Life and Destiny

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) explains that case more thoroughly by saying:

“Did you (O Muhammad PBUH) not turn your vision to those who abandoned their homes, though they were thousands (in number), for fear of death? Allah said to them, “Die”: Then He restored them to life. Truly, Allah is full of bounty to mankind, but most men are ungrateful”.

[Surat Al-Baqarah: 243]

This Ayah was descended for the people of a village who were so scared from death due to a plague that they had to leave the village. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) wanted to teach them that they can never escape His destiny and that if Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) wants them to die they will not be safe by leaving that village to anywhere else. So Allah made them all die and then He, answering the prayers of their prophets, gave them life again.

Decree of death comes at a pre-destined time that cannot be delayed or anticipated for a single minute and it is impossible to run away from it. Allah has hidden the reason of death and the time it is appointed so that no one thinks that it is a mechanical procedure where we are born and then after aging we die, as if the length of our life is fixed and after reaching sixty or seventy we should die. For that the ultimate power of Allah made death with no fixed reason, the infant dies in his mother’s abdomen, the sick man dies as of his illness and the healthy dies without any known reason. The kid dies, the young man dies and the old man dies as well. This proves that death happens by the decree of Allah and that reason has nothing to do with it, for two men may have the same illness and both are treated by the same physician and you find that one dies in few days and the other lives for years.

Yet there are people who debate the issue of death saying that one can order the execution of a man or that one can decide to kill a man by a knife or a gun and by that he is capable of controlling death. Those people try to doubt the issue of death being a decree by Allah and they claim that it can be in the hands of man. We say that those people are confused between death and murder. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) only can give and take life and man can never do that but yet he can murder.

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:

“Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is no more than a messenger, and indeed many messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels as disbelievers? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.” [Surat Al-i-‘Imran: 144]

So death is different than murder, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: “Died or got killed” and Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) differentiated between death and murder in many of the Ayat in the Qur’an: “If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed.” [Surat Al-i-‘Imran: 156]

And

“Those who emigrated for the cause of Allah and after that were killed or died, surely, Allah will provide a good provision for them.”  [Surat Al-Hajj: 58]

And

“And Whether you die or are killed, verily, unto Allah you shall be brought Together.” [Surat Al-i-‘Imran:158]