Q.1. I am very confused on certain issues. Is the time of a person’s death predetermined so as to come no matter what measure we take. Suppose one has a serious illness, and doctors give him the right treatment: will he die whether he takes the treatment or not? Can our choices influence our life expectancy? My husband smokes, and no matter what I or our children say, he will not stop smoking. Will my prayers that God keeps him safe and ward off from him some of the effects of smoking, keeping him for me and my family? Or is it all ineffective?
M. Ahmad
A.1. Our life span is determined by God, and He knows the exact moment when each one of us will meet death. Does this mean that whatever we do will not affect us in any way, with regard to how long we live? No, things are not like that.
Our actions constitute an important aspect of what happens to us. God has determined that we are affected by what we do and what we are exposed to. Hence, the Prophet instructs us that should we learn that an infectious disease has spread in a certain area, we should not go into it, and if we are in that area, we should not leave it. The reason is obvious, which is to avoid the spread of that disease. Likewise, he tells us to seek medical treatment, adding: “God has not created a disease without creating a cure for it. Should the medical treatment administer the right remedy for our disease, it will be cured by God’s will.” What this means is that God has willed that should you get the right treatment for your illness, you will be cured. By contrast, if the treatment is not the right one, the illness will take its course. All this is subject to the law of cause and effect, which is a law God has put in place. From another point of view, supplication, or dua, is always answered, either immediately or at a later time. If it is postponed, that is because God wants to give us something better for it. So we should not refrain from praying to God, requesting Him to give us the good things we desire.
God will answer our prayers unless we pray Him to bring some evil on people we dislike. What this means is that when your husband smokes, he exposes himself to all the health hazards that smoking presents. Smoking is a major cause of at least 25 killer diseases, but this does not mean that everyone who smokes will suffer all these diseases. Other factors come into play, such as hereditary factors, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, obesity, exposure to other health risks, etc. Hence, some smokers are far more seriously affected than others.
How does this affect the time determined for a person’s death? You have to remember that time as we know it does not apply to God. Time is brought about by the position of the earth in relation to the sun and how the earth revolves and moves in its orbit. God knows everything that happens to us, even before we come into existence.
He knows what illnesses we will have throughout our lives, and whether we will have the right treatment or not, will be cured or not, etc. He knows whether we will pray Him for a particular purpose and how and when He will answer our prayers. So all are taken into consideration before the length of our life is determined. What this means in practice is that we should do whatever we can to lead a healthy life and pray God to bless it for us, sparing us all evil.