Page 17 - Seeing Good in All

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Seeing Good in All That Happens

Man prays for evil just as he prays for good. Man is
prone to be impetuous. (Surat al-Isra': 11)

Nevertheless, a person must strive to see the good and
divine purpose in every event brought before him by God,
rather than insisting on being benefited by what to his mind
is favourable, and being impatient to acquire them. For
instance, though a person may strive to attain improved
financial status, this change may never come about. A person
who deems such a condition to be adverse would be
incorrect. Of course, one may pray to God for wealth to be
used for His cause. However, he must know that if this wish
is not granted, it is for a reason. It might be that an increase
in wealth acquired before the attainment of spiritual maturity
would render such a person vulnerable to Satan's tricks.
Many other similar reasons towards a divine purpose, many
of which may not be immediately recognisable, or will
become apparent only in the hereafter, may underlie certain
events. A businessman, for instance, may miss a meeting he

regarded as an important step in his career. But, if he had
gone to the meeting, he might have been involved in a traffic
accident on the way, or, if the meeting were in another city,
his plane may have crashed.
No one is immune to such occurrences. It is not
uncommon to eventually see the good in something that had
at first seemed adverse. Nevertheless, one would need to
keep in mind that he might not always be able to grasp the
purpose of what had appeared to be an adverse situation.
Because, as we have said earlier, we may not always have the
benefit of witnessing its positive outcome. It may well be that
God will only reveal its divine purpose in the Hereafter. For