Fate and divine decree

Destiny is understood in various ways. The complaints and ordeals in life are never-ending. People usually blame destiny for misfortunes and hardships. The attribute to blame one’s self for any misfortune and to take responsibility is rarely observed.

Few people have the power to change destiny by converting ordeals in their favor. Their sheer control of self and exceptional determination moves mountains. The first and foremost important point explained by Aqa Maula Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS in this regard in his waaz mubarak relayed during the auspicious occasion of the urs mubarak of Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA is, accepting Allah’s will (fate) and embracing Allah’s decree. Qada, which was translated by Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS as ‘fate’ and ‘qadr’ which was explained by Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS as ‘divine decree’ is the essence to understand the meaning of submitting to Allah’s will.

The blame game attitude makes our determination weak and gives us an excuse to run away from accepting responsibilities. The irresponsible nature of man is totally responsible for his sufferings and trials. The exceptional style of delivering this sermon makes the waaz mubarak of Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS an epitome of all religious preaching. The significant takeaway for me from this waaz mubarak is handling and dealing with every situation in life by taking ownership of it. This is possible by surrendering to Allah’s wish.

 The example cited by Aqa Maula TUS of Rasulullah SA when he moved away from the wall which was tilted and ready to fall shows us how to embrace Allah’s will and plan accordingly.

Prediction of the complex and heterogeneous happenings and on-goings of the world is not possible. One thumb rule which should never be ignored is that nothing in life will occur without a cause or a specific reason. To comprehend the cause is simply unfathomable. This ignorance and neglect towards Allah’s cause is the reason behind all suffering.

The divine vision of Awliyah Allah and their farsightedness help them to fathom worldly events and infer the reason behind it. This power grants them potent to combat any situation in life. If a person starts to live life according to the virtues promoted by them, then his miseries will no more constrain him from moving forward, but instead, it will pave the path for prosperity in the future. The best example to understand this phenomenon was beautifully described by Aqa Maula TUS explaining how fire (or any type of loss or natural calamity) can become a reason for more affluence and wellbeing in the future. The interesting point to consider here is how just a reflex or a response to any situation decides the bad and good consequences of it.

Allah Ta’ala states: “ان مع العسر يسرا”; with hardship indeed there is an ease.

The word مع shows continuation and constant connection between the two aspects of life–hardships and ease. To understand it more precisely let’s contemplate the sayings of Maulana Amiril Mumeneen, Ali ibne Abitalib SA;

خليلي لا والله ما من ملمة * تدوم على حي وان هي جلت

Commenting on the two contradictory phases of life, Maula Ali SA eloquently explained that no hardships will permanently prevail, though they look giant and enormous.  

To conclude this article we can say that all that happens, happens for the best. In the end, the adversities of life become blessings in the future if embraced with the right perception. Let’s pray to Allah to guide us towards the right path and give us guidance to reconcile to Allah’s wish.