at the beginning of the book, we referred to how allah created adam, peace be upon him. all human beings are descended from him. allah has granted people life in this world to test them, and sent them messengers to communicate their responsibilities.

everyone is put to the test in this world by the events he experiences. in other words, we are put to the test in our reactions to the incidents we encounter, the way we speak and our steadfastness in the face of difficulties: in brief, whether we conduct ourselves correctly.

this test will serve to determine our lot in the afterlife. but the test in this world has a very important secret. as a great mercy and comfort granted to mankind, allah created destiny. destiny, that is, all the incidents one experiences throughout life, is predetermined by allah even before one's birth. for each person, allah creates his or her unique destiny. to better understand this, we can liken it to a movie recorded on a videotape cassette. both the beginning and the end of this movie are already known, but we can only know them after watching the film. this also holds true for destiny. everything a person will do throughout his life, all the incidents he encounters, the schools he will attend, the houses in which he will live, and the moment of his death are all predetermined. all incidents that happen to a person, whether good or evil, are predetermined in allah's knowledge. each person is put to the test in compliance with this scenario specifically written for him. to sum up, in accordance with this scenario, man goes through a series of incidents, and his faith, and then his actions as well as his reactions to these incidents, determine his lot in the afterlife.

knowledge of destiny is a great source of comfort for man. it is a blessing from allah. for this reason, there is no need for man to feel sorry for incidents whose outcomes are already preordained or to worry over events that do not go well. to those who show patience in the face of ordeals, aware that nothing happens without allah's will, allah gives the glad tidings of the garden ( paradise ). the messengers of allah set the best examples in this respect. allah gives such people the glad tidings of the garden due to their exemplary faith and correct behaviour.