In order to create hope in Allah, we need to turn back to this verse:
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. (Quran 2:216)
This particular part of the verse, “Allah knows and you do not know” is a key to hope. Why? Because it includes the ihsan (excellence) and tawakkul (trust in Allah).
What does it do? It extinguishes “if” and it extinguishes “why”. “Why did this happen to me? If this had happened…”
This is a message that we should repeat and emphasize again and again in ourselves because it’s the driving vehicle of how we move forward.
So, the verse “Allah knows” creates possibilities of how we can accept and reject Qadar (destiny).
To Reach Serenity, Accept your Qadar
When we accept Qadar, that means we’re accepting what’s going on; we become of the patients. But we also are given two elements:
1- We’re given sakinah (serenity) in our hearts.
2- Allah is then pleased with us and helps us along with this acceptance.
But many people resist against Qadar.
How?
When something is happening in our lives and we’re losing hope, but we tend to get almost this vision of the way that we want things to move forward in life.
But then, if that doesn’t happen exactly to what we were envisioning, then we start getting very frustrated, we maybe start feeling down, depressed, angry, and maybe we might take it out on other people.
But, this is because of the lack of sakinah, because we’re not accepting the situation that we’re in.
So, the situation is not going to change. Allah is going to take us down the path of Qadar that He chooses, whether we like it or not. But when we reject it, we’re trying to reject Allah’s choice for us; and that’s when we go into turmoil.
(From Discovering Islam archive)