Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamalaikum.Respected Burhan Bhai,

This time i am bothering you with a question which relates to the oh-so-complictaed matter of Fate and Free will. In your replies to one of the questions regarding fate and free will ,u have said that Fate can never be changed and whats written is written forever. If this really is the case then why did our Prophet PBUH say that none can change/turn your Fate except your Du`a and supplication.... this is an authentic Hadith and i think according to it ,we can change our Fate provided we keep our faith intact and keep making Dua and supplications......Please comment in detail in the light of the Quran and the Hadith.

May Allah Subhanah be with us today and always.Amen.

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Answer:

Clarification of dua changes fate

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: In your replies to one of the questions regarding fate and free will ,u have said that Fate can never be changed and whats written is written forever.

It is not as if Allah Subhanah does not know the affliction or calamity about to befall a person, and when the calamity suddenly afflicts a person and he makes dua and supplication to Allah Subhanah to remove his affliction, a sudden change of plans are made and Allah Subhanah expedites the end of the trial from him!

The trial befell the person as a test ordained from Allah Subhanah, for a period ordained and Decreed by Allah Subhanah, and will end at the time ordained by Allah Subhanah! The All-Knowing Lord already knows that so and so person will keep his faith firm in Him, supplicate Him Alone, and the trial will be lifted at its ordained time! The All Knowing Lord also knows that so and so person will lose hope in Him, supplicate all and sundry to remove his trial, and Allah will remove the trial at its exact appointed time!

The difference being, the one who kept his faith firm passed the test ordained by Allah; and the one who lost hope in Allah Alone, failed the test miserably! The fate of the individual does not change because he made or did not make the supplications; because what we call ‘fate’ is in reality the Perfect and Absolute Knowledge of the All-Knowing Lord, which He has documented completely at the beginning of creation!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 38: There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have We omitted from ‘The Book’ and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 57 Surah Hadid verse 22: No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls, but is recorded in a Decree before We bring it into existence: that is truly easy for Allah:

Thus what we call ‘fate’ is in reality what Allah Subhanah has already written down in His Perfect and Absolute Knowledge in the ‘mother of all Books: the Loh-al-Mahfoodh’, and that can never ever be changed in the least! Allah Subhanah, in His Perfect and Absolute Knowledge knows exactly who will stay steadfast and beseech Him Alone and thus pass the trial; and who will loose faith in Him and beseech others and thus fail the test!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 64 (part): No change can there be in the Words of Allah!

Your Statement: Prophet PBUH say that none can change/turn your Fate except your Du`a and supplication.... this is an authentic Hadith and i think according to it ,we can change our Fate provided we keep our faith intact and keep making Dua and supplications.

Salman Al-Farisi reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "Nothing can avert the Decree of Allah except supplication, and nothing increases life except virtuous deeds." (Related by Tirmidhi)

There is indeed an authentic tradition from the Messenger of Allah (saws) to the effect you have quoted. But again, one must understand that it is not as if Allah Subhanah is unaware that when a calamity befalls His believing slave, and he will supplicate Allah Subhanah to avert the calamity, there will be a sudden change of plans and Allah Subhanah will have to change what He has written with His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge in one’s fate!

Allah Subhanah already knows from His Absolute and Perfect knowledge what His creation will do, and this He has documented in the ‘mother of all Books: Al-Loh Al-Mahfoodh’ prior to creation! What we call and recognize as ‘fate’, is in reality the Decree which the All Knowing Lord has documented in His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge; and that cannot be changed in the least!

Take the case of Prophet Yunus (a.s.), who was cast into the belly of a fish by the Decree of Allah Subhanah. And Prophet Yunus (a.s.) supplicated Allah Subhanah to avert this calamity, as stated by Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran:

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 37 Surah Saafaat verses 142-144:

142 Then the big Fish did swallow him and he had done acts worthy of blame.

143 Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah

144 He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection.

In light of the above verses of the Quran, it indeed seems that it was the supplication of Prophet Yunus (a.s.) which ‘changed’ his fate of remaining in the stomach of the fish until the Day of Resurrection! But in reality, Allah Subhanah already knew in His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge that Prophet Yunus (a.s.) would make an unintentional error, and subsequently the fish would swallow him, and subsequently he (a.s.) would supplicate Allah Subhanah to avert his calamity, and Allah Subhanah would then avert his calamity! That is because Allah Subhanah has Perfect and Absolute Knowledge of everything of the past, present and future; and this is what is documented and called one’s ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’!

The supplication or dua which one makes to His Lord, is in effect a part of his ‘fate’ which is in reality the Perfect and Absolute Knowledge of Allah Subhanah; and that can never ever be changed!!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan