The Impact of Supplication on What Is Written in the Preserved Tablet

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, it is reported in an athar (report from a Companion or successor) that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to supplicate: “O Allah, if You have written me as wretched in the Preserved Tablet, then write me as happy.” Likewise, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him). This was mentioned in Ibn Kathir’s tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) in his commentary on the verse where Allah the Exalted says: “Allah blots out what He wills and preserves…”

Answer:
There is no doubt that du'a' (supplication) has a great impact. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, what He wills. He has the choice, and He has the will, Exalted is He. This is a matter that returns to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And in the hadith: . There is no doubt that du'a' is a great cause if Allah accepts it. Yes. And Allah decrees things that are tied to their causes; if their causes are present, they occur, and if their causes are not present, they do not occur.