DESTINY - THE ETERNAL KNOWLEDGE OF ALLAH

Relativity of time clears up a very important matter. The relativity is so variable that a period of time appearing billions of years duration to us may last only a second in another dimension. Moreover, an enormous period of time extending from the worlds beginning to its end may not even last a second but just an instant in another dimension. This is the very essence of the concept of destiny- a concept that is not well understood by most people, especially materialists, who deny it completely. Destiny is Allahs perfect knowledge of all events past or future. A majority of people question how Allah can already know events that have not yet been experienced and this leads them to fail in understanding the authenticity of destiny. However, events not yet experienced are not yet experienced only for us. Time or space does not bind Allah for He Himself has created them. For this reason, the past, the future, and the present are all the same to Allah; for Him, everything has already taken place and finished. Lincoln Barnett explains how the Theory of General Relativity leads to this fact in The Universe and Dr. Einstein: According to Barnett, the universe can be encompassed in its entire majesty only by a cosmic intellect. The will that Barnett calls the cosmic intellect is the wisdom and knowledge of Allah, Who prevails over the entire universe. Just as we easily see a rulers beginning, middle, and end, and all the units in between as a whole, Allah knows the time we are subjected to like a single moment right from its beginning to the end. People experience incidents only when their time comes and they witness the fate Allah has created for them. It is also important to draw attention to the shallowness of the distorted understanding of destiny prevalent in society. This distorted conviction of fate holds a superstitious belief that Allah has determined a destiny for every man but that these destinies can sometimes be changed by people. For instance, for a patient who returns from deaths door people make superficial statements like He defeated his destiny. Yet, no one is able to change his destiny. The person who turns from deaths door does not die because he is destined not to die then. It is again the destiny of those people who deceive themselves by saying, I defeated my destiny to say so and maintain such a mindset. Destiny is the eternal knowledge of Allah and for Allah, Who knows time like a single moment and Who prevails over the whole time and space, everything is determined and finished in a destiny. We also understand from what is related in the Quran that time is one for Allah: some incidents that appear to happen to us in the future are related in the Quran in such a way that they already took place long before. For instance, the verses that describe the account that people are to give to Allah in the hereafter are related as events that already occurred long ago: And the trumpet is blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth swoon away, save him whom Allah willeth. Then it is blown a second time, and behold them standing waiting! And the earth shineth with the light of her Lord, and the Book is set up, and the prophets and the witnesses are brought, and it is judged between them with truth, and they are not wronged... And those who disbelieve are driven unto hell in troops... And those who disbelieve are driven unto hell in troops..." (Quran, 39:68-74) As may be seen, occurrences that are going to take place after our death (from our point of view) are related as already experienced and past events in the Quran. Allah is not bound by the relative time frame that we are confined in. Allah has willed these things in timelessness: people have already performed them and all these events have been lived through and ended. It is imparted in the verse below that every event, be it big or small is within the knowledge of Allah and recorded in a book: In whatever business thou mayest be, and whatever portion thou mayest be reciting from the Quran, and whatever deed ye (mankind) may be doing, We are witnesses thereof when ye are deeply engrossed therein. Nor is hidden from thy Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom on the earth or in heaven. And not the least and not the greatest of these things but are recorded in a clear record. (Quran, 10:61) If one thinks deeper in light of all that is said here, he is sure to realize in his own soul this astounding and extraordinary situation: that all events transpiring on earth are merely an illusion.

How to Become Muslim

If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah (SWT) for all human beings, then, one should pronounce that "Shahada" (The testimony of faith) without further delay. The Shahada can be declared as follows:

''ASH-HADU ANLAA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH, WA ASH HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN ABDUHU WA RASUULUH."
The English translation is: "I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshipped but Allah, and I bear witness the Muhammad is His servant and messenger.'' However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to utter only this testimony orally either in private or in public, but rather, one should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction with the teachings of Islam in all his life he will find himself a new born person, (or new man).

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