First Topic

QADARDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events.
(Divine Determining)

The Twenty-Sixth Word

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِIn the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

وَاِنْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ اِلاَّ عِنْدَناَ خَزَاۤئِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ اِلاَّ بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلوُمٍThe treasures of all things are with Us, and We send them down only in a determined measure. – The Quran 15:21

وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ اَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِى اِمَامٍ مُبِينٍWe have recorded everything in a clear register. – The Quran 36:12

QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events., Divine Determining, and the free will of man are two important matters. We shall attempt to unveil some of their secrets within four topics.

First Topic

QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. and free will mark the outermost limits of Islam and īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar).. They pertain to the experiential and inward dimensions of faith, not to its theoretical or purely knowledge-based dimensions.

A believer entrusts everything to Allah, even his actions and his own self, until he comes to responsibility and obligation. At that point, free will steps forward so that he cannot escape his responsibility and obligations, and says: “You are responsible for your actions.”

Then, so that he does not become proud of the good and perfection that appear through him, QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. steps forward and says: “Know your limits; you are not the one who did this.”

Indeed, belief in QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. settles in the heart after one has first believed in the other pillars of faith. QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. protects man from pride, while free will protects him from irresponsibility. For this reason, they belong to the truths of faith.

However, to cling to QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. in order to escape responsibility for the evil deeds committed by the nafs-i ammāraThe aspect of the soul associated with lower desires and negative traits., and to become proud of the blessings and beauties granted to him by relying on free will, is a conduct entirely opposed to the secret of QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. and the wisdom of free will.

Among ordinary people who have not advanced spiritually, QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. does have a field of application, but only concerning the past and calamities, because it is a remedy for despair and grief. It does not apply to sins or the future, lest it lead to self-indulgence and laziness.

Thus, the matter of QadarDivine decree; Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge, determination, and measure of all things and events. has not been included among the truths of faith in order to free man from responsibility, but to free him from pride and self-glorification. And free will has been included in the creed in order to serve as the point of attribution for evil deeds, not to lead to pride or to serve as a basis for boasting about good deeds.

Indeed, as the Qur’an states, man is fully responsible for his evil deeds, because he is the one who chooses them. Evil deeds belong to the category of destruction; therefore, with a single wrong action, man may cause great harm and deserve a severe punishment, just as one match is enough to burn down an entire house.