Fajr Thoughts: Nearness to Him Part 7

The Illusion of Control

In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةًۭ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ
"And He is the Subjugator over His servants, and He sends over you guardian-angels until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him, and they do not fail [in their duties]."[Qur’an 6:61]

Sometimes I see the flaw in words like “seize the day” cos some days “cease us.”

We walk through life convinced that we are in charge. We have made all the plans, read the latest book which probably is something along the lines of “3 steps to succeed in life [and I apologize if there is a book with this title, I completely made it up and do not mean any disrespect]”.. We feel like we got this. We confidently chase our goals, build our dreams, brick by brick. We feel powerful when things go our way…

And sometimes, they DO NOT.

And then we feel restless.

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But My Lord is al-Qahir!

The One who subdues.

The One before whom every being is humbled, willingly or unwillingly.

The One from whom no soul can escape.

His power is absolute, unmatched, inescapable.

Al-Qahhaar is a hyperbolic form of Al-Qaahir and they both mean the One Who subdues all of creation and to whom all creatures are submissive to. This Name has been mentioned in six places in the Qur'an, joined with the Names “Allah” and “Al-Waahid” (The One) in all of them. Therefore, domination and monotheism are strongly linked and exclusively for Allah Alone.

Shaikh As-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “The One Who subdues all, is thus the One Who has no equal. He is the One Who deserves to be worshipped Alone just as He Alone subdues everything.”

We exist under His dominion, whether we acknowledge it or not. Life and death, movement and stillness, joy and sorrow, each unfolds within His decree.

No matter how the “seasons of our lives” change. Our Lord does not change.

And when our time is up, His messengers will not delay nor hasten by a moment.

May Allah ﷻ grant us a beautiful end and admit us into His Jannah without account.

Life will not always go as planned, but it always unfolds according to His wisdom. True peace comes when we submit to His decree. And it is true that we are in some position that comes with some authority but there is no need for any arrogance with whatever that power might seem like.

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Also, that restlessness you feel and you keep resisting, just calls you to surrender.

لَبَّيْكَ اللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ

And more than planning, more than dreaming and “goaling”, for the uncertain future, we need to prepare for the certain meeting with Our Lord.

How would we want to be received?

"Ya Al-Qahhir, we acknowledge that all power belongs to You alone. Make us of those who surrender willingly, and grant us a good end when Your decree reaches us. Ameen."

If you would like to reflect on least one ayah daily this blessed month, then go ahead and get your copy of Fajr Thoughts. It contains a summary of each juz, an ayah or passage from each juz, some notes from tafasir and then some questions to get you started on your reflections.