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--- Issue: "808" Section: ID: "1" SName: "Living The Quran" url: "living-the-quran" SOrder: "1" Content: "\r\n

Relying on God
\r\n Al-Kahf (The Cave) - Chapter 18: Verses 23 - 24 (partial)

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"Never say about anything, 'I shall do this tomorrow,' without adding, 'if God so wills.'\"

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It is impossible for man to know what may happen in the future. Hence, he should not give any definitive judgement of it.

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Every action a human being does or omits to do, indeed every breath a human being takes, is subject to God's will. The curtains hiding the future are stretched in full so as to hide everything beyond the present moment. Our eyes cannot discern what is behind that curtain, and our minds are finite, no matter how advanced our knowledge may be. Hence a human being must never say that he is definitely doing something tomorrow unless he attaches his intention to God's will. This is because tomorrow belongs to the realm that lies beyond the reach of human perception. As such, only God knows it. Hence, we do not make any assertion about it.

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This does not mean that man should be fatalistic, giving no thought to the future and making no plans for it. He should not live for the present moment, cutting himself off from his past and future. No, this is not what the directive implies. Rather, what is implied is that every human being must make an allowance for what God may will in his case. It may well be that God may decide something different to what he intends. Should God help him put into effect what he intends, then all well and good. But if God's will moves in a different direction, he should not despair or be sad. All matters belong to God at the beginning and at the end.

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What this means in practice is that every person should think and plan as they wish, but they must always remember to rely on God's help and guidance. This should not lead to laziness and disinterestedness. On the contrary, it should give us more strength, confidence, reassurance and resolve. We submit to God's will because it is beyond our knowledge until God makes it known.

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Compiled From:
\r\n \"In The Shade of The Quran\" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 11, pp. 251, 252

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