INTRODUCTION
It is narrated on the authority of 'Umar Ibnal Khattab (r.a.) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) say, "Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended. Whoever migrates with an intention for Allah and His messenger, the migration will be for the sake of Allah and his Messenger. And whoever migrates for worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his migration will be for the sake of whatever he migrated for." (Bukhari & Muslim).
The narration above clearly outlines everyone’s intentions in life. In simple terms, do you eat to live or do you live to eat? Do you live to serve Allah or to serve your own self-interest? The Qur’an states: Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people," (Surah Tawbah 9:24).
YOUR DESIRE AND THE WILL OF ALLAH
Reflect upon this: When Allah makes a person rich, He then looks to see what that person does with the wealth He has been bestowed with. Since He is the Owner of all wealth, He may decide to take it back. If you inherit it, it does not necessarily mean that you own it. It is on loan to you from Allah.
There is another little-known aspect overlooked by many. The FIRST deals with your intention or rather your desire. Most in general turn to Allah everyday with endless supplications, seeking help or success over something. This is a Traditional Islamic approach. In Islam, we are encouraged to do so, but have you ever considered the fact that Allah is not there just to answer your whims and fancies? The Qur’an clearly points out: “And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided,” (Surah Baqarah 2:186).
It is obvious that the relationship between you Allah is not a ‘one-way-street’. If at all you are helped on some occasions even if you are a disbeliever or a lukewarm Muslim, it is out of His Forgiveness and Mercy. In truth, you were unworthy, you did not live up to His expectations. As such, do not get carried away with all the Islamic literature you read. Instead, take a good look at yourself. This is something most do not do. They get carried away with ‘skin-deep’ Islamic teachings and preaching, without realising that your whole existence belongs to Allah and that it all depends on your submission and servitude to Him, and in return, you are blessed with His Pleasure, not just worldly gain but prosperity too in the Hereafter.
The SECOND, deals with Allah’s Divine Will. We are familiar with the first part, which basically deals with asking (supplication). As the Hadith on Intention states, you will be granted it (as you so desire).
Often, to save you from destruction, Allah may not grant it. However, persistence and determination dominate our existence, because most of the time, we are driven by our ‘nafs’ (egoistic carnal desires). At the opposite end lies the Divine Will of Allah. It is important to understand that both your Desire and the Divine Will of Allah, coexists together.
Allah can grant what a person keeps begging Him for. At the same time, the Divine Will fulfills what was in His knowledge in terms of a person’s desire as willed in Qada’ and Qadar (their destiny).
Understanding this takes time, because in one instance it is related to free-will, freedom of choice, while at the other end as we know from Ayatal Kursi, Allah is aware and fully in control of every situation. To be just and not to be accused of ‘fixing-up’ your life on the Day of Judgement, Allah has granted you freedom of choice and blessed you with discernment. “Verily, in that are signs for those of discernment.” (Surah Hijr 15:75). The question that arises here is: Are you capable of discernment? (My next article will deal on this).
In short, your choice was also in keeping with Allah’s Divine Will or maybe I could say that Allah’s Divine Will was reflected in your choice? Did not Abu Lahab and Abu Jahal end up this way?
Look at the world today. Look at the Global Leadership in existence. When you view this situation, it is in keeping with the very Hadith which I mentioned at the beginning. It is not about Allah and His Rasul, but rather about marrying some beautiful woman. In our context, it is love of this life, love of this world, which is far more important than love for Allah and His Rasul. If you view it from Allah’s perspective, it is in keeping with Qiyamah (the Last Day).
This is not a defeatist attitude, but rather one that promotes striving to do good, knowing fully well that the final outcome is unavoidable due to human nature. What is important here is to “do good” as advised by the Prophet (s.a.w.), knowing fully well that the end is inevitable. We can hold countless Environmental Conferences but the results will be the same. It will finally lead to the end of the world. In between, we may have Mahdi or Jesus, but things will return back to an outcome designed by Allah whether you agree or like it or not.
CONCLUSION
In concluding, I would say in a worldly sense, that you are fighting a losing battle, but you do so because you still possess a value system and a conscience. In Islam, we are required to uphold the Truth and to oppose injustice. However, from Allah’s perspective, everything has been set in place and it will be fulfilled as ordained by Him, at a time deemed fit by Him.
When you place both these views side by side, I would say that it would be best to submit and surrender to the Divine Will of Allah totally. This means to place His interest first and not yours; to eat to live and not to live to eat. To understand, that your very existence, health, wealth and peace of mind lie in His hands, and that your Final Destiny remains your goal in life, and not in the Glitter of this Worldly Life. It is thus important to make adjustments to every intention you present, to ensure that it serves Allah the way it should and not your greed and selfishness. Ameen. [Mokhtar Stork 13 Nov 2025]
