"Are you astonished by Allah’s decree?" On (im)possibility and hope
There are some situations that seem impossible to overcome. The doors are closed, and there is nothing one can do to open them again. It is too late for that supplication to be answered, or things have gone too far to come back. With all the calamities in the world today and the difficulties in our personal lives, the impossibility of relief seems even more acute.
Allah addresses these micro and macro impossibilities in the Qur’an. After many years, the wife of Ibrahim (as), old at that point, was informed that she would have a child. She wondered, “Oh, my! How can I have a child in this old age, and my husband here is an old man? This is truly an astonishing thing!” (11:72) The Angels responded to her with, “Are you astonished by Allah’s decree? May Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you, O people of this house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.” (11:73)
This phrase, “are you astonished by the decree of Allah?” is what struck me when reading this verse. Our imaginations and expectations are limited by what we see. Even when the prophet Zachariah (as) received exactly what he had wanted, what he had prayed for - an heir - he was still shocked when Allah gave it to him. He exclaimed, “My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?”(19:8). An angel replied, “So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!’” (19:9)
It is easy for Allah. What surprises us is only because it was unexpected for us, whereas for Allah, all is easy. This teaches us to supplicate for what is possible with Allah - which is everything. And because He responds in one way or another, from His wisdom and mercy, we may receive what we are asking for, or something instead of it, or a calamity is averted, or we will be given it in Paradise. And so we keep hoping and we keep asking.
We also strive; one of the proofs of our certainty is that we work towards the result that we want, even with the setbacks and disappointments, because we know that no effort with Allah is ever lost. Allah is the Praiseworthy; His essence and everything that emanates from Him necessitate praise. Whether you get exactly what you wanted in this world or something else entirely, you will eventually realize that what Allah decreed was the best, and praise Him for His wisdom and His generosity in rewarding you for your faith in Him and your efforts.
Some might have more hope when it is an individual issue in their lives. But those bigger calamities facing the Ummah - how can we recover from them? We see the genocide unfolding in Gaza, the atrocities in Syria, the violence in Sudan, and the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya and wonder - how can these places return to what they once were? How can there be life, after so much death?
A prophet asked a similar question. When he passed by Jerusalem, which had been razed to the ground, he wondered, “How could Allah bring this back to life after its destruction?” And Allah showed him - he caused him to die for 100 years and then brought him back to life. Not only was he brought back to life, but Jerusalem too was alive again. He exclaimed, “˹Now˺ I know that Allah is Most Capable of everything!” (2:259)
We might not be able, but Allah is Able - He is al-Qadir. Knowing that Allah can change things should keep hope alive in our hearts and also ensure we move towards that change. That can be through sincere supplication, striving, working with the means, and never, ever giving up. Allah is al-Muhaymin, He is the One in control - we are not duped by illusions of power and hegemony. Allah gives life to the dead, and He can bring back what once appeared to be lost. We will only be asked what we did when it seemed that all doors were closed.
We are an Ummah of hope even in the darkest times. Whether in our own personal lives, or larger issues facing us collectively, Allah can bring back to life whatever is dead. Our hope and our imagination is not based on our limitations, but on the belief that we can defy them, by the grace of Allah.