When Allah’s plan does not make sense to you
Ibrahim’s wife waited her whole life for a child. The answer came when she was old.
You know someone who lies, cheats and hurts people, and their life keeps going well. Meanwhile you pray, you make the same dua for years, and nothing changes.
So you start to wonder if Allah’s plan makes any sense. The Quran answers that thought with the story of an old woman who was told something that made no sense at all.
Why do bad people seem to get away with it?
Allah says: never think that He is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He is only giving them time, until a Day when their eyes will stare in fear.
Nabi ﷺ said Allah gives the wrongdoer time, but when He takes him, He does not let him go.
Late is not the same as never. You are seeing the middle of their story, not the end.
What happened to Ibrahim’s wife?
Ibrahim (AS) and his wife Sarah were old. In all their years together, she never had a child.
One day guests came to Ibrahim. He did not know them, but he hurried to his family and brought them a roasted calf. They did not eat it. They were angels.
They told him he would have a son. His wife came forward, put her hands to her face and said: an old woman who could never have children? In another place she says: I am an old woman, and my husband is an old man. This is a strange thing.
Think about it from her side. All those years of waiting and hoping. And now, when her body is tired and her husband is old, the answer comes.
What did the angels tell her?
They said: “Thus spoke your Lord. He is the Wise, the Knowing.”
They did not explain the timing. They did not give her reasons. They were only delivering the news. The reason was with Allah.
And in the other telling they said: are you surprised at what Allah decides? Allah’s mercy and blessings are on you, the people of this house.
She gave birth to Ishaq (AS), and after him came Yaqub (AS). Two prophets came from an answer that looked far too late. Ibrahim later thanked Allah for giving him children in his old age.
So why does it not make sense to me?
Because you only see a small part. Allah says you may dislike something that is good for you, and like something that is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.
When Allah decides something, He is not missing any part of your story. He knew all of it before He decided. The one who is short on knowledge is me, not Him.
Nabi ﷺ once told a young boy: if the whole world came together to help you, they could only help you with what Allah had already written for you. And if they all came together to harm you, they could only harm you with what Allah had written.
Does trusting Allah mean I stop asking why?
No. Sarah was honest. She was surprised and she said so. When Yaqub (AS) lost his son, he said: I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah. You can tell Allah it hurts.
Trust means you keep going while you do not understand. Nabi ﷺ said the life of a believer is amazing, because there is good in all of it. When something good happens, he thanks Allah, and that is good for him. When something hard happens, he is patient, and that is good for him too.
What to do
- When something makes no sense, say “Allah knows and I do not” before you say anything else.
- Keep making the dua you have been making for years.
- Tell Allah honestly what hurts, in your own words.
- Thank Allah today for one thing you once begged Him for.
What not to do
- Do not judge Allah’s plan by the part you can see.
- Do not decide a wrongdoer got away with it. You have not seen the end.
- Do not stop asking because the answer is late.
- Do not envy people whose life looks easy right now.
One last thing
Think of one thing you have been waiting on for a long time. Tonight, after you pray, ask Allah for it again, and end with the angels’ words: You are the Wise, the Knowing. Then leave the timing with Him.
Source: Quran 14:42; Sahih al-Bukhari 4686; Quran 51:24-30; Quran 11:69-73; Quran 14:39; Quran 2:216; Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516; Quran 12:86; Sahih Muslim 2999
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.