6) The Belief in the Qadar (Divine Preordainment)

The Belief in Qadar is the certain doctrine that Allah has created everything and that He is its Lord and Owner, and that He has predetermined circumstances, good and evil ones, sweet and bitter ones. Furthermore, He is the One Who created guidance and aberration, misery and happiness, and He is the One Who owns terms (of death) and subsistence (for living). Qadar (Divine Preordainment) is the Predestination of Allah for the whole creation in accordance with His Earliest Knowledge and what His Wisdom necessitates.

The belief in Qadar includes four different aspects:

1. First: the belief that Allah know every single thing as a whole and in detail, from the beginning and everlasting, whether it is related to His Deeds or his slaves deeds.
2. Second: the belief that what previously mentioned about His Knowledge is inscribed in a Preserved Tablet. And in these two aspect Allah says, “TawhidKnow you not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is all in a Record, and that is easy for Allah."
3. Third: the belief that all creatures would not exist or persist except with His Will, whether it is concerned about His Deeds or His slaves deeds. As for His Deeds, Allah I said, "TawhidYour Lord does create and choose as He pleases!" And as for His creatures: "TawhidIf Allah had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you}."
4. Fourth: the belief that Allah has created all creatures, selves, descriptions, and activities. Allah I said, "TawhidAllah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs."And He said, "TawhidIt is He Who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions", and informed that His Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) said, "TawhidBut Allah has created you and your handiwork!."

In fact, this sort of belief in Qadar does not by any way contradict with the fact that the slave has a will in choosing his deeds and the ability to perform them. This is because the Divine Legislation (Ash-Shar’) and the reality prove this to him.

As for Divine Legislation (Ash-Shar’), Allah said about the human will: “TawhidTherefore, whose will, let him take a (straight) Return to his Lord!", and said, “TawhidSo approach your tilth when or how you will", and He said about the ability: " TawhidSo fear (obey) Allah as much as you can; listen and obey." And said, "TawhidOn no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns."

As for reality, every human being knows that he has a will and a potency by which he can do or not do whatever he wants. However, there is a difference between what occurs by his will such as walking, and what occurs unwillingly like trembling. However, the will of the slave (of Allah) and his potency are both subjected to the Will of his Lord and His Potency, for Allah I said, "Tawhid(With profit) to whoever among you wills to go straight. But you shall not will except as Allah wills; the Cherisher of the Worlds", and because Allah owns this whole universe and nothing against His Knowledge or Will occurs in His Ownership.

Moreover, faith in Qadar, the way we stated, does not by any means give an excuse for the slave to quit duties, or commit forbidden acts. As a result, his pleading is absurd from different aspects:

1. First: Allah’s Saying, "TawhidThose who give partners (to Allah) will say: "If Allah had wished, we should not have given partners to Him, nor would our fathers: nor should we have had any taboos." So did their ancestors argue falsely, until they tasted of Our wrath. Say (O Muhammad TawhidrTawhid): "Have you any (certain) knowledge? If so, produce it before us. You follow nothing but conjecture: you do nothing but lie.", so if they had an excuse in Qadar, Allah would not have tasted them His Wrath.
2. Second: Allah’s Says, "TawhidMessengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the Messengers, should have no plea against Allah: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise." So if Qadar were a valid excuse for disobedient, it would not have been invalidated by sending Messengers because disobedience after sending Messengers occurs after Allah’s Permission.

The Belief in Qadar (Divine Preordainment) brings forth to the believer so many significant benefits, like:

1. First: putting trust in Allah while taking all means into consideration; this is done in a way that one must not depend on the tangible reason by itself because everything is submitted to the Preordainment of Allah.
2. Second: not to be pleased with himself after he gets what he wanted because what he got is a gift from his Lord Who predestined this grace for him, and being pleased with himself will certainly make him forget to thank His Lord for this gift.
3. Third: calmness and comfort state of mind for what is takes place among the predestined incidents of that Allah chose to occur. Therefore, one must not worry for missing someone who loves or when a bad accident happens to him because this would have happened had Allah not preordained it. He is the One Who has the property of the heavens and the earth. Allah I said, “TawhidNo misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence. That is truly easy for Allah. In order that you may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favours bestowed upon you. For Allah loves not any vainglorious boaster." And the Prophet r said, "Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer. If he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (Allah), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it.”

Unfortunately, two denominations have gone astray because of Qadar:

1. First one: Al-Jabriah (The Compelling Group), who said that the slave is compelled to his deeds where he does not have any effective will or ability.
2. Second one: Al-Qadariah (The Destiny Group), who said that the slave is totally independent in his will and ability and the Will and Potency of Allah do not effect his deeds at all.

The reply on the first denomination (Al-Jabriah) is from a religious and a realistic point of view:
As for the religious one, Allah has confirmed and approved a will and a wish and then added the action to them, He said, "TawhidAmong you are some that hanker after this world and some that desire the Hereafter."

As for the realistic one, a man can easily distinguish between his voluntary deeds; i.e. those which he can do by his will such as eating, drinking, buying, and selling, and between what occurs against his will such as trembling from fever, falling from a rooftop. Therefore, he did it in the first case willingly with no force acting upon him, and in the second one, he did it unwillingly and by all means had no choice not to do it.

The reply on the second denomination (Al-Qadariah) is from a religious and a realistic point of view too:
As for the religious one, Allah has created everything and every single creature has existed under His Will. In fact, Allah has clarified in His Book (Quran) that the deeds of His slaves are submitted totally to His Will, He said, "TawhidIf Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after Clear (Signs) had come to them but they (chose) to wrangle. Some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah fulfills His plan}." And said, "TawhidIf We had so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul its true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, "I will fill Hell with Jinn and men all together."

As for the realistic one, this whole universe is, in fact, the Property of Allah, and man is a member of this universe, so he is also possessed by His Creator. And the possessed can not act freely in the Property of his Owner except after His Will and Permission.