This tragedy at the Westgate made me wonder and maybe if there's a religious scholar here he/she could clarify.

Now should we thank God that we were nowhere near Westgate? I ask this because I know the people who passed were probably not at the wrong place. Did God save the rest of us or we were just lucky not to have been there?

@AlphaDoti.

The fact that we were born automatically means we'll die. Its a guarantee. Its only a question of when and how.

When you ask such soul searching questions, you are bound to end up with 'Then whats the meaning of life?' A question whose answer has been sought after by people from all schools of thought.

I believe that it is when you get your answer, that life truly starts.

Are you afraid of death? And if so, why?

Today at the office, I spoke to a man who has cancer. He told me that he hates people who speak slowly. I perfectly understood what he meant.

And i get tired reading such threads.... aren't we supposed to be thankful for the opportunity to live? We would argue, there are many who have died in road accidents and we didn't, there are many who have cancer and we don't, and for some, they just had a headache and died... but we are alive... and we are not supposed to celebrate? even angles in heaven celebrate! If i die, i die, if i live, i thank God and celebrate the gift of life! Devil worship someone's big toe!(because it's not "MY" toe!) NKT!

Is it fair to say that the people who survived escaped because of God's intervention and mercy? Would that then imply that He had favoured some over others or is it that others had already done their time? Anyway, we all have hard probably unanswerable questions at this time. I still trust in God 1000%.

When you find yourself thanking God for something, just know you have alienated yourself.

Otherwise, you always have everything; even eternal life, and you need not fear death.

@Wendz speaks about asking for a long life for her children's sake; and am reminded of my own anxieties as a child, especially when my mom arrived late from work. I'd be plagued by all sorts of terror.

But years later I sat beside her on her death bed. And alas, we found that it was too soon to part ways. But the fact was we were parting.

Death should be treated as a friend rather than as an enemy, and should be let to come and go as it pleases. But that requires self knowledge; victory over death.

This is what 'maji maji' rebellion was about. The mystery of the resurrection.

Misquoting!! It wasn't @Mukiri but @2012

This exact thought struck me on Monday.

I thought the same when a 'saved' workmate told me "to thank God I wasn't there" at Westgate as I had earlier planned. "It was God's plan".

Knowing friends who were traumatically affected by this attack and and yet to heal, I put myself in the victims shoes and "No", it can't have been God. Even to the kids with their mums shot? even those hostage toddlers shot dead in front of their mums for crying? No..

Instinctively told him ,if it was God for me, was it the Devil for the innocent victims?

I was just at the right place at the right time.

Even infront of God's eyes, #WeAreOne

There are 4 points

1. God knows everything
He has knowledge of everything, past, present and the future

2. God has written this in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet)
Quran sura Al Hajj 22:70
"Knowest thou not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is all in a Record, and that is easy for Allah."

(This is not difficult for Him from whom flows all knowledge and intelligence)

3. everything happens with the will of Allah
Quran sura Al Qasas 28:68
- "Thy Lord does create and choose as He pleases: no choice have they (in the matter):- Glory to Allah."

Quran sura Ibrahim 14:27
- Allah will establish in strength those who believe, with the word that stands firm, in this world and in the Hereafter;
- but Allah will leave, to stray, those who do wrong: Allah doeth what He willeth.

Quran sura Al Burooj 85:16 So we learn that whatever Allah intends, he can do.

Quran sura Al Imran 3:6 - "He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

4. All things happen are created by Allah
...in their sense, attributes and movement.
Quran sura Al Zumar 39:62 - "Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs."
Quran sura Al Furqaan 25:2 - "Allah created all things, and ordered them in due proportions."
Quran sura Al Saaffaat 37:96 - "But Allah has created you and your handwork!"

One important point to note
is that, just because Allah created everything, He interferes with free will. No.

People have our free will
And we know in our day to day life, we have a free will.

Quran sura Al Baqarah 2:223 - It means you have a free will.

Quran sura Al Taghaabun 64:16 - "Fear Allah as much as you can. Listen to Him and obey Him"

Quran sura Al Baqarah 2:286
- Allah Does not lay a burden greater than it can bear.
- It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns.

So based on this, every human being has a free will.
And we see this in every day life.
For example:
- there are some things that go on, which He has fixed
- everything else lies on free will like if I want to lift my hand, if I want I can walk
- it is my will

Certain things for example heart beating.
It beats because of the will of Allah
I can't if I want to stop my heart from beating, I cannot do it.