3. FOOLING ALLAH IS IMPOSSIBLE
The essence of this chapter has been repeatedly stated in this book, but repeating it is important so it does not get overlooked.
The believer must know that Allah Almighty’ is Sovereign (al-Malik) and Wise (al-Hakim) and does not decree something without purpose. This knowledge (film) alone suffices us not to object fate (qadr).
Many have criticised and denounced the wisdom [behind fate], which is blasphemy (kufr).
The first to do this was Shaytan when he said,
“You created me from fire and created him from mud.” [Al-Araf(7):12]
He meant, “Preferring mud over fire is not wise (hikma).”
I knew jurists who frequently object. The problem is that the objector looks at the action itself; were the action to come from creatures like us, it would have been alright to object. However, if the intellect falls short of understanding His wisdom, it is insane for the faulty to object.
The objection of the lewd is constant, because he wants everything to conform to his desires—when they do not, he objects. Some even exceeded discussing death by saying, “(How can) He build and then demolish?”
We knew of a learned man who had memorised the Qur’an with the different modes of recitation and learned many hadiths, who then fell into sin and lived (in that state) over seventy years. When death came to him, he purportedly said, “Did death find no soul other than mine (to take)?”
I have heard similarly that a man remarked upon his death, “My Lord is unjust to me, and this is too much.”
It is undesirable to repeat the words of the lewd in their madness and cold objections. If they understood life as a competition arena and a hospital of patience to demonstrate the impact of the Creator (al-Khaliq), they would not object. What they seek of safety and fulfilling desires lies ahead of them in the Hereafter, if they but understood.
It is like a building worker who is dirtied with mud, and after he is finished, he washes up and puts on clean clothes.
Similarly, when this mortal body is demolished, the honourable soul is separated from it and another body is raised fit for eternal life.
After all that, we tell the objector,
“Let him stretch out a rope to the ceiling and let him strangle himself.” [al-Hajj (22):15|
His objection does not prevent fate (qadr) from coming to pass, nor his acceptance of it. He will be rewarded for the latter, which is better than punishment in rejection.
How good was the silence of Waddah Al-Yaman when he hid inside a strengthened wooden box. The Sultan said, ‘O box! If you contain what we think, we will obliterate you. If you do not, there is no harm in burying some wood.’
If he gave out a sound, it would not help him as he would have been pulled out and killed in a horrible manner.
(Source: al-Hafiz Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-jawzl [d. 597AH] “CAPTURED THOUGHTS being” a translation of his masterpiece ‘Sayd al-K hatir)
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