How to see the good in things that happen (II)

Comprehending that every being, living or non-living, is created in compliance with a certain destiny is a way to see good in things that happen...

Destiny is God's perfect knowledge of all events past or future, as if a single moment. This expresses the absolute sovereignty of God over all beings and events. People can be aware of a certain event when they experience it. But God knows all events prior to their occurrence. For God, past, present and future are all the same. They are all within the knowledge of God since He is the One Who creates them.

As it is suggested by God in the verse, "Indeed, all things We created with predestination." (Surat al-Qamar: 49), every thing in the world is part of that destiny. The majority of people do not give a moment's consideration to the nature of destiny, and, thus, fail to recognize that it is God's infinite might that exists behind this flawless order. Some consider that destiny encompasses only human beings. However, everything in the universe, from the furniture in your home, to a pebble on the road, or a dried-up weed, a fruit or a jar on the super-market shelf, are all part of the destiny predetermined by God. The fate of every created thing has been determined within the infinite wisdom of God.

Every event a person sees, and every noise he hears, are in ever instance part of a life that has been created for him as a unit. Whether major or insignificant, no event in the universe happens by coincidence. No flower either blooms or fades by chance. No man comes into existence or dies out of pure coincidence. No man becomes sick by mistake, and neither does his sickness develop in an uncontrolled manner. In each case, these occurrences are especially predestined by God, from the very moment they were created. Anything that exists, within the depths of the earth or the oceans, or the fall of a single leaf, all occur in compliance with destiny, as the following verse indicates:

The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An'am: 59)

God's Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (saas) also said that everyone's actions are ordained by God:

God, the Exalted, the Glorious, has ordained for every servant amongst His creation five things: his death, his action, his abode, the places of his moving about and his means of sustenance. (Tirmidhi)

However, people are generally not conscious of the reality that every moment of their lives is predestined by God. Some have never considered how they were created, or how the blessings they have been enjoying came into existence. Others, though, although they know that it is God Who creates life and death, believe it is the coincidences that are responsible for events of minor significance. However, in the Qur'an, God informs us that even the smallest detail is predetermined by His infinite wisdom, and in accordance with a divine purpose:

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 God. (Surat al-Hadid: 22)

It is crucial that man have a grasp of this reality. Because, the fate of every thing in this universe is known by God, the All-Knowing, the Wise. Consequently, every detail is perfectly planned, and for a purpose and "everything is by decree" as stated by the Prophet Muhammad (saas). A person who attains full consciousness of this fact will be benefited with being pleased with every moment of his life; good times and those that seem to be bad. The reason being that His truthful servants succeed in recognizing that it is God who created their destiny without a flaw. They will be aware that it is ignorant to regard something as misfortune when there must necessarily be a purpose for it in God's sight. Such a profound comprehension of this fact enables them to discern the blessings in things that happen.

If God had shown the good and purpose of the apparently adverse incidents, or of the difficulties that distress and irritate people, they would understand how senseless is their disappointment. Recognizing the blessing in things, a person of faith instead feels joy, not distress. This being the case, what is incumbent on a man is that he seeks to identify the good and benefits in destiny, that is, in events that are, in reality, part of the purpose of God's creation, and feel appreciative of the benefit of such insight.

Knowing that there may be bad in events that seem to be good and good in events that seem to be bad is another way to see good in things that happen…

God, the All-Wise, creates each and every event in compliance with a special plan.It is only God Who knows the events that are favourable and those that are not. That is because the wisdom of God is infinite, while the insight of human beings is limited. Humans can only see the outward appearance of events, and can rely solely on their limited perception to judge them. Their insufficient information or understanding may, in some cases, make them dislike a thing while it is good, and love a thing while it is evil. To be able to discern the good then, a person of faith, must put his trust in the infinite wisdom of God, and trust that there is a good in everything that happens. In fact, God has related to man the following:

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. God knows and you do not know. (Surat al-Baqara: 216)

Here, God informs us that an event one deems to be good may only cause him disappointment, both in this world and beyond. Similarly, something he ardently seeks to avoid, believing it to be detrimental to him, may be for him the cause of bliss and peace of heart. The intrinsic value of any event is a knowledge that resides only with God. Everything, whether apparently evil or good, takes place by God's Will. We experience only those things God wishes for us. God reminds us this fact as follows:

If God afflicts you with harm, no one can remove it except Him. If He desires good for you, no one can avert His favour. He bestows it on whichever of His slaves He wills. He is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah Yunus: 107)

Consequently, whatever we experience in this life, whether or not it seems good or evil, is, in reality, good, since it is what our Lord predetermines for us. The One who pre-ordains the outcome of events is not a human being, who is confined to time and space, but God, the One beyond space and time, Who created the human being, as well as time and space.