Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim
1. Opening
Have you ever seen people who love to oppress, enjoy hurting others, or flaunt wealth from corruption, yet their lives look peaceful, perfectly healthy, and increasingly prosperous? On the other hand, there are righteous people living upright lives, yet trials strike them relentlessly, one after another. Seeing this scene, our small minds often waver and ask, “O Allah, why do the wicked thrive while the good suffer more and more? Where is Your justice?” Know that if that question crosses our minds, it is a sign we are suffering from a “spiritual lack of exposure.” We forget that Allah possesses the attribute _Al-Ḥalīm_—the Most Forbearing, Who delays punishment but never lets injustice escape. Scientifically, in risk management and operational auditing, there is a term called _deferred billing_—a delay in invoicing. A sophisticated system does not bill mistakes every second; it accumulates the entire record of violations until a certain deadline, then issues one massive invoice that cannot be disputed. In Islamic Sharia, this delay of decree is called Istidrāj for the sinner, and _Ibtilā’_—a test to elevate rank—for the believer. Allah grants respite to the oppressor not because He forgets or condones them, but so that their sins reach their full measure and they have no excuse left before the Supreme Court later.
Let us cool our souls and calm our hearts by reflecting on Allah SWT’s words in the Qur’an:
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًا ۚ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ
“And let not those who disbelieve think that Our giving them respite is good for them. We only give them respite so that they may increase in sin, and for them is a humiliating punishment.”[QS. Āli ‘Imrān: 178]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also gave a very clear, scientific explanation of this phenomenon of “being left alone” in a noble hadith:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْهُ
“Indeed, Allah certainly gives respite to the oppressor. But when He seizes him, He will not let him escape.”[HR. Bukhārī]
2. Lessons and Message
The main principle for a believer is to instill the firm conviction that Allah’s justice is absolute. Our job in this world is not to become a “judge of destiny” busy auditing why others are struck by misfortune or why criminals have not yet been punished. Our greatest task is _Muḥāsabah_—always being critical, auditing, and correcting our own mistakes so that our rank rises higher in the sight of Allah SWT.
There is a true story about a wealthy merchant who was extremely stingy and arrogant. He owned a vast plot of land and arbitrarily evicted the bamboo hut of a paralyzed old widow who lived with her young orphaned child, just to expand his business parking lot. The old widow cried on the muddy ground, hugging her child, and prayed silently to the sky. Years passed, and the merchant’s business kept ballooning. People in the village began whispering cynically, “Look at that merchant— the more oppressive he gets, the richer he becomes. That old widow’s prayer didn’t work.” But Allah was weaving His decree in silence. Exactly ten years later, the merchant invested all his assets into one massive project. Unexpectedly, the project was caught up in a large-scale global fraud case. Overnight, all his factories were seized by the state, his accounts were frozen, and he was declared completely bankrupt. Due to severe shock, the merchant suffered a sudden stroke that left his entire body paralyzed. Tragically and sorrowfully, he now spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair in a nursing home—exactly like the condition of the old widow he once evicted. Allah delayed it ten years, but His bill of justice was paid in full, without a single percent missing.
Let’s make a somewhat humorous analogy to touch our logic. Imagine you’re riding a motorcycle on the highway. Suddenly, another motorcyclist speeds like a maniac, no helmet, runs a red light, and arrogantly pops a wheelie. Seeing that, you immediately grumble in anger, “This isn’t fair! I obey the rules, wear a double helmet, go slow, yet I’m stuck in traffic. He breaks the law and sails through without a hitch? Where are the police?!” While complaining, you keep riding one kilometer ahead. Suddenly at a bend in the road, you see the arrogant motorcyclist has successfully crashed into a muddy ditch, his bike wrecked, and he’s being scolded by a police officer who, apparently, was waiting at the end of the road. At that moment, will you jump into the ditch to keep him company? Of course not, right? You’ll surely smile slightly and think, “Oh… so the police weren’t sleeping; they were just waiting at the next corner.” Such is destiny. The person committing sins and oppression is like a rider speeding toward the “ditch of destruction.” They haven’t fallen yet not because they’re great, but because Allah’s corner of execution is still a little way ahead. So don’t busy yourself with other people’s motorcycles about to crash—focus on holding your own handlebars so you arrive safely at your destination.
3. Conclusion and Closing
Friends whom Allah has blessed, Divine justice is certain and never misses. Rather than spending our energy questioning why Allah’s decree is this or that for others, let us turn that gaze into the mirror of ourselves. Let us busy ourselves auditing our hearts: Have we apologized for our sharp tongue? Have we cleansed our wealth of others’ rights? Practice muḥāsabah every night before closing your eyes. Be the harshest critic of your own sins, and be the servant who thinks best of every one of Allah SWT’s decrees. In that way, He will raise our rank and our soul’s tranquility high.
. والله أعلم بالصواب
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie
