Qadar (, transliterated qadar, meaning literally "power",J. M. Cowan (ed.) (1976). The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic. Wiesbaden, Germany: Spoken Language Services. but translated variously as: "divine fore-ordainment", "predestination," "divine decree", "decree" of Allah", "preordainment") is the concept of divine destiny in Islam. As God is all-knowing and all-powerful, everything that has happened and will happen in the universe is already known. At the same time, human beings are responsible for their actions, and will be rewarded or punished accordingly on Judgement Day.
Predestination/Divine Destiny is one of Sunni Islam's six articles of faith, (along with belief in the Oneness of Allah, the Revealed Books, the Prophets of Islam, the Day of Resurrection and Angels). In Sunni discourse, those who assert free-will are called Qadariyya, while those who reject free-will are called Jabriyya.Seyyed Hossein Nasr Islamic Spirituality: Foundations Routledge, 05.11.2013 1987 p. 156
Some early Islamic schools (Qadariyah and Muʿtazila) did not accept the doctrine of predestination;Guillaume, Islam, 1978: p.131-2 Muʿtazila argued that it was "unthinkable" that God "would punish man for what He himself had commanded".Guillaume, Islam, 1978: p.132 Predestination is not included in the Five Articles of Faith of Shi'i Islam. At least a few sources describe Shi'i Muslims as denying predestination, and at least one Shi'i scholar (Naser Makarem Shirazi) argues "belief in predestination is a denial of justice".
Definition In Islam, "predestination" is the usual English language rendering of a belief that Muslims call ( ). As per the Sunni understanding, the phrase means "the divine decree and the predestination"; al-qadr more closely means "(divine) power", deriving from the root ق د ر (q-d-r), which denotes concepts related to measuring out, aiming, calculating, preparing, being able, and having power. Another source states, that according to scholars: "the divine decree (al-qada’) consists of the entire and complete judgment forever", "the divine measurement (al-qadar) consists of the particulars of the judgment and its details".Ibn Ḥajar al-’Asqalānī, Aḥmad ibn ’Alī. Fatḥ al-Bārī bi-Sharḥ al-Bukhārī. (Bayrūt: Dār al-Maʻrifah, 1959), 11:477. Quoted in
Maria De Cillis also states the two words have "Semitic roots originating from Babylonian and Israelite religious traditions that considered the world" to be "a replica of what had already been recorded in celestial books or charts." (The name of the 97th surah of the Qur'an is known as Surat al-Qadr). Taqdeer () also refers to predestination in Islam, the "absolute decree of the Divine", and comes from the same Q-D-R three consonant root, but is of a different "grammatical orders and thus not considered interchangeable" with Qadr. In Arabic it literally means ‘making a thing according to a measure’, or ‘occurrence of events according to pre-defined measures, standards or criteria’. It is found in verses Q.41:12, Q.36:38, Q.6:96.
Scriptural basis Quran "By no means can anything befall us [his creatures] but what God has destined for us" (Q.) "He has ordained for you ˹believers˺ the Way which He decreed for Noah, and what We have revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ and what We decreed for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, ˹commanding:˺ 'Uphold the faith, and make no divisions in it.' What you call the polytheists to is unbearable for them. Allah chooses for Himself whoever He wills, and guides to Himself whoever turns ˹to Him˺."(Q.) ... and in particular God's control over each humans destiny in the afterlife: "As for those who persist in disbelief, it is the same whether you warn them or not—they will never believe. Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered. They will suffer a tremendous punishment." (Q.)Cook, Michael, The Koran, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2000, p.16 "If God had willed, He would have made you one community; but He leads astray whom He will, and guides whom He will; and will surely be questioned about the things you wrought." (Q.) "Nor would thy Lord be the One to destroy communities for a single wrong-doing, if its members were likely to mend. If thy Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people: but they will not cease to dispute. Except those on whom thy Lord hath bestowed His Mercy: and for this did He create them: and the Word of thy Lord shall be fulfilled: 'I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together."(Q.) "God misleads whom He will and whom He will He guides" (Q.) "The Lord has created and balanced all things and has fixed their destinies and guided them." (Q.)
"The Book of Decrees" (al-lawh al-mahfooz), is mentioned at least twice in the Quran. "Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments) of all things before their creation as written in the Book of Decrees." (Q.) "No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah." (Q.)
A reflection of belief in the power of divine will is found in the phrase Insha'Allah, Arabic for "if God willed [it]", which is frequently used by Muslims when referring to the future, to qualify any predictions of what will come to pass. The phrase obeys the verse: "Do not say of anything, I am doing that tomorrow, without [adding], If God wills" (Q.)
Suggesting free will Some verses seem to suggest that humans have free will:Wensinck, A.J., The Muslim Creed, Cambridge, 1932, pp.51-52 "As for Thamûd, We showed them guidance, but they preferred blindness over guidance. So the blast of a disgracing punishment overtook them for what they used to commit." (Q.) "And say, ˹O Prophet,˺ '˹This is˺ the truth from your Lord. Whoever wills let them believe, and whoever wills let them disbelieve." (Q.) "For each one there are successive angels before and behind, protecting them by Allah’s command. Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favour˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺. And if it is Allah’s Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him." (Q.13:11) "Whatever good befalls you is from Allah and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself. We have sent you ˹O Prophet˺ as a messenger to ˹all˺ people. And Allah is sufficient as a Witness." (Q.4:79)
Hadith According to Alfred Guillaume, the "books of canonical traditions" do "not contain a single saying of Muhammad's which leaves freedom of action to man" (although he thinks "there are good reasons for believing that these traditions are forged at a time when the controversy was at its height ..."). One of the hadith where Muhammad tells Jibreel about the articles of faith, including "divine decree" is It was narrated from ’Umar that Jibreel عليه السلام said to the Prophet: What is faith (Iman)? He said: "To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and the divine decree, both good and bad." Jibreel said to him: You have spoken the truth. He said: We were amazed that he asked him and then confirmed his answers as being correct. The Prophet said: "That was Jībreel, who came to teach you your religion."
A hadith quotes Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab as narrating the hadith above along with the saying that: "If one of them were to spend gold the like of Uhud (mountain) in charity, it would not be accepted by Allah from him until he believes in Al-Qadar";431 hadith found in 'The Book of Faith (Kitab Al-Iman)' of Sahih Muslim.
Another hadith encourages Muslims to "carry on doing good deeds", though it will not affect their place in the Afterlife, as they have already been assigned to either the Fire or in Paradise and that can't be changed: Ali narrated that one day the Messenger of Allah was sitting with a wooden stick in his hand with which he was scratching the ground. He raised his head and said, "There is none of you, but has his place assigned either in the Fire or in Paradise." They (the Companions) inquired, "O Allah's Messenger! Why should we carry on doing good deeds, shall we depend (upon Qadar) and give up work?" Muhammad said: "No, carry on doing good deeds, for everyone will find it easy (to do) such deeds that will lead him towards that for which he has been created." Then he recited the verse: "As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, and believes in al-Husna, We will make smooth for him the path of Ease (goodness)" (Surah al-Lail 92:5-7).There are a large number of hadith with similar wording in various collections of hadith
Qadar and free will
In orthodox Islam, God's control over what happens in his creation is absolute. "Allah has decreed all things from eternity". He knows that they will happen, when they will happen, how they will happen, and "He has written that and willed it".al-Qada’ wa’l-Qadar by Dr ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Mahmoud, p. 39; quoted in This includes "the pettiest of human or other, affairs", not withstanding "the grandeur of God's cosmic role", (in the words of scholar Michael Cook). "He knows what is in land and sea; not a leaf falls, but He known it." (Q.6:59)Cook, The Koran, 2000: p.19
But at the same time, human beings in their life on earth have the choice to do good or evil, are responsible for their actions, and will be rewarded or punished according in an eternal afterlife.
This poses the question, (raised by the early Islamic rationalist Muʿtazila school of thought), if everything that has happened and will happen, including all acts of good and evil, has already been determined by God, doesn't that mean that everything a human being does during their life is only following God's decree? How can human beings be responsible for this, and even punished with eternal torment in hell for it?
The question is not unique to Islam, and the debate over free will is not limited to religion. According to Justin Parrott of the Islamic Yaqeen Institute, "it has been an important issue throughout history", addressed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle over 2000 years ago.Dudley, John. Aristotle's Concept of Chance: Accidents, Cause, Necessity, and Determinism. (Albany: SUNY Press, 2012), 2. Orientalist Alfred Guillaume points out the dilemma "has exercised the minds" of theologians of all religions "which claim to present" a god that is both almighty and moral.
Iranian Shia marja' Naser Makarem Shirazi gives an example: They say, “Does God know that so and so at such and such an hour on such and such a day will kill someone or will drink an alcoholic beverage?” If we say, “He does not know,” we have denied God's knowledge. And if we say, “Yes, that person must do this, otherwise God's knowledge will be imperfect,” then, in order to preserve God's knowledge, a person is obliged to sin and obey God!
Controversy and danger According to Maria De Cillis, "the apparently unsolvable conflict between the concepts of free will and determinism (or divine predetermination)" has not only been "a matter of great interest" but also of "heated controversy", extending beyond academia and the ulama and into politics "by virtue of the repercussions that this debate has in a social context"; (for example, when tyrannical and corrupt authorities encourage fatalism by pointing out that these maladies are "divinely willed and preordained"). According to Justin Parrott, "the idea ... that everything has already been decreed by the Creator from eternity— has troubled theologians and philosophers for centuries." And not only have members of those two professions taxed their brains about the conflict, but the "myriad of philosophical conundrums that arise" from the issue has caused some Muslims to experience doubts of faith. "Are we forced to do what we do, or are our choices meaningful?"
De Cillis writes that the issue was so sensitive, that the