Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 294
! ! 294 whereas you are pessimistic and disheartened. This is not due to divine decree being th eir friend and your enemy. T he sole reason for this is that they acted according to the laws of nature, or you could say that they made proper use of the “machinery” of the world and benefited from it. However, you have been the losers , due to your waywardness and disregard for rules. When a child falls sick due to your negligence , your foolishness , or your ignorance, you as sociate this with divine decree. Y ou neither accept your mistake nor do you attempt to reform yourself. You do not take care to train your children prop erly and when they are spoiled and dissolute you say, “ Indeed, it was destined. ” Remember well, this is all due to negligence and disregarding the laws of nature. God has established these rules, and those who follow them will be successful, and those who break them will be destroyed. O nce again , I will instruct you not to use destiny as an excuse to blame God. ا َۡﻻ ۡﺳ َﻤ ﺂ َء ٰا َد َم َﻋ َّﻠ َﻢ [ “ He taught Adam all the names ” ] (Holy Qur’ān , Ch. 2: V. 32) He [God] t aught Adam His attributes. What is referred to here is the knowledge about God, or in other words, the understand ing of His attributes. You belong to a Jama'at chosen by God. I t is vital for you to develop an awareness of Him. You should forget about fate. A ssociate fate with God on ly up on pleasant occasions. Understand that He is the All Powerful, the Merciful, the Gracious, and He is the One who resolves difficulties. Haz rat Abraham as expressed the concept of destiny very exquisitely when he said, “I fall sick, God bestows health; I remain ignorant, and God grants me knowledge; I am neglectful and He confers awareness. ” Consequently, you should also desist from attribut ing cruel actions to God. Remove your own slackness and shortcomings from yourself. Practice the rules ordained by Him in an appropriate manner , so that this adver sity may be removed from you. T ake care to remember this instruction, so that this issue no longer re - surface s with in our Jama'at. The Second Issue i s Prayer Prayer is a weapon which cuts through whatever it strikes at.