وعن عبداللہ بن عمرو قال قال رسول اللہ ﷺ: ((کتب اللہ مقادیر الخلائق قبل أن یخلق السمٰوات و الأرض بخمسین ألف سنۃ)) قال: ((وکان عرشہ علی الماء))
(Sayyidina) Abdullah bin Amr (bin al-As) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah wrote the decrees of the creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.” And he said: “His Throne was upon the water.”
It has been narrated by
.
Takhrij al-Hadith:
This hadith has been narrated, apart from Imam Muslim, by
.
Abu Abd al-Rahman Abdullah bin Yazid al-Habuli is trustworthy (thiqah).
Humayd bin Hani is trustworthy (thiqah). Al-Daraqutni (Su’alat al-Barqani: 95), Ibn Hibban (al-Thiqat 4/149) and Ibn Shahin (al-Thiqat: 275) have declared him trustworthy. Imam Muslim and others have affirmed his reliability through authentication (tashih), therefore this narration is entirely authentic. Wal-hamdu lillah.
Fiqh al-Hadith:
1: The plural of miqdar is maqadir. Miqdar means “a thing equal in number, measure, weight and size; a degree, a status; decree, the decision of Allah.” See al-Qamus al-Wahid.
2: From this authentic hadith it is known that divine decree (taqdir) is true, and this is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani writes: “ومذھب السلف قاطبۃ أن الأمور کلھا بتقدیر اللہ تعالیٰ”
And the view of all the (righteous) predecessors (salaf) is that all matters are by the decree of Allah.
The Almighty said: ﴿اِنَّا کُلَّ شَیْءٍ خَلَقْنٰہُ بِقَدَرٍ﴾ Indeed, We created everything with a measure.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the polytheists of Quraysh disputed about divine decree in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and then this (aforementioned) verse was revealed.
Allah the Exalted said: ﴿وَاللّٰہُ خَلَقَکُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ﴾ And Allah created you and what you do.
Explaining this verse, Imam al-Bukhari says: Thus Allah informed that all deeds and the doers of deeds are created.
For other verses on divine decree, see Kitab al-Shari’ah by al-Ajurri.
The belief in divine decree is established by hadiths that are mutawatir in meaning.
Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “ما أضل من کذب بالقدر، لولم یکن علیھم فیہ حجۃ إلا قولہ تعالیٰ﴿خَلَقَکُمْ فَمِنْکُمْ کَافِرٌ وَّ مِنْکُمْ مُّؤْمِنٌط﴾لکفیٰ بھا حجۃ” There is none more misguided than the one who denies divine decree. Had the only evidence about divine decree been the saying of Allah: “He created you, then among you is a disbeliever and among you is a believer”
, it would have been sufficient.
Tawus the Tabi’i said: I found a group of the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and they used to say: everything is by divine decree.
Amir al-Mu’minin Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) asked Abu Suhayl bin Malik: What is your opinion about these deniers of divine decree? He said: My opinion is that they should be asked to repent; if they repent (that is fine), otherwise they should be put to the sword. Umar bin Abd al-Aziz said: My opinion is also the same.
Regarding the Qadariyyah (deniers of divine decree), Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I am free of them and they are free of me. By Allah, if they were to spend gold equal to Mount Uhud, it would not be accepted (by Allah) without belief in divine decree.
When an innovator sent greetings to Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he did not return the greeting.
Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “العجز و الکیس من القدر”
Weakness and intelligence are from divine decree.
There are many other narrations like these, from which the belief in divine decree is clearly established.
Imam Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “من کفر بالقدر فقد کفر بالإسلام”
Whoever denies divine decree has denied Islam.
Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr and Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar both used to curse the followers of the Qadariyyah sect.
Imam Layth bin Sa’d al-Misri said regarding the denier of divine decree that one should neither visit him when he is ill nor attend his funeral.
3: Imam Yahya bin Sa’id al-Qattan and Imam Abd al-Rahman bin Mahdi (may Allah have mercy on them both) said:
“کل شيء بقدر” The meaning of “bi-qadar” is “kataba wa ‘alima” (He wrote and He knows), i.e., He wrote it and He has knowledge of it.
4: Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah Abu Abdullah Ahmad bin Hanbal said:
“لا یصلی خلف القدریۃ و المعتزلۃ و الجھمیۃ”
One should not pray behind the Qadariyyah, the Mu’tazilah and the Jahmiyyah (misguided sects).
5: Fadl bin Isa al-Raqashi was a Qadari innovator. Imam Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani (may Allah have mercy on him) said about him: :”لو ولد أخرس کان خیراً لہ” If he had been born mute, it would have been better for him.
Once, this Raqashi came to Muhammad bin Ka’b al-Qurazi (a Tabi’i) and began speaking about taqdir. Imam al-Qurazi said to him: “Recite the tashahhud (of the khutbah).” When he reached “من یھدہ اللہ فلا مضل لہ ومن یضلل فلا ھادي لہ” he picked up a staff and struck Raqashi on the head, saying: “Get up (be gone).” After he had left, Imam al-Qurazi said (from his insight and experience): “This man will never retract his opinion.”
6: On the subject of taqdir, Shaykh Abdul Muhsin al-Abbad al-Madani has written a very excellent discussion, which the writer (raqim al-huruf) has translated, and it has been published under the title “Sharh Hadith-e-Jibril”. The discussion of taqdir from that book is presented here:
Belief in Divine Decree
The Quran contains many verses about belief in good and bad taqdir, and many hadiths show that the matter of taqdir is true. Allah the Exalted said: ﴿اِنَّا کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ خَلَقۡنٰہُ بِقَدَرٍ ﴿۴۹﴾ ﴾ Indeed, We have created everything with measure (qadar).
And He said: ﴿قُلۡ لَّنۡ یُّصِیۡبَنَاۤ اِلَّا مَا کَتَبَ اللّٰہُ لَنَا ۚ﴾ Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah has decreed for us.
And He said: ﴿مَاۤ اَصَابَ مِنۡ مُّصِیۡبَۃٍ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ لَا فِیۡۤ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ اِلَّا فِیۡ کِتٰبٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ نَّبۡرَاَہَا ؕ اِنَّ ذٰلِکَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ یَسِیۡرٌ ﴿ۚۖ۲۲﴾ ﴾ No calamity befalls the earth or yourselves except that it is in a Book before We bring it into being. Indeed, that is easy for Allah.
As for the Sunnah, Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on them) wrote books on taqdir in their Sahihs, which contain many hadiths that establish taqdir.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, and there is good in both. Strive for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be incapable. If a calamity befalls you, do not say: ‘If only I had done such and such, then such and such would have happened.’ Rather, say: ‘This is Allah’s decree; He does what He wills.’ For ‘if’ (law) opens the door to the work of Satan.”
Tawus (a Tabi’i) said: I found the Companions saying that everything is from taqdir, and I heard Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Everything is from taqdir, even helplessness and intelligence.”
Helplessness and intelligence are opposites of each other. The freshness of the fresh, the laziness of the lazy, and helplessness all come from taqdir. Al-Nawawi wrote in his explanation of this hadith: “Its meaning is that the helplessness of the helpless and the intelligence of the intelligent are written in taqdir.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Each of you has a place in Paradise or Hell written for him (the one destined for Paradise will enter Paradise, and the one destined for Hell will enter Hell).” The people said: “O Messenger of Allah! Should we then rely on this and sit idle?” He ﷺ said: “Act, for each is made easy for what he was created for (the one destined for Paradise has the deeds of the people of Paradise made easy for him, so he should do the deeds of the people of Paradise).” Then he ﷺ recited these verses: ﴿فَاَمَّا مَنۡ اَعۡطٰی وَ اتَّقٰی ۙ﴿۵﴾﴾ up to ﴿لِلۡعُسۡرٰی﴾
This hadith is evidence that the good deeds of servants are in taqdir, and happiness is attained through them, and this too is in taqdir. The evil deeds of servants are in taqdir, and wretchedness is attained through them, and this too is in taqdir. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, made the causes. Nothing is outside the taqdir, decree, creation and origination of Allah.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day I was behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: “O boy! I will teach you some words: Remember Allah, and He will remember you. Remember Allah, and you will find Him before you. When you ask (for what is beyond worldly means), ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that if all the people wanted to benefit you, they would benefit you only with what Allah has written for you, and if all the people wanted to harm you, they could harm you only with what Allah has written for you. The pens have been lifted and the scrolls (of taqdir) have dried.”
There are four levels of belief in predestination (taqdir), and belief in each of them is obligatory:
First level: Allah’s knowledge of whatever is going to happen is eternal and everlasting. Everything that is going to happen is in Allah’s knowledge from eternity. Allah has absolutely no need for fresh knowledge about anything, because He already has complete knowledge of everything.
Second level: Everything that is going to occur has been recorded in the Preserved Tablet (Lawh Mahfuz) fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah wrote the destinies of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon the water.
Third level: Allah’s will (mashi’ah) and His decree (irada). Whatever is taking place is taking place by Allah’s will. In Allah’s dominion only what Allah wills happens. What Allah wills happens, and what He does not will does not happen. The Almighty said: ﴿اِنَّمَاۤ اَمۡرُہٗۤ اِذَاۤ اَرَادَ شَیۡئًا اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلَ لَہٗ کُنۡ فَیَکُوۡنُ ﴿۸۲﴾ ﴾ “His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Ya-Sin: 82). And He said: ﴿وَ مَا تَشَآءُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰہُ رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿٪۲۹﴾ ﴾ “And you will not will except that Allah wills, Lord of the worlds.”
Fourth level: The existence and creation of whatever is going to happen is by Allah’s will, in accordance with His eternal knowledge and what He has written in the Preserved Tablet, because whatever is going to happen, the things and their actions, are created by Allah alone, as the Almighty said: ﴿اَللّٰہُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ ۫ ﴾ “Allah is the Creator of everything.”
And He said: ﴿وَ اللّٰہُ خَلَقَکُمۡ وَ مَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۹۶﴾ ﴾ “And Allah created you and what you do.”
Belief in predestination is belief in the unseen, which no one knows except Allah. The occurrence of what is in predestination can be known to people in two ways:
1: The occurrence of a thing. When a thing occurs, it becomes known that this was in predestination; if it had not been in predestination, it would never have occurred, because what Allah wills happens and what He does not will does not happen.
2: The prophecies of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about events in the future, such as the Dajjal, Gog and Magog, and the descent of Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon them both), and his other prophecies about matters that will take place in the last era.
(Dajjal is the title of a one-eyed man, whose appearance will be before the Day of Resurrection, and Sayyidna Isa ibn Maryam al-Nasiri (peace be upon them both) will kill him with his own hand. See
(Note: Sayyidna Hasan al-Basri (a Tabi’i) said: “قبل موت عیسیٰ، واللہ إنہ الآن لحيّ عنداللہ ولکن إذا نزل آمنوا بہ أجمعون” Before the death of Isa (all the People of the Book will believe in him). By Allah, he (Isa, peace be upon him) is now alive with Allah; when he descends, all people will believe in him (Tafsir al-Tabari 14/6, and its chain is sahih). The consensus of the Salaf (khayr al-qurun) rests on this. It should be remembered that Hazrat Isa will descend from the sky, as proven by a sahih hadith. See
These prophecies are evidence that these matters must occur. This is what is written in Allah’s predestination and decree. Likewise, the prophecies of the Prophet ﷺ about matters that would occur close to his own time. Among them is the hadith narrated by Sayyidna Abu Bakrah (Nafi’ ibn al-Harith) may Allah be pleased with him, that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say from the pulpit, with Hasan (ibn Ali) beside him, while he looked at him at one time and at the people at another time, and said: “This son of mine is a sayyid (master), and perhaps Allah will bring about reconciliation through him between two groups of the Muslims.”
The prophecies the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made came to pass in the forty-first year of Hijri (41 AH), long after his death, when the Muslims came to agreement. It is also called “Am al-Jama’ah” (the Year of Unity). The Companions understood from this hadith that (our beloved master) Hasan (ibn Ali) would not die in childhood and would remain alive until the prophecy of the Prophet ﷺ about reconciliation came to pass. This was in predestination, and before its occurrence the Companions had knowledge of it.
The creator of everything and the one who determines its destiny is Allah alone. Allah the Almighty said: ﴿اَللّٰہُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ ﴾ “Allah is the Creator of everything.”
And He said: ﴿وَ خَلَقَ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ فَقَدَّرَہٗ تَقۡدِیۡرًا ﴾ “And He created everything and determined it with precise measure.”
Thus every good and evil that is going to happen comes about by Allah’s decree, predestination, will and intention. In a hadith narrated by Sayyidna Ali, the Prophet ﷺ said in a long supplication these words: ((والخیر کلہ في یدیک و الشر لیس إلیک)) “All good is in Your hands and evil does not come to You.”
The meaning of this hadith is not that evil does not occur according to Allah’s decree and creation. Its meaning is only that Allah did not create evil without any wisdom or benefit, and secondly, that absolute evil should not be attributed to Allah, but rather it falls within the general scope (under general proofs). As the Almighty said: ﴿اَللّٰہُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ ﴾ “Allah is the Creator of everything.”
And He said: ﴿اِنَّا کُلَّ شَیْءٍ خَلَقْنٰہُ بِقَدَرٍ﴾ “Indeed, We created everything in measure.”
One should observe proper etiquette and not attribute evil, on its own, to Allah. That is why the jinn showed good manners by attributing good to Allah. They expressed evil in the passive form.
Allah the Almighty (quoting the words of the jinn) said: ﴿وَّ اَنَّا لَا نَدۡرِیۡۤ اَشَرٌّ اُرِیۡدَ بِمَنۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اَمۡ اَرَادَ بِہِمۡ رَبُّہُمۡ رَشَدًا ﴿ۙ۱۰﴾ ﴾ “And we do not know whether evil is intended for those on the earth, or whether their Lord intends guidance for them.”
With predestination, in all four levels, there is also Allah’s will and intention. The difference between will (mashi’ah) and intention (irada) is that in the Book and the Sunnah, mashi’ah is mentioned only in its cosmic and predestinal sense. Irada sometimes carries a cosmic meaning and sometimes a legislative (shar’i) meaning. For the cosmic and predestinal meaning, the Almighty said: ﴿وَ لَا یَنۡفَعُکُمۡ نُصۡحِیۡۤ اِنۡ اَرَدۡتُّ اَنۡ اَنۡصَحَ لَکُمۡ اِنۡ کَانَ اللّٰہُ یُرِیۡدُ اَنۡ یُّغۡوِیَکُمۡ ؕ﴾ “And my advice will not benefit you, even if I wish to advise you, if Allah intends to misguide you.”
And He said: ﴿فَمَنۡ یُّرِدِ اللّٰہُ اَنۡ یَّہۡدِیَہٗ یَشۡرَحۡ صَدۡرَہٗ لِلۡاِسۡلَامِ ۚ وَ مَنۡ یُّرِدۡ اَنۡ یُّضِلَّہٗ یَجۡعَلۡ صَدۡرَہٗ ضَیِّقًا حَرَجًا ﴾ “So whomever Allah intends to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomever He intends to leave astray, He makes his breast tight and constricted (one who does not accept the truth).”
For the legislative intention, the Almighty said: ﴿یُرِیۡدُ اللّٰہُ بِکُمُ الۡیُسۡرَ وَ لَا یُرِیۡدُ بِکُمُ الۡعُسۡرَ ﴾ “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.”
And He said: ﴿مَا یُرِیۡدُ اللّٰہُ لِیَجۡعَلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ مِّنۡ حَرَجٍ وَّ لٰکِنۡ یُّرِیۡدُ لِیُطَہِّرَکُمۡ وَ لِیُتِمَّ نِعۡمَتَہٗ عَلَیۡکُمۡ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴾ “Allah does not intend to place upon you any difficulty, but He intends to purify you and to complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.”
The difference between these two intentions is that the cosmic intention is general, whether Allah is pleased or displeased. The legislative intention applies only to that which Allah loves and is pleased with.
The cosmic intention always takes effect, while the religious (legislative) intention takes effect for the person to whom Allah grants success (tawfiq). Whoever Allah does not grant it to is deprived of it. There are other terms that come in cosmic and legislative senses, among them decree (qada’), prohibition (tahrim), permission (idhn), words (kalimat) and command (amr), etc.
Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned them in the twenty-ninth (29) chapter of his book “Shifa’ al-‘Alil” and wrote their evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Whatever Allah has recorded in the Preserved Tablet (Lawh Mahfuz), He has determined its destiny and decided its occurrence, so that thing must certainly come to pass. There is no change in it and no alteration, as the Almighty says ﴿مَاۤ اَصَابَ مِنۡ مُّصِیۡبَۃٍ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ لَا فِیۡۤ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ اِلَّا فِیۡ کِتٰبٍ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ نَّبۡرَاَہَا ؕ﴾ No calamity strikes the earth or your own selves except that it was written in a Book before We bring it into being.
And among the narrations is the hadith: “The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”
Allah says ﴿یَمۡحُوا اللّٰہُ مَا یَشَآءُ وَ یُثۡبِتُ ۚۖ وَ عِنۡدَہٗۤ اُمُّ الۡکِتٰبِ ﴿۳۹﴾﴾ Allah erases what He wills and establishes (what He wills), and with Him is the Mother of the Book.
Its explanation has been stated that this verse concerns the legislations (shariat). Among the legislations, Allah abrogates whichever He wills and keeps established whichever He wills, until the line of Messengers ended with our beloved Prophet ﷺ, and his Shariah abrogated all previous legislations. Its evidence is in the verse before it: ﴿وَ مَا کَانَ لِرَسُوۡلٍ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَ بِاٰیَۃٍ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ لِکُلِّ اَجَلٍ کِتَابٌ﴾ No messenger could bring a sign except by the permission of Allah. For every term there is a Book, meaning every matter has an appointed time.
It has also been explained that this refers to the decrees that are not in the Preserved Tablet, just as some matters are carried out through the angels. See Ibn al-Qayyim’s book
. Under each chapter, he has described a specific decree other than the Preserved Tablet.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Only supplication can avert the decree (qada’ / taqdir), and lifespan is increased only through righteousness.”
The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, “Whomever Allah loves, He expands his provision or prolongs his life, so maintain ties of kinship,”
also has the same meaning. Every person’s time is fixed in the Preserved Tablet. It can be neither advanced nor delayed, as Allah the Exalted says: ﴿وَ لَنۡ یُّؤَخِّرَ اللّٰہُ نَفۡسًا اِذَا جَآءَ اَجَلُہَا ؕ ﴾ And when a soul’s term has come, Allah does not delay it.
And He said: ﴿لِکُلِّ اُمَّۃٍ اَجَلٌ ؕ اِذَا جَآءَ اَجَلُہُمۡ فَلَا یَسۡتَاۡخِرُوۡنَ سَاعَۃً وَّ لَا یَسۡتَقۡدِمُوۡنَ ﴾ Every nation has a term. When their term comes, it cannot be delayed by a single hour, nor can it be advanced.
Whoever dies or is killed, dies or is killed by his appointed term (ajal). It should not be said, as the Mu’tazila say, that the ajal of the one who was killed was cut short and that, had he not been killed, he would have lived until another ajal, because each person’s death has only one fixed time. For that time, causes are set: this one will die of illness, this one will drown, this one will be killed, and so on.
One should not use decree as an argument for abandoning good deeds or committing sins, because whoever commits a sin has a prescribed punishment in the Shariah. If he presents as his excuse that it was in his destiny, he will be given the legal punishment, and it will be said: this punishment for that sin was also in your destiny.
What has come in the hadith, that Adam (peace be upon him) and Musa (peace be upon him) debated about decree, is not a case of using decree as proof for committing sin. It is a mention of the calamity that occurred because of disobedience.
(Sayyidina) Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Adam and Musa debated, and Musa said to Adam: “You are Adam, whom your sin (slip) expelled from Paradise.” Adam replied: “You are Musa, whom Allah favored with messengership and with speaking to Him. Do you blame me for something Allah had written in my destiny before I was created?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said it twice: “So Adam overcame Musa (peace be upon both of them).”
In his book “Shifa’ al-‘Alil”, Ibn al-Qayyim established a third chapter to discuss this hadith. In explaining the hadith, he mentioned false views (as refutations) and cited the verses which state that the polytheists used decree to justify their shirk. Allah declared those polytheists liars because they persisted in their shirk and disbelief. What they said is true, but it was used to support falsehood. Then he mentioned two interpretations of the meaning of this hadith: the first is from his teacher Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and the second is from his own understanding and deduction.
Ibn al-Qayyim says: “When you have recognized this, Musa (peace be upon him) was the most knowledgeable about Allah ﷻ and His names and attributes, so how could he blame him for a sin for which its doer had repented? After that, Allah ﷻ chose him (for Himself), guided him, and specially selected him.
And Adam knew his Lord far too well to argue from decree in support of disobedience.
The matter is that Musa blamed Adam for the calamity whose cause was the slip of the father of Adam’s children (Sayyidina Adam). So he mentioned the slip as a warning, regarding the calamity and trial that befell the descendants of Adam.
That is why Musa said to Adam: “You caused us and yourself to be expelled from Paradise.” In some narrations the word “khaybatana” (you deprived us) appears.
Adam argued from qadar regarding the calamity and said: Indeed, this calamity that reached my offspring because of my lapse was written in my destiny. Qadar may be used as an argument for calamities, but it may not be used as an argument for defects (and for the permissibility of sins). That is, why do you blame me for a calamity that was written in my destiny and yours so many years before my creation? This answer is that of our Shaykh (Ibn Taymiyyah) (may Allah have mercy on him). A second answer may also be that arguing from qadar regarding a sin may be beneficial in some places and harmful in others. If a person repents after a sin has occurred and does not commit this sin again, he may argue from qadar, as Adam did (after his lapse).
In this way, the mention of qadar contains tawhid and knowledge of the names and attributes of the Lord, the Exalted. Mentioning it benefits both the one who speaks and the one who listens, because mentioning qadar does not oppose any command or prohibition, nor does it nullify the Shariah. Rather, the truth is merely stated as a clarification of tawhid and of freedom from change and power. This is further clarified by Adam’s words to Musa: “Do you blame me for an action that was written in my destiny before my creation?” When a person commits a sin and then repents, that matter is removed and ended in such a way that it is as though the deed never happened. Therefore, if a blamer now reproaches him for that sin, it is better for him to argue from qadar and say: “This deed was in my destiny before my creation.” This person has not denied the truth through qadar, nor established falsehood, nor argued for the permissibility of what is prohibited.
As for the situation in which arguing from qadar is harmful, it concerns the present and the future. That is, if a person commits a forbidden act or abandons an obligatory (fard) duty, and someone then blames him for it, and he argues from qadar in order to persist in the sin and insist upon it, this person wants, by his argument, to nullify the truth and to commit falsehood, just as those who insisted on shirk and worship other than Allah used to say: ﴿لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰہُ مَاۤ اَشۡرَکۡنَا وَ لَاۤ اٰبَآؤُنَا ﴾ “If Allah had willed, we would not have associated anything with Him, nor would our fathers,”
﴿لَوۡ شَآءَ الرَّحۡمٰنُ مَا عَبَدۡنٰہُمۡ ؕ ﴾ “If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them.”
They argued from divine decree while considering their false beliefs to be correct. They did not express any remorse for their (shirk and disbelieving) act, nor did they intend to abandon it, nor did they acknowledge that it was corrupt.
This is the complete opposite of the reasoning of the person whose error becomes clear to him, who becomes remorseful and firmly resolves that he will not commit the error again. Then, after that (repentance), if someone blames him, he says: “Whatever has happened has happened by the decree of Allah.” The fundamental point in this matter is that if the reasons for blame are removed, then arguing from divine decree is correct, and if the reasons for blame remain, then arguing from divine decree is false…..”
Concerning divine decree, both the Qadariyyah and the Jabriyyah sects have gone astray. The Qadariyyah say that people are themselves the creators of their actions, and that Allah did not write these actions in their decree. The implication of their statement is that the actions of people which occur in Allah’s dominion are not His decreed (predetermined) matter. These people are independent of Allah in creating their actions, and that Allah is not the creator of everything, but rather people are the creators of their actions. This belief is extremely false, because Allah, glorified and exalted, is the creator of people and also the creator of people’s actions. Allah, the Exalted, is the creator of both essences and attributes, as the Almighty says: ﴿قُلِ اللّٰہُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ وَّ ہُوَ الۡوَاحِدُ الۡقَہَّارُ ﴾ Say: Allah is the Creator of everything, and He is the One, the Subduer (over all)
And He said: ﴿اَللّٰہُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ ۫ وَّ ہُوَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ وَّکِیۡلٌ ﴿۶۲﴾ ﴾ Allah is the Creator of everything, and He is a Guardian (Protector and Overseer) over everything.
And He said: ﴿وَ اللّٰہُ خَلَقَکُمۡ وَ مَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۹۶﴾﴾ And Allah created you and what you do (He also created).
The Jabriyyah (sect) have taken choice away from people; they do not believe in any will or intention for it. They have equated voluntary movements with involuntary movements. These people hold the view that all their movements are like the movements of trees. The movements of the one who eats, drinks, prays and fasts are like the movements of one with a tremor; a person’s acquisition and will have no role in them.
In that case, what is the benefit of sending messengers and revealing books? It is definitively known that a person has the power of will and intention. He is praised for good deeds, blamed for bad deeds, and punished. Voluntary actions of a person are attributed to him (it is he who commits good and evil). As for involuntary movements, such as the movement of one with a tremor, it is not said here that this is his action. It is rather one of his attributes.
That is why, in defining the agent (fa’il), the grammarians say that it is the nominative noun that indicates the one from whom an event (fi’l) proceeds or the one to whom it is attached, meaning that it originates from him. By “event” they mean the voluntary actions that occur through a person’s will and intention. By “attachment of an event” they mean matters that do not fall under will, such as death, illness and tremor, etc. So if it is said that Zayd fell ill, Zayd died, or a tremor occurred in his hands, this event is not from Zayd’s (voluntary) action, but is rather an attribute of him from which it proceeded.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah stand, in affirming divine decree, between the Jabriyyah, who go to extremes in it, and the Qadariyyah, who deny it. They affirm will (mashi’ah) for the servant, and they affirm the general will (mashi’ah ‘amm) for the Lord. They have made the servant’s will subordinate to Allah’s will, as the saying of Allah the Exalted is: ﴿لِمَنۡ شَآءَ مِنۡکُمۡ اَنۡ یَّسۡتَقِیۡمَ ﴿ؕ۲۸﴾ وَ مَا تَشَآءُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰہُ رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿٪۲۹﴾﴾ for whoever among you wishes to go straight; and you cannot will except that Allah, Lord of the worlds, wills.
Nothing happens in Allah’s dominion that He does not will.
This is contrary to the Qadariyyah, who say, “Servants create their own actions.” And servants are not punished for things in which they have neither intention nor will, as the Jabriyyah claim. In this lies the answer to the question that is repeatedly asked: is the servant entirely compelled, or is he (fully) free to choose? Neither is he absolutely compelled, nor is he absolutely free to choose; rather, it is said that he is free to choose in one respect, in that he possesses will and intention, and his actions are his acquisition (kasb). For good deeds he will receive reward, and for evil deeds he will receive punishment. In one respect he is compelled (musayyar, i.e., subject to decree). Nothing proceeds from him that falls outside Allah’s will, decree, creation and origination.
Whatever guidance and misguidance (a servant) attains, it is attained only through Allah’s will and decree. Allah has made clear to the servants the path of felicity and the path of misguidance, both. Allah has given the servants intellect, by which they distinguish between benefit and harm. Whoever takes the path of felicity and walks upon it, it will lead him to felicity (Paradise). This act occurred by the servant’s will and intention, which is subordinate to Allah’s will and intention, and this is Allah’s grace and kindness. Whoever takes the path of misguidance and walks upon it, it will lead him to wretchedness (Hell). This act occurred by the servant’s will and intention, which is subordinate to Allah’s will and intention. This is the justice and equity of Allah, glory be to Him and exalted. Allah says: ﴿اَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلۡ لَّہٗ عَیۡنَیۡنِ ۙ﴿۸﴾ وَ لِسَانًا وَّ شَفَتَیۡنِ ۙ﴿۹﴾ وَ ہَدَیۡنٰہُ النَّجۡدَیۡنِ ﴿ۚ۱۰﴾ ﴾ Did We not make for him two eyes, a tongue and two lips, and guide him to the two highways (of good and evil)?
And He said: ﴿اِنَّا ہَدَیۡنٰہُ السَّبِیۡلَ اِمَّا شَاکِرًا وَّ اِمَّا کَفُوۡرًا ﴿۳﴾ ﴾ We guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.
And He said: ﴿مَنۡ یَّہۡدِ اللّٰہُ فَہُوَ الۡمُہۡتَدِ ۚ وَ مَنۡ یُّضۡلِلۡ فَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لَہٗ وَلِیًّا مُّرۡشِدًا﴾ Whomever Allah guides is the one guided; and whomever He leaves astray, you will not find for him any protecting friend or guide.
Guidance is of two kinds: (1) the guidance of indication and direction, which is attained by every human being, meaning that from every human being this is what is required: that he follow the guidance of Islam; (2) the guidance of divine enabling (tawfiq), which is attained by the one whom Allah wills to guide.
Among the evidences for the first guidance is the saying of Allah the Exalted, in which Allah addresses His Prophet ﷺ: ﴿وَاِنَّکَ لَتَھْدِیْ آِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِیْمٍ﴾ And indeed you call to the straight path. Among the evidences for the second guidance is the saying of Allah the Exalted: ﴿اِنَّکَ لَا تَہۡدِیۡ مَنۡ اَحۡبَبۡتَ وَ لٰکِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَہۡدِیۡ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ۚ﴾ Indeed, you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills.
Allah the Exalted has combined both guidances in this verse: ﴿وَ اللّٰہُ یَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلٰی دَارِ السَّلٰمِ ؕ وَ یَہۡدِیۡ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ﴿۲۵﴾﴾ And Allah calls to the abode of peace, and guides whom He wills to the straight path.
“Allah calls to the abode of peace”: that is, He calls everyone. The object is omitted for generality, and this guidance is guidance of indication and direction. “And guides whom He wills to the straight path”: here the object is stated explicitly to establish specificity, and this guidance is guidance of tawfiq.
