without its being recorded in a Book before We bring it into being.”

He also says:

“No calamity befalls except by Allah’s permission. Whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.”

Some of the early generations said: “This refers to a servant who suffers a calamity, knows that it is from Allah, and so is content and submits.”

Thus, when calamities strike, the servant is commanded to be patient, mindful of divine decree; but when he sins, he is commanded to seek forgiveness.

Adam therefore prevailed over Moses in argument because the calamity that befell them, together with its cause, had been decreed. It was therefore bound to befall them. There is no benefit in reproach that cannot avert a decreed calamity after it has occurred; rather, the benefit lies in turning back to Allah.

Similar to this is what Anas said in an authentic hadith:

“I served the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for ten years. Never did he say about anything I had done, ‘Why did you do it?’ nor about anything I had not done, ‘Why did you not do it?’ When a member of his household reproached me for something, he would say, ‘Leave him, for had something been decreed, it would have happened.’”

Another example is his saying in an authentic hadith:

“Strive for what benefits you, seek Allah’s help, and do not give up. If something befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done