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77. It was narrated that Ibn Dailami said: "I was confused about this Divine Decree (Qadar), and I was afraid lest that adversely affect my religion and my affairs. So I went to Ubayy bin Ka'b and said: 'O Abu Mundhir! I am confused about this Divine Decree, and I fear for my religion and my affairs, so tell me something about that through
which Allâh may benefit me.' He said: 'If Allâh were to punish the inhabitants of His heavens and of His earth, He would do so and He would not be unjust towards them. And if He were to have mercy on them, His mercy would be better for them than their own deeds. If you had the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, or the equivalent of Mount Uhud which you spent in the cause of Allâh, that would not be accepted from you until you believed in the Divine Decree and you know that whatever has befallen you, could not have passed you by; and whatever has passed you by, could not have befallen you; and that if you were to die believing anything other than this, you would enter Hell. And it will not harm you to go to my brother, 'Abdullâh bin Mas'ud, and ask him (about this).' So I went to 'Abdullâh and asked him, and he said something similar to what Ubayy had said, and he told me: 'It will not harm you to go to Hudhaifah.' So I went to Hudhaifah and asked him, and he said something similar to what they had said. And he told me: 'Go to Zaid bin Thâbit and ask him.' So I went to Zaid bin Thâbit and asked him, and he said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ say: "If Allâh were to punish the inhabitants of His heavens and of His earth, He would do so and He would not be unjust towards them. And if He were to have
mercy on them, His mercy would be better for them than their own deeds. If you had the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, or the equivalent of Mount Uhud which you spent in the cause of Allâh, that would not be accepted from you until you believed in the Divine decree, and you know that whatever has befallen you, could not have passed you by; and whatever has passed you by, could not have befallen you, and that if you were to die believing anything other than this, you would enter Hell." (Sahih)
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Commentary
The calamity destined to happen is bound to happen, even if the person concerned — out of the fear of it — leaves the path of virtue and takes to the path of evil. And the bounties and comforts destined for a person are sure to come to him, albeit preceded by a difficult and turbulent phase. We must, therefore, put our trust in Allâh, remain hopeful of His mercy, and never fall prey to despair, for Allâh cites, with approval, the following words of Yâ'qub رضي الله عنه: "Certainly no one despairs of Allâh's mercy except the people who disbelieve." (12:87)
The Companions were gifted with the kind of knowledge which was as profound as it was strong, which is why their faith was also firm and strong. Even on issues as delicate as the Divine Decree, their self-assurance and awareness of the truth made them brimful of contentment of the heart, with no iota of doubt to disturb their minds.
It is perfectly in order to consult more than one scholar on any matter for the satisfaction of one's heart.
Religious opinions (Fatwâ) given by the Companions are all drawn from the Qur'ân and Ahâdîth. Not only this, they oftentimes quote the very words of the Hadîth without mentioning the Prophet's name.
The issue of the Divine Decree is among Islam's fundamentals of faith. No one's belief is, therefore, of any consequence unless he also has faith in the Divine Decree. Denying the truth of the Divine Decree means inviting one's own punishment by Hell-fire.
