Born with Sustenance: 3 Facts of Divine Decrees

If everything is already set, why worry about tomorrow? Have you ever wondered if your provision (rizq) was written even before you took your first breath?

In Islam, every detail of our lives is carefully recorded on the Divine Tablet thousands of years before we exist.

Yet, despite this, many still wonder: can our livelihood come from someone else’s fate, like a husband’s provision depending on his wife’s destiny?

In this insight, we explore 3 powerful truths that blend Islamic guidance with scientific reasoning, tracing sustenance from its very beginnings in the earliest stage of life.

Fifty Thousand Years Before Creation: The Divine Timeline of Provision

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

"Allah wrote the Destiny of all creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth."

(Sahih Muslim 2653)

• Allah’s complete knowledge and control: Every soul’s destiny, birth, lifespan, deeds, and sustenance are recorded with His Divine Pen.

  
  

• “Fifty thousand years” highlights the eternity and perfection of Allah’s knowledge; not a literal countdown.

  
  

• All was set into motion before birth; nothing can modify what Allah has ordained.

  
  

• Life is not random: Divine decree (qadr) and human effort work together. Your actions matter, but the outcome is always in Allah’s hands.

  
  

The 3 Facts About Sustenance Every Believer Should Know

Sustenance is not guesswork; it is a matter of destiny and effort. Understanding these three stages of a living being’s journey helps us develop gratitude and trust in Allah’s plan.

1. It is written before you are born, on the Divine Tablet, long before creation.

   
   

2. Allah provides for you at every stage of life, even in the darkness of the mother’s womb.

   
   

3. It reaches every soul by His promise, never dependent on another person’s fate, marriage, or circumstances.

1. Decree of Sustenance: Is Rizq Written Before You Were Born?

Rizq is often misunderstood as money or food alone. In reality, rizq includes every form of provision Allah grants, from breath, health, opportunities, peace of mind, knowledge, and even the people who support us along the way.

Allah decreed our rizq before we were born so that life would not turn into a constant race driven by fear.

Rizq in the Divine Tablet: Lessons from Surah Hud

The Qur’an reminds us:

وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ

“And there is no moving creature on the earth except that its provision is from Allah. He knows its dwelling place and its place of deposit. All is written in a clear Book.”

(Surah Hud 11:6 — Kanz-ul-Iman translation)

2. 4-Month Baby to First Breathing: Sustenance in the Mother’s Womb

Life in the mother’s womb is a sacred phase, where every part of your creation is precisely shaped and continuously provided for.

From the very first moments, provision, growth, and development are perfectly coordinated, long before your first breath in this world.

Hadith of Written Provisions

“Each one of you is created in your mother’s womb for forty days as a drop, then for a similar period as a clot, then as a lump of flesh for the same period. Then the angel is sent and breathes the soul into it and is commanded to write four things: his provision, his life span, his deeds, and whether he will be blessed or wretched.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3208, Sahih Muslim 2643)

Scientific Proof for Sustenance

"Human embryonic development occurs in well-defined stages: zygote, implantation, germ layers, and organ formation during the first trimester. During this period, the fetus receives all nourishment and oxygen through the placenta, sustaining life from the earliest stages long before independent breathing begins."

(Moore, K. L., Persaud, T. V. N., & Torchia, M. G., The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, Elsevier)

• Science explains how life is sustained in the womb.

• Faith explains who sustains it.

  
  

Ar-Razzaq: The Sustainer of All Creation

If Allah provides nourishment in the darkness of the womb, then His promise of sustenance extends to every living being, seen and unseen, with His endless mercy granting abundance, blessings, and opportunities at the perfect time.

For example, The Promise of Allah: Prophet Musa (PBUH) and a Tiny Creature

Classical interpretation literature narrates that Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) once asked Allah how He provides sustenance to His creation, even in places unseen by human eyes.

Allah instructed Musa (PBUH) to strike a rock. The rock split open not once, but three times. From it emerged a tiny creature, holding a green leaf in its mouth.

Musa (AS) heard the creature glorifying Allah:

يَا مَنْ يَرَانِي وَيَسْمَعُ كَلَامِي، وَيَعْلَمُ مَكَانِي، وَلَا يَنْسَانِي

“O the One who sees me, hears my voice, knows my place, and never forgets me.”

This story reveals a profound truth: if Allah provides nourishment even to a tiny creature hidden inside a rock, then no human’s provision is ever forgotten, delayed, or dependent on someone else.

References:

• Tafsīr al-Rāzī (Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb)

• Rūḥ al-Maʿānī by Imām al-Ālūsī (on Surah Hud 11:6 and divine provision)

3. Islamic Guidance on Sustenance: Can a Woman Increase Her Rizq?

Many believe a husband’s wealth grows because of his wife’s luck, but Islam shows marriage can boost well-being as a means, not as destiny, as this hadith explains:

Interpretation of the Marriage Hadith (What It Truly Means)

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Seek your provision (rizq) through marriage.”

(Musnad al‑Firdaws, Hadith 282)

• Marriage as a lawful means of barakah: Scholars like Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma) and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (Fath al-Bari) explain that marriage is a Sunnah bringing blessings, stability, and support. It is a means, not the source, of sustenance.

  
  

• Rizq is fully preordained: No one can increase another’s honor or prosperity; everyone receives exactly what Allah has decreed for them.(Tafsir al-Qurtubi).

  
  

• Marriage boosts effort: It encourages structure, cooperation, and lawful action, helping Allah open doors of abundance (Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Hajar).

  
  

• Trust and Tawakkul: Effort is required, but one should act with reliance on Allah, not fear or expectation that marriage alone guarantees sustenance (Musnad al-Firdaws, Hadith 282).

Conclusion: Do not worry about Tomorrow

We discovered that even a tiny hidden worm thrives under Allah’s care, while the hunter still hunts. This powerful reminder shows that no one can take or create someone else’s portion. Your fate is guaranteed, so work hard, act responsibly, and trust in Allah’s perfect plan.

Don’t let worry steal your peace. Reflect and take action. Strengthen your faith, everything meant for you will arrive at the right time, in the best way, by Allah’s wisdom.

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