the wind; rather, he turns back to Allah in repentance. By contrast, the unbeliever, the flagrant sinner, or the ignorant person lays the blame on these created things, never holding himself to account and never repenting of his sin, just as the poet said:
O Time—alas for you!—have you left me anyone at all?
You are a wicked parent who devours his own child.
And another said:
Shame on your face, O Age, for indeed
Upon every hideous deed that face wears a veil.
Ask Allah for well-being and for insight in His religion.
- Saying “if” in certain situations
Among the expressions a believer should avoid—because they compromise sound creed and have been specifically forbidden—is the word “if” (law) in certain contexts. When a person is confronted with something he dislikes or is struck by a calamity, he must not say, “If I had done such-and-such, this would not have happened to me,” or, “If only I had not done that, such-and-such would not have befallen me.” Such words betray impatience and regret over what cannot be recovered, signal a weakness of faith in divine decree and predestination, and only torment the soul while giving Satan an opening to fill it with doubts and worries.
What is obligatory after a calamity descends is to submit to the decree, remain patient with whatever has afflicted one, and at the same time employ the lawful means that attract good and ward off evil or harm—without self-recrimination.
Allah has censured those who uttered this word when misfortune struck the Muslims at the Battle of Uhud, saying: “They said, ‘If we had had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here.’” ⦗1⦘ This was the statement of some hypocrites on the Day of Uhud when the Muslims suffered what they did; by it they contested the decree and laid the blame upon