Many people frequently fall into
despair when faced with an unexpected and sudden event. Take the example
of those who have been unsuccessful at work, lost something they love, or
failed an important exam. If such things have become their goals, they will be
unable to cope with such unexpected results and experience great sadness, for
they have placed all of their hopes and goals upon the chain of events
happening as they had envisioned.
However, life does not always go
according to one's plans, which means that people can face many
unexpected events. For example, somebody who really wants to be an architect
will study very hard for the entrance exam. All of her future plans are based
upon becoming an architect. But something she never expects happens: She is
accepted into another program. Having planned to become an architect, she now
finds herself studying for an entirely different career.
Many unexpected events may befall people throughout their
lives, for, in reality, no one knows what is going to happen even one second
from now. The only thing that we know for sure is that everything in a person's
life is determined long before he or she is even born. In other words, all events in a person's life are determined in
"timelessness”. When the
appointed day and time arrive, he or she will experience that event, because
Allah has made it part of their destiny. Given these facts, it will come to
pass.
Generally any event, whether cars crashing into each other
or any other unexpected event, takes place within a matter of seconds. From the
drivers' loss of concentration to the music playing and the clothes worn –
Allah had created and planned every detail of that particular event in His
destiny. The person who was going to have that accident wore those clothes, left
home, and turned onto the street where the accident would occur. Nothing could have
prevented it.
This is how Allah preordains events. At this
point, people begin to use the following logic: "If only I hadn 't gone
into that street" or "If only I hadn't been playing with the tape and
had concentrated on the road." But such logic is quite faulty and
incorrect and, moreover, leads to unending complaining and regret. Although
many causes may be found for the accident, the reality is that the accident and
its causes were created in the course of destiny.
A person coming face to face with this truth for the first
time might think: "Okay. Well, what could I
have done? If everything is already written in my destiny and Allah knows about
them, how am I supposed to behave when these situations occur?"
The Qur'an answers the above questions very clearly, and so
we turn to it to find the truth for everything. According to the Qur'an, the
best way to act and the best attitude to
have is to submit to our destiny, look for the best
in everything, not to get upset or fall into despair, and to be a grateful
servant under all circumstances.
Say: "Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has
ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put
their trust." (Surat at-Taubah: 51)
Muslims who have faith in Allah, believe in the hereafter's
existence, and fear Allah submit to our Lord, Who has created everything. In
other words, they submit completely to whatever happens to them and do not
despair, because they know that He controls everything and is their best Friend and
Protector. Muslims know that panicking or losing hope are very
wrong, because Allah, the most perfect Creator, has created every event. Thus,
the event in question has been created in the most perfect way. Even though
sometimes the events may appear to be negative, each believer knows that good
comes out of everything.
Believers and unbelievers have very
different reactions to events. For example, a believer may be late for
an interview that she assumes will be good for her and thus lose a unique
opportunity. However, assured that everything is predestined and that her being
late is utterly under Allah's control, she sees a good in this unexpected
event, thanks Allah for it, and hopes for a better end. She knows that it would
be wrong to attribute this turn of events to such causes as traffic congestion
or a flat tire. Indeed, if Allah had so willed, traffic congestion would have
reduced or the tire would not have been punctured.
These or similar conditions are surely the apparent reasons
for being late. Yet, more important than these apparent reasons is Allah's
divine plan, which specially decreed that event long ago, and that destiny was
only fulfilling itself as Allah willed.
All obstacles come into existence because Allah wills a good
for believers. If people are to understand this submission fully, they must
take Allah as their sole Friend and Protector and turn to Him in complete
sincerity. A most telling characteristic of the morality that Allah wills for
believers is that they do not become sad or negative or fall into despair, no
matter what they may encounter.
Hopelessness indicates disbelief or weak faith, and is a
consequence of one's failure to comprehend that everything takes place
according to destiny. Allah draws our attention to this error, for under
despair lies a mood and rationale opposed to the very values of the Qur'an.
Such an attitude is forbidden, because Allah advises people to trust in Him, be hopeful, and see
good in all that happens.
When confronted with the most negative events, and even such
unexpected ones as being wounded or losing everything, believers
display an extremely submissive and patient character, since they know that
Allah creates every event. He creates every being, both the visible and
the invisible, with a flawless design, and gives life to each of them. Allah,
the Creator of everything, also created all human beings, regardless of time or
place, and their individual destinies. The minor events experienced by a person
living in a distant land also are under Allah's control, for He sees every
thing and place, and hears every noise. Moreover, Allah creates the concepts of
"space," "sound," and "image."
Given that He controls everything, giving way to despair is
always an error, for the event will happen regardless of whether one wants it
to or not. Besides, all events occur for some good reason. What is important
here is to see the good in events. Those who do so will see how perfectly and
flawlessly Allah creates events, and this attitude will enable them to obtain a
more profound faith.
Such a line also exists between hope and despair. Hope
befits reason and rationale, while despair is utterly against it. For instance, one may fail a test
despite studying hard. Let's assume that
he has been shaken and fallen into despair, since he worked so hard but still
failed. He obviously does not benefit from such a mood, and the ensuing
distress and trouble harms both his body and soul. But in reality, Allah wills another good for him.
Throughout their lives, people encounter events that seem to
serve no clear purpose: They cannot get a job they like, lose some money they
desperately need, lose something they cherish, or lose through theft
possessions that they could buy only after years of hard work. Such events may
happen to everyone. Indeed, Allah makes it clear that people are tested by
their souls and possessions. In one of his sayings, our Prophet (saas) made
this clear:
“Whatever Allah takes is for Him, and whatever He gives
is for Him. Everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world), and
so people should be patient and hope for Allah's reward." (Sahih Bukhari)
Thus, those who remain patient will attain good, whereas
those who rebel and despair will lose.
It is vital to fully comprehend the importance of being
hopeful and to be patient in order to gain Paradise. Being positive is
obligatory, as the following verse shows:
“Do not despair of solace from Allah. No one despairs of
solace from Allah except for people who do not believe.” (Surah Yusuf: 87)
As Allah commands that we have this attitude, we must
realize that He dislikes any type of despair. Thus, we must take
Allah as our Friend and try to act according to His will.
These or similar conditions are surely the apparent reasons
for being late. Yet, more important than these apparent reasons is Allah's
divine plan, which specially decreed that event long ago, and that destiny was
only fulfilling itself as Allah willed.
Ketika
itu hanya satu difikiran.Sebenarnya, saya telah memikirkan strategi untuk
keluar solat sebermula saya terima jadual kelas. Hanya dua kelas yang saya
ambil semester ini. Allah izin jua, kedua-dua kelas ini bertembung pada waktu
solat. Kelas pertama bermula pada jam 1 hingga 4 petang. Manakala kelas kedua
pada pukul 4 hingga 7 petang. Alhamdulillah, terima kasih juga kepada Hamooud,
setelah berbincang dengan pensyarah untuk kelas pertama, lalu diputuskan kelas
akan dimulakan selepas solat Zohor. Mujur pensyarah itu Muslim. Cuma untuk
kelas kedua ini. Runsing juga memikirkan, tapi ketika itu saya hanya fikir
jalan mudah. Saya akan bersiap dalam wudu’ sebelum kelas bermula, dan bila saat
masuk waktu Asar saya akan bergegas minta izin keluar meninggalkan kelas dalam
10 minit.
