Law of attraction, destiny, and freewill in the Qur'an

ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY

Law of attraction, destiny, and freewill in the Qur'an.

Discover the true meaning of the law of attraction and how to save your soul in multi-dimensions.

About The True Reality

Our goal is to inspire all truth seekers to seek personal development through reading the Holy Qur'an and learning about Allah Almighty.

Table of contents

1) The definition of popular law of attraction theory.
2) How freewill relates to the law of attraction & destiny.
3) Islam is the law of attraction on a multi-dimensional scale.
4) Problems with popular law of attraction theory.
5) The role of God’s forgiveness in the law of attraction.
6) The proper way to create a successful destiny.
- Download the free activity worksheets for this article.

The rise in awareness about Islam has led people to look for answers to their existential questions inside of the Holy Qur'an.

In this article we describe the true reality about freewill, destiny, and the law of attraction by analyzing what Allah (God) says about these topics in the Holy Qur’an.

1) The definition of popular law of attraction theory.

According to a simple wikipedia definition, the law of attraction is the New Age spiritual belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life.

Have you seen the 2006 movie The Secret? This movie described the law of attraction as the universal spiritual law behind the saying “seek and you shall find”.

This description of the law of attraction (LOA) branches off into a whole world of New Age spiritual beliefs and practices that sound fair - at first.

But when we dig a bit deeper, there is an intentional exclusion of Allah’s role in the LOA and unseen forces.

Without Allah actually telling us what is true and explaining the true reality about universal law, we are left with assumptions from other humans who aren’t sure what the ultimate reality is.

When dealing with the unseen world, we cannot rely on assumptions of what humans think are true. Assumptions about unseen forces are what Allah calls conjecture or guesswork.

For this reason the LOA as described by New Age thinkers like Napoleon Hill, Bob Proctor, Claude Bristol, Joseph Murphy etc. is nothing but guesswork and incomplete theories about nature and universal law.

And following any incomplete theory in regards to our destiny is dangerous for those who seek success in this world and the world after death.

However, one thing that is right about New Age LOA theory is that it all starts with our freewill.

2) How freewill relates to the law of attraction & destiny

In our article on Human Intellect, we mentioned that freewill is a gift to us from Allah. It is one of the things that separates us from the animals.

Your freewill is your power, your energy, the force within you to act upon an idea to manifest your imagination. What you seek is manifested through your freewill, your thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

Therefore our freewill is what triggers the LOA, and the LOA ultimately determines our destiny.

In this way we are in control of our destiny by being in control of our freewill.

Our freewill can only be overpowered by the will of Allah.

THIS is the part that is missing from popular LOA theory.

Humans are NOT all powerful, so lowering your Will to Allah is a fundamental part of human existence if we want success in this world and the world after death.

That is what Islam is all about. Islam means submission. Submission to the higher power of Allah and His universal laws.

3) Islam is the LOA on a multi-dimensional scale.

In surah 45 Kneeling, Allah says:

22. God created the heavens and the earth for a true purpose: to reward each soul according to its deeds. None of them will be wronged.

This ayat proves that our choices and actions will attract a reward from God and that whatever we attract will be fair. This implies that during our lives on earth we have the power to determine our destiny.

In Surah 86 The Night Visitor, Allah speaks of mankind having no powers to control destiny when we are resurrected in the life after death:

5. Now let man think from what he is created.
6. He is created from a sperm-drop emitted,
7. Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs:
8. Surely Allah is able to bring him back to life!
9. The Day that hidden things will be made manifest,
10. Man will have no power, and no helper.
11. By the Sky and its recurring rain,
12. And by the Earth which cracks open for the gushing of springs and the sprouting of vegetation,
13. Behold this Quran is a decisive word,
14. It is not something to be taken lightly.

I agree that what is written in the Quran is not to be taken lightly. Reflecting on what is written in the Quran helps us understand the problems with popular LOA theory.

4) Problems with popular LOA theory

The LOA according to New Age thinkers only addresses unidimensional manifestation, and it doesn’t show us how to manifest good circumstances in the life after death.

When your belief system only considers this world, your actions tend to be selfish and not righteous.

People without understanding who believe in popular LOA theory, tend believe that people get into bad situations because their outer circumstances are a reflection of what they think, or because they made bad choices.

This may be true sometimes. But it’s not true all the time.

What about situations where injustice occurs?

Sometimes Allah may create situations to test us. Certain situations can be a test for the oppressed, a test for the person watching, and a test for the one with power.

Our duty is to help each other even if it means we might receive some harm.

Instead, people ignore the plight of others and choose to remain selfish and focus on themselves in the name of "protecting their energy".

This attitude is an excuse for the privileged to hide behind their privilege and turn a blind eye to the oppression of our fellow brothers and sisters while continuing to benefit from the oppressive structures that keep other people down.

Privileged people love to use the LOA theory to blame the oppressed for being in the condition they are in and they think they are well off because of some knowledge they have (like knowledge about the LOA).

Allah warns people who think their material blessings in this world are due to some secret knowledge they have. Remember the story of Qarun in surah 28 The Narration.

The story of Qarun implies that people who think their blessings come from their knowledge and choose not to help the less fortunate, are wicked. They are those who don’t believe in God or listen to His commandments.

In ayats throughout the Holy Quran Allah confirms that mankind can have what he strives for, but The Force and Power belong to Allah alone:

39. Man can have nothing but what he strives for ;
40. The fruit of his striving will soon come in sight ;
41. Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete ;
42. To your Lord is the final goal ;
43. It is He Who grants laughter and tears ;
48. It is He Who gives wealth and satisfaction ;
49. He is the Lord of Sirius (the Mighty Star) ;
55. Then which of the gifts of your Lord will you deny ?
- Surah 53 The Star

4. To God belong The Forces of the heavens And the earth ; and God is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
- Surah 48 The Victory.

5) The role of God’s Forgiveness in LOA theory

In surah 45 Kneeling, Allah says that the evil actions committed by mankind will work against their own souls:

14. Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of God : It is for Him to recompense (for good or ill) each person according to what they have earned.
15. If any one does a righteous deed it ensures to the benefit of his own soul ; If he does evil, it works against his own soul. In the end you all will be brought back to your Lord.

Forgiveness and mercy are essential parts of life on earth because if there was no forgiveness or mercy, every mistake we ever make would harm us.

For this reason the LOA alone is not actually what we want because everyone makes mistakes!

This is something New Age thinkers don’t talk about. The attraction of our sins (bad karma) would destroy us if it wasn’t for Allah’s mercy.

In Surah 35 The Originator of Creation, Allah says:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

45. If God were to punish mankind according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature : but He gives them respite for a stated term : When their term expires, verily God has in His sight all his servants.

This is more proof that the New Age understanding of the LOA is incomplete. The concept of Divine Mercy explains why we are often saved from the harmful effects of our erroneous thoughts and actions.

How ungrateful we are for Allah Almighty’s compassion toward us. He knows our weakness, and He has taught us how to pray to him for forgiveness.

In Surah 2 The Cow, Allah says:

286. On no soul does God place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): “Our Lord! condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You laid on those before us; Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector; help us against those who stand against faith.

Alhamdulillah! (Praise be to God)

6) The proper way to create a successful destiny

What privilege Allah has given to us to be able to control our own destiny. But with great power comes great responsibility.

We have to choose a good destiny, the right destiny, the destiny that is the successful completion of this game of life.

We find instructions on how to create a successful destiny in the Holy Quran.

Doing good deeds like frequently offering charity and sharing your money with your needy family members are among many actions that will attract you to a beautiful destiny in this world and the world after death.

Read the verses of Surah Fatiha. Allah describes these verses as the 7 sacred verses. Surah Fatiha perfectly summarizes how God wants us to travel through life towards Him and how to create a successful destiny.

In order to help you create a beautiful destiny, we've created worksheets that get you to reflect on your life and plan out the destiny that you'd like to have.

Download your worksheets here.

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