What role does destiny and predestination play in your life? This question is something that most of us think about at some point.
This is answered in the powerful verse of the Quran which this lesson is inspired by. The answer to the question of who controls your destiny is two-fold. First, it’s important to understand that Allah swt is The All-Knowing, All-knowledgeable. He swt commanded the Pen to write all that will ever happen 50,000 years before the universe was even created.
This is where the idea of predestination comes from and it is a pillar of the Islamic faith. This demonstrates to us that Allah knew everything before any of it came into existence.
Second Your Choices have the power to shape Your Destiny
So how does this affect your destiny? You might be wondering does this mean that you have no control over your own actions. The answer is that you have full control over your own actions. Your actions are controlled by the choices you make.
You are the Leader of your Life according to Quran. Allah mentioned many times throughout the Quran that humans have freedom of choice, and it’s those choices that will lead to the reward or punishment that we will receive in the end.
It’s the deeds that we do, the things we do in our life that will be measured on the day of judgement to determine whether we earn paradise or we earn hell.
The good news is You don’t have to wander through life aimlessly and you don’t have to wait for someone else to come and rescue you from your own life. You were created to be the leader of your life as Allah explains in the Quran.
Allah says in the Quran:
“And when your Lord said to the Angels, I will make upon the earth a Successive leadership, they (the angels) responded, will You place upon it one who causes corruption and sheds blood”
Surah Al Baqarah, verse 30
This conversation took place between Allah and the Angels. Allah revealed this verse in the Quran to teach us yet another very powerful lesson, to remind you of what your role on this earth is to be insha’Allah.
The Angels weren’t questioning Allah as they were surprised that Allah would allow humans to lead the earth and dominate. They knew the nature of those who had previous inhabited and ruled upon the earth, the Jinn. The Jinn spread corruption and killed each other as Allah mentions in this verse. And So, the Angels assumed that humans would do the same.
FREE 7 Day Course 21 Ways to Get Close to Allah Become the Best You with this Quranic guide
- Quranic guidance on Optimising Your Life
- Become the Best version of yourself this Month
- Learn how to deal with Problems with Confidence
The Nature of Angels is that they are creatures of absolute obedience. The have been created to obey and do not have choice. As for the animals they are creatures of desire, they do not think, they serve their base desire for survival and procreation.
When it comes to the Jinn and Human, Allah has created us with both desire and Choice. The faculty of the mind is what gives us the ability to learn, analyse and make choices. This gives us power.
How Knowledge shapes your Destiny
Allah taught the Angels that he has given mankind knowledge and guidance. With this Guidance of Allah, through the Quran, humanity can transcend the negative impulses that we all suffer from and become a rightly guided leader of our own lives.
In this verse, Allah explicitly informs you that you have been created to lead. You were not created to be a follower.
This doesn’t mean you need to lead the community or the world. However, Allah teaches us that you have the potential to lead the world if you want.
That leadership comes from knowledge. Knowledge will raise you above all else. If you want to create your own destiny, control how your life turns out and what you will get in the hereafter, you must pursue knowledge.
Even if you just want to lead yourself and your family, you still have to seek knowledge because that is the thing that will give you the ability and know how. The Greatest of knowledge is the knowledge that Allah teaches us through the Quran and Sunnah as this is divine revelation.
However, you must also seek knowledge of the general sciences, not everything. But any knowledge that you require to create your destiny, your future in this world and the Akhira.
A word of warning though, don’t fall into the category of people that learn everything but the divine guidance, because those are the people that will lose out on the guidance of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
All of you are leaders and all of you are responsible for their flock.
You were created to lead your own life and to take charge of all that’s in it. You have to do what leaders do. Leaders make choices, so you should make your own choices. Don’t let others make all of your choices.
People fear making choices because of the uncertainty of the outcomes. They fear making the wrong choice, and sit on the fence and let others make choices for them.
Leaders do not have certainty about the future either, but they make choices and just take action anyway. In the sunnah of the Prophet( peace and blessings be upon him) we are taught to make the Dua of Guidance (Istikhara Prayer).
Your Choices Shape your Destiny
You can become the leader of your life by making choices because those Choices will shape your life.
Allah teaches us that we will become leaders in our world, but this can only happen by making the right choices. If you follow the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah you cannot go wrong.
If you made mistakes in the past, know that the past is gone forever and you can’t change it. But you do have the power to change today and tomorrow. All you have to do is make choices now.
Become reflective about the verses of Allah, don’t just read the Quran, study it, understand it. That is your greatest source of guidance.
Think about what you’re reading and how that relates you to. The more you do this the more you will allow the divine guidance of the Quran to shape your thinking and help you make the right decisions insha’Allah.
Allah trains us through shaping our thinking. You can begin to take charge of your own life today by studying and understanding the Quran.
Don’t go through life missing out on the guidance that was sent to show you the best way through life.
Leadership is a choice but if you don’t choose it, by default you allow others to lead you. The sad thing about that is, one day you may end up somewhere you never imagined you’d be, simply because you would not make your own choices.
I’m writing this because I believe in you and what Allah said about you in the Quran. Because you believe in Allah, I’m certain that he will guide you to great heights in the life of this world and the Hereafter insha’Allah.
Don’t settle for less, you’re better than average, you were created to be great. ?
