What are the reasons that prevent us from seeing the good in things?
Every person has moments in life that may be called difficult. Most people who live away from the moral values of the Qur’an experience these moments with feelings like discomfort, sadness and boredom. In such environments, these people display attitudes like aggressiveness, tension and a disputatious attitude. The reason for these reactions is that they do not have faith in Allah and the perfection of the destiny He created. The reasons, which prevent these people seeing the goodness behind these events, can be summed up as follows:
Not Forgetting That the World is A Place of Trial
Some people think that most of their lives develop as a result of coincidences in a flow. But this mistaken evaluation is a grave misconception. Everything from big incidents like having cancer or losing a close one in a traffic accident, to the food he eats or the clothes he wears are special events preordained in that person’s destiny. Allah creates all these incidents down to the finest detail for that person’s trial.
A person is subject to a continuous trial throughout his life; nothing happens by coincidence. If a person cannot grasp this fact and thinks that events take place independent of Allah, then he is greatly mistaken. This is because all things that happen through the course of life are a test Allah created especially for this person, and this person is held responsible for his reactions and behaviors. His behaviors and morals will determine his condition in the hereafter. The knowledge that everything great and small could not happen by coincidence and all of them are incidents Allah has created in that person’s destiny is one of the most important truths that he should always keep in mind. As long as a person do not forget this truth, he would never forget that everything he faces is good for him because everything happens by Allah’s leave. In this case people should first bear in mind that the life of this world is a place of trial in order to “see the best” in everything.
No Self is Burdened With More Than It Can Stand
Allah tests every person with different events and people in many ways. However it is important to point this out ; Allah has infinite power and He is very merciful (Al-Halim) to His servants; He does not give His servants a trial that is beyond their power. This is a promise made by Allah:
“We do not impose on any self any more than it can stand. With Us there is a Book which speaks the truth. They will not be wronged.” (Surat al-Muminun, 62)
Every difficult trial, diseases, accidents, financial and spiritual troubles a person may face in the life of this world are trials within the boundaries that he can handle. However, if a person chooses rebellion and thanklessness suggested by satan instead of good morals and patience, then this is his own choice and he will be held responsible for his attitude.
From time to time, a person may think that he has no way out, everything is over or that this is a difficulty he cannot overcome. He may display a rebellious attitude by forgetting that there may be a goodness in that incident. But all of these are actually empty illusions given by satan. A sincere believer should know this truth; no matter what he lives through, this is something he can use to show good morals and patience. Despair is a suggestion given by satan.
A believer should never fall into despair, as Allah commands us, and should deeply think about every situation he faces.
Believers know that the difficulties Allah creates for them in the life of this world are but trials. They know that these trials are created especially to distinguish between sincere Muslims and those who have sickness in their hearts. This is because Allah reveals in the Qur’an that He will test Muslims and distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones:
“Or did you imagine that you were going to enter the Garden without Allah knowing those among you who had struggled and knowing the steadfast?” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 142)
Misunderstanding the Fact of Destiny
People make many plans for their future, the next day or an hour from now throughout their lives. These plans are sometimes realized according to plan, but sometimes they are hindered due to unexpected developments. People who are astray from the moral values of religion think that these disruptions happen by coincidence.
In reality neither plans nor unexpected disruptions take place. Whether or not a plan is carried out or not, all incidents a person faces are in that person’s destiny and are events preordained by Allah. As it is revealed in the verse; “He directs the whole affair from heaven to earth...” (Surat as-Sajda, 5) And it is also revealed in another verse; “We have created all things in due measure.” (Surat al-Qamar, 49)
A person may think that he lives what he plans, but actually he only lives the destiny Allah creates for him. Therefore, even if a person thinks that he can change his destiny by doing something, he actually thinks that because this is also in his destiny. Not even a single moment is outside destiny. A person in coma dies because it is in his destiny and a person who wakes up from a coma months later is also saved because it is in his destiny.
A person who could not understand faith completely would think that all incidents are a result of random developments and coincidences. Such a person believes that everything in the universe exists unattended. When something bad happens to him because of that, he would name such things with meaningless words like “luck”.
However a person’s intelligence and discernment is very limited; also a person is a being limited to time and place. Everything that happens in a person’s life is created by Allah Who is not bound by time and place and Who has “infinite wisdom”. This truth is revealed in the Qur’an as such:
“Nothing occurs, either in the earth or in yourselves,without its being in a Book before We make it happen. That is something easy for Allah.”(Surat al-Hadid, 22)
As a result of this great truth, what a person needs to do is to understand that every incident is created for the best and that they should surrender to the destiny Allah has created for him. However, people who have sincere faith live their lives knowing that everything in their lives is subject to the destiny Allah creates and they are all created for a reason. As a result of this they always reach goodness. This good morality and solid submission shown by believers is revealed in the Qur’an as such:
“Say: ‘Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the faithful should put their trust.’”(Surat at-Tawba, 51)
Satan Seeks to Prevent Us From Seeing Good
It is revealed to us in the Qur’an that satan is thankless and rebellious. We understand from the verses that he will approach people from the right, left, front and back and try everything to divert people from the true path. One of the most important methods satan uses to reach this evil goal is the prevent people from seeing the best in everything that happens, and thus make them rebellious and unthankful towards Allah. People who do not comprehend the beauty of the Qur’an’s moral values, who live away from religious morality and spend their lives in empty and meaningless pursuits fall into this trap of satan.
Satan tries whisper suggestions into people’s hearts by finding their sensitive areas; he tries to call them to rebel against Allah and the destiny He has determined. For example, when someone’s neighbor has a traffic accident, he can easily remind one that this incident is in destiny and explain the good things about this incident. And he can even calm them by saying, “The important thing is you are saved; Allah protected you”. But some people cannot act the same when his family or he goes through the same events. They can fall into satan’s trap and see rebellion as much easier, because it is a matter of consciousness to try and see the best in things, submit to Allah and be patient. If the person does not use his consciousness enough, he would always display the wrong behaviors under such circumstances.
Allah Creates Every Incident for the Best Advantage of His Servants
In short, as we have emphasized with examples throughout this article, satan approaches people in two ways to prevent the good. The first is that he does everything he can to prevent good deeds and tries to guide people to cling to the life of this world. The second is that he tries to prevent people from seeing the good and wisdom behind incidents. Especially when there is a calamity, he tries to make it appear as “evil” (Allah is beyond that) and tries to divert people into rebelling against Allah.
However, Allah has granted people countless blessings. He shows His kindness to people with blessings from birth till death. Therefore believers take Allah as a friend and guide, trust and submit to Allah even if they do not understand the wisdom of something they are faced with and endure in knowing that a good result will surely come out of it. No matter what the situation is, they do not rebel or complain. They know that even in the case of fatal situations it will turn to their advantage in the end. And every difficult thing they have faced will be a vital and crucial turning point that will help save them in the hereafter, by Allah’s leave. As revealed in the verse “...It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. (Surat al-Baqara, 216)
