Even from a purely worldly perspective, contentment (al-Qana’a) is the greatest remedy for stress, as it brings about an enormous relief.
Brothers and sisters! The life on this earth has its sweetness and bitterness. The Prophet (SAW) highlighted this principle when he said: “And know that what does not afflict you could never have afflicted you, and what afflicts you would never have missed you.” He then followed the statement with the remedy for afflictions: “And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.”
As human beings, our life in this world is characterized by fluctuating conditions making us happy and sad. Life by its very nature is a test. It is neither meant to be Paradise nor is it possible to be like the life in Paradise. Real life is only one that is without stress and without the blows of fate, and that exists only in Paradise. The Qur’an says:
وَمَا هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الآَخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
“This worldly life is no more than play and amusement. But the hereafter is indeed the real life, if only they knew.” (al-Ankabut, 29:64)
We should always remember that nothing exists except that it reflects Allah’s infinite wisdom, for He has called Himself “The All-Wise” (al-Hakim). There is always the big picture, a larger context that we are unable to perceive with our short-sightedness. Allah is fully aware of how things unfold in the long run, and we must place our trust in Him, fully realizing that there is wisdom in His decisions.
In this regard, the Prophet (SAW) advised us to maintain a good opinion of our Lord, for a hadith Qudsi tells us that Allah says: “I am as My servant thinks I am.” If we are convinced that Allah is looking out for our best interests when He decrees painful situations, and that He will replace what is lost with something much better for us in both this life and the next, then that is exactly how we will find Him.
Allah’s foreknowledge is infallible. Allah is not indifferent to this world or its people. He is Wise and Loving, but this should not make us fatalists, throwing up our hands and saying, ‘what’s the point of making any effort?’ Allah’s foreknowledge does not compromise human responsibility. Allah holds us accountable for what we can do, what is within our capability, but He does not hold us accountable for things we cannot do. He is Just and, as He has given us only limited responsibility, judges us accordingly.
We should think, plan and make the right choices, but, if sometimes things do not turn out the way we want, we need not lose hope or get depressed. We should pray to Allah and try again. If in the end we still do not achieve what we wanted, we should know we have tried our best and are not responsible for the results. Also, Allah would not hold us responsible for something unless we were capable of doing it.
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not burden a soul more than it can bear…” (al-Baqarah, 2:286)
May Allah bless each one of us and may He bless each one of us with a deep understanding of the deen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! There is a famous hadith that says:
… إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
“Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended…” Indeed, our actions are based on our intentions, because we don’t know the outcome of our actions. But Allah knows. He is going to make it happen in the grand scheme of things to come. We don’t really have a clue of what really is going to happen tomorrow; we may not even live to see tomorrow.
The person whose intention was to do something good, he already has his reward with Allah. This is because he had the intention to do that good act. The more we intend and desire to do good, the more goodness is recorded for us. The one who does good should not fear any injustice or unfairness from Allah. Allah will never cause the deeds of any doer of good to be lost, no matter how small, and He will never wrong any soul in the slightest. And the person who wanted to do evil with full intention of doing evil, and he actually did that evil, then this is what he will be punished for because he did the bad deed with his free will and intention.
Belief in divine decree strengthens one’s belief in Allah. A person realizes that Allah alone controls everything, so he trusts and relies on Him. Even though a person tries his best, at the same time he relies on Allah for the final outcome. His hard work or intelligence does not make him arrogant, for Allah is the source of all that comes his way. Finally, a person attains peace of mind in the realization that Allah is the Wise and His Actions are dictated by wisdom.
Alhamdulillah! Islam is such a beautiful, balanced, and practical way of life. It appeals to the rational mind, and it gives us room to repent, to seek forgiveness and to do good deeds so that we get back to the right path.
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّاكِرِينَ
“Surely good deeds wipe out evil deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember” (Hud, 11:114).
The essence of Islam is to submit to the Will of Allah, thereby achieving peace – peace with oneself, peace with Allah, and peace with Allah’s creation. A Prophetic tradition teaches us to say:
رَضِيْتُ بِاللهِ رَبّاً وَبِالإِسْلامِ دِيْناً وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَسُوْلاً
“I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my way of life, (deen), and with Muhammad (SAW) as my Prophet.”
May Allah make us among those who pronounce this statement and who believe in it, and that includes believing in all the articles of faith including divine destiny.
