Divine decree

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah Almighty intends to create a soul, the angel appointed over the womb says: 'Ay rabbi, a-dhakarun am untha?' (O my Lord, is it a male or a female?) Then Allah Almighty makes His decree. Then the angel says again: 'Ay rabbi, a-shaqiyyun am sa'id?' (O my Lord, is it wretched or blessed?) Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, issues His command. Then the angel writes between its eyes everything it will encounter throughout its life, even the slight hardship or misfortune that will befall it."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded it.
It is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) (through another chain) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the drop of fluid settles in the womb, the angel appointed over the womb says: 'Ay rabbi, ma aktub?' (O my Lord, what shall I write?) Then Allah Almighty issues His decree. Then the angel asks whether it is a male or a female, and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, issues His command" (and the narrator mentioned the complete hadith in the same way).
Imam al-Bazzar recorded it and said that the narrator Salih is alone in narrating it from al-Zuhri, that is, through Salim.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever speaks about the matter of divine decree (qadar) in even the slightest way (with the intention of disputing), he will be questioned about it on the Day of Resurrection."
The chain of this narration contains Dawud bin al-Muhabbar, who according to the hadith scholars is a severely weak and unreliable narrator; therefore, academically, this narration is extremely weak in its chain or at the level of fabricated.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The beginning of the ruin and destruction of past nations came about through the matter of divine decree (through perverse argument or denial), and O my Ummah! You too will be tested through them (those who deny divine decree), or you will soon be put to trial through them. So if you meet them, or live in their time, then you be the ones to question them (about their false ideas), that is, you be the ones who call them to account, and do not give them the opportunity to put (their doubt-laden) questions to you, lest you fall into trial."
The chain of this hadith contains an unnamed narrator ("from a man"), because of which this chain is technically da'if (weak); however, a warning of the same kind about the trial of denying divine decree is found in other reliable narrations as well.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever denies the divine decree or argues and disputes about it has certainly rejected the guidance and law with which I have been sent, and he has disbelieved in the revelation that was sent down upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith (hadith: 2946). Its chain contains a narrator named Sawwar bin Mus'ab, who is matruk (abandoned) in hadith; therefore, academically and technically, this narration is severely weak.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out of the door of his house, intending to go to the chamber, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) heard some people arguing among themselves about the matter of divine decree. They were saying: "Did Allah Almighty not say such-and-such a verse? Did Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, not say such-and-such a verse?" The narrator says: (On hearing this) the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) opened the door of the chamber, and his (peace and blessings be upon him) radiant face was so red from intense anger that it was as if pomegranate seeds had been squeezed on his (peace and blessings be upon him) cheeks. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is this what you have been commanded? Or is this what you have been sent for? Those before you were destroyed only through deeds like this: they set one part of the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, against another. Follow what Allah has commanded you, and refrain from what He has forbidden you." The narrator says: After this incident people did not hear anyone speaking on this subject until Ma'bad al-Juhani appeared, whom al-Hajjaj later arrested and had killed.
[Takhrij: This narration is found in Musnad Ahmad and other books of hadith; although Yusuf bin Atiyyah in its chain is a weak narrator, the prohibition of quarrelling about divine decree and the mention of the destruction of previous nations are established by other authentic hadith and supporting reports.]

It is narrated from Ata bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) while they were arguing among themselves about divine decree, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said (expressing strong disapproval): "Is this what you have been commanded? You have entered two valleys whose end you will never reach, and the generations before you were also destroyed through these very disputes. Beware! Keep away from it; beware! Keep away from it."
Imam al-Harith recorded it in his Musnad; its chain contains Hamzah bin Ziyad al-Nasibi, who is matruk (abandoned), and al-Hasan bin Qutaybah al-Khuza'i, who is da'if (weak), because of which this narration is severely weak in its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, took a handful (of His creation in pre-eternity) and said: These are for Paradise, by My mercy. Then He took (another) handful and said: These are for Hell, and I do not care."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith through the chain of Suwayd bin Sa'id, and Amr bin Muhammad al-Naqid also narrated it with the same words through al-Hakam bin Sinan al-Abdi.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I fear five things for my Ummah after me: denial of the divine decree, and belief in (the influence of) the stars."
Imam Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili recorded this hadith in his Musnad (2950); however, its chain contains a narrator named Yazid bin Aban al-Raqashi, who is da'if (weak) according to the majority of hadith scholars, so this narration is weak in terms of its chain.

It is narrated from Rabi'ah (may Allah have mercy on him) as marfu' that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The ruin and destruction of my Ummah lies in three things: denial of divine decree (that is, opposing the belief in qadar), ignorant partisanship (that is, unjust taking of sides and factionalism), and relating any statement or report without verification, scrutiny and firm proof."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah transmitted this narration in his Musnad; however, there is a break in its chain, because of which this narration is technically da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he used to narrate this hadith, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the very first thing that Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, created is the Pen, and He commanded it to write everything (in the universe)."
Musnad Abi Ya'la: 2952.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "This tribe of Quraysh will remain in peace and safety until you turn them away from their religion towards disbelief." Meanwhile a man stood up before him (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Is my abode in Paradise or in Hell?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Paradise." Then another man stood up and asked: "Will I be in Paradise or in Hell?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In Hell." After that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As long as I remain silent with you (about such matters), you too remain silent with me; for were it not for the fear that you would stop burying one another (out of dread), I would have informed you of those of your company who are among the people of Hell, so that you would recognise them at the time of death. And if I were commanded to do so, I would certainly do it."
The narrator Layth bin Abi Sulaym in its chain is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Never has the foundation of any heresy and irreligion been laid except that its beginning was the denial of divine decree."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah recorded this hadith in his Musnad; its chain contains Bahr bin Kaniz al-Saqqa al-Basri, who is a da'if (weak) narrator according to the imams of narrator criticism.

Abu Burdah bin Abi Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: I came to the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The flight of birds (that is, taking good or bad omens from them) is entirely subject to the divine decree." And he (peace and blessings be upon him) greatly liked a good omen (fa'l), that is, taking a good sign from a good word.
The chain of this hadith is sahih (authentic); Imam Ahmad recorded it in al-Musnad (25390) and Ibn Hibban in al-Sahih (6117), and researchers have declared its chain strong.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When divine decree (its subtleties and secrets) is mentioned, restrain yourselves (from debate and investigation); and when my Companions are mentioned (that is, when the matter of their mutual differences comes up), refrain (from criticism and disparagement)."
Takhrij and grading: Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad; its chain contains a narrator named Dawud bin al-Muhabbar, who is da'if (weak), though on the basis of other routes and supporting reports the meaning of this hadith is sound and reliable.

It is narrated from Imam al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) as mursal from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said the like of it (with the same meaning as the previous narration) and added: "And when the stars (and their influences) are mentioned, refrain (from talk and debate)."
This narration is mursal, because al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) is a Successor (Tabi'i). The 'anwa' in the hadith refers to the pre-Islamic belief that attributed rain to the movement of the stars; that is why the command was given to keep silent in such debates.

It is narrated from Amr bin Shu'ayb: I was sitting with Sa'id bin al-Musayyib when someone present said: "O Abu Muhammad! Some people say that Allah Almighty has decreed everything except evil." The narrator says: By Allah! I never saw Sa'id bin al-Musayyib as angry as he was that day, so much so that he resolved to get up in anger. Then he said: "Have they really committed this insolence? Woe to them! If only you knew! By Allah! I have heard a blessed hadith about them that suffices to expose their evil." I said: "O Abu Muhammad! Yarhamukallah (May Allah have mercy on you), what is that?" He looked at me, his anger having subsided, and said: Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to me; he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There will appear in my Ummah peoples who will disbelieve by denying Allah Almighty and the divine decree, without even being aware of it, just as the Jews and Christians disbelieved." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! May I be ransomed for you, how will they say it?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They will say that good is from Allah but evil is from Iblis; and despite this false belief they will be reciting the Book of Allah Almighty, and they will commit disbelief in Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, after faith and knowledge. My Ummah will face severe hardships because of their enmity, hatred and argumentation! These are the heretics (zanadiqah) of this Ummah, and in their time there will be the tyranny and oppression of rulers; and what a dreadful time of oppression, injustice and favouritism it will be! Then Allah Almighty will send upon them an epidemic of plague by which most of them will perish. Then there will be the transformation of forms and the swallowing up by the earth, and very few of them will escape. On that day everyone's joy will be little and his grief very great. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will transform most of them, turning them into apes and swine." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wept so much that we too began to weep because of his (peace and blessings be upon him) weeping. It was said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is the reason for weeping so much?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I weep out of pity for those wretched people, because among them will be those who strive hard and devoted worshippers who stand at night in prayer; yet they are not the first to adopt this misguided saying; rather, most of those of the Children of Israel who perished were ruined because of this very belief." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah! What is the reality of faith in divine decree?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "That you believe in Allah alone and know that no one besides Him has even the slightest power to bring benefit or harm; and that you believe in Paradise and Hell and firmly hold that Allah Almighty created them both before creating the creation, then He created His creation, and by His will chose for Paradise whomever of them He willed and appointed for Hell whomever He willed."
Besides Imam al-Harith, Imam Abu Ya'la also transmitted this narration at length with the same words from Ahmad al-Dawraqi, from al-Muqri, through Ibn Lahi'ah, from Amr bin Shu'ayb.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he heard a man saying: "Evil is not by divine decree." So Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said (in refutation): "The decisive proof between us and those who deny divine decree is this saying of Allah Almighty: 'Those who associated partners with Allah will say: If Allah had willed, we would not have associated partners with Him, nor would our forefathers, nor would we have forbidden anything' [Surah al-An'am: 148], until His saying: 'Say: To Allah belongs the conclusive argument; had He willed, He would have guided you all' [Surah al-An'am: 149]." Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) further said: "Whether it is incapacity and helplessness or intelligence and shrewdness, everything is from Allah's decree."
Imam Tawus (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "These speculative theologians who deny divine decree speak without knowledge, so avoid debating and arguing about the intricate issues of divine decree."
It is also narrated that Iblis met Sayyiduna Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) and, whispering temptation, said: "Do you not know that nothing will befall you except what has been decreed for you? Then climb to the high summit of the mountain, throw yourself down from there, and see whether you survive or not." Isa (peace be upon him) answered him: "Indeed, Allah Almighty says: 'Inna al-abda la yanbaghi lahu an yujarribani' (It is not fitting for a servant to put Me to the test), and I do whatever I will."
Ma'mar says that Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned a similar incident, in which he related that Isa (peace be upon him) said to him: "A servant does not test his Lord; rather, Allah tests His servant." Thus he (peace be upon him) overcame him in argument and silenced him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a man came to Makkah who used to speak (wrongly and misleadingly) about the matter of divine decree. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said (in a state of great anger): "Show him to me so that I may seize him by the head. By Allah! If his neck falls into my hands I will surely break it, and if his nose comes within my grasp I will surely bite it, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'It is as if I am looking at the women of the tribe of Banu Fahm circumambulating (the pre-Islamic idol) al-Khazraj, being polytheists, their hips knocking against one another (because of the crowd); and this will be the first polytheism in (the era of) Islam. By Allah! The wickedness and mischief of these people will not end until they exclude Allah, Glorified and Exalted, from decreeing good, just as they have excluded Allah from decreeing evil.'"
Baqiyyah says: Then I met al-Ala bin Uyaynah and he narrated this hadith to me through Muhammad bin Ubayd, from Mujahid bin Jabr Abu al-Hajjaj, through Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty has said in some of the (earlier) Books He sent down: 'Indeed, I am Allah; there is no true god but Me. It is I who decreed good and evil.'"
Musnad Ahmad bin Mani': 2961.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hisham bin Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! Are deeds being begun (now), or has the decree (about them) already been issued?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, when Allah Almighty brought forth the offspring of Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him) from his back and made them bear witness concerning Himself, then spread them out from His two palms, He said: 'These are for Paradise and these are for Hell.' So the people of Paradise are made at ease with (doing) the deeds of the people of Paradise, and the people of Hell are made at ease with (doing) the deeds of the people of Hell."
This hadith is gharib (singular).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Magians (fire-worshippers) of this Ummah are the Qadariyyah (those who deny divine decree), even if they fast and pray."
Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad; its chain contains Baqiyyah bin al-Walid, who is a mudallis and narrates with 'an ("from"), while the narrator named Yahya bin Atiyyah is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate: 'Ya muqallib al-qulub, thabbit qalbi 'ala dinik' (O Turner of hearts (Lord)! Keep my heart firmly established upon Your religion).
All its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy), except Ibn Abi Layla, who did not hear directly from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say these words in his supplication: 'Ya waliyy al-islami wa ahlih, sakkinni bihi hatta alqaka bih' (O Guardian and Protector of Islam and its people! Keep me steadfast and at peace upon it (the religion of Islam) until I meet You in that very state).
Abu Ya'la narrated it; the narrator in its chain, Attab bin Bashir, is saduq (truthful), but the hadith scholars have criticised his memory; however, these words of supplication are well known on the basis of other supporting reports.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Allah Almighty created the creation, decreed the decree, and took the covenant from the Prophets (peace be upon them), while His Throne was upon the water, Allah Almighty took the people of the right in His right hand and the people of the left in His other hand, and both hands of the Most Merciful are right (blessed and full of power). Then Allah said: 'O people of the right!' They replied: 'Labbayka rabbana wa sa'dayk' (Here we are, our Lord! We are at Your service and obedience again and again). Allah asked: 'Am I not your Lord?' [Surah al-A'raf: 172] They replied: 'Yes indeed (You alone are our Lord).' Then Allah said: 'O people of the left!' They replied: 'Labbayka rabbana wa sa'dayk' (Here we are, our Lord! We are at Your service and obedience again and again). Allah asked: 'Am I not your Lord?' [Surah al-A'raf: 172] They replied: 'Yes indeed (You alone are our Lord).' Then Allah mixed some of them with others, and someone among them said: 'Our Lord! Why have You mixed us together?' Allah said: 'And they have deeds besides that, which they will be doing' [Surah al-Mu'minun: 63], up to His words: 'Indeed, we were unaware of this' [Surah al-A'raf: 172]. Then Allah returned them all into the back of Adam (peace be upon him)." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) further said: "Allah Almighty created the creation, decreed the decree, and took the covenant from the Prophets while His Throne was upon the water; so the people of Paradise are (truly) the people of Paradise, and the people of Hell are the people of Hell." The narrator said that someone asked: "O Prophet of Allah! Then what is the reality of deeds?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every group will act only according to its (destined) rank." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said (on hearing this): "Then we will strive with all our might (in good deeds)." He (peace and blessings be upon him) was also asked about deeds; the Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! What do you say about deeds: are they something newly begun, or has the matter been finished with?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Rather, it has been finished with (that is, the decision has been made)."
Al-Tayalisi narrated it through Ja'far bin al-Zubayr al-Hanafi from al-Qasim, from Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and then he mentioned the hadith from its beginning up to these words: "And His Throne was upon the water; so the people of Paradise are the people of Paradise, and the people of Hell are the people of Hell."

It is narrated from Abu Salih (may Allah have mercy on him): "Indeed Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, created the heavens and the earth, created Paradise and Hell, and created Adam (peace be upon him). Then He scattered his offspring in His two palms, then, spreading them out (to divide them), He said: 'These are for this (Paradise), and I do not care; and these are for this (Hell), and I do not care.' Allah Almighty also wrote down the people of Paradise and the deeds they would do, and wrote down the people of Hell and the deeds they would commit. Then that record (the book of decree) was folded up and taken up."
This report is mursal.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is enough for the true good fortune and complete happiness of any person that he is granted special success and guidance to good from Allah Almighty in the matter of his religion."
Ibn Abi Umar narrated this report in his Musnad; however, the narrator in its chain, Abd al-Rahim bin Zayd al-Ammi, has been declared da'if (weak) by the imams of narrator criticism.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin al-Munkadir (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No servant can be a (true) believer, nor can his faith be complete, until he believes in the divine decree: its good and its bad, its bitter and its sweet, and its harm and its benefit (in every aspect)."
This report is mursal, and its narrator Muhammad bin Abi Humayd is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Sayyiduna Adam and Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon them both) argued with each other. Musa (peace be upon him) said to Adam (peace be upon him): 'You are the one whom Allah Almighty created with His own hand, into whom He breathed of His spirit and whom He made to dwell in His Paradise; then (because of your one slip) you ruined us and led us astray.' And Musa (peace be upon him) said more things like this, as much as Allah willed. Adam (peace be upon him) said to him: 'You are the noble Messenger whom Allah Almighty chose for His words and His messages; do you then blame me for a matter that Allah Almighty decreed for me before He created the heavens and the earth?' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'So Adam (peace be upon him) prevailed over Musa (peace be upon him) in the argument; so Adam (peace be upon him) prevailed over Musa (peace be upon him).'"
Abd bin Humayd narrated it as marfu' (attributed to the Prophet), except that his wording is: "Do you blame me for something that was destined for me even before I was created?" Then Adam (peace be upon him) prevailed over Musa (peace be upon him).
In the narration of al-Harith, this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported: "Adam and Musa (peace be upon them both) met, and Musa (peace be upon him) said: 'O Adam!'" Then the narrator mentioned the above incident and added in it: "Allah made His angels prostrate to you"; however, this narration does not contain the words "you ruined us and led us astray", but rather: "You did what you did and caused your offspring to be expelled from Paradise." It also adds that (Adam (peace be upon him) asked): "Allah granted you His special nearness for intimate converse and gave you the Torah; so how long before I did it did you find the sin that I committed written (in the Torah) against me?" Musa (peace be upon him) answered: "Forty years before." And the rest of the hadith is similar.
The hadith of Jarir about 'azl (coitus interruptus) has already passed in the Book of Marriage and in the section on Umm al-Walad (slave mothers of children).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not believe in the divine decree, its good and its bad, I am completely disassociated from him."
This chain is da'if (weak).