Can man abandon Salah (prayers) claiming, "Allah has not guided me to pray?"
هل يمكن أن يجلس الإنسان في بيته و يترك الصلاة و يقول إن الله لم يهدني؟
Man never knows whether Allah the Almighty has decreed guidance for him or not, bearing in mind that Allah the Almighty gives the people the ability to obey Him and abandon the forbidden matters, so how could he claim that he knows that Allah the Almighty has not decreed guidance for him?
إن العبد لا يعلم إن كان ﷲ كتب له الهداية أو لم يكتب وقد جعل ﷲ للعبد القدرة على الطاعة والقدرة على ترك المحرمات، فكيف يعلم العبد أن ﷲ لم يكتب له الهداية؟
Action vs. Fatalism | العمل مقابل التواكل
1. The Unknown Nature of Destiny
Man can never know the things decreed for him until they take place, so he might not have been guided in the past, but he cannot be sure that Allah will not guide him in the future. Allah the Almighty says: (The polytheists will argue, "Had it been Allah’s Will, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated others with Him in worship or made anything unlawful." Likewise, those before them rejected the truth until they tasted Our punishment. Ask them, O Prophet, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? Surely you follow nothing but false assumptions and you do nothing but lie.") [Al-An'am 6: 148]
1. غيب الأقدار
إذ لا يمكن للإنسان أن يعلم أن ما كتب له إلا بعد أن يقع القدر، فإذا كان لم يهده ﷲ فيما مضى، فكيف علم العبد أن ﷲ لم يكتب له الهداية فيما سيأتي. كما قال الله تعالى: (سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّـهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَا آبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا ۖ) [الأنعام 6: 148]
2. The Analogy of Sustenance (Rizq)
This clarifies the point that Allah the Almighty decrees sustenance to man, but the latter should strive to get his sustenance without saying, "Well, Allah the Almighty has decreed that sustenance to me, so I will definitely get it."
2. القياس على الرزق
يوضح ذلك أن ﷲ كتب للعبد الرزق لكن العبد يسعى في الوصول إلى رزقه دون أن يقول إن ﷲ كتب لي رزقا وسيأتيني.
3. The Active Pursuit of Guidance
Allah the Almighty orders the servants to make use of the available means of guidance such as praying, remembering Allah, and uttering words of Tasbeeh (saying Subhana Allah, glory be to Allah), Tahleel (saying La ilaha ila Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah Alone) and Istighfar (asking Allah for His Forgiveness).
(But I am truly Most Forgiving to whoever repents, believes, and does good, then persists on true guidance.) [Ta-Ha 20: 82]
Allah the Almighty has placed ‘guidance’ after ‘believing’, and the good deed and repentance follow it.
3. السعي لتحصيل الهداية
فالله قد أمر العبد بأسباب الهداية من الصلاة والذكر والتسبيح والتهليل والاستغفار كما قال سبحانه: (وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىٰ) [طه 20: 82]
فجعل الهداية عقب الإيمان والعمل الصالحِ والمغفرة تابعة لذلك.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Can a person use predestination as an excuse to abandon prayer?
No, because humans do not know what Allah has decreed for them until it actually happens. A person cannot claim they are destined to be unguided, as Allah has given everyone the ability to obey Him and abandon forbidden matters.
How does seeking spiritual guidance compare to seeking physical sustenance?
The text draws a direct comparison: just as Allah decrees sustenance (Rizq) but requires a person to actively strive to get it, He also decrees guidance but requires a person to actively use the means to attain it rather than sitting idle.
What are some practical means of attaining guidance mentioned in the text?
The available means of guidance include praying, remembering Allah, uttering words of Tasbeeh (Glory be to Allah), Tahleel (There is no deity but Allah), and Istighfar (seeking forgiveness).