What is written for you will reach you
If Allah has written something for you, the whole world together cannot keep it from you. And if He has not, nothing you do will bring it.
When Allah wants you to have something, nobody can stop it.
Not your boss. Not the person who said no. Not the whole world standing in a line to block you. If it is written for you, it will reach you.
And the other side is just as true. If Allah has not written it for you, you can chase it for twenty years and it will not come.
Nabi ﷺ said this to a child
Ibn Abbas was a young boy riding behind Nabi ﷺ. And Nabi ﷺ turned to him and said, “O boy, I will teach you some words.”
“Know that if the whole of creation gathered to help you, they could not help you with anything except what Allah has already written for you. And if they gathered to harm you, they could not harm you with anything except what Allah has already written for you.”
Then he said, “The pens have been lifted. The pages have dried.”
Meaning: it is already written. Nobody is holding a pen over your life except Allah.
So why does it feel like people can stop you?
Because you can see them. You cannot see the writing.
You see the interview that went badly. The message that never got a reply. The person who got the thing you wanted. It looks like they decided.
They did not. Allah says, “Whatever mercy Allah opens for people, nobody can hold it back. And whatever He holds back, nobody can release it.”
Nobody. That includes the person who said no to you.
What Nabi ﷺ said after every prayer
After every fard prayer, Nabi ﷺ used to say: “O Allah, nobody can hold back what You give. Nobody can give what You hold back.”
Every prayer. Five times a day. That is how often he reminded himself of this one fact.
Say it too. After you finish praying, before you get up. It takes five seconds.
What about the thing you did not get?
Sometimes what you wanted was not good for you. You just could not see it yet.
Allah says, “It may be that you dislike something and it is good for you, and it may be that you love something and it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.”
The job you did not get. The person who said no. In a year you may look back and thank Allah it went the way it did. Most of us have at least one of these already.
What is written for you cannot miss you. What is not written for you was never yours.
This does not mean sit still
Trust does not mean do nothing. Nabi ﷺ told a man to tie his camel first, then trust Allah.
So apply. Ask. Try again. Make dua. Then leave the result with the One who wrote it.
Allah says, “Whoever relies on Allah, He is enough for him.” Not enough plus a backup plan. Enough.
What to do
- Do the work. Then hand the result to Allah, out loud if it helps.
- Say the after-prayer dua: nobody can hold back what You give, nobody can give what You hold back.
- When a door closes, say alhamdulillah before you say anything else. Then wait and see.
What not to do
- Do not hate the person who said no. They could not have stopped what was written for you.
- Do not call something a loss on the same day. You do not know yet.
- Do not stop making dua because it has not come. Late is not the same as no.
One last thing
If the whole world gathered to stop you, they could not. Nabi ﷺ said it to a child so a child could understand it. So can you.
Source: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516; Sahih al-Bukhari 844; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2517 (tie your camel); Quran 65:3; Quran 35:2; Quran 2:216
SM
The teaching in this post comes from the Quran and the hadith listed above. I only put it in plain words. The tips on what to do and what not to do are my own advice. If you want to talk about anything in this post, write to me at salam@sunnahdaily.com.
For a ruling on your own situation, please speak to a qualified local scholar. You are welcome to email me about it as well, and I will help if I can, or point you to someone who can.