The Divine Arrangement is a Very Fine Program
Almighty Allah manifests everything in His servants. Nothing is going to be by chance. Everything manifested is prepared, arranged and programmed. The programming is very fine. Al anfazul aalauda fe amakil mahloodah – the breathings of a person are numbered and it is written as to how many breaths you should breathe throughout your life. That number never changes. It is also written at which place you should breathe and at which time. For example, you are present here and you are breathing, those breaths have been written to be breathed at this place. When these breaths are finished you will go in another direction to find your breathings. Each one finishes his breathings in one place and then reaches on to a different place to find his breathings (for those breathings for this person have been written at that other place) Everyone is Sakalufee falakin yas fahoon. Everyone is programmed as to which way he should step. He cannot put even one step in another place for which he is not programmed.
For example one plane is programmed to fly at a certain height and on a certain route, and another at a different height and on a different route. Everyone puts his step at the place that he has been programmed to place his foot, not any where else. You have to place this foot at the exact place and it cannot be a little bit to the right, or a little bit to the left, not even slightly backward or slightly forward.
A very fine arrangement.
Allah Almighty’s Will has programmed everyone’s life up to the finest point. You cannot even begin to imagine, how fine it is! No, never. That is absolute perfection for Allah Almighty and for his actions. Therefore we are not able to have everything that we may wish for as our wishes are out of this program. Sometimes we may be able to change something which is programmed for us (by asking for Divine help) but this changing is also mentioned in our program. It has been programmed and through programming also you will ask for this to be changed. If you are asking it can change and if you are not it will not change.
Yes absolute perfection is for Allah Almighty, and so are absolute wisdoms. The best way for the servants of Allah is to accept and to surrender to this Divine Programming. When man puts his will against this, he will not be happy. This trial by the Divine Will is to see if people are trying to change it, reject it or to object. Seyyadina Abdul Qadir Jeelani (qad) says that this is the death of faith. Real faith people surrender to that river (Divine Will) which takes them to the top-most level of humans and they leave out asking for anything. They say “why should we ask”,
Yes this is true.
This is the way also of Seyyadina Ibrahim (alai).
The Way of Seyyadine Ibrahim (alai).
When Nimrod threw Ibrahim (alai) into a huge fire, all the angels said to Allah Almighty “Oh lord your Kaleel (friend) has been thrown into a fire by your enemy, Nimrod”. Then Allah Almighty said to Jibril (alai) “would you like to help him”. The angels also said to Jibril (alai) “he has always been a friend to you, therefore reach to him and help him.” Jibril (alai) came from Sidrathul Muhtaha (the heavens) faster than the speed of light. He stood in front of Seyyadina Ibrahim and asked him “do you need help because without your permission we will not be able to help you”. Seyyadina Ibrahim said “No I am not asking for your help.” Then Jibril (alai) said, “ask help from your Lord” then Ibrahim (alai) replied, “there is no need to ask Him. He is looking and He sees and knows where I am, therefore there is no need to ask Him”.
That is the top level, not to ask. But till you reach to that level, you must ask for help. When you reach to the level of the station (maqam) of Seyyadina Ibrahim you are not able to ask because you will be ashamed to ask.
What I mean to say is that Allah Almighty orders His servants to ask Him for help till a person comes to this perfect station. When he arrives at this perfect station he would say there is nothing for me to ask now as I now belong to Him. He knows what I am in need of, therefore I need not ask. His knowledge about me is perfect knowledge and my knowledge about myself is nothing.
Therefore as beginners, we should ask. But when you reach to that perfect station you must keep Adab (a good manner) in the Divine Presence and not ask. The Adab in the Divine Presence is not to ask, but if you have been ordered to ask then you must ask. If there are no orders to ask then you should never ask. Rasoolullah (Sal) never asked until he had been ordered to ask.
When the Divine Addressing came to Rasoolullah (Sal) saying “Ask and I shall give”, then he asked. Yes, those people on that level never asked for themselves. They were ashamed to do this. They only asked for their nations. All the Prophets ask for their nations and they may also ask for the nation of Muhammed (Sal), but for themselves they ask for nothing. They have nothing to ask for themselves because they are servants. A Curator knows where everyone is present. This Curator (Almighty Allah), knows all the needs of His servants because he has an absolute and perfect knowledge, and He is the creator of all creation. Leave it to Him.
Therefore the Prophet (Sal) was saying “Allah humma hilni wahtalni” – “Oh my Lord you choose for me, don’t let me choose my way, but you choose a way for me and lead me as you like”. This is a level over the level of Ibrahim (alai) to say “Choose for me as you like and make me to accept your choice.” That is important. To be able to choose what He chooses for you and not to quarrel with your Ego.
The Arrow of Destiny.
Seyyadina Ali (ral) was entering a mosque for his morning prayer, when he saw his murderer lying face down and he tapped him with his foot saying “Oh man, I know for what you have come here. You are sleeping like Shaitan on your face. Don’t sleep like this”. A person who sleeps on his face may be well known by his face. The slaves of Shaitan sleep on their faces so that people cannot see their faces and about what bad they are going to do. Don’t sleep like Shaitan is sleeping. Ali (ral) looked at this person’s face and knew that he was trying to kill him. He knew that, that was what Allah Almighty had chosen for him. So Ali (ral) was saying “You Allah Almighty are trying to test me, by showing me who is going to kill me, to see whether I am accepting your will or not”. Yes Seyyadina Ali was perfect through this test. He said to his killer” You are going to kill me”. But that person fell on Ali’s (ral) fees saying “Oh Imam don’t let me do that. You kill me”. But Seyyadina Ali said to him “How can I do that. If I kill you I will be killed under Islamic Law. I cannot tell as an excuse that because I knew that you will kill me one day that I I killed you. Shariat will not accept this defense. Therefore I cannot kill you”. Ali (ral) knew what his Lord had chosen for him. He was not trying to change that for he said “No need, for what reason should I change it”.
Seyyadina Ali was a person who destroyed armies by himself. It was not possible for a person to fight face to face with him and kill him. It was impossible. But when he was praying and when this person attacked him he never tried to defend himself. Qiyarath “Allah’s act” – the killing flight of the arrow came to him and it was only like a mosquito touching him and he died because the Divine Command and Divine Choice made it that way for him.
During the battle of Hazrath Ali (ral) and Hazrath Muawiya, one sahaba, reported that “after Magrib we were sitting on our tent and when it was dark, a person came to our tent and we found out as to who it was and that person gave salams to us saying Aslamu Alai Kum Ya Sahabil Kiram” and we replied “Wa Alaikum Salam Ya Ali” after recognizing him. We wondered as to how Hazrath Ali was going around the battle tents after dark all alone without even his bodyguards. When we questioned Hazrath Ali (ral) he replied that Allah Almighty had said that there were Angels protecting Allah’s true servants from front and behind from any harm. They are protected unless harm comes with the “Arrow of Ajal” which is the “Arrow of Destiny” which finishes our lives and brings death to us.
When that arrow touches a person, his life finishes and since Allah’s true servant knows when the Arrow of Ajal (Destiny) comes, and since he knows that he is protected by Allah’s bodyguards or Angels, he will know when the Angels will open the protection for the arrow to pass. He knows that when that time comes nothing can be done to protect him or anyone else. Therefore Hazrath Ali was going about undeterred and making his patrol rounds. Yes Hazrath Ali had reached to a level of Kashf where the veils of the heart were taken away and he could look at the Preserved Tablet (lawhul mahfooz). In the same manner the Saints are looking and are likewise continuing on their path.
If this is shown to common or ordinary people they may look at their Qadr (Destiny) and want to escape from it. Therefore Allah Almighty is not showing this to ordinary people, but only to the Awliyas (Saints). It is shown to them and they always submit to the Will of the Almighty. Ordinary people will not submit to the Divine Will and they will always try to find a means of escape by taking more bodyguards or more state policemen in order to protect themselves from any harm. If Allah Almighty in that level (the level of Awliyas) sends any harm to these people they will always accept it and be willing to carry out the Divine Will.
Therefore, when Hazrath Ali (ral) was murdered, who do you think paid for his compensation (Deeyath), for one killed by mistake? Allah Almighty paid the compensation for Hazrath Ali’s murder. He asked him to be patient and there was no objection from Seyyadina Ali (ral) with regard to his fate. Hazrath Ali (ral) accepted his fate because his teacher was a perfect teacher who was none other than Seyyadina Muhammed Rasoolullah (Sal). Seyyadina Rasoolullah (Sal) was his perfect teacher and he taught him everything.