8-Belief and Islam - Hakikat Kitabevi

past. Before a child is born, it is determined if it is going to be
sa’îd (one who deserves Paradise) or shaqî (one who deserves
Hell). This will not change afterwards. For this reason, it is no
good to worship.’ So said the as-Sahâbat al-kirâm when
Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) stated that qadâ’
and qadar would not change and that everything had been
predestined in eternity: ‘Let us rely on the eternal predestination
and not perform ’ibâdât.’ But Rasûlullah replied, ‘Do worship! It
is easy for everbody to do what was predestined for him in
eternity!’ That is, he who was determined to be sa’îd in eternity
will be made to do what the sa’îd do. From this, it is understood
that the fact that those who were determined to be sa’îd in
eternity perform ’ibâdât and those who were determined to be
shaqî disobey Him is similar to the fact that those who were
predestined to live healthfully in eternity take food and medicine
and those who were predestined to become sick and die do not
take food or medicine. Those whose destiny is to die of hunger
or sickness are unable to benefit from food or medicine. The
ways of earning are open for a person whose predestination is
to become rich. A person whose destiny is to die in the east
finds the ways leading to the west closed. As reported, when
[Archangel] ’Azrâ’îl (’alaihi ’s-salâm) visited [the Prophet]
Sulaimân (’alaihi ’s-salâm), he looked intently at one of those
who were sitting there. The man was frightened by the angel’s
stern looks. When ’Azrâ’îl (’alaihi ’s-salâm) was gone, he
begged Sulaimân (’alaihi ’s-salâm) to command the wind to take
him to a western country so that he would escape ’Azrâ’îl
(’alaihi ’s-salâm). When ’Azrâ’îl (’alaihi ’s-salâm) came back,
Sulaimân (’alaihi ’s-salâm) asked why he had looked intently on
the man’s face. ’Azrâ’îl (’alaihi ’s-salâm) said, ‘I had been
commanded to take away his soul in a western town in an hour.
But when I saw him in your company, I could not help looking at
him with astonishment. Later I went to the west to carry out the
command and saw him there and took his life.’ [1] As it is seen,
the man feared ’Azrâ’îl (’alaihi ’s-salâm) so that the eternal
predestination would take place, and Sulaimân (’alaihi ’s-salâm)
complied; the predestination in eternity was effected through a
chain of means. Likewise, a person who was determined to be
[1] This story is told in detail in Mathnawî by Jalâl ad-dîn Rûmî, who
passed away in Konya in 672 A.H. (1273).
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