How can the Holy Hadith be reconciled: "I am as My servant expects Me to be. If he expects good, then he will have it. If he expects evil, then he will have it," with the fact that what a person expects to be good from Allah does not materialize, despite his good expectations and his taking of means?
The "I am as My servant thinks of Me. If he thinks good of Me, then it shall be his; and if he thinks evil of Me, then it shall be his" calls for having a good opinion of Allah. This entails certainty that Allah's choice and management for His servant are better than the servant's choice for himself. Not everything a person wishes for necessarily contains good. Allah Almighty says: "But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." (2:216) Having a good opinion also entails entrusting affairs to Allah while taking the necessary means, and having complete trust that Allah's choice is the best, whether the matter materializes, is delayed, or does not occur. Indeed, a good opinion cannot be upright except with sincere reliance on Allah and contentment with what Allah has decreed.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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