The natural effect of alms-giving is not to prevent the snake from biting.

The natural effect of alms-giving is not to prevent the snake from biting. There is no such physical connection between the alms and the snake to prevent its biting. The connection is a metaphysical one. The changes in the suspended and conditional taqdirs are termed as "bida"'. [Allah's innovation].

For example, observing family relations, being kind to one's parents, giving alms, and the like, change the taqdirs, while, on the other hand, disregarding family relations and incurring the wrath of one's parents, change the good taqdirs to bad ones. It happens that Allah, the Prophet or the Imam may announce something, but not decisively, yet, the hearer takes it to be decisive because he does not notice its condition. Later on, the condition changes and the event does not take place.

This is bada'. In some narratives it is stated that one of the best worships is to believe in the bada'.

That is, if we believe that the taqdirs are final and unchangeable, and that we are deprived of the chance to choose, then we shall not implore Allah and exert no activity nor any effort, and say: let happen what it may, and we do not ask Allah to lift the calamity from us, because the belief in the effectiveness of benediction comes when we believe that the taqdirs are suspended and conditional, and that the du'a' [invocation] can make an obstacle blocking the way of some taqdirs, only at that time the motive for praying Allah obtains.

Those who do not believe in the bada', i.e. in the changeability of the suspended taqdirs, will have no motive for invocation and for being active in that. That is why the disbelief in the taqdir and qadar cause a kind of inactivity, weakness, stillness and backwardness. It should not be so from the monotheistic point of view. The reasons and the conditions of each are effective at their proper time. Taqdir does not deprive man from his free will.

The very ability to choose is one of the things moving within the limits of taqdir, and one's optional acts should be carried out through one's attempts and hard work, despite the fact that we do not know what the final destiny is. Our duty, nevertheless, is to try. If our efforts are successful, we shall attain to our aim, but if we are not successful, we will be doing our duty. At any rate, it will have a definite result with Allah, which will never be lost.

As a result, the monotheist will always be thinking of what his duty is.