This is the final pillar of peace: Al-Qadr (Divine Decree). When you combine the realization that “everything belongs to Allah” with the fact that “everything happens by His Will,” the result is an unbreakable internal fortress.In Islam, this isn’t just a theological fact; it is the ultimate medicine for the “mental noise” of the devil.
1. The Pen Has Dried
The Prophet ﷺ gave a foundational piece of advice to a young Ibn Abbas that changed how believers view reality:
“Know that if the whole world were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with something Allah had already prescribed for you. And that if they gather together to harm you… they would not harm you except with something Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.“ (Tirmidhi)
- The Relief: If the “pages have dried,” it means you can stop fighting the past. You don’t have to carry the weight of “What if?” because there was never a version of the universe where that event didn’t happen. It was written before the heavens and earth were created.
2. The “Filter” of Every Event
Scholars explain that nothing—not even a leaf falling or a whisper in your mind—enters into existence except through four “gates”:
- Knowledge: Allah knew it would happen.
- Writing: Allah wrote it in the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz).
- Will: Allah willed for it to occur at this exact moment.
- Creation: Allah brought the event or the feeling into being.
Why is this comforting? Because it means you are never “out of His sight.” Even your struggle with the devil is happening within the boundary of Allah’s Will. He has allowed it to happen because He knows you have the strength to gain a reward from it.
3. The Two Fruits of Believing in Will
The Quran (57:22-23) explains exactly why Allah tells us that everything is written:
“No misfortune can happen on earth or in yourselves but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence… So that you may not despair over what has eluded you, nor exult [in pride] over what He has given you.“
- No Despair: You don’t break when you lose something, because you know it was never “yours” to keep—it was only a guest sent by Allah.
- No Arrogance: You don’t get proud when you succeed, because you know it wasn’t your brilliance—it was Allah’s Will.
4. The “Sweetness” of Faith
The Prophet ﷺ said that a person will not taste the “sweetness of faith” until they know that “what reached them could never have missed them, and what missed them could never have reached them.”Imagine the mental freedom in that statement. The job you didn’t get, the person who hurt you, or the intrusive thought that bothered you—none of it was a “mistake” by the universe. It was a calculated part of your journey toward Jannah.
The “Will of Allah” Checklist
When a trial hits, run it through this mental filter:
- Is Allah aware of this? Yes (Al-Alim).
- Is Allah in control of this? Yes (Al-Qadir).
- Does Allah love me? Yes (Al-Wadud).
- Conclusion: Then there must be a benefit in this for me, even if I can’t see it today.
Would you like me to share the story of Umm Salama? (It is the perfect real-world example of how trusting in Allah’s Will leads to a replacement that is 100 times better than what was lost.)