format_quote Originally Posted by
AnonymousGender
:sl:
I'm going through some hardship at the moment. When I got my GCSE results, I didn't get the grades I wanted to get into the sixth form.. I was shattered imsad.. I thought okay I got to keep looking.. so I applied for another college, didn't get in.. kept looking then this college who have the exact criteria I was looking for, I applied and thought I'm getting back on track. When I phoned last week to ask them when I was going to get my interview.. they told me that their over-subscribed atm and that they will call me in a few days:cry:
I couldn't believe it.. for the past 3 months I've been acting like a proper Muslim.. praying five times a day giving up desires etc.. I've made sincere dua even sometimes cried to Allah(SWT) everyday to seek forgivness, mercy, trust and faith. However, everyday has become even more of a struggle. I just keep getting depressed everyday, I've been patient most of the time. I failed everyone including my parents..imsad
Please help, Jazak..
Dear Brother, Assalamu alaikum
Sura Beni Israel says: “When We bless Man with Our bounties, he acts indifferent; when he is in problems, he is frustrated” (17:83; 41:51). Elsewhere, the Quran says: “When We give Man a taste of bounty, he gets carried away. When he begets problems from his own doing, he gets depressed (and disappointed)” (30:36; 42:48).
We normally say ‘This is what Allah wanted’, or ‘It would never have happened if He didn’t want it’, or ‘Whatever takes place in this world is according to Allah’s will. Man cannot intervene in it. The Quran states that it is actually the infidels and polytheists who say that Allah’s will controls all events in Man’s world. Sura Yaseen reports that when the rich are asked to let their wealth flown down to the poor, the infidels reply: ‘How can we enrich those who are poor by Allah’s will?”. The Quran’s response to that is : “surely, you are in grave ignorance!” (36:47). in Sura An’aam: “When you question their (erroneous) way of life, the polytheists will say - ‘It is Allah’s will that we are, and our ancestors were, polytheists” (6:148) Allah rebuts that statement with: “Have you any knowledge? Then produce it for us. You only follow mere conjecture. And you only tell lies.”(6:148)
In fact Allah says to men: “Do whatever you wish. Surely, whatever you do (will bear a result, as it) is watched by Him”(41:40). That is: your are free to do whatever you wish but not free to alter the natural result of that action. Man is free to choose one of the two paths but is NOT free to choose the destination (result). You can’t follow path A and expect to end up at the other end of path B. (or you can’t swallow a pinch of poison and expect it to behave like a lump of sugar.) Every action has a set reaction. You can initiate and trigger a law which then follows its natural course.
This point is illustrated by a story about Omar (r), when a plague broke out, he suggested moving out of the town to a safer distant place. Abu Obaida commented, “You are trying to escape Allah’s law?”. “Yes”, Omar replied, “I am escaping from His (one) law to His (other) law,”. If one stays in a plague-infected area, death comes according to God’s taqdeer (law). But, if one leaves the epidemic-affected environment for cleaner, safer ground, death is avoided according to Allah’s ‘taqdeer’ (law). The choice between the two ‘taqdeers (laws) is entirely Man’s own.
Good and Evil are results of Man’s actions alone. If he employs his capabilities to deal with Nature in accordance with Permanent Values, Good results. Otherwise, Evil is produced. Nature’s Law of Deeds decides on Man’s success and failure to the last iota (99:8-9; also: 2:110; 2:215; 27:89; 28:80; 73:20). Allah has NOT pre-decided success (good) or failure (evil) for Man. What He has pre-determined is the Law both for the physical and the personal aspects (in this life as well as in the hereafter).
However, since the concept of permanent values is non-existent in a ‘wrong’ (non-Quranic) society, a member of it who tries to adhere to and follow such values often incurs material losses. The Quran’s suggestion under such circumstances is to create a society on the basis of Permanent Values – to ensure good for one’s body “حسنات الدنيا” (the worldly benefits) as well as for one’s personality “حسنات الآخرة” (the benefit of hereafter). One must safeguard oneself against all evil systems. Suar Aale Imran: “if you are steadfast and adhere to Allah’s laws, no plot of them (enemies) can harm you” (3:119). Elsewhere, it says: “Had the inhabitants of these settlements been convinced of Allah’s laws and adhered to them, they would have been showered upon by bounties of the sky and the earth. But they rejected those laws and they were apprehended because of their own deeds” (7:96). Therefore, harm comes to Man due to his own actions – “If you keep on the right track, no one can hurt you” (5:105).
Thus, Allah laws will only impart benefits to Man. That is why such acts that bears good and occurs in accordance with Allah’s laws are attributed to Allah and all evil attributed to mans actions. Refer to the Battle of Bedr where the holy fighters (who had already been called Allah’s Party) were told: “It was Allah killing them, not you”, and also that “you did not shoot arrows at them. Allah did” (8:17).
Similarly, on the occasion of the Accord at Hudaibiya, Muslims repeated to the ‘Rasul Allah’ (the messenger) the oath under which they had sold their wealth and persons to Allah (9:111), it is referred to as: “Those who were making an agreement with you (O Rasul!) did in actual effect made it with Allah!” At the time of the oath-taking ceremony, “Allah’s hand was there above your hand!” (48:10).
Not only the universal events but also the potential and actions of humans is attributed to Allah. Sura Ar-Rahman: “Allah created Man and taught him to speak” (55:3-4). Elsewhere it says: “The One who taught him the use of the pen” (96:4). Sura Maaeda says: “(Those animals) which you train (to hunt) as Allah has trained you” (5:4). All this goes to say that the Quran attributes directly to Allah whatever occurs or is done in accordance with His laws through the potential given to Man by Him.
Please remember, the Quran announces: “There is no calamity but brought upon you by your own hands” (42:30) - be it individual, like touching a flame, or collective as a dam giving way or the righteous suffering in a wrong society!. The fact that Allah doesn’t disgrace anyone randomly or whimsically. Allah is never unfair to anyone. It has been has been illustrated many times over in the Quran. Sura Aal-e-Imran talks about the tyrants of society being eventually destroyed, and -- “Allah is not unfair to them but they are unfair to themselves” (3:116). Sura Tauba, after speaking of destruction of the nations of the past, says: “Allah did not treat them cruelly, but they brought it upon them themselves” (9:70). Also in 11:101; 16:33 and 29:40. Sura Younis states: “Allah is not unfair to people in the slightest, but they do it to themselves” (10:44). Allah’s being cruel and unfair to Man is inconceivable. People bring tragedies to themselves by their own hands (ذلك بما قدمت يدك) “Allah is not cruel to His creatures” (22:10). In fact, “Allah doesn’t (even) intend to be cruel to His people” (40:31).
Wassalam