Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: From this hadith, it is understood that a person's qualities of capability and incapability, aptitude and lack thereof, intelligence and cleverness (and likewise foolishness and laziness, etc.) are all from the decree of Allah. In short, however anyone is in this world and in whatever state, it is dependent upon Allah's predestination (qadar). Allah has knowledge of everything from eternity, and everything has been determined accordingly and is happening in accordance with that.

Takhrij al-Hadith: [وأخرجه مسلم 2655، من حديث ما لك به ● و من رواية يحيى بن يحيي وجاء فى الأصل : عمر بن مسلم]
Jurisprudential Points:
➊ Predestination (qadar) is a reality.
➋ Everything, before coming into existence, is within the knowledge and will (mashiyyah) of its Creator, Allah the Exalted.
➌ Every creature attains only that which is written in its predestination (qadar).
➍ None of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) denied predestination.
➎ By “incapacity” (‘ajz) is meant worldly incapacity, or according to some: disobedience; and by “wisdom” (diyanah) is meant worldly wisdom or obedience to Allah and His Messenger. And Allah knows best.
➏ Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) said: «العجز والكيس بقدر» Incapacity and wisdom are from predestination. [كتاب القدر امام جعفر بن حمد الفريابي:304 سنده صحيح]
➐ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (rahimahullah) held the belief that the funeral prayer should not be performed for one who denies predestination, nor should prayer be performed behind him. See [كتاب السنة للخلال: 948 وسنده صحيح]
➑ Mawlana Muhammad Yahya Gondalwi (hafizahullah) says:
“Belief in predestination is an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn); its denier is an innovator (mubtadi‘), and in some cases even exits the fold of Islam, because the Shari‘ah has declared belief in predestination to be obligatory. Thus, its denial amounts to denial of this aspect of the Shari‘ah.
Meaning of Qadar:
The meaning of qadar is to set a limit for something; in the legal (shar‘i) terminology, it means that Allah the Exalted wrote everything in the Mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitab), the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), fifty thousand years before creating it. This knowledge is from before the thing comes into existence; nothing, before or after coming into existence, is outside His knowledge. He alone has set every matter in the universe within its boundaries and principles; there is nothing that Allah the Exalted has not recorded and written before its creation and origination.” [عقيده اهلحديث ص323]
➒ For a detailed investigation of the issue of predestination, see “Sharh Hadith Jibril” [ص 15، 96]

Takhrij:
[صحيح مسلم 6751]

Fiqh al-Hadith:
➊ The belief in predestination (qadar) is true.
➋ Everything, before its existence, is within the knowledge and will (mashiyyah) of its Creator, Allah, the Exalted.
➌ Every creature attains only that which is written in its predestination (qadar).
➍ This authentic hadith is also found in al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik as narrated by Yahya [899/2 ح 1728], and as narrated by ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim with my verification [187], and Imam Muslim has narrated it in his book Sahih Muslim through the chain of Imam Malik.
➎ In al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik and Sahih Muslim, there is also this addition with the hadith that Tawus al-Yamani rahimahullah said:
“I heard a group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saying that everything is by predestination (qadar).”
➏ By “inability” (‘ajz) is meant worldly inability, or according to some: disobedience; and by “intelligence” (dana’) is meant worldly intelligence or obedience to Allah and His Messenger. «والله اعلم»
➐ Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radi Allahu anhuma said:
«العجز والكيس بقدر» “Inability and intelligence are by predestination (qadar).” [كتاب القدر للامام جعفر بن محمد الفريابي : 304 وسنده صحيح]
➑ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah held the belief that the funeral prayer should not be performed for one who denies predestination (qadar), nor should prayer be performed behind him. See: [کتاب السنة للخلال : 948 وسندہ صحیح]