33 - Human action and belief in the divine decree

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us that a strong believer is dearer to God than a weak believer. Strength in this context means strength of faith and what complements it and helps achieve its goals, such as physical and spiritual strength, solid learning, etc. When these are combined in a person, they help him to attend to worship and to fulfil what is required of man in life, jihad and the fulfilment of life’s duties as well as attending to his personal interests and the interests of others.

These strengths enable a person to persevere in the fulfilment of whatever earns God’s pleasure, steering away from sin and unlawful temptations. They urge him to enjoin what is right and stand against what is evil, and they enable him to bear the harm caused by other people and life’s adversities.^[1]

2. That a strong believer is better than a weak one does not mean that the latter is devoid of goodness. He is certainly good, but he misses out on a greater status.

3. Having stated that the strong believer is better, the Prophet explains the goal to which such a believer should direct his strength. This is an example of the Prophet’s unique style of concise wording and broad meaning. He tells a strong believer to devote his ability to all that will benefit him in both this life and the life to come, focusing his attention on this, and not allowing distractions to take him away from it.

4. When a Muslim is keen to have what benefits him concerning his religion and his life, he should pray for God’s help, relying on Him, to achieve what he hopes for. He must not be complacent or allow himself to fail, protesting that it is God’s will, or that he lacks what is needed, when in fact he has not tried hard enough.

5. If a believer exerts his best efforts but the result turns out to be different from what he hoped for, he should not regret what he did. Nor should he lament, saying: ‘Had I done this, such-and-such would have happened’. This is an expression of dissatisfaction with what God has willed for him. Alternatively, it indicates that he thinks that had he acted differently, matters would be different. This is incorrect, because what happens to us is according to what God has written well before He created the universe. However, man is required to take every necessary measure and leave the results to God to determine.

6. What a believer should say in this case is: ‘This is God’s will and whatever God wills shall happen’. In other words, he should attribute matters to God, accepting whatever happens, knowing that it happens by God’s will which is always done.

This does not mean that anyone may attribute his sin to God and persist in it, saying that he only committed it by God’s will. When the unbelievers claimed that they worshipped other deities by God’s will, God rejected their argument. He says: ‘Those who associate partners with God will say: “Had God so willed, neither we nor our fathers would have associated any partners with Him; nor would we have declared anything as forbidden”. In like manner did those who have lived before them deny the truth, until they came to taste Our punishment. Say:

7. The Prophet (peace be upon him) urges us not express such regrets because it opens the way for Satan and his whisperings. A person’s thoughts may tend to deny the divine decree and express displeasure with it. A person may also start to blame himself and consider himself unworthy or useless. This ushers in depression which weakens a person, wastes time and lets good opportunities go astray.

 does not mean that it is forbidden to say, ‘if only’, or similar phrases, at any time. It is forbidden as an expression of regret, blame or the like. If it is said to explain what went wrong, or to state a religious ruling, or in reference to the future, then it is perfectly permissible.

 Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq said when he and the Prophet were hiding in the cave: ‘Were any of them to look where his foot was, he would see us’.^[3] 

Implementation

1. An upright person normally leans towards what is best in every good matter. Such aspiration motivates a person to try to achieve better status. A Muslim should motivate his children, students, workers or employees to seek what is best. He should help them by providing guidance and support.

2. Strength is a means to achieve goals. Train yourself to patiently shoulder what may be hard and try to acquire the strengths that lead to what pleases God, Mighty and Exalted. Prayer, zakat, fasting, the hajj, jihad, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is evil, dutifulness to parents, kindness to relatives and other virtues of action or omission need different strengths which may be physical, mental or those that relate to study and research, etc. Whatever strength you acquire, you should thank God for it, and whatever you cannot, seek God’s help for.

3. If you see someone feeling depressed because of his weakness in knowledge, trade or physical strength, console him and tell him that he does well to try to acquire what he lacks.

4. The Prophet

A student should do his best to learn, a project manager should take every measure to ensure success, and a teacher should follow the best methods to ensure that his students understand what he teaches them. Yet they all seek God’s help to ensure that their efforts are crowned with success and that they achieve what they hoped for.

 5. The feeling of helplessness leaves many people short of achieving what they want. They may wish to do something good, but then they magnify that thing in their minds and experience a feeling of weakness. They may take the initial steps but then they slacken and stop. Therefore, everyone should pool their resources, take the initiative and persist in their efforts.

 6. It is not permissible for anyone to say what incurs God’s wrath, such as cursing one’s lot, or saying: why this person and not me? Nor is it permissible to lament helplessly: ‘If only’, or ‘had I’.

 7. Everyone should be keen to achieve what is of benefit to him in all his religious and life affairs. While doing all his religious duties, he should not neglect the affairs of his life and his family and dependants. He must be keen to learn whatever he needs in his profession, ensure that he only earns what is lawful, and protect his health, etc.

 8. If you commit an error, seek God’s forgiveness; and if you suffer a calamity, say: ‘To God we all belong, and to Him we shall all return’. Say also: ‘This is God’s will and whatever He wills shall happen’. You must stop blaming yourself or keep thinking about the opposite of what God has willed. Such blame and thoughts cause dissatisfaction with God’s will, weakness and depression. Whatever has happened cannot be altered. Therefore, it is important to focus on the future, consider what is feasible and pray for God’s help.