when the faithful are made to say, “Nothing will afflict us save that which Allāh has ordained for us” (9:51), it is in reference to the Divine will, as expressed above, and they are made to suffer afflictions for their own perfection. God’s writing down afflictions for them means, therefore, only that the Divine law is that they will be brought to perfection through afflictions. Of like significance is 3:154.
Both the verses quoted above and other similar verses, which speak of the writing down of afflictions for the believers, only teach that greatest lesson of life, resignation in adversities. Muslims are taught to remain absolutely contented when they have to meet adversity or death in fulfilment of their duties. If a Muslim meets adversity or even death, he must believe that it is by God’s order, that being the real meaning of kitābat in such cases. That faith upholds a Muslim in adversity because he knows that, out of an adversity which is by the order of the good God, will undoubtedly come good. There is a message in these verses that Muslims must face all adversities bravely and never despair of the mercy of God.
A few words may be added in this connection on the lauḥ maḥfūẓ, which is generally supposed to contain all the decrees of God in writing. The word lauḥ means a plank,9 and also a tablet for writing, and maḥfūẓ, means that which is guarded. The expression lauḥ maḥfūẓ occurs but once in the Holy Qur’ān, and there it is mentioned in connection with the guarding of the Holy Qur’ān itself: “Nay, it is a glorious Qur’ān, in a guarded tablet” (85:21, 22). The word lauḥ in its plural form alwāḥ is used in connection with the books of Moses: “And We ordained for him in the tablets (alwāḥ) admonition of every kind and clear explanation of all things” (7:145). The alwāḥ of Moses and the lauḥ of the Holy Qur’ān are the same; only in the case of the Holy Qur’ān the lauḥ is stated to be guarded or maḥfūẓ, for which the explanation is given “that the Holy Qur’ān is protected against change and alteration” (R.). The meaning conveyed is therefore exactly the same as is elsewhere stated about the Holy Qur’ān: “Surely We have revealed the Reminder, and surely We are its guardian” (15:9). The significance in both cases is that no alteration
9 As in 54:13.