The belief that whatever happens to one is determined by fate is called “destiny.” Belief in destiny, whether good or bad, is one of the six basic articles of faith in Islam. The faith of a Muslim is incomplete if it is not accompanied with belief in destiny. The birth of every soul is the beginning of a life-long journey on its pathway to destiny. Destiny is as natural as life.
Imam Bukhari and Muslim both relate in the fourth hadith of Annawawi’s collection that the Prophet (SAW) said “… (At birth) four words of command are given (to the angel about man). That, he writes down his fortune, his life span, his works, and whether he will be miserable or prosperous. By Allah besides whom there is no other deity, one of you may work the works of the people of paradise until there is only an arm’s length between him and it when that which has been written will outstrip him so that he works the works of the people of the fire and enters therein. Or one of you may work the works of the people of fire until there is only an arm’s length between him and it when that which has been written will overtake him so that he works the works of the people of paradise and enters it.” The Prophet (SAW) in this hadith gives a lucid illustration of destiny. Whatever has been destined to be will surely be, and what has not been destined to be shall never be.
If a grain of rice is destined to remain in its chaff, so shall it remain in its chaff from planting in the farm until it ends up, after consumption, as excreta. When rice is harvested and brought home, it is parboiled and dried and then taken for milling. The particular “grain of destiny” would remain in its chaff even after passing through the milling machine. Being a grain destined to survive every transformative stage, it will pass through all cooking processes without being noticed for possible extraction. That’s how it would be cooked, served and eaten (in its chaff); escaping extraction at every stage until it reaches its destination in the lavatories. This metaphorical narrative is symbolic of Allah’s will or destiny.
The above allegory illustrates destiny in action. Whatever has been destined to happen to man, as fortunes or misfortunes, will surely come to pass. Similarly, that which has not been ordained to come one’s way as blessings or afflictions will never come. The Hausa would say, “Rabon Kwado baya hawan sama” meaning “The frog’s share never hangs (up) in the sky”, because Allah (SWT) will surely bring it low as to enable the frog to grasp it. The Prophet (SAW) said in the nineteenth hadith of Annawawi’s collection of forty traditions “… Know that if the (whole) community were to make combined efforts to benefit you in any matter, they would not benefit you in anything except what Allah has prescribed for you; nor were they to make combined efforts to harm you in any matter; they would not harm you in anything except what Allah has prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”
Destiny decides that while some of us are born with “silver spoon” in the mouth; others come with a “wooden” one. Destiny selects which children lose their parents at tender age and others who will live with their own till feeble old age. It is destiny that blesses some people with children; leaving others childless. In the same manner, people are not poor because they are illiterate or unintelligent. They are also not wealthy because they are clever. People do not become leaders because they are smart. And they are also not followers because they are daft. Destiny, not choice, fundamentally makes a person what he is.
While all revealed religions teach that destiny is natural and outside the control, management and authority of man, it is believed that the journey on the path of destiny should be guided by certain theological principles. One beautiful element of destiny is that its details are concealed from man’s knowledge. Allah (SWT) did not do this without any reasons or wisdom. If destiny (good or bad) were to be known by man, the life of almost all men on earth is better imagined. Man, however, is required to think good, hope for good and work towards it. He is not expected to think negatively on his pathway to destiny. In spite of the laws of destiny, Allah (SWT) gives man the freedom to obey or disobey. Allah (SWT) states in Qur’an 41:46 “Whoever works righteousness benefits his own soul; whoever works evil, it is against his own soul…”
In our everyday life, one can decide to travel by road over short distances and by air over long distances. However, traveling on the path to destiny is a different thing entirely. The choice of speed and mode of transportation on the path of destiny is not within man’s control. Nevertheless, theological principles demand that a hungry man should not sit in his room and expect food to come and meet him there. A man lying on his bed should not expect to find himself somewhere without movement. Man should not expect to reap where he did not sow. In order to have a smooth ride on the path of destiny, Allah (SWT) admonishes man in Qur’an 17: 29 “ Make not thy hand tied to thy neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that thou become blameworthy and destitute”. Some of the traffic codes on the path of destiny include failure teaches success; courtesy costs nothing; Hard work does not kill; Better be late than never; Half a loaf is better than no bread; It is always time to do good; Honesty is the best policy; No gains without pains; and knowledge is power.
Hope, faith, self-confidence, hard work, personal discipline, humility, prayer, patience, endurance and perseverance make a man’s voyage on the path of destiny lively. Success, not failure; progress, not retrogression; happiness, not sadness; bliss, not adversity; optimism, not pessimism; and confidence, not hopelessness should be the catchphrases of every wayfarer on the path of destiny. May Allah (SWT) guide us to have faith in destiny, amin.
