Chapter: Regarding the Divine Decree (Qadr)

´'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), the true and truly inspired one, told us that: 'The creation of one of you is put together in his mother's womb for forty days, then it becomes a clot for a similar length of time, then it becomes a chewed lump of flesh for a similar length of time. Then Allah sends the angel to him and commands him to write down four things. He says: "Write down his deeds, his life span, his provision, and whether he is doomed (destined for Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise)." By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! One of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Hell until there is no more than a forearm's length between him and it, then the decree overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise until he enters therein."

´It was narrated that Ibn Dailami said:` "I was confused about this Divine Decree (Qadar), and I was afraid lest that adversely affect my religion and my affairs. So I went to Ubayy bin Ka'b and said: 'O Abu Mundhir! I am confused about the Divine Decree, and I fear for my religion and my affairs, so tell me something about that through which Allah may benefit me.' He said: 'If Allah were to punish the inhabitants of His heavens and of his earth, He would do so and He would not be unjust towards them. And if He were to have mercy on them, His mercy would be better for them than their own deeds. If you had the equivalent of Mount Uhud which you spent in the cause of Allah, that would not be accepted from you until you believed in the Divine Decree and you know that whatever has befallen you, could not have passed you by; and whatever has passed you by, could not have befallen you; and that if you were to die believing anything other than this, you would enter Hell. And it will not harm you to go to my brother, 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, and ask him (about this).' So I went to 'Abdullah and asked him , and he said something similar to what Ubayy had said, and he told me: 'It will not harm you to go to Hudhaifah.' So I went to Hudhaifah and asked him, and he said something similar to what they had said. And he told me: 'Go to Zaid bin Thabit and ask him.' So I went to Zaid bun Thabit and asked him, and he said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: "If Allah were to punish the inhabitants of His heavens and of His earth, he would do so and He would not be unjust towards them. And if He were to have mercy on them, His mercy would be better for them than their own deeds. If you had the equivalent of Mount Uhud which you spent in the cause of Allah, that would not be accepted from you until you believed in the Divine Decree and you know that whatever has befallen you, could not have passed you by; and whatever has passed you by, could not have befallen you; and that if you were to die believing anything other than this, you would enter Hell"

´It was narrated that 'Ali said:` "We were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he had a stick in his hand. He scratched in the ground with it, then raised his head and said: 'There is no one among you but his place in Paradise or Hell has already been decreed.' He was asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, should we not then rely upon that?' He said: 'No, strive and do not rely upon that, for it will be made easy for each person to do that for which he was created.' Then he recited: "As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, and believes in Al-Husna. We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient. And denies Al-Husna. We will make smooth for him the path for evil. "

´It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, "if only I had done such and such" rather say "Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha'a fa'ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does)." For (saying) 'If' opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.'"

´It was narrated that 'Amr bin Dinar heard Tawus say:` "I heard Abu Hurairah narrating that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Adam and Musa debated, and Musa said to him: "O Adam, you are our father but have deprived us and caused us to be expelled from Paradise because of your sin." Adam said to him: "O Musa, Allah chose you to speak with, and he wrote the Tawrah for you with His own Hand. Are you blaming me for something which Allah decreed for me forty years before He created me?" Thus Adam won the argument with Musa, thus Adam won the argument with Musa.'"

´It was narrated that 'Ali said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'No slave truly believes until he believes in four things: in Allah alone with no partner; that I am the Messenger of Allah; in the resurrection after death; and in the Divine Decree (Qadar).'"

´It was narrated that 'Aishah the Mother of the Believers said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was called to the funeral of a child from among the Ansar. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, glad tidings for him! He is one of the little birds of Paradise, who never did evil or reached the age of doing evil (i.e, the age of accountability).' He said: 'It may not be so, O 'Aishah! For Allah created people for Paradise, He created them for it when they were still in their father's loins, And He has created people for Hell, He created them for it when they were still in their fathers' loins.'"

´It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:` "The idolators and Quraish came and disputed with the Prophet (ﷺ) concerning the Divine Decree. Then the following verse was revealed: 'The Day they will be dragged on their faces into the Fire (it will be said to them): "Taste you the touch of Hell!" Verily We have created all things with Qadar. (Divine Decree)'"

´`Abdullah bin Abi Mulaikah narrated that his father entered upon `A'ishah and said something to her about the Divine Decree:` She said: "I heard The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Whoever says anything about the Divine decree will be questioned about that on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever does not say anything about it will not be questioned about it.'" Another chain with similar wording.

´'Amr in Shu'aib narrated from his father that his grandfather said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to his Companions when they were disputing about the Divine Decree, and it was as if pomegranate seeds had burst on his face (i.e. turned red) because of anger. He said: 'Have you been commanded to do this, or were you created for this purpose? You are using one part of the Qur'an against another part, and this is what led to the doom of the nations who came before you.'" 'Abdullah bin 'Amr said: "I was never happy to have missed a gathering with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as I was to have missed that gathering.'"

´Sha'bi said:` "When 'Adi bin Hatim came to Kufah, we came to him with a delegation of the Fuqaha of Kufah and said to him: 'Tell us of something that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: "O 'Adi bin Hatim, enter Islam and you will be safe." I said, "What is Islam?" He said: "To testify to La ilaha illallah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) and that I am the Messenger of Allah, and to believe in all the Divine Decrees, the good of them and the bad of them, the sweet of them and the bitter of them."

´It was narrated that Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The likeness of the heart is that of a feather blown about by the wind in the desert.'"

´It was narrated that Jabir said:` "A man from among the Ansar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have a slave girl. Should I do 'Azl (coitus interruptus) with her?' He said 'Whatever is decreed for her shall come to her." He (the Ansari) came to him later on and said: "The slave girl has become pregnant." The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Nothing is decreed for a person but it will surely come to pass."

´It was narrated that Thawban said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Nothing extends one's life span but righteousness, nothing averts the Divine Decree but supplication, and nothing deprives a man of provision but the sin that he commits.'"

´It was narrated that Suraqah bin Ju'shum said:` "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), is one's deed in that which has already dried of the Pen and what has passed of the Divine Decree, or is it in the future?' He said: 'No, it is in that which he already dried of the Pen and what has passed of the Divine Decree, and each person is facilitated for what he has been created.'"

´It was narrated that Jabir bin 'Abdullah said:` "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The Magicians of this Ummah are those who deny the decrees of Allah. If they fall sick, do not visit them; if they die, do not attend their funerals; and if you meet them, do not greet them with Salam.'"