“Please wait for just five minutes, dinner is almost ready. Do eat before leaving,” requested his aunt.
“No, Jazak Allah Khair! I am already late. I’ll eat at home InshaAllah,” replied the nephew with a smile.
Only an hour had passed after Salim left that she heard her mobile phone ringing.
“Yes, yes…Oh no! Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon!” Nasreen was in total shock; Salim had been hit by a speeding van on the highway and had died on spot.
“If only I could have stopped him for dinner! He was right here in front of me minutes ago…Oh! How I wish!’ she thought with tears in her eyes.
**** **** ****
Asiyah was wandering far away in the land of memories. Her husband was going to be late again. And like a gush of wind, all the ups and downs of her married life started rolling in front her eyes. “What did this man give me? Why is he always late now? He doesn’t even love me anymore…how I regret my decision! If only I had known…”
She could remember when they received a proposal from her cousin Ahmad. She refused him and instead preferred Fawad who was in those days, an affluent businessman. Now, the condition was opposite; Ahmad was playing in money while her husband worked hard to make both ends meet.
The bell rang and suddenly, she came back to the real world, embarrassed at her thoughts. It was Fawad with a warm smile on his face.
**** **** ****
Why are you so upset Zain?” asked his wife as she handed him over a hot cup of tea.
“Just nothing…” he replied and went on thinking about the transactions that he had missed. The plot that I bought hasn’t increased in value ever since and the one in the same vicinity, which was also offered to me is touching the skies. If only I had bought it then!
**** **** ****
‘If only’, ‘I wish’…we often hear and speak these words in our daily lives. These phrases reflect feelings of negativity, regret, hopelessness and self-pity. How amazing is our deen that does not just teach us rituals of worship but also guides us in the tiniest aspects of life. Our wonderful teacher Prophet Muhammad 
closed all doors for pessimism and mourning over what we could not achieve through his beautiful words. He said:
“If anything afflicts you, do not say, ‘If I had done such and such things, such and such would have happened.’ But say, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does,’ for (the utterance) ‘If I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of the devil.” 1
Maybe Allah saved us from a greater trial by giving us what He gave and saved us from that which wasn’t in our best interest.
The hadeeth shows us that everything is from Allah 
, and was written in our book of decree, years before we came into the world. Instead of regretting over the past, we should live in the present, be content and grateful. Allah is All-wise (Al Hakeem) and Most Loving (Al-Wadood). Maybe Allah saved us from a greater trial by giving us what He gave and saved us from that which wasn’t in our best interest. Like a mother who does not ask her toddler to lift heavy suitcases, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. He loves us more than the love of seventy mothers combined. He is listening, He is watching and just wants to test if we are grateful and patient, or not.
Like a mother who does not ask her toddler to lift heavy suitcases, Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Whenever we are struck with such a thought, we must say and believe wholeheartedly: Qaddar Allahu wa maa sha’a fa’al, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does’. We human beings do not understand even 5 % of the laws of this vast universe, how can we understand the wisdom behind all His plans?
This is what builds the amazing character of a momin; whatever befalls him he remains satisfied. Prophet Muhammad said:
“How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer. If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” 2
What is ordained for me shall come to me, and what was not ordained will never reach me. The pens have been lifted and the scrolls have dried.
Let us inculcate this hadeeth in our day-to-day lives and enjoy the happiness, contentment and optimism that come with it. What is ordained for me shall come to me, and what was not ordained will never reach me. The pens have been lifted and the scrolls have dried.
(Inspiration for the article was taken from a similar article in Urdu)
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11 replies on “If – The door for Shaitan”
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Ma Sha Allah!
May Allah reward you Al-Jannatul firdaos
Jazakillah Khayr for the wonderful Dua! May Allah grant us all Jannatul Firdous. Ameen
may Allah reward you abundantly! I really like this article may Allah guide us
Jazak Allah Khayr! Ameen…
Assalamualaykum wr wb, jazakallahu khayran.
[…] “If anything afflicts you, do not say, ‘If I had done such and such things, such and such would have happened.’ But say, ‘Allah decrees and what He wills He does,’ for (the utterance) ‘If I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of the devil.” 1 […]
JazaqAllahukhairan..may Allah guide us and bless us.
jazkllah khyr
Assalaamu Alaikum Sister. May Allaah reward you immensely. Good efforts.
[…] for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him.” 2 What is ordained for me shall come to me, and what was not ordained will never reach me. The pens […]