THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF HISTORY

Divine Design

ACCORDING to the historian Barbara W. Tuchman, “History is the unfolding of miscalculations”. In other words, history usually develops in a manner quite contrary to people’s expectations. While events are unfolding, observers may pass judgement on the course they are taking; but the course of history defies all prediction. In the end, things turn out quite differently from what people had initially expected.

To cite an example from Islamic history, in the year AD 628, the Treaty of Hudaibiya was signed between the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh of Makkah. At that time, the Quraysh were one in thinking that the Muslims had signed their own writ of destruction, for they accepted peace on terms which were clearly favourable to the Quraysh. Yet afterwards it transpired that this apparent defeat contained the seeds of a great victory for the Muslims. This is an oft-repeated phenomenon in history. In 1945, when atom bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, it seemed to the Americans as if Japan would lie in ruins forever. Yet this was not to be. Within forty years after the catastrophe, Japan stood at the pinnacle of economic strength, and now it is a leading industrial power in the world.

This goes to show that it is not man who fashions his history. In truth, it is God who fashions human history in accordance with His own will. It is not people or events who control history, it is God. History may take place before our eyes, in the material world, but the course it takes is determined from the supernatural world which lies beyond our vision and perception.

Those who have been written off as spent forces can take solace from this fact of history. Experience shows that sparks erupt from volcanoes that have lain inactive for years. In this world the very annihilation and destruction of something means that it is ready to arise and take its place as a new power on earth. A force which is spent turns into a living force.

One should never lose hope because of the dismal course events appear to be taking. When the pages of history turn, events may turn out to have been leading in a direction quite contrary to all our expectations.