Predestination belongs only to Allah
Know that all matters are only within the power of Allah Almighty and that all people are merely bodies and images, which He moves about as He wants. Whoever acknowledges this truth will not become angry with a person who bears him harm, for he knows that the true Creator of all things is Almighty Allah and noone else.
The pole of the righteous (qutb) Sheikh `Abdulwahhab ash-Sha`rani in his book, “Al-Minan Al-Kubra”, writes, “Almighty Allah endowed me with good, so I hasten to seek a justification for anyone who harms me, not blaming him and not answering evil with like evil. This is because I know that no one could harm me by word or by deed, if it were not by the will of Almighty Allah and if I had not fallen into sin corresponding to this harm.
That is, my attention is focused on the divine will, the predestination of the Almighty, and not on the desires of people. Whoever has such an outlook on events will never be upset and angry at one who inflicts harm on him, for the predestination of Almighty Allah may not induce anger. A lack of any sense of vexation towards those committing evil derives from the recognition that everything - both in movement and in repose - is through divine will.
That is, people who do evil are like a whip with which one strikes another. A rational person does not attribute a whipping to the whip, but recognises that the whipping is done by him who does the striking. As for the absence of any anger towards the predestination of Almighty Allah, this is due to the conviction that whatever occurs is by the predetermination of All-knowing and Merciful Allah for His slaves, which is even greater than that of a mother to her own children.”
From this it is clear that hatred towards a person who commits evil can only be felt by one who is convinced that all deeds are committed by people. Just think how the heart of a slave, who has fallen into sin and is discredited in the eyes of people, may break from grief and regret for a sin which has been committed. However, if he is indeed sure that Almighty Allah had predetermined this for him even before his birth, this will relieve the pain in his heart. Whoever realizes that in both worlds there is only one Arbiter, the Great Allah, will also do well; such a person will enjoy everything that happens to him.
This is similar to the position of the angels (Zabaniyya) of Hell on the Day of Judgment. Ве aware, that when the shrouds are removed from all sinners and they are revealed to all, none of them will attribute any deed to the angels of Hell and will not accuse them of anything. Thus, in this life also they do not attribute deeds to anyone other than Almighty Allah. And a slave of Allah will see the angels as fulfilling that which they are commanded to do.
A righteous person perceives everyone who oppresses him in this life as acting according to the Almighty’s predestination. That is to say, such a slave of Allah will never prescribe violence to others, with the exception of taklif, the fulfillment of the commands and prohibitions prescribed by the Almighty.
Imam ash-Sha`rani also said, “One of the blessings that Almighty Allah has bestowed upon me is that I do not weary my heart by devising wiles against those who have caused me evil in word or deed, as many do. Indeed, some do not even sleep at night, trying to come up with at least some ploy to avenge themselves against their enemy.»
O Muslims, for you it will be no secret that the worst deed a scholar or righteous person can commit is evil in retaliation; this is as well as the disclosure of someone’s failings – not to speak of false testimony or defamation. Truly, Almighty Allah sees the shortcomings of His slaves but conceals them. The Almighty loves His slaves who do the same; that is, they who hide the flaws of others. Along with concealment of failings, the ethical norm includes tolerance towards the actions of adversaries, as well as appeal through prayer to Almighty Allah for forgiveness.
`Ali al-Khawwas said, “When someone has hurt or humiliated you in front of others, consider this to be a reminder from the Almighty that you should ponder on your sins. Start sincerely repenting and regretting your omissions and disobedience. Beware of dwelling on the flaws of one who has humiliated you.” Know, O Muslims, that if you had not estranged yourself from the Almighty Lord, He would not have directed anyone against you.
This is because no djinns or people can harm those who are close to Almighty Allah and know that He watches over them. Imam ash-Sha`rani also writes, “One of the blessings Almighty Allah has endowed me with is that if someone oppresses me, I blame only myself and do not criticize the predestinations of Almighty Allah.” From this it is clear that no tyrant oppresses us unless this is because of our sins. And this, in fact, is retribution for our own deeds and is not oppression.
If the veils of our hearts were made transparent, we would see the position of the oppressors in this world as being exactly the same as that of the angels who torment the inhabitants of Hell. However, it is unavoidable not to mention the fact of the violence of those who oppress us in this world, because, according to taklif, oppression is unconscionable. And in the eternal life, where there is no taklif, it is impossible to attribute deeds to the angels of Hell.
Let whoever does not desire misfortune and does not want to be oppressed close the gates through which bad recompense enters. This is achieved by the refusal of all sinful acts [1]. Theological scholars said, “When a rational person wants to clean a well of noisome water, he must first close off the gutter through which the water enters. Otherwise, dirty water will continue to flow from it. Accordingly, there is no better medicine for whoever complains that he is being oppressed than frequent prayer for forgiveness (tawba). And for whoever has caused the anger of his Lord, there is also no better medicine than frequent prayer for forgiveness.”
From the above it is clear that a sinner’s words, “I have nothing to do with it, as it was predetermined for me before my birth” is a manifestation of disregard for Almighty Allah. For in these words there is unwillingness to accept one’s guilt for disobedience by seeking justification for one’s nafs.
Imam ash-Sha`rani said, “For me the blessing of Almighty Allah is that I do not react against someone who has harmed me and I do not humiliate someone who has demeaned me. If I find myself in such situation, I set about admonishing my nafs and ask the Creator for forgiveness. I occupy myself with Almighty Allah and recognise that I find myself before the Almighty and that He observes everything that His slaves do to me. Whoever looks on happenings in this way can patiently bear the wickedness of all djinns and people. I also know that Almighty Allah never gives authority to people to inflict harm on a person whose heart is focused on Him. The Creator directs someone to cause harm to a slave only when he consigns the Almighty to oblivion.” Therefore, theological scholars noted, “When people bear you harm, turn to their Lord Allah. Verily, the reins of their deeds are in His power. Do not try to resist them, otherwise you will exhaust yourself and bring even greater evil upon yourself.”
[1] Sometimes a slave suffers misfortune as a punishment for his misconduct and sins. Sometimes trials are sent down for the expiation and cleansing of his wicked deeds and sometimes to elevate his degree before God until he approaches the levels and spiritual states of the five prophets who are especially revered. Lack of patience for these troubles is a sign that trials are a punishment. A sign that these adversities are prescribed for the atonement of sins is the presence of patience without complaining and the revealing of anxiety before friends and neighbors. And a sign that this is for the elevation of the degree of closeness to Allah is contentment and tranquility of the soul.
