While as bulk of us, overestimate ourselves, some others underestimate their strengths and abilities. When such people receive their share of divine blessings, they feel proportionately more grateful in return to what was supposedly beyond their expectations. However, the truth is that the reward is calibrated as per the core of one’s commitment as well as degree of humility.
On the other hand, those who keep living with unrealistic expectations in life sometimes go too far to point out faults in the divine decree. The fact is that blessings never go to the wrong address nor do the tests and trials go to weak and unworthy. What has missed us was never meant for us. However the entire scheme of God is rational and not random otherwise HE ceases to be just.
Our estimates are either above the mark driven by pride or below the mark, drooped by humility. The even and exact or the fair and clear estimates are only with the divine. The root word for fate (Qadr) derives from (miqdar) or measurement. From scriptures we come to know that God has created everything according to a specific measure and HIS scales of justice are fairly even.
In that context one is greatly moved by the riveting reply of Imam Ali to a question posed to him about Qadr (whether humans are compelled or free). Imam Ali told the man to raise one of his legs and he did. Then the Imam said to raise other. The man replied that he could not do so without falling. This is exactly why mankind cannot be given all choices or they will make a mess of themselves. Mankind is not capable of creating a design or withstanding its own plans and promises. We are therefore held accountable only for our own actions and not the natural design or the so called decree. We exist inside God’s framework defined by certain parameters, probabilities and possibilities. We did not choose our gender, our stature, our generation, our space-time location, fabric of society and countless other things around us and more importantly our mental makeup and thinking software. Yet within this fabric, there are a hell lot of opportunities and a world of possibilities we can choose to explore. Failure in capitalizing such goals is personal and not predestined in the strict sense of the term. So a better understanding would be that life is neither complete predestination (jabr) nor complete free will (tafwīḍ) but a matter between two matters (amr bayn al-amrayn) as stated by Imam Ali.
The whole confusion about the aforesaid concept in today’s social media driven society has been borne by a terribly wrong yet popular interpretation of fate and divine plan by the so-called motivational speakers who don’t have much authenticity at their command. Some of their interpretations render humans completely helpless and absolutely dependent on divine intervention for all practical purposes in life. Some others are giving endless hopes to the listeners and promising them happy endings. A widely misinterpreted narrative is that everything happens for good. But most of the self styled gurus fail to convey that the good is not good about circumstances but good about personal strengths. The circumstances may or may not improve but a person living through those circumstances is getting far more better and eligible for divine favours in the hereafter.
Although individual perspectives are welcome, the generalizations should only follow from well established doctrines. For instance, it would work wonders if people are reminded of the verse 39 of Chapter 53 of Quran which makes it vividly clear that There is nothing for man except what he strives for. Similarly in verse 30 of Surah Shura it is stated that “Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed”. Considering everything as a part of divine plan is therefore the worst illusion one can live with. At many other places it has been reiterated that those who have a vision are not the same as those who are blind. Similarly, those who strive towards greater good are a distinguished class of people from those whose lives are highly individualized.
Thus Qadr is not a cage nor does it enable us to take a limitless leap, yet it incorporates for humans, blessings as big as prophet-hood or vice-gerency and as cherished as heaven. A famous supplication made by prophet Solomen and recorded in Quran is about granting him a kingdom that will not belong to anyone else ever after. And God indeed, bestowed him with it. He had a unique kingdom including control over the winds, jinn, and animals. This throws a hint in how far we can intend to seek and then actually get also.
In one of the poems like (Khudi aur Qudrat), Iqbal acknowledges that all vitality of the soul exists because of God’s generosity. However the silver line should not be missed as even after executing best of HIS mercy and generosity in this world and hereafter, the hell will be jam-packed and heaven quite sparsely populated. Most of us will not deserve what we would be desiring for. The weighing balance (Al-meezan) with zero instrumental error will weigh every individual’s good and bad deeds with perfect justice. How aptly does Sheikhul Alam say:
Tohi chhev samjan ess chhe khasae
Tatte nov moaqle saase manz akh
which means not even one will be rescued out of a 1000 people on the day of judgement. Let us sink in and self introspect.
Dr. Qudsia Gani, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics, Govt. Degree College, Pattan