Article Surah 85 · Ayah 16

The Four Aspects of Belief in Al-Qadr (Divine Decree)

Al-Qadr is an Arabic word meaning Allah’s predestination of measurements and sustenance of everything and everyone, according to His Knowledge and Wisdom. It comprises the following four aspects:

1. Knowledge - The belief that Allah’s knowledge encompasses everything, every matter, major or minor, and the time frame of everything that happens in this universe. Allah’s Knowledge encompasses all of His actions and actions taken by His slaves.

2. Pre-Recording - The belief that Allah recorded everything in a Tablet that He kept with Himself, called 'Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooth' (The Preserved Tablet). Allah Says (what means): “Do you not know that Allah knows what is in the heaven and earth? Indeed that is in a Record [i.e., Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooth]. Indeed that, for Allah, is easy.” [Quran 22:70] Abdullaah bin 'Amr bin Al-'Aas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said that he heard the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, say: “Allah recorded the measurement of all matters pertaining to creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and earth.” [Muslim]

3. The Will of Allah - The belief that nothing, whether related to Allah’s actions or actions taken by His slaves, can occur without His permission. Allah Says (what means): “And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses...” [Quran 28:68] And (what means): “…And Allah does what He wills.” [Quran 14:27] And (what means) “It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills…” [Quran 3:6] As for actions taken by His creation, Allah Says (what means): “…And if Allah had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you.” [Quran 4:90] And (what means): “…And if Allah had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them and that which they invent.” [Quran 6:137]

4. Creation - The belief that Allah created all creation, all what they possess of attributes, and all their actions. Allah Says (what means): “Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.” [Quran 39:62] And (what means): “…He has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.” [Quran: 25:2] Also, Ibraheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, said to his people (what means): “While Allah created you and that which you do?” [Quran 37:96]

Believing in Al-Qadr, as described above, does not mean that people have no power over the actions they choose to take. The Sharee’ah (Islamic Law) as well as reality, confirm man has a will of his own:

As for the Sharee’ah, Allah Says about one’s own will (what means): “…So he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return [by obeying his commandments].” [Quran 78:39] And (what means): “So come to your place of cultivation however you wish …” [Quran 2:223] As for one’s own power over his actions, Allah Says (what means): “So fear Allah as much as you are able and listen and obey…” [Quran 64:16] And (what means): “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned…” [Quran 2:286]

As for reality, every human knows that he has a power and a will of his own. He uses his power and will to indulge in or avoid actions of his choice. People distinguish between what they do by their own power and between what they have no power over, like shivering due to illness or the extreme cold. However, the power and will of mankind is under the control of Allah’s Will and Power; Allah Says (what means): “For whoever wills among you to take a right course. And you do not will except that Allah wills – Lord of the worlds.” [Quran 81:28-29]. The universe is Allah’s property and nothing happens in His Kingdom without His Knowledge and Permission.

Belief in Al-Qadr, as explained above, does not provide an excuse for mankind to sin or abandon what they are obligated to do. This excuse can be refuted by the following seven arguments:

1. Allah Says (what means): “Those who associated with Allah will say: 'If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything.' Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say: 'Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us?' You follow not except assumption, and you are not but falsifying.” [Quran 6:148] The disbelievers did not have a valid excuse when they said that what they did was according to Al-Qadr. If this excuse was valid, then why will Allah punish them for their sins?

2. Allah Says (what means): “[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.” [Quran 4:165] Sending the Messengers also took place according to Al-Qadr. This is why the disbelievers cannot use Al-Qadr as an excuse for not believing, because Al-Qadr provided them with the means to escape Allah’s punishment by following His Messengers, may Allaah exalt their mention.

3. Ali Ibn Abu Talib, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: “The final destination, in Hell or Paradise, is already determined for each one of you.” A man said: “Should we depend on this fact, O Messenger of Allah?" (Meaning, to abandon doing good deeds) He sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: “No! Perform (good) deeds, because everyone will be helped (to go on the path that he chooses and reach his destiny).” Then he read the verse (which means): “As for he who gives [in charity] and fears Allah.” [Quran 92:5]”

4. Allah conveyed His commandments to His slaves and did not require them to do what is beyond their capacity; He says: “So fear Allah as much as you are able…” [Quran 64:16] And: “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity…” [Quran: 2:286] If the slave is forced to do whatever deeds he performs, then Allah would have required from him what is beyond his capacity, and this is a false belief. For this reason, Allah forgives sins that take place because of ignorance or forgetfulness.

5. Al-Qadr is a matter of Allah’s Knowledge. No one can uncover his own Qadr except after it occurs. One’s intention to perform a deed precedes the action itself. He does not know what Al-Qadr holds for him. Therefore, Al-Qadr is not a valid excuse for sinning and abandoning the commandments of Allah.

6. One always seeks what is convenient for him. No one of sane mind would abandon what brings material benefit to him, saying that Al-Qadr forced him to take this course of action. Therefore, why would one use Al-Qadr as an excuse for abandoning what brings benefit to him in matters of religion and not do the same for matters of life?

7. If one of those who abandon the commandments of Allah and indulge in sinning comes under attack of his honour or possessions, would he accept the excuse of the attacker, if he says that he attacked him because it was his Qadr to attack him, and therefore he is not to be blamed? Indeed no!

Therefore, why does this person refuse Al-Qadr as an excuse for whoever attacked him, and at the same time use Al-Qadr as his excuse for abandoning Allah’s rights on him?

It was reported that a man who was caught stealing was brought to 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allaah be pleased with him, who ordered that this man’s hand be cut off. The man said: “Wait, O leader of the believers! I only stole because this was in the Qadr of Allah." 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied “And we are amputating your hand because it is in the Qadr of Allah.”

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Meaning of the will of Allah and Allah does what He wills

God says:
{Indeed your Lord is the Doer of what He wills} (11: 107)
We know that God created everything. Allah says:
{Allah is the Creator of all things.} (39: 62 and 13: 16)
He says:
{And He created all things and determined them in full determination.} (25: 2)
Therefore, everything that takes place in the universe is according to His decree.
People have a right to ask: Does Allah really want from those of us who do wrong that we do wrong?
Does He want from us our acts of oppression and injustice?
Is He pleased with these things, and is He pleased when some of us reject Him or disbelieve in Him?
The answer to this is that Allah is not pleased with evil and with unbelief.
When we speak of the will of God, there are two aspects to it.
One is the aspect of what He brings about in Creation – what He decrees in His infinite wisdom to take place.
The other is what He commands of us to carry out of our own freewill and what He is pleased with.
The Will of God
This attribute of Allah is discussed in many verses of the Quran. Each of the two aspects to Allah’s will are addressed by different verses.
Allah says:
{Indeed your Lord is the Doer of what He wills} (11: 107)
{(He is the) Doer of what He wills.} (85: 16)
Here Allah is referring to His existential, creative will. It is existential, since it means that everything in existence occurs because Allah wills it to be.
The other aspect of Allah’s will is His prescriptive or legislative will.
This is His will with respect to what He commands us to carry out and prohibits us from doing. This is referred to in verse like:
{Allah wants ease for you and does not want difficulty for you.} (2: 185)
{They want the provisions of the world, while Allah wants the Hereafter.} (8: 67)
Allah’s existential will is general and absolute. Nothing in existence ever happens that is contrary to it.
Whatever Allah wills must come to pass. Whatever He does not will to be will never happen. Allah says:
{But you will not, except as Allah wills; for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.} (76: 30)
By contrast, his prescriptive, legislative will, refers to what God loves and what He commands from us.
In other words, it constitutes what He wants and is pleased with the Law, which He set forth in the Quran and Sunnah.
For instance, Allah commands us to: “establish prayer“.
This is a religious injunction for prayer to be established. Allah wants us to carry it out.
However, Allah has made it so people act according to their own freewill. Some of them will obey God and establish prayer while others will disobey Him and refuse to do so.
Therefore, Allah’s legislative will that people carry out their prayers might or might not take place in any given instance.
Though everything that takes place in creation is by Allah’s decree, He doesn’t love everything that takes place.
Allah has given us free will to believe in him or disbelieve. Consequently, it is His will that some people will choose to believe in Him and that others will choose not to.
Therefore, we can rightly say about Abu Lahab that Allah willed for him to die an unbeliever, since his death upon unbelief is confirmed to us by the Quran.This is with reference to Allah’s existential will. In other words, Abu Lahab’s unbelief is what God willed to actually take place in Creation according to His eternal decree.
At the same time, we can say that Allah wants from an unbeliever to believe in Him, and this command to believe was addressed to Abu Lahab as much as to anyone else. In this case, we are talking about Allah’s prescriptive, legislative will.
We cannot say that it is Allah’s will that all people on Earth will in actually believe, since He says:
{If it had been your Lord’s will, they would all have believed,- all who are on Earth! Would you (O Muhammad) then compel people, against their will, to believe!} (10: 99)
However, with respect to Allah’s legislative will, we can say that Allah wills from each and every person to believe, meaning that Allah commands belief from each and every person.
Allah’s existential will is synonymous with what actually takes place in existence, while His legislative will is synonymous with what He enjoins upon us and commands us to do.
Both aspects of Allah’s will come together in the person of a believer, for indeed Allah has willed for that person to believe with respect to both His predetermined, existential will as well as His prescriptive, legislative will.
These two aspects of Allah’s will part company with respect to an unbeliever – like Abu Lahab – for indeed Allah did not will for him to believe. Abu Lahab’s disbelief was in accordance with Allah’s determination.
All the same, Allah, in accordance with His prescriptive, legislative will, Allah had commanded Abu Lahab to believe.
And Allah knows best.
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