Prisoners of Fate

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”
– Franklin Roosevelt

Recently I received an email with the quote above and decided to write a small blurb on it. Many people, especially Muslims are extremely talented, but are confined to a life of inability and impotence simply because of their lack of confidence and self-esteem. These people are plagued by doubt and the whispering of Satan which cripple any project or activity they decide to embark on even before they begin any initiative. Some Muslims even try hiding under the slogan of “qadar of Allah” and embrace a life of laziness which they justify with religious texts! However the reality is that laziness is from the traits of the munafiqeen as Allah says:

وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَن تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِاللّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلاَ يَأْتُونَ الصَّلاَةَ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ كُسَالَى وَلاَ يُنفِقُونَ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ

54: And nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger (Muhammad SAW); and that they came not to As-Salat (the prayer) except in a lazy state…

So we see that Allah rebukes them first for their disbelief and secondly for their approaching the salaah with laziness. As for the believers, Allah commands them to hasten and hurry to gardens as wide as the heavens and earth:

وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْ أَن تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِاللّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلاَ يَأْتُونَ الصَّلاَةَ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ كُسَالَى وَلاَ يُنفِقُونَ إِلاَّ وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ

133:And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqun (the pious – see V.2:2).

And He says:

سابقوا إلى مغفرة من ربكم وجنة عرضها كعرض السماء والأرض أعدت للذين آمنوا بالله ورسله ذلك فضل الله يؤتيه من يشاء والله ذو الفضل العظيم

21:Race one with another in hastening towards Forgiveness from your Lord (Allah), and towards Paradise, the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.