1. Meaning of the words
| Word | Literal meaning |
|---|---|
| Qada' (القضاء) | Creating, decreeing (judging), carrying out |
| Qadar (القدر) | Determining, pre-arranging, measuring out |
- These two terms are connected with Allah's knowledge ('ilm), power (qudrah) and will (iradah).
- Scholars of aqeedah place qada' and qadar in the "ilahiyyat" section of aqeedah (the section about God).
- Belief in qada' and qadar is one of the main parts of iman.
2. It must be believed on the basis of revelation
- Qada' and qadar are a matter of belief → they must be believed according to the guidance of the Quran and hadith, which is based on revelation.
- Comparison: the knowledge of revelation is like a lamp in the hand of a person walking in the dark. On a dark path full of thorns, bushes and obstacles, a sensible person will not walk without a lamp.
- Thinking only with reason, leaving revelation aside, leads to wrong conclusions.
- Groups such as the Jabriyyah, Qadariyyah, Mu'tazilah and Murji'ah appeared because they thought about matters of iman on the basis of reason alone; they are deviant groups.
3. Two wrong attitudes towards qadar
| Attitude | Belief | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Those who give first place to human will | Human actions alone are the cause of success and failure; they deny that everything happens by Allah's will | They cannot explain the good and bad things that happen beyond their own plans, wishes and efforts |
| 2) Those who deny human will | They say Allah is the cause of all the good and evil they do | They try to justify the sins they commit by following their desires – the Quran condemns them strongly |
(6:148) – meaning: Those who associate partners will say: "If Allah had willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated anything (with Him), nor would we have forbidden anything."
4. Two points stressed by the Quran and the hadith
- Everything happens by Allah's will.
- A human being has been given freedom of action; so he himself is responsible for all his deeds.
Point 1: Allah's will – evidence
- (meaning) "No hardship befalls except by Allah's will."
- (2:284) – meaning: He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills; Allah has power over all things.
- (6:59) – meaning: Not a leaf falls without His knowledge.
- Hadith (Bukhari, Muslim) – meaning: each person in the mother's womb is a drop for 40 days, then a clot for a similar period, then a lump of flesh for a similar period; then an angel is sent and four things are written: provision, deeds, lifespan, and whether he will be wretched or happy; then the ruh is breathed in. A person may be only an arm's length from Paradise when what is written overtakes him, and he does the deeds of the people of Hell and enters Hell; and the reverse also happens.
Qada' and qadar means: Allah is all-powerful and mighty; He has already written everything that is going to happen – the lifespan of the universe and of every living thing, success and failure, profit and loss, health and sorrow, wealth and poverty, disasters, whether a person will be good or bad; everything happens as He has written; no one can change His will, and no fault can be found in His knowledge.
Point 2: Human freedom of action and responsibility – evidence
- (41:46) – meaning: Whoever does good, it is for himself; whoever does evil, it is against himself; your Lord is never unjust to His servants.
- (42:30) – meaning: Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned.
- (99:7–8) – meaning: Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it; whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.
- Hadith (Muslim) – meaning: The strong believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer… Be keen on what benefits you; seek Allah's help; do not give up (do not be helpless). If something bad happens, do not say, "If only I had done this, it would not have happened"; say instead, "Allah decreed it, and what He willed He did."
'Umar (RA) – the incident of the thief
- A thief was asked, "Why did you steal?" – "It happened by Allah's will."
- 'Umar (RA) gave him thirty extra lashes.
- The reason: "After the punishment for theft, lashes are given for mocking Allah's qadar."
Allah has given a human being full freedom of action; he may do good if he wishes and evil if he wishes; he himself is responsible for his deeds.
5. Do the two contradict each other?
- On the surface they may seem to contradict; this causes confusion among ordinary people.
- Clarification:
- Qada' and qadar = a completely hidden secret behind us – only Allah knows it.
- A person's freedom of choice = what is in front of us; it is within our sight and knowledge.
- So Allah will certainly question us about whether we chose good or evil, what leads to success or to failure.
- The correct belief: believing that only what Allah wills happens, while acting by our freedom of action in line with the Shari'ah and human reason.
'Umar (RA) – the epidemic in Sham
- The Companions, led by 'Umar (RA), were travelling towards Sham (Syria); news came that cholera* had spread there.
- 'Umar (RA) tried to avoid going there.
- Abu 'Ubaydah (RA): "Are you trying to flee from Allah's qadar?"
- 'Umar (RA): "No – we are going from one qadar to another qadar." (meaning, as given in the textbook)
- This answer clears up many confusions about qadar (taking precautions is also qadar).
*The textbook calls the disease "cholera". The well-known report of this incident refers to a plague (ta'un) – confirm with the teacher.
6. Why did Allah establish qadar?
(57:22–23 – al-Hadid) – meaning: No misfortune happens on earth or in yourselves except that it is written in a Book before We bring it into being; that is easy for Allah. (This is) so that you do not despair over what has escaped you, nor exult (become arrogant) over what He has given you.
- Despair and exultation – both are weaknesses that make a person lose balance; belief in qadar protects from them.
Hadith – meaning: "How wonderful is the affair of the believer! Everything is good for him. If harm befalls him, he is patient – and that is good for him; if good befalls him, he is grateful – and that too is good for him."
The Tamil source gives this hadith's reference as Bukhari; it is well known from Sahih Muslim – confirm with the teacher.
Qualities of a believer who believes in qadar
- A heart that is always content
- Patience
- Gratitude to Allah
- He never despairs or loses heart
- He takes lessons from the results and keeps trying This is the way of the prophets and the Companions.
7. Key Arabic terms
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| القضاء والقدر | Divine decree (decreeing and determining) |
| العلم ('ilm) | Knowledge |
| القدرة (qudrah) | Power |
| الإرادة (iradah) | Will |
| الإلهيات (ilahiyyat) | The section of aqeedah about God |
| الجبرية، القدرية، المعتزلة، المرجئة | Groups that deviated on the question of qadar |
Quick revision
- Qada' = creating, decreeing, carrying out; qadar = determining, pre-arranging, measuring out.
- Connected with 'ilm, qudrah, iradah; the ilahiyyat section.
- Revelation = a lamp in the dark; those who relied on reason alone – Jabriyyah, Qadariyyah, Mu'tazilah, Murji'ah.
- Two points: Allah's will (2:284, 6:59; the hadith of the womb) + human responsibility (41:46, 42:30, 99:7–8).
- 'Umar (RA): 30 extra lashes for the thief; "from one qadar to another".
- The purpose of qadar 57:22–23 – no despair, no exultation; "how wonderful is the affair of the believer".