Page 242 - Darwin's Dilemma: The Soul

Darwin’s Dilemma: The Soul

knowing that they all take place within his destiny and that
Allah has already determined them in the most auspicious form.
In the Qur’an, Allah refers to a precaution taken by the
Prophet Yaqub (as) for the security of his children. In order that
they should not attract the attention of evilly disposed persons, the
Prophet Yaqub (as) recommended that his sons enter the city by
separate gates, but also reminded them that this could never alter
the destiny appointed by Allah:

He [Jaqub] said, “My sons! You must not enter through a
single gate. Go in through different gates. But I cannot save
you from Allah at all, for judgment comes from no one but
Allah. In Him I put my trust, and let all those who put their
trust, put it in Him alone.” (Surah Yusuf, 67)
Allah reveals in another verse that no matter what they may
do, people cannot change their destinies:

Then He sent down to you, after the distress, security, rest-
ful sleep overtaking a group of you, whereas another group
became prey to anxious thoughts, thinking other than the
truth about Allah—thoughts belonging to the Time of
Ignorance—saying, “Do we have any say in the affair at
all?”’ Say, “The affair belongs entirely to Allah.” They are
concealing things inside themselves which they do
not disclose to you, saying, “If we had only
had a say in the affair, none of us would
have been killed here in this
place.” Say, “Even if you had
been inside your homes,
those people for whom kill-
ing was decreed would
have gone out to their
place of death.” So that

240