Allah’s eternal will concerning you is not dependent on any of your deeds. For where were you when, in pre-eternity, His divine favor (ināya) and protection were directed toward you? In that pre-eternal realm of the Generous Bestower (al-Fayyāḍ al-Muṭīʿ), your righteous deeds and good states did not exist. There, only grace, bounty, and allotments were present.
Verse Translation
The divine manifestation in you, beloved,
Is never caused by your deeds.
Where indeed were you on the Day of the Covenant,
At that moment of God’s grace and beneficence?
When favor was directed toward you,
When protection corresponded to you,
On that day, there were no deeds or states,
There was only beneficence and bounty.
Explanation
When the divine will decreed the granting of requests to the human being in pre-eternity, the human did not even have the scent of existence, for he did not yet exist. Thus, it is certain that the divine will was not contingent upon righteous deeds or supplications as causes. For the effect came into being before the cause existed.
Therefore, what existed on the day of pre-eternity, when the deeds and good states that might serve as means to divine favor (ināya) did not yet exist, was only generosity, grace, and great allotment. Thus, it is beyond doubt that supplication (dua) has no effect in attaining what is sought, nor do righteous deeds have any effect in attaining God’s favor (ināya), and even more so, they are not the effective cause for entering Paradise or being saved from Hell. Accordingly, Junayd al-Vāsiṭī said: “Since all states and allotments in the world have been apportioned from pre-eternity, and actions and judgments have been enacted from eternity, how can a person attain his material and spiritual desires by mere aspiration, or by striving and effort?” “Allah selects for His mercy whom He wills.” (al-Baqara 2:105)