10. DESTINED TO BE
A question that many ponder is whether we are driven by destiny or by choice (مسير أو مخير). To understand how Allah's ﷻ System works in relation to this, we must consider the creation of the universe. When Allah ﷻ created the universe, HE inscribed everything on Al-Lawh Al-Mahfūẓ. Nothing exists in the universe without first being recorded there. If something is not recorded on Al-Lawh Al-Mahfūẓ, it cannot come into existence or manifest. All of existence—past, present, and future—is inscribed on it. We exist because we are recorded there. Every thing is preordained, including the resources allocated for our provision.
Since rizq is already predetermined for us, one person may choose to receive it through lawful means, while another, despite his conscience urging him otherwise, might obtain it through unlawful methods.
There is a famous story about Sayyidnā ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him). Once, while he was in the desert and wanted to offer his prayer, he found no place to tie his camel. He asked a man standing nearby to hold the camel for him while he prayed. After finishing his prayer, he turned around and discovered that the camel’s saddle had been stolen. Later, in the market, one of his companions saw Sayyidnā ʿAlī’s (RAA) saddle being sold and asked the seller for the price. The man replied, “Two gold coins.” He bought it and took it back to Sayyidnā ʿAlī (RAA).
Eventually, Sayyidnā ʿAlī (RAA) encountered the man who had stolen his saddle and said to him, “You received two gold coins for selling the saddle you stole. However, if you had been patient enough to wait for me to finish my prayer, I would have given you two gold coins for helping me hold my camel.”
Our rizq is predetermined for us; however, the way in which we receive it depends on the pattern of thinking and conduct we adopt. All possibilities are predetermined by Allah ﷻ—whether we choose the lawful or unlawful path—the outcome of that choice is already established. As Insān, we have been given the capacity to choose between lawful and unlawful, with all the potential pathways set by HIM. Ultimately, even when we appear to make a decision, it is an integral part of a destiny that HE has written.
Upon deeper reflection, we realize that the assumption we have of choice is, in essence, HIS Will. We do not choose to be born into this world, yet each one of us arrives here for a predetermined time, as it is HIS ﷻ Will. We do not choose to grow from youth to old age, yet it happens. We do not choose to die, yet it happens to everyone.
A force moves the cosmos within a Divine System, where every thing is interconnected and governed by Allah’s ﷻ Will. Ḥuḍūr Qalander Bābā Auliyā (RA) (RA) has stated, “People are misguided in believing they control their circumstances. In reality, humans are like toys, moved by forces beyond their control. If they truly held sway over their fate, no one would remain poor.”
All of us are destined to meet Allah ﷻ again; we make that choice either willingly or unwillingly. We can be conscious of it or unconscious of it. We can move with the Divine flow of life, or we can struggle against it. When we consciously choose the Path toward the Creator, we align our irādah with HIS Iirādah. As we navigate through choices, believing them to be our own, the friends of Allah ﷻ, those firmly established in HIS Knowledge, are described in Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem as follows:
(وَالرّاسِخونَ فِي العِلمِ يَقولونَ آمَنّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِن عِندِ رَبِّنا وَما يَذَّكَّرُ إِلّا أُولُو الأَلبابِ)
And those who are firmly grounded/established in Knowledge say, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord. And none will grasp the Message except people of understanding.”
[Āli ʿImrān: 7]
The friends of Allah ﷻ know with certainty and are established in Knowledge that everything is from HIM. Their desires become aligned with HIS Desire, and they live contentedly in this realization. Whether they turn left or right, it is from Allah ﷻ . Their will is so aligned with HIS that, for them, the concept of choice is no longer about choosing between outcomes, but about choosing Allah ﷻ. This is true perception. They recognize that their ultimate destiny is to be with HIM. They have truly tasted the tranquility found with Allah ﷻ. As a result, they naturally choose to return to HIM, or rather, to remain with HIM; they live in the awareness that they are never apart from HIM.
This does not imply that mankind should become stagnant and say, “Since it is all from Allah ﷻ, I do not need to do anything.” Movement is essential; effort and striving are indispensable because they prevent stagnation and keep our faculties active within the system of Allah ﷻ. Yet the outcome must be left completely to Allah ﷻ . It is more about relaxing into the state of dependency on HIM than trying to anxiously control situations and outcomes, knowing without a doubt that whatever is destined for us will reach us.
We may not know what circumstances will arise or how they will unfold, but amid the inevitable and predetermined highs and lows of life, the one thing we can be certain of is our inner state. We can achieve a level of neutrality that prevents circumstances from swaying us, allowing us to rise above being controlled by emotions. We do not become overly excited by pleasure or too disappointed by pain, recognizing that both are fleeting; the best of times pass, as do the worst. We establish ourselves in such a way that our inner state remains consistent and unaltered.
This consistency results from consciously aligning our will with the Will of Allah ﷻ. To go with the flow means to accept circumstances as they are without being affected by them. Our inner state remains rooted in our will, and our will stays focused on a single point, grounded in unwavering Reality.
Through spiritual observation and insight, one gradually develops tawakkul. The tawakkul practiced by those established in Knowledge, goes beyond the surface; it establishes and cultivates certainty in the vision that everything, big or small, is from One Source—Allah ﷻ. They see that the whole universe is governed by One Supreme Being, and this captures their full focus. The yaqīn that all things are from Allah ﷻ fosters tranquility, and when the mind is directed toward HIM, one gains the ability to perceive Ghayb, enabling deep conviction. Without this vision, true peace can never be attained.
Every event of life, whether large or small, through hardship or ease, is part of a Divine Order. The friends of Allah ﷻ observe and affirm that everything in the cosmos—past, present, and future—directly correlates to the Divine Programme, all aligning with HIS ﷻ Decree. With this understanding, and complete tawakkul upon Allah ﷻ, a distinct pattern of detachment from worldly means emerges, allowing one to live within worldly life while, in parallel, living through the Soul in direct connection with Allah ﷻ.