The obligation of believing in destiny, both its good and bad aspects (1)

The obligation of believing in destiny,

both its good and bad aspects (1)

Destiny is Allah's decree for all creatures based on His prior knowledge and the wisdom of His judgment.

It consists of four levels:

1. Knowledge: We believe that Allah, the Exalted, has knowledge of everything, knowing what has happened, what will happen, and how things would be if they were to happen.

2. Writing: We believe that Allah, the Exalted, has inscribed in the Preserved Tablet (Lauh Mahfoudh) everything that will occur until the Day of Judgment, as He said:

[الحج: 70] (لَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ)

[Do you not know that Allah ˹fully˺ knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth? Surely it is all ˹written˺ in a Record. That is certainly easy for Allah.] 22:70

3. Will (Mashi'ah): We believe that everything in the heavens and the earth occurs by the will of Allah. Nothing happens except by His will. Whatever Allah wills, happens; and whatever He does not will, does not happen.

4. Creation (Khalq): We believe that Allah is the Creator of all things and is in charge of everything, as He declared in His Book:

 [الزمر: 62] ( اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ)

[Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Maintainer of everything.] 39:62

These levels include everything that originates from Allah and what transpires among His creatures.

Lesson twenty-eight concludes with gratitude to Allah.