Sometimes things happen to us in life and we think, “Why did this happen? What does this mean? How does this make any sense?”
It’s happened to me, too.
This is called تأويل in Arabic, in the Quran. Ta’weel. The interpretation, the explanation, the meaning.
When we wonder, “Why did this happen?” we are searching for the interpretation of that difficult event, the explanation for why that person betrayed us, the meaning behind the actions of this or that person, the deeper realities underlying the tragedies or injustices that confuse and consume us.
These situations remind me of Prophet Musa عليه السلام when he was walking alongside Khidr, who was doing things and getting into situations that seemed on the surface to make no sense.
Outwardly, these things didn’t add up.
Breaking a ship of some poor fishermen who were kind enough to help unknown strangers.
Killing a child.
Helping stingy rude people who had refused to help traveling strangers, which goes against all customs and standards of hospitality.
Why?
Why did this happen?
How does this make any sense?
Prophet Musa عليه السلام had the natural human reaction of bewilderment, confusion, bafflement.
Khidr, who had been endowed with special knowledge and deep mercy from Allah, knew the deeper truths and the hidden realities in each of these three situations, and after a certain amount of time had elapsed, he explained each situation to Musa عليه السلام, saying finally:
ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا
“This is the interpretation (ta’weel) of that which you could not have patience over.” (Surat Al-Kahf, 82)
Ta’weel: Interpretation, explanation, deeper reality.
Similarly, we see the same word in the story of Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام. When he was a young boy, he had a strange dream that he told his father about. Decades later, when he was an adult, after a series of harrowing experiences, injustices, and betrayals by other people, Yusuf عليه السلام finally said, again to his father about his old childhood dream,
يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّۭا ۖ
“And he said, “O my father, this is the explanation (ta’weel) of my dream of before.” (Surat Yusuf, 100)
In this ayah, we see this same word: ta’weel.
Ta’weel: Interpretation, explanation, deeper reality.
Sometimes our understanding of the meaning and interpretation of events comes after only hours or days. Sometimes it comes after years, or even decades.
Reflecting on the life events of prophets Musa and Yusuf helps me have patience over my own life events that I don’t understand.
Yusuf عليه السلام waited almost an entire lifetime to see the explanation of a dream he’d had as a young child.
Musa عليه السلام could not “bear with patience” a series of three events that looked unfair or bizarre to the limited human eye.
RELATED: Traumatic Childhood and Parenting: How to Overcome Your Past
Yet, in the end, there was a perfect explanation for everything.
After the interpretation was given and the deeper realities were uncovered, everything made perfect sense.
There was perfect justice.
Nothing was unfair or senseless, even though it looked that way at first.
Trust Allah.
May Allah allow us to grow in patience, wisdom, and trust in Him, ameen.
