'Karma' or what goes around comes around??

[PiousGirl_86]

Assalaamu aliakum Brother and Sisters,

Hi all, i have been pondering on this for months and i thought i might as well ask others their views and opinions. I have been thinking about 'Karma', i know this is more of a Buddhist ideology. I was curious about what Islam says about how you treat others and if it could have an impact on yourself; you know what goes around, comes around, the universe is in a balance, etc. For example, say if someone oppresses you, harms you, treats you badly, abuses you, will Allah (swt) give punishment in this world. Or will He wait till the hereafter?

It is common observation, you could say, that people often feel bad things happen to good people and the bad people seem to have it good. So it is a wonder people do lose faith sometimes, not saying i have lost faith, i am very strong in my faith and trust in Allah (swt). In fact i believe that Allah (swt) is testing us through these hardships to elevate and draw us closer to Him.

I think that we should just try to forgive and move on with our lives, no matter how hard it will be, for life is too precious to worry or be angry all the time. I feel Allah (swt) is always just to His creations and we must put full trust in Allah (swt). But sometimes something in most peoples' nature (maybe even mine) that wants to see justice against those who wrong them be served.

What are your thoughts?

 

[ardianto]

Assalamu' alaikum

"What goes around comes around" concept is actually exist in every religion, including in Islam. However, Islamic concept about it is different than Karma in Buddhism and also Hinduism because Islam does not recognize reincarnation.

Sister, I am sure you have heard about Dunya Punishment, if someone had bad behavior, in the future something bad will happen to him/her. But, is Dunya Punishment really exist in Islam ?. I am not knowledgeable person who can answer this question, but I have heard from a scholar, Dunya Punishment is actually not punishment, but warning. If someone get this "punishment" and he/she does not do tawbah, in the Akhirat he/she will get his/her punishment. Dunya Punishment does not erase his/her sins.

 

[Flame of Hope]

sometimes something in most peoples' nature (maybe even mine) that wants to see justice against those who wrong them be served.

What are your thoughts?

Have you heard the saying, "You reap what you sow"?

It's a universal principle that can be observed in this world..... as well as in the Hereafter.

I'm sure you have observed that good begets good and evil begets evil. You smile at someone. What will you get in return? A smile back. You frown and scowl at people. Would you get a smile in return for a scowl? I don't think so.

You have a reputation for honesty. Would people trust you? Yes, they would.

You have a reputation for being unreliable. Would people trust you? No, they wouldn't.

What goes around comes around..... is a true principle.

Do good.... you get good. Do evil.... you get evil. If you find yourself in Paradise, it would be because you sowed good. If you find yourself in Hell, it would be because you sowed evil.

As for why bad things happen to good people and why bad people seem to have it good...... well.....

Good people are in truth believers in Allah and the Last Day. Nothing that comes their way is bad. In fact, Allah sends hardships to them because He wants to increase their reward.

Bad people are the disbelievers.... those who reject the truth and who are ungrateful to their Lord, their Cherisher and Sustainer. These people are given all the good things of this world. But they will have nothing in the Hereafter. They will be in Hell to dwell therein forever.

So do not be envious of people who get good in this world. What they are getting is temporary and brief. It will vanish into thin air when they die.

 

[Flame of Hope]

For example, say if someone oppresses you, harms you, treats you badly, abuses you, will Allah (swt) give punishment in this world. Or will He wait till the hereafter?

Allah doesn't punish all oppressors in this world. Alhamdulillah! He gives us all respite.

If someone has oppressed you, harmed you, treated your badly, it is still better that he doesn't receive his punishment in this world. Why? Maybe he would repent. And there is no punishment for people who repent, but rather forgiveness and a great reward.

Think. Don't we ourselves oppress others, unintentionally or unknowingly perhaps? Would we want to be punished for something we did in this world? Or would we want to be given another chance? Or time to become better people, amend our ways and repent before death?

And more importantly shouldn't we want for others what we desire for ourselves?

If so, we have the power to overlook and forgive those who wrong us. We can pardon those who oppress us instead of seeking revenge. This is the harder thing to do..... but the better thing to do.

The principle: "You reap what you sow" can be applied here.

Forgiving others is an act of mercy.... and for such an act, what can you get from Allah in the Hereafter but mercy? You'd reap what you sowed.

 

[Who Am I?]

Even when I was an atheist and didn't believe in Allah, I always believed in some form of karma. Whatever you do in life comes back around, maybe not in this life, but certainly in the hereafter. There were times in my life when I was a jerk to everyone I met, and I didn't have any friends because of it. I was alone, which made me more miserable, which made more of a jerk, etc.

I only broke that cycle when I realized that life is too short to walk around being angry all of the time. Once I realized that, I was slowly able to repair some relationships and make new ones in my life.

A brother told me something really cool the other night. There will be times in your life when you pray to Allah and He doesn't seem like He hears you. This brother told me that sometimes Allah likes hearing us pray, so He may not answer your request right away. He wants to see if we will still keep our faith so that He can reward us even more richly. I try to remember that when it seems like Allah does not hear me.

 

[PiousGirl_86]

Assalaam all,

Thanks everyone for explaining so well. It has made me think about it differently.

PG

 

[May Ayob]

Salaam
I have this Proverb i read a time ago,"Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny.”
Also, i watch a Daiiya in T.V, in Ramadhan and he narrated this interesting story:
There was a guy ( middle aged) and the type that is all for life, you know with the fancy car and all.
So, one day he invited his friends with him to check out his new car, that day the weather was cold, and there was a dog in the middle of the street. The guy was laughing and turned to his friends and said that " Oh , look what i'm going to do to this dog, i'm going to drive over him"
Of course i don't think that his friends were that of good friends because they would have urged him not to do so.
But the guy did it anyway and he ran over the dogs leg and this resulted in it's amputation.The guy went on laughing with his friends and left the poor dog on the street , it probably died short after. two weeks later, the same guy was driving his car and this time something went wrong with one of the tires of the car, the guy opened the door to see what happened to the tire , and Subhan Allah he sat in the same position the former dog was sitting in , little was his luck because another car came , and ran over his leg just as he did to the dog, the guy also lost one of his legs.
Now i am not sure if this is a true story or not. But it definately teaches us an important lesson , "What goes around comes around"
And "What you do is what you get." Also it teaches us that God s.w.t will always protect the justice in this world and the hereafter even if injustice was done to another creature that is not a human being.
I hope this helps.
Salaam