When the disbelievers plotted against you, to imprison you, or kill you, or expel you. They planned, and God planned, but God is the Best of planners.

 وَإ ذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

When the disbelievers plotted against you, to imprison you, or kill you, or expel you. They planned, and God planned, but God is the Best of planners.

                                                      (Surah Anfal Ayah 30 )

Sometimes we really want things to work out and we plan many things and we do not really get to fulfill our plans. There are a lot of plans everyone had especially this year but it did not work out. We also feel entitled when we our plans don’t work out. The covid 19 pandemic and lockdown has taught us many lessons. We can spend all our lives planning and at the end of the day its Allah’s plan that finally works. This kind of thought process frightens some people because they cannot be in control of everything that happens around them. 

 

We as human beings are very weak and flawed and limited by nature. We don’t know what is going to happen 1 second from now. We don’t know beyond a very small scope and our knowledge is very limited. There is a limit to our knowledge and how far we can see and our what our abilities are. With all these limits it is difficult to be in control of everything and which is why Allah is the one steering the ship. The direction of our lives is only in the hands of Allah. Many of us want to feel like we are in control of our lives. But at the end of the day it is Allah who is in control. We must say Alhamdulillah for such a big blessing because we must thank Allah that we are not in charge of everything that happens in the world and the outcomes of our decisions. We could mess it up and it would turn into a disaster. 

 

Sometimes we really try very hard for a specific outcome and it doesn’t work out, and sometimes once we cross the path and when we look back we realise how blessed we are that Allah blocked the outcome which we desired. Sometime in the future we look back and we realise how Allah’s plan was much better. The entire chapter of Yusuf (AS), his father and his brothers, we get this lesson illustrated very clearly. Something may appear on the external to be negative and we may not understand why it is happening and we may think it’s a bad thing, but ultimately in the future it is a part of the greater divine plan.  

Yusuf (AS) story shows us that his tests and trials, Allah is comforting him and giving him reassurance and that there is a purpose to all those trials and there is a greater divine design that is unfolding and it isnt just something random. Allah never abandoned him and he is being taught to be resilient and patient. 

Even when Yusuf AS was thrown into the well by his brothers , it was traumatic. even in that stage Allah SWT comforts him , Allah says, Indeed with difficulty is ease. Allah gives us comfort along with our trials. Allah doesn’t just give us trials and leave us to ourselves. This incident teaches us that someday things are going to change and it is Yusuf AS who will be informing his brothers about what happened. The positions are going to change. Although we would see this incident as a negative and traumatic experience but this was part of Allah’s divine plan. This was part of Allah’s plan for him to reach the court of the treasurer.  

Let us learn to accept Qadar as it is a part of Imaan and learn the importance of acceptance and gratitude.