Destiny

[ummtaalib]

Abdullah Ibn Amr رضي الله عنهما said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "Truly, Allah decreed the destinies of creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth."

[Muslim 2653]

Ummul Mu'mineen A'isha رضي الله عنها said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "A man may do the actions of the people of the Garden (paradise) whereas he is written in the Book as one of the people of the Fire, so that when it is just before his death he changes and does the actions of the people of the Fire, then dies and enters the Fire. A man may do the actions of the people of the Fire, whereas he is written in the Book as one of the people of the Garden (paradise), then when it is just before his death he changes and does the actions of the people of the Garden (paradise), then he dies and enters it."

[Ahmed 3:120]

In the two Sahih books there is from Ali Ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: "There is no human being born but that Allah has written his place in the Garden (paradise) or in the Fire, and has written whether he is fortunate of unfortunate." A man asked, "Messenger of Allah, should we not then abide by our decree and give up action?" He said, "Act! For everyone will be eased to that for which he is created. As for the people of good fortune, they are eased to the deeds of the people of good fortune. As for the people of misfortune, they are eased to the deeds of the people of misfortune."

[Al Bukhari 1362 and Muslim 2649]

One of the Companions wept as he was dying and he was asked about it, so he said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as saying, 'Truly, Allah, exalted is He, grasped His creation in two handfuls and said, "These are for the Garden (paradise), and these are for the Fire,"' and I do not know in which handful i was."

[Ahmed 4: 176, 177]

One of the right-acting first generations said, "What makes the eyes weep? What makes them weep is the pre-ordained decree."

Sufyan Ath-Thawri رحمه الله said to one of the right-acting, "Has Allah's knowledge of you ever made you weep?" That man said to him, "You leave me in such a state that I will never rejoice." Sufyan used to become exceedingly agitated about pre-ordained decrees and concluding actions. He used to weep and say, "I am afraid that in the core of the Book (al lawh al mahfuz) I am pre-ordained as unfortunate."

[Jami' Al-'Ulum Wa'l-Hikam]

Ibn Abi'd-Dunya رحمه الله said, "It has reached me that one of the wise people said, 'Reliance on Allah has three degrees, first: giving up complaining; second: contentment; third: love. Giving up complaining is the degree of steadfastness. Contentment is the tranquility of the heart towards that which is decreed for one, and that is higher than the former. Love is that one's love is for that which Allah does with one. The first is the degree of those who do without (zaahidoon). The second is that of the truthful (saadiqoon). The third is that of the messengers.'"

[Jami' al-'Ulum w'al-Hikam, 763]

Wahb ibn Munabbih* رحمه الله said, 'I looked into the matter of destiny (qadar), and I was bewildered. I looked into it again, and I was still bewildred. I then concluded that the most knowledgeable of people regarding destiny are those who keep farthest away from it, and the most ignorant of people regarding destiny are those who talk most about it.'

This is supported by what the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'When destiny is discussed, restrain yourself from it.' [Tabaraanee]

*The Imaam and erudite scholar Wahb ibn Munabbih ibn Kaamil ibn Suyah Dhi Kibaar al-Yamaanee al-Saghaanee رحمه الله, the brother of Hammaam ibn Munabbih. He was born during the caliphate of 'Uthman رضي الله عنه in 34 (AH) / 654 (AD). He travelled and studied under many Companions (Sahaabah - رضي الله عنهم) and Followers (Tabi'een - رحمة الله عليهم) and was known for his extensive knowledge of the Israelite traditions. He passed away in 110 of 113 AH. See Siyar A'laam al-Nubalaa 4:544-557.

[Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar Explained, p 112]

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, "If something happens to you, do not say, 'If only I had done such and such!' but say, 'Allah decreed and what He willed He did,' because 'if only' opens the working of Shaytan."

Imam Muslim (رحمه الله) narrated it in the same sense in a hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه). [Muslim 2664]

[Jami' al-'Ulum wa'l-Hikam (The Compendium Of Knowledge And Wisdom) - Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله page 761]

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