What is Fate and What is Destiny in Islam
Let me ask you a question.
When you woke up this morning, did you know you would be reading this article?
Most likely you did not. Most likely you made a random set of choices that led you to this page. In a small sense, those choices you made, brought forth your destiny which was reading this page.
However, it is your freewill to continue reading. You have the choice to stop reading now and do something else. Whatever you decide to do, will effect your destiny.
Many people, Muslims included, are confused about fate and destiny. They are not sure how much freewill they really have. They are not certain if they have the freedom to make their own choices, or if Allah has forced them upon a certain path.
I always believe the best way to tackle any problem is to start with the basics. So first, let’s lay some groundwork.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind.
- Allah is the creator of all things, including our actions.
- Belief in Allah’s power, knowledge and control of all things is one of the six articles of faith in Islam. This is called Qadar, loosely translated as Divine Destiny.
- A person has the freedom, the choice, to do as he/she wants.
- We have no control over the outcome of those choices.
- The outcome of these choices is our destiny. Only Allah knows what this destiny is.
Do You Control Your Destiny? Or Are You A Slave To Fate?
For example, say for instance you decide to go into business for yourself. You do all the necessary research. You consult others in the field. You draw up a sound business plan and line up multiple investors. You do everything possible to ensure that your business is a success.
>>How To Make Your Marriage A Success<<
Does any of this guarantee that your business will be successful? Not at all. The economy may falter. You may have miscalculated certain expenses. A natural disaster might wipe out everything you own. There are innumerable occurrences that could adversely effect your business.
It is vital to the Muslim’s belief that we understand this concept. After all, the word Muslim means “one who submits to the will of Allah.” By accepting Allah’s power, knowledge and control of our destiny, we learn to submit to what He has prescribed for us.
Belief in Qadar, divine destiny, prevents us from becoming too boastful or too despondent. When tragedy strikes us, we must understand that it is the will of Allah, for it to happen. That way, we learn to accept it with patience and humility rather than despair and frustration.
Of course, one may become saddened or upset about unfortunate events in their life. We are only human and it is natural to react a certain way with tragedy befalls us. However, the Muslim understands that no matter how difficult said tragedy is, it was within the will of Allah, and we cannot let it paralyze us.
And if something good happens to us, belief in Qadar will prevent us from becoming too boastful or arrogant. Many successful people believe that they have attained their wealth and status because they are inherently better than others. Or that they are smarter, wiser, stronger, or just more deserving of success than others.
The truth is, they have no control over their success. They may have made certain choices, but it is Allah that made those choices work out well for them. If they had control over their success, then they should be able to control every aspect of their life and never face any sort of adversity. But the reality is that even the most successful individuals face some hardships at some point in their life.
Man may choose a certain path. But it is Allah’s will that controls what destiny that path will lead them.
Fate And Destiny According To The Quran And Sunnah
It is also important to understand that Allah has knowledge over all things. Allah knows what will happen to us before we do. Allah knows the outcome of all of our decisions. And Allah has stated in His book, the Holy Quran, that everything that will happen throughout all creation was already written.
Surah Al-Hadid (The Chapter of Iron) verse 22 states:
“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al Lawh Al Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.”
And Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has stated:
“Allah wrote down the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.”
From these two statements, we understand that Allah has written all things in a Book of Decrees known in Arabic as Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz, and that this was done 50000 years before He created the heavens and earth.
This does not mean that we are forced to walk upon a certain path, or that we have no freewill. This only means that Allah is already well aware of all actions that we will take, and the outcome of those actions.
At the same time, whatever we choose to do is governed by the will of Allah. If Allah does not will for something to take place, then it will not happen no matter how hard we try. And if He wills for something to happen, it will take place no matter what we do to stop it.
Muslims must believe in destiny, or more accurately, Divine Destiny (Qadar). But we should not believe in Fate. Fate is defined as: “an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future.”
Nothing is inevitable as Allah has control over all things. And Allah controls the Divine Destiny. People who accept fate, or that certain things are inevitable, are fatalists, and tend to leave things to whim.
But a Muslim who believes in Qadar (Divine Destiny) will try to live according to the laws of Islam, pray to Allah for guidance when making decisions (Istikhaarah), and put their best effort forward in everything they do. Then, they leave the outcome of these actions to Allah and accept whatever He has decreed.
In summary, Muslim beliefs in Qadar (Divine Destiny) is made up of four things:
- Understanding that Allah’s knowledge encompasses all of creation and He knows everything that His creation will do. Even before they do.
- Believing that Allah has written all that has happen in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz).
- Accepting that whatever Allah decrees will take place, and whatever He does not will, does not take place.
- Knowing that Allah has created all things, including the actions of His creation.
Accepting Allah’s Qadar (Divine Destiny) will lead us to a more satisfying and productive life, Inshallah.
And Allah knows best.
For further clarification of this subject, please read the next post in this series: Fate and Destiny Revisited
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I am an American Muslim. I was born Muslim, but both of my parents were born Christian. I grew up mostly in Brooklyn, New York. Let me first tell you that I love Islam. I have studied Islam in West Africa and Darul Uloom...
what does destiny means
vy nice artical.actually i was confused abt fate and disteny.this artical help me to sort out my problem.thanku for writing such a important issue of islam.
this article is very good and nice,it define and expalin the destiney very well. i have one question that how can a person’s destiney will be changed……….. now a days im really shocked,i have can’t pick the option whether to die or live,i can’t commit a suicide because it is cowardness and haram in islam,but unfortunately i also can’t live any more,its all over. this issue is about my love…… i lost every thing.
Thank you for reading the article. I’m sorry you’re going through such a desperate situation. I don’t know what you’re going through that causes you to feel this way, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s difficult.
The best thing to do in your case, is to put your trust in Allah, and ask Allah to give you life as long as there is benefit in you staying alive. You may not know how important your life is, but Allah does. Perhaps there is somebody in your future whom you’ll save from a bad situation. Or perhaps there are people that know and love you who will still benefit from your life.
If it is better for you to return to Allah, then according to His wisdom, He may cause you to die in order to ease your pain. Whatever His decree is, please accept it, submit to it, and know that there is a wisdom behind it that you may never understand.
And Allah knows better.
Jazak-Allah-Khair for your efforts.
I came across this article while wondering and looking for an answer and think it might be useful to put out my question.
I am a strong believer in everything mentioned above, Alhamdulilah. Everything, including our actions, take place at Allah’s will, but when I am trying to achieve something and am praying to Allah for it but have difficulties in achieving it, at what point do I accept that it is Allah’s will and I am not going to pursue this anymore because this is not something what Allah has for me.
If I give up pursuing it then it would make me wonder if the thing that I am trying to achieve was actually there for me but would have just take an extra effort to obtain.
This thought keeps me going in loops, at one point I comfort myself by believing that this wasn’t for me, but at another time it makes me wonder if I could have done or can do more of an effort to achieve it.
Mashallah with your knowledge, would you like to share your opinion on this point.
Dear muslim brother, I need to ask a very important question regarding destiny. I started a business a while ago and I was doing reasonably well. One day I believed I received a sign from allah that on a certain date I would have a house on an exclusive road in my area. I said to myself all I had to do was keep on working and on that date, it is allah’s promise you will have that house. Unfortunately, I met this female half way through my business plan and I did some haram things with her. I believe that this is the reason why allah has not given me this house by that date. I have been killing myself saying why I saw her etc etc. But could you please tell me the reason I didn’t get that house was because I saw this girl or was it just a desire I had and not allah’s promise. I believe I will inshaallah be able to get the house within the next few years. It’s just that I wanted it now and what happened over the last year in my business, I could have done it had I gone with the right direction of the market.
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Bismillah,ir-Rahman,ir-Rahim.
Ashahadu An Laa illaaha illal llahu
Wa Ash Hadu Anna Muhammadan Abdu Hu Wa Rasooluhu
”I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah
who is without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is the Rasool.”
“O Allah, Shower Your Peace come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, Shower your blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious”.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, As-Salaam Alaikum!
My Name is Khalid U.Ibrahim. I am in need of your (Du’a) Prayers for ALLAH’s Help and Protection. (Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I Beg of you to Bestow on us (the Believing Muslims) a Home, a Home of Safety, Security and Peace in this World Life, Out of the Reach of the Dajjal and his army, and also Grant us a Home of Safety,Security and Peace in the Life Hereafter,Out of the Reach of the Fires of Hell!.(Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I Beg of you to Increase our Faith and Devotion, and to Bless us with Peace in our Hearts and Souls.(Ya ALLAH!) Please Forgive All The Believing Muslims,(Ya ALLAH!) Please grant All the Believing Muslims the Best in this world Life and the Best in Hereafter, and(Ya ALLAH!) Please Protect us(the Believing Muslims) from own Nafs, and(Ya ALLAH!) Please Protect All the Believing Muslims from the hands of the Dajjal and his army.] {No One in this World care!} (Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I Beg of you for the means to do good, and to avoid evil, and Bless us to Love the poor, and I beseech you forgive us(the Believing Muslims) and have mercy on us. And When you subject the people of theWorld to trial, Protect us from being affected by it.(Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I Beg of you, your Love and Protection,and the Love of those who Love you, and Grant us the Love of all such actions that will bring us closer to you, with our Love and Devotion to you.(Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I thank you for all your Mercy and Protection that you have bestowed on us, and all that you have given us in these trouble times that we are facing,(Al-Hamdolillah!).
Salam !
If God knows HOW and WHEN we will die then why is it that if someone kills me he/she will go to Hell ?
So God must’ve known that that person will kill me, because God himself says that nothing can be done in this world without my permision or without God knowing about it because God knows and controls Everything.
Then God should show the killer the right path or stop him from doing such act …. if God says we are here on a test then why would the killer be thrown in Hell because without God’s permision a single leaf cannot move that means God knew about this so why should he/she be punished for this crime because then God must’ve planned this for him/her as well the day he/she was born !
Please read sura An-Nahl, I understand that Allah has given us free will to choose and to be accountable for our actions. Example number one: Adam and eve, Allah tough them the divine law and when tempted they disapointed them selves. But Allah showed mercy on them and the rest of creation by his mercy and favors. Allah gave Adam and Eve free will to choose. Allah doesn’t make us do bad, this is a misconseption due to the fact that Allah is all powerful and all knowing that he knows what we are capable of even before we do any action. Allah makes it clear in the Quran that what ever bad comes to us is by our own doing and what ever good comes is by his mercy………..So we should never make the mistake of blaming Allah for the bad that we do or the bad that happens to us, and we should remember his Mercy us, for he is all forgiving on those who come to him free willingly…….Subhana Allah
Jazakallah Khair and Ameen. May Allah bless you also.
Wa Iyyak Salam.
Please continue to follow this series. It is a very important subject and I go into much further depth in this article and those that follow.
I am not some super wise dude but.
God knew that the person was going to kill you.
The Right path must have been shown to the killer but the killer rejected the path.
God knows that the person may do a bad thing and will make him feel that thing is wrong but if he rejects that its on him.
God authorized your death for a reason that only he knows (sometimes its called El 3ebra = sign to others )
The guy will go to hell cause he didn’t have a valid reason to kill you.
God doesn’t give you the permission to do bad things its you who permits that.
Interesting comments Tamer. For the most part, you are right. God does what He does for reasons He only knows.
i m still confused. if God knows what we are going to do , why doesnt He make us do good only? why bad? why do we have to go to hell if it was destined any way??
pls. enlighten me. i love Allah but i am confused as to why the human has to be accountable IF it was destined ANYWAY. Jazakhaal khair
Pls. leave a commment on this page.
Hello Ellen,
Yes, I know this subject can be confusing. I’ll give you a full response later today, Inshallah.
Thanks to u and may Allah bless u abundantly. im impressed.
Jazakallah Khair and Ameen. May Allah bless you also.
In all religions that believe in Allah(God) it is written that the Almighty has given us free will. In doing so life becomes about choices we make on our journey. Allah
(God) knows how our life is written but each chapter is in our own hands until the end. What we have to write with is “Faith”. The stronger our beliefs in what the Quran and Bible has taught the easier it will be to accept the outcome. You cannot fear change or stop trying. Destiny is what you make it. So make it wisely knowing Allah(God) is by your side.
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You wankers have not answered my question!
Not really the best way to start a conversation Ami Ti Amake Ballabashee.
Please state your question, and I’ll do my best to answer it.
I liked the article there is thin line b/w destiny and fate.
Thank you for commenting Neelofar. In Islam, we really only believe in destiny. Fate, as it is understood in English, is like an external power (not God) that controls our lives and we’re just slaves to it.
But you are right…even in the English understanding, there is a slim difference between the two.
And Allah knows best.
Christian is what you really need to believe in. GOD, the one who created you.
Hello Caleb,
Thank you for visiting Islamic Learning Materials.
I don’t have the time to give you a full, head-on answer. Furthermore, your comment is a little unclear (“Christian is what you really need to believe in.” What the heck does that mean?).
It seems as if you’re saying the Muslims on this blog should be Christian and that we should believe in God.
This displays a little ignorance on your part as Muslims DO believe in God. We just don’t believe He can be 3 different beings (father, son, holy ghost) all at the same time.
We also don’t believe God is a man (which Jesus, peace be upon him, was). We just can’t believe that God came out of a woman’s birth canal. We can’t believe that God defecated, urinated, and has DNA (which Jesus being human must have had).
I mean, if Jesus was God, that would mean that if archaeologists found some of his DNA, they could clone God. How crazy would that be? (Sounds like the makings of a good summer blockbuster, though).
Look Caleb, you’re more than welcome to visit ILM as much as you’d like. If you want to preach your beliefs, I’ll let you do that to a certain extent but be ready to defend them vigorously.
Because, I’m not gonna let you off easy.
Bro,
God is the (father, holly ghost, and son).
I respect your beliefes.
But all I’m trying to say is when judgment day comes and you all were wrong.
What are you going to say then….?
Who do you think created the earth? A man?
Well that’s pathetic.
That’s what I’m saying…you don’t understand Islam.
YOU are the one who believes a man created the earth because YOU believe God was a man (Jesus).
Muslims don’t believe anything like that.
You are at a serious disadvantage in this discussion because I know Christianity and you obviously don’t know anything about Islam. If you think Muslims believe a man created the earth, then you are starting off on the wrong foot.
Before going any further, I highly suggest you learn more about Islam. Whether you believe in Islam or not is irrelevant at this point; what’s important is that you at least understand what Islam is because right now you sound really uninformed.
Check out this link on Islamic monotheism. It’s a little technical but hopefully it’s not above your head. If it is, I have a free audio called “Islam Simplified” that explains the basics of Islam. If you want to learn about Islam so that we can have an informed discussion, I’ll be happy to email it to you for free.
I am going through a very difficult and confusing situation. I am 32 sudanese Muslim women and would like to marry a muslim revert, however, my family are totally against this as he is not sudanese.
I do understand that my life is written and if Allah wills me to marry this man then that will happen. What I’m finding it hard to understand is what i do in the process. Will Allah just bring this man to me? I keep talking to my older brothers (my guardians as my dad has passsed away) and they keep telling me to stop going on and trust in Allah.
I can’t understand this please can you help me understand their point of view as it is making me extremley frustrated. I am 32 already and I’m worried that i will never get married and worse still will not be able to have children. They have never brought a suitor to me and I do not feel they even have he interest to do so.
Do you think i will be forgiven if i went out and got married against their will?
Please help
Thank you in advance
As-Salaamu alaikum Sr. Aida,
Unfortunately, this is the case with many Muslims these days. They are too concerned about tribalism and nationalism and forget about the most important quality for all Muslims and that is Islam and tawheed.
I’m sure your parents want the best for you but they if what you’ve told me is the complete story, then they are not making this judgement based on Islamic principles, but instead on nationalistic principles which are from the Shaytan.
Nationalism and tribalism and racism has done nothing but harm the Muslim world. We can see the tragedy in Somalia where everyone speaks the same language and practices the same faith. Yet they are killing each other because they are in different tribes.
I encourage you to talk to your parents and have other knowledgeable Muslims talk to them also.
I am reluctant to encourage you to disobey your wali (guardian) whom I presume is your father. Instead talk to him and bring him proof that what he is doing is evil and he is preventing you from what may be good.
But be careful. I do not know your situation clearly and it may be that your father sees something in this man that is not good and it may not just be nationalism. So I encourage you to talk to your family and really try to understand what they have against this man.
Put your trust in Allah and make dua to Him. Ask Him for guidance and seek the help of others in your area who are knowledgeable and familiar with the situation.
Thank you for your reply.
I do agree with you, it is awful that it still exists in this day and age especially when the quran states not to discriminate against race. I also really would like to avoid upsetting my family but their beliefs are going against everything I understand about Islam.
My dad passed away when I was young so my oldest brother would be my wali. When this man called my brother to discuss marriage my brothers response was “i am not intersted , please do not call me again” without knowing a single thing about him. Other family members have met him including my mother and 2nd eldest brother that went to the mosque with him and had a chat. Not one person has come back to me and said anything bad about him. They are all scared to go against my oldest brother so will not support this marriage unless my older brother allows it. My personally feeling is that he is not fit to be my wali as he is not following the words of Allah. For this reason can i dis obey?
What I need to understand is if it’s my destiny to marry him should I sit back and do nothing? Is there any need to get a sheikh to speak to my oldest brother? Would it just work out somehow or does Allah give us the gift of a sane mind to be proactive and fight for what is right?
Assalamu Alaukum wa rahmatullahu wa barakatuh,
Dear Sister Aida,
Accidentally, I happen to read your situation, & I couldn’t stop myself writing a message to you. (hope it`s not so late)
PS”I hope my mail will be helpful for you, whatever I present is only to serve for you as reference, the final decision is YOURS”
I heard from lots of people (relatives, friends), they do offer 2 rakat of Salah which is called Istikhara, when they are in dilenma and/or when they don`t know which one to choose between 2 choices. So I thought this will be helpful for you too inshaAllah.
WHAT IS SALAT UL ISTIKHARA?
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 2, number 32 and volume 4, number 141.
Often, we have to make major life-changing decisions: whether to undertake a major project or not, whether to apply for a promotion or not, whether to change career or not, whether to invest in a certain company or not, whether to get married or not, whom to get married to, etc.
Istikhara (Arabic) means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives, e.g. a career choice, getting married, etc. And The istikhara prayer is a prayer through which one seeks Allah to guide one, through the outplaying of destiny as it unfolds, towards that which is best.
Sa’ d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah’s guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah.” Ibn Taimiyyah said, “He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it.”
So, We as a humans are weak and we usualy dont know what`s THE BEST for us. What we think might be the BEST for you NOW but not enternally. The Creator knows what is THE BEST for us enternally for our lives, family and hereafter.
——————————————————————-
Istikhara for Marriage
When one desires to make istikhara for marriage, then keep the person in mind whem making niyah. Then do wudhu and perform Salaat. Then praise Allah, mention His Greatness and plead:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُالْغُيُوبِ ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنَّ فِي فُلَانَةِ خَيْرَاً لِي فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَآخِرَتِي فَاقْدُرْهَا لِي وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرُهَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهَا لِي فِي دِينِي وَآخِرَتِي فَاقْدُرْهَا لِي
“O Allah, You have power (control) and I have no control and You know and I do not know, and You know the condition of the Unseen. Thus if You see (deem fit) that this woman (here mention her name) is good for me concerning my Deen, world and Akhirah then grant me her control (make it possible that I marry her) and if besides her there be (another woman) which is better for me concerning Deen and Akhirah then specify her for me (grant me control over he)”.
May Allah guide us into right path and gives us the right partner in the life inshaAllah.
Please forgive if i said something wrong or unrelevant to your situation, All I wanted to share some useful information. Whatever good in this message is with my pure intention for the sake Creator and whatever bad in this message is from Shaytan.
PS” Once again, whatever I present is only to serve for you as reference, the final decision is YOURS
Wa Alaykum Assalamu wa rahmatullahu wa barakatuh
Jazakallah Khair for responding to Sr. Aida’s comment.
Please see this video I made on istikhaarah.
Caleb, r u out of your Minds ???
No, he’s not crazy. That would give him an excuse. He’s just immature.
Alhamdulillah for the delete button, eh Caleb?
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Dear Ibrahim
Apologies for earlier. Basically my question is. I’ll give you a background. I started a business. When I started this business, I was in deep religious thinking and I believe I received a sign which stated I would have a house by a certain date. I said to myself all I have to do is not drink, take drugs, smoke or see any girls. For two years I did this, but two years before this date, I met this girl and committed sin. Do you think it was because I saw this girl that Allah didn’t give me the house? I believe I had a contract with Allah. Do you think this was a contract or just all in my head? Also I was asking myself to revise my work and when I was revising, I said this is easy. But when that time came, I was suppose to buy the market but because I didn’t revise I sold the market instead. I worked out that had I brought the market, there was a strong possibility, I would have my house now. Throughout the four years of my business, I remained a good Muslim, prayed and did all things right. Just I made one mistake. I also made a mistake at university with a girl but I worked hard and got my degree.
So my question really is do you think I violated the contract I had with Allah by seeing this girl, and therefore I was punished by not getting my house or do you think it was simply a case of not revising? Kind regards and thank you in advance for your knowledge. This issue has caused me great distress over the past 6 months.
As-Salaamu alaikum Ami Ti,
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m going to give you a brief answer here, for the benefit of others who may read this post. But I’d rather communicate with you directly as your situation appears to require a more detailed response. Look out for an email from me with my thoughts, Inshallah.
There are a several issues that need to be dealt with.
First, from what you’ve written here, you seemed to want to do good deeds in order to receive reward in this life. That is the wrong attitude to have with your actions. You should do them to please Allah and earn reward in the next life.
Second, you can’t assume such things as having a “contract” with Allah. Allah has mentioned in His book that He promises us that if we do righteous deeds and seek His forgiveness, then He will forgive us and admit us to Heaven. That is about the only contract we can definitely say that we have with Allah. So be careful about saying things about Allah that you don’t have knowledge of. I am not saying this to be harsh; I’m saying this because many people follow this same thinking (I may have fallen into it myself at times).
Instead, do what is right and worship Allah alone for his sake. Make dua to Him for those things you want and be patient with His decree.
I’ll send you a more complete response via email soon, Inshallah.
Sallam, am well ok with ur aticles about qadar, allahu akbar.
Wa Alaikum Salaam Abdulbaki,
Alhamdulillah. If you get any benefit from these articles, all praises are due to Allah. Please let me know if you see any mistakes or if I could do a better job with anything.
Salaamu alaikum thanks for your well articles and the understanding of the religion God will increase your kwonledge. thank yuo everymuch
Wa Alaikum Salaam,
You’re welcome! May Allah reward you.
Salaamu alaikum, my articles or question is that why is that some men doesn’t ‘belive the problems in them is thire destiny, then looking for easy were for the solution? like some men that have a low spam medically but have the belive that is the woman that have the problem. dose it mean that men does not have problems or they did not belive in the destiny. i will like you to educate the men on how to accept all that come to there way as the destiny than push it to the women. because the way the nation is go, is because of the give the child not to the right person. please put more light on this for everybody to learn from. i will like to be part of all you article
thank you
Wa Aliakum Salaam Olagunju,
You are correct that many people, Muslims included, are not able to accept destiny (Qadr). Accepting Qadr is very beneficial and will help us become better Muslims.
As for men with low sperm count, even though that is Allah’s Qadr, it is acceptable for us to seek medical means to correct things like this. You are correct that it is wrong to blame the women all the time when it may not be their fault at all. For things like this, it is wrong to blame anyone; we should just accept it as the Qadr of Allah.
However, we can take practical, Islamic steps to correct certain issues so long as they do not violate any of the commandments in Islam.
Mr Ibrahim…..I read your column with interest – I am not a Muslim and personally can’t believe in a Creator who demands his creations to put him on a pedestal and worship him 5 times a day with strict conditions re washing beforehand…..I don’t expect my children to worship me or wash their hands before talking to me….and I created them! But I am impressed by your patience in answering the questions of non-believers….so many Muslims take great offence at questions about their beliefs. Belief in pre-destiny , it seems to me leads to all sorts of questions – and the questions here show that a lot of believers are struggling to get to grips with it. You told someone that if they got murdered, it was because God allowed that murder (- for reasons best known to him) to take place ie….it was pre-destined. On this basis, why do Muslims get angered for example, at Salman Rushdie – who only wrote his books…because God allowed him to??? Also, the illogic of this reasoning is further highlighted when , for example, you consider babies being hacked to death in African countries…..God allowed this??? or when a plane crashes killing everyone on board…..God allowed all this people to come together….in order for the engines to fail and all die???? Come on….can’t you see the illogicality of this train of thought? How much more logical to accept that like all accidents and good fortunes that it was just coincidence rather than a divine act of God.
Well, A. Syam I thank you twice for this comment.
Once, because I was procrastinating in answering a lot of comments that were being held for moderation. But seeing your comment has given me the needed motivation to answer everyone’s comments.
And the second thanks because you’ve given me a great concept for my next article. So I will respond to your comment, in full, on Thursday, April 19, 2012 by 11:00 am Eastern Standard Time.
Unless, of course, Allah does not allow it.
Apparently Allah has allowed it. My response can be found here.
Nice one!
Meanwhile, please consider another point which I would like to raise albeit somewhat politically sensitive : If Allah/God either decides to allow or disallow someone’s action and the outcome is deemed to be ‘Allah’s/God’s will’ (ie Inshallah), that would imply Allah/God permits the suicide bombings so prevalent in the Middle East and consequently the loss of innocent life. Indeed, nearer home and today’s court hearing – Allah/God allowed Anders Breivik to slaughter 70+ innocent students. It would further imply that Allah/God allowed Josef Fritzl to keep imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and constantly rape her.
How an ANY creator allow this sort of action???
It is for this reason that I don’t believe prayers work….if Allah/God intervened in peoples lives directly, surely he would have done so in these horrific cases.
I do look forward to hearing your beliefs on these matters.
[...] it is almost a noon time, I googled for how Muslims think about fate. I found a good post in islamiclearningmaterials.com talked about fate and destiny in Islam, let me quote some part for [...]
Another thought ….you wrote ‘DO you expect God to intervene in every disaster/tragedy??’…..etc etc.
Why not??? He is Almighty and all-seeing! (supposedly). If I asa mere human being saw any child fall into pond…I’d do my best to assist and save that child – if I as a imperfect human being does that – why do you then expect so much less of God?? A landslide occurs and 75 children die swallowed up by mud with humans – in all their imperfections – frantically digging with their bare hands to save the children….why let God off the hook and expect him to at least help those humans to save those chldren…but no….he doesn’t! And yet he wants us to worship his greatness?? Come on – get real! Why does he NEVER intervene in a deliberate act of supernatural power….? maybe because he doesn’t exist??
We should all ponder on what Dawkins wrote:
“there’s all the difference in the world between a belief that one is prepared to defend by quoting evidence and logic, and a belief that is supported by nothing more than tradition, authority or revelation.”