From Eternity to Here: Islamic View

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> **TL;DR:** Allah alone is pre‑eternal without beginning and beyond time; time itself is created. Destinies were written before the cosmos, yet humans act, choose, and are accountable within Allah’s decree—so we plan diligently, avoid blaming “time,” and seek guidance and steadiness in the present moment [RIS1][FAT2][HAD1][HAD2][HAD3][HAD5]. The universe unfolds by wise measure and justice, signaling an everlasting Hereafter where outcomes are perfected; this outlook breeds serenity, responsibility, and ethical clarity for modern life [TAF4][FAT1][RIS4][RIS3].

## From “Eternity” (al‑Qidam) to “Here” (the flow of time)

- Allah’s unique pre‑eternity: Allah has been since eternity and remains forever; He is One, unlike creation, the Creator of all things, beyond likeness and dependence [RIS1]. Tawhid (Divine Oneness) means affirming His unique Essence, attributes, and acts—absolute beyondness, perfection, and freedom from deficiency [TAF2]. Acceptance without probing “how” is the safe path of sound creed, for the “howness” of the Real is beyond created comprehension [TAF1].

- Time is created, not an attribute of Allah. Referring to “time” as a created measure of change is correct; it is not Allah’s attribute in that sense [FAT2]. Cursing “time” in hardship is prohibited because events occur by Allah’s command—“Do not curse Time, for I am Time; I alternate night and day,” meaning He is the Disposer of events within time [HAD5]. As a conceptual aid (not as primary proof), scholars often explain that “before” applies to creation; Allah’s existence is beyond “before/after” [YT1].

- Qadar (Divine Decree—Allah’s timeless determination of all things) anchors the arc from eternity to history. Destinies were decreed “fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth” [HAD1]. The first created entity was the Pen, commanded to write all that will occur until the Hour; tasting the sweetness of faith requires certainty that whatever reaches you could never have missed you, and whatever misses you could never have reached you [HAD2]. Al‑Lawh al‑Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet—divine record of all decrees) is indicated in this prior writing [HAD1].

- Human action within decree: “Allah creates every maker and what he makes” [HAD3]. This affirms that our acts occur by Allah’s creation, while we truly will, choose, and are responsible—hence command, prohibition, reward, and blame are meaningful (as explained by the early masters) [HAD3]. Guidance and misguidance correspond to Allah’s prior knowledge; He created in darkness and cast light—those touched are guided [HAD4]. This sustains accountability while establishing Allah’s perfect foreknowledge and will [HAD4].

- Creation unfolds by design and law. Classical exegesis points out that creation came in measured phases (six “periods”) and runs under fixed laws, manifesting an Active, Living Planner who continuously governs [TAF4]. The cosmic order displays justice (qist): material causes yield measured effects now, while many moral outcomes are deferred—signaling an ultimate, everlasting Reckoning in the Hereafter where justice is perfected [TAF4].

- Everlasting Hereafter with a beginning: Jannah (Garden—Paradise) and Jahannam (Hell) are everlasting from their creation onward; Allah alone is without beginning, while souls and abodes have a beginning even if they never end [FAT1]. Classical reflection depicts Paradise and Hell as the twin consummations of this world’s moral unfolding, filled when the cosmos is finally “shaken out” to its ultimate outcomes [RIS4]. Regarding the verse “Everything perishes except His Face,” scholars explained that “perishing” there refers to states/qualities while the abodes remain by Allah’s will; Allah alone is absolutely ever‑lasting in Himself [RIS3].

### Why this principle is wise

- It secures God‑centered clarity: affirming Allah’s beyondness safeguards pure Tawhid and prevents projecting created limits onto the Creator [TAF2][TAF1]. Recognizing time as created dissolves futile metaphysical anxieties and prevents theological error [FAT2].

- It balances serenity with responsibility: certainty that what reached you could never have missed you deepens faith, resilience, and calm under pressure [HAD2]. Simultaneously, knowing we truly act within Allah’s creation of our acts anchors ethical striving and accountability [HAD3].

- It orients life to ultimate justice: the world’s precise order and deferred moral outcomes direct us to the Hereafter, where justice is completed; this tethers ethics to enduring consequence, not fleeting advantage [TAF4]. Seeing Paradise and Hell as final outcomes of this world’s moral “experiment” dignifies daily choices with eternal weight [RIS4][FAT1][RIS3].

### Practical applications for modern professionals

- Decision‑making under uncertainty: make your best plan, then hand over the outcome with composure—“whatever reached you could not have missed you” [HAD2]. This curbs paralysis and regret spirals during product launches, negotiations, or career moves, while preserving full diligence and accountability for the means you adopt [HAD3].

- Language discipline in adversity: drop phrases like “bad times ruined our quarter.” Blaming “time” displaces the ultimate Musabbib (Causer of causes); reframe as “by Allah’s decree, this occurred; what is our next right action?” [HAD5].

- Systems thinking with moral horizons: respect the world’s reliable order (process, law, cause‑effect) while remembering that some moral returns are deferred—so you protect integrity even when unethical shortcuts seem to pay now [TAF4].

- Talent and guidance: invest in mentorship and seeking light (clarity, wisdom) with humility, acknowledging that lasting guidance is a divine gift granted in line with His prior knowledge; gratitude and prayerful humility belong beside skill‑building

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From Eternity to Here: Islamic View

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