“But nothing happens outside of God’s will.” Shams murmured. “It is one of the rules: not even a leaf stirs outside God’s knowledge. Simply and fully believe in that. Whatever God does, He does beautifully.” (Elif Shafak)
If nothing happens outside of God’s will, then what does the will of Allah (swt) mean?
Al-Qadha wal-Qadr – Divine Will and Predestination
“Qadr has to do with divine foreknowledge or predetermination, while Qadha has to do with the fulfilment in real time of such divine knowledge or predestination.” (Balil Abd Al-Karim)
Definition of Qadha
Qadha comes from the root letters qaaf-dhawd-yaa meaning ‘to complete, to decide’.
Az-Zuhri said: “In Arabic, Qadha carries a number of different meanings. It refers to when something is completed and finished, everything that is carried out properly, completed, fulfilled, has become obligatory, is known or is done.”
Definition of Qadr
Qadr is Allah’s (swt) decree – it means He has decreed everything that takes place in the universe, according to His prior knowledge and His wisdom.
Ibn Hajar said in his definition: “What is meant is that Allah (swt) knows how things will be and when they will happen before He initiates them. Then He creates that which He already knows will happen. Hence, everything that happens stems from His knowledge, power, and will.” (Fath Al-Bari)
When Imam Ahmed was asked about Qadr, he said: “Qadr is the power of Allah.”
Difference Between Qadha and Qadr
Qadr means ‘the decree’ and Qadha means ‘the implementation of that decree’. Consequently, Qadha and Qadr are interlinked and cannot be separated from each other. Qadr is the foundation and Qadha is the structure.
Meaning of the Word Qadr
The root of Qadr is Qadara. In Arabic, Qadr means:
- power, strength, ability
- to estimate, predetermine, evaluate, restrict
- decree, judgement, ultimate destiny
Qadr carries all these meanings. Many verses in the Quran indicate that Allah (swt) has measured out everything. The Messenger of Allah (sa) said: “Allah (swt) recorded the measurement of all matters pertaining to creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.” (Muslim)
The design of the human being is the Qadr of Allah (swt). What a tree looks like is the Qadr of Allah (swt). One’s provision in the world is also measured out. According to a Hadeeth, as soon as the soul is blown into the fetus, the angels write down the lifespan, provision, deeds as well as fate in the Hereafter for each human being.
Belief in Qadr is Part of Iman
Belief in Qadr is a prerequisite of the Iman of an individual. There are six pillars of faith in Islam, as evident from the famous Hadeeth of Jibril, when he came to the Prophet (sa) and asked him: “What is Iman (belief)?”, and the Prophet (sa) responded: “Iman is to believe in Allah (swt), His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgement and the Qadr, the good of it and the evil of it.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (sa) said: “No slave of Allah (swt) will truly believe, until he believes in Al-Qadr, its good and evil, and until he realises that what has befallen him was not going to miss him and what missed him was not going to befall him.” (Tirmidhi)
Abu Hafsa narrated: Ubadah ibn As-Samit (rtam) said to his son: “O son, you will not taste true faith, until you know that whatever has come to you would never have missed you and that whatever has missed you would never have come to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (sa) say: ‘The first thing that Allah (swt) created was the pen. He commanded it to write. It said: ‘My Lord, what shall I write?’ He said: ‘Write down what has been ordained for all things, until the establishment of the Hour.’ O Son, I heard the Messenger of Allah (sa) say: ‘Whoever dies believing otherwise does not belong to me.’”
Ibn Abbas (rtam) said: “Qadr is the essence of Tauheed. Whoever worships Allah (swt) and believes in Qadr has perfected his Tauheed, but whoever worships Allah (swt) but does not believe in Qadr destroys his Tauheed by his disbelief.” (Majmoo Al-Fatawa Shaykh Al-Islam)
Belief in al-Qadr comprises four things:
- Knowledge: The belief that Allah knows all things, whether it is related to His actions or the actions of His slaves. (At-Talaq 65:12)
- Pre-recording: The belief that Allah (swt) has pre-recorded everything in a tablet called Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet). (Ya-Seen 36:12)
- The Will of Allah (swt): The belief that whatever Allah (swt) wills takes place and whatever He does not will does not take place. (Al-Anam 6:112)
- Creation: Allah (swt) is the Creator of all things. (Az-Zumur 39:62)
Types of Decree
The Quran and the Sunnah indicate that there are two types of decree:
- The annual decree
It takes place on Lailat-ul-Qadr (The Night of Decree). This is the night when Allah (swt) informs His angels what He has decreed for each individual for the coming year. It carries the details of who will live and die, how much provision and rain people will have, what actions people will do, and so on.
“Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [humankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter – [every] matter [proceeding] from Us. Indeed, We were to send [a messenger].” (Ad-Dukhan 44:3-5)
- The daily decree
This means the execution of the decrees, as they occur at the times previously determined.
“Whoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He brings about a matter.” (Ar-Rahman 55:29)
Freedom of Choice vs. Qadr
How can we have free will, if matters are pre-determined? If everything that happens to us is pre-destined, then how come we are held responsible for our deeds? Why be rewarded or punished, if we have no control? These and other such questions can come to mind, while trying to understand Qadr.
Allah (swt) is the Knower of the unseen. He has full knowledge of what will transpire, which He has already written down in a book. However, this does not mean that humans do not have a free will. We can take an everyday example to understand this concept. A mother calls out to her two sons, asking if any one of them will get water for her to drink. She knows beforehand which son will get up and comply, and which one will make an excuse. She knows because she has knowledge of her sons. This knowledge does not take away the free will of the boys. Each of them could have used his free will and made a choice between serving his mother or indulging in some other activity. In a similar manner, Allah’s (swt) pre-knowledge of our actions does not deprive us of our freedom to choose between right or wrong.
Why Strive?
Another natural query would be: “If everything is pre-written, then why should we strive?”
Allah (swt) did not decree effects without causes. The result depends on the efforts that are required to achieve it. We know from the life of the Prophet (sa) and the Sahabah that they pursued the means, and they worked hard and strove to the utmost. When Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Jusham (rtam) came and asked Prophet (sa) why we should strive when the pens have dried and the decree has been issued, the Prophet (sa) replied: “Strive, for each person will be facilitated to do his deeds.” (Muslim)
The way scholars understood it is that we must believe in Qadr, but it is not permissible for us to use Qadr as an excuse for not striving.
Dua and Qadr
The Prophet (sa) said: “Dua is worship. Your Lord said: ‘Call on Me and I’ll answer you.’” (Abu Dawood)
Salman al-Farsi (rtam) narrated that the Prophet (sa) said: “Nothing repels Divine Decree except Dua, and nothing increases one’s lifespan except good deeds.” (Tirmidhi)
Dua was also decreed by Allah (swt) as a part of a person’s Qadr. Allah (swt) knows that so and so person will make Dua, and as a result, so and so calamity will be removed. Dr. Yasir Qadhi explains: “It is possible that some unpleasant matter has been preordained for us, but only if we do not make Dua to avert it from us. So if a Dua is made, then this matter will not occur or be fulfilled, whereas if Dua is left, the misfortune will occur.” (Dua: The Weapon of a Believer)
The Quran informs us how Nuh (as) made Dua and Allah (swt) made happen something that was already predestined: “The people of Noah denied before them, and they denied Our servant and said: ‘A madman’, and he was repelled. So, he invoked his Lord: ‘Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.’ Then We opened the gates of the heaven with rain pouring down. And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined.” (Al-Qamar 54:9-12)
The Prophet (sa) used to make the following Dua in the Witr prayer: “…bless me in what You have given me. And save me from the evil that you have decreed for me. Verily You decree (all things), and none can decree against You…” (Tirmidhi)
The Prophet (sa) said: “Take refuge with Allah from the difficulties of severe calamities, from having an evil end and a bad fate, and from the malicious joy of your enemies.” (Bukhari)
An Arabic saying goes: “Be realistic in everything, except in Dua (where you can) ask (for) the impossible!” Remember that everything in life is prewritten, but with Dua, it can be rewritten.
Benefits of Belief in Qadr
- It safeguards against Shirk – knowing that whatever Allah (swt) wills will take place and what He does not will can never happen.
- Belief in Qadr results in peace of mind. There is no room for “if”. It is quite simple; nothing that is meant for you will ever get away.
- It motivates a person to strive for righteous deeds, while trusting Allah (swt) for the results.
- It keeps the believer humble, knowing that whatever he has achieved is due to the will of Allah (swt).
- Belief in Qadr helps face trials in life with courage and Tawakkul, knowing that everything is in the Hand of Allah (swt).
- It strengthens the believer, when confronting wrongdoers and oppressors. When you believe that everything is in Hands of Allah (swt), then you are not afraid of speaking the truth, fearing that they will deprive you of provision or cause you any other harm.
Conclusion
It is obligatory for all Muslims to believe in Qadr. For understanding Qadr, we must rely on the Quran and the Sunnah and not on our rational assessment and analogy. Likewise, we must realise that certain concepts of Qadr cannot be comprehended by a human mind, due to our limited intellect.
Abu Hurairah (rtam) said: “The Messenger of Allah (sa) came out, when we were debating about Qadr. He became so angry that his face turned red, as if a pomegranate had been squeezed over his face. He said: Is this what you have been commanded to do? Is this why I was sent to you? Those who came before you were destroyed when they debated about this matter. I urge you not to dispute about it.” (Tirmidhi)
Destinies are being executed and altered every day. If we wish to change our fate, we must correct our intentions, improve our supplications, and strive to perform good deeds.
Imam Shafii said: “If you knew how Allah (swt) manages your affairs for you, your heart would melt out of love for Him.”
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