The
sixth and final article of Islamic belief, as detailed by a famous prophetic
Tradition,1
is belief in destiny, its good and evil. The Arabic word for destiny, qadar,
implies the measuring out of something or fixing a limit to it. Thus, in a
technical sense, destiny is the divine decree in its fixing limits for existent
things, or its measuring out the being of things.2
Early Muslims would simply define destiny as knowledge that what hits you was
not going to miss you, and that what misses you was not going to hit you.3
In
our discussion of qadar it should be noted that a true and full
understanding of the subject is reserved for the select few who have sacrificed
great amounts of time and energy for the sake of Islam, after which Allah
expands their understanding of complex concepts like this that cannot be
contained in logical formulas alone. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) is reported to have said, “Whenever Allah desires good for His
bondsman, He gives him deep understanding of the religion and He inspires him
with righteous guidance” (reported by Tabarani).
There
are many degrees and depths in understanding the concept of qadar. Given
that different people demand different approaches in explaining unfamiliar
concepts, we shall attempt to explain a few dimensions, including both the
requisite (wajib) tenets and some of the esoteric.
Sheikh
Muhammad al-Jurdani 4
defines belief in destiny as the conviction “that Allah Most High has ordained
both good and evil before creating creation, and that all that has been and all
that will be only exists through Allah's decree, preordainment, and will.”
5
At
the same time, our apparent choice and will in matters is not mere illusion. As
such, a person may feel guilty when he performs a wrong or evil action, but he
does not feel answerable to others when a medical affliction, for instance,
strikes him. Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi6
explains, “The existence of man’s authority or option is a self-evident
truth, but simultaneously it is also clear that this attribute of his authority
is created (makhluq) and every chain of creation reaches back to its
Creator. The authority of man will be nonexistent in some matters, thereby
proving his ultimate powerlessness and helplessness. Thus, a man is neither
completely helpless nor is he completely free in power and authority.”7
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“Allah
has willed that you act based on choice.”
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Allah's
knowledge eternally encompasses all things necessary, possible, and impossible.
The crux of the purpose of existence is our full and experiential realization
that Allah is eternally and absolutely knowing of everything and that His Power
is singularly orchestrating every event and thing, for Allah says in the
Qur’an:
[Allah
is He Who created seven heavens, and of the earth the like of them; the decree
continues to descend among them, that you may know that Allah has power over all
things and that Allah indeed encompasses all things in (His) knowledge.]
(Talaq 65:12)
Because
His Knowledge, Will, and Power are absolute and unbounded, Allah knows the
results of all events and choices before their occurrence. A human being,
however, does not have access to this knowledge, and thus he acts in accordance
with a desire from within him. Even though his ultimate choice corresponds with
Allah's eternal knowledge, he is still accountable for it.
As
some Islamic theologians have explained it, “Allah has willed that you act
based on choice.”8
We are held responsible for choosing an act but not for creating the act itself.
In other words, Allah creates the act and by our choosing it, we “acquire”
it and are thereby held responsible for it. Thus, human actions are created by
Allah but performed by us.9
The
proofs for this subtle relationship are many. For instance, an insane person, a
child, and a sleeping person are not held accountable for their actions
according to Sacred Law both in this world and the next. If a man sincerely
forgets to pray or fast when it is obligatory upon him, he is not considered
sinful. Similarly, the king Nimrod tried to burn the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham,
peace be upon him), as is detailed in a famous Qur’anic account, though Allah
willed that the fire not burn His beloved Prophet. Nevertheless, even though he
failed to execute his evil designs, Nimrod sinned for choosing to harm Ibrahim
and is therefore doomed in the next world.
A
famous Islamic maxim states, “The foremost energies cannot pierce the walls of
foreordained destinies.” Whether we are removed from worldly causes and
effects or are deeply submerged in them, we must always maintain the firm
conviction that Allah’s Will, Power, and Preordainment control all affairs. In
reality, Allah is the Doer of everything, such that causes in themselves do not
carry independent efficacy. To believe that medicine in itself cures disease,
for instance, is essentially to posit that a created thing is acting independent
of its Creator. In other words, the thing would then be beyond the control of
Allah, a belief that is little better than attributing a partner to Him. Yes,
Allah ties things together according to a recurrent way, such that He satisfies
hunger when a person eats, yet controlling it all is His singular Will and
Power.10
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“The
foremost energies cannot pierce the walls of foreordained destinies.”
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We
do not stop eating, however, because we believe that the food itself is not
satisfying our hunger. For one thing, Allah orders us in the Qur’an to eat and
drink of wholesome food. But even with things that are not explicitly mentioned
in the Qur’an, we must maintain proper conduct with the reoccurring system of
order that Allah has put at our disposal. While Allah may change His recurrent
way of tying things together (in the form of miracles) for those who are close
to Him, it would be little more than rebellion against Him and His system for a
common person to completely disregard the world in front of him.
The
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has explained some of the
practical implications of this belief in his saying, “If something befalls
you, don’t say: If only I would have done such and such, rather say: Allah
foreordained this, and whatever He wishes, He does; for verily the phrase ‘if
only I would have’ makes way for the work of Satan” (reported by Muslim).
In
a similar vein, contemporary psychology has discovered innumerable psychological
ailments connected with one’s dwelling on past events and past mistakes or
lost opportunities. We must constantly remind ourselves that yesterday has
passed and will never come back, and tomorrow is merely a possibility. The only
real currency we have to work with is “now.” For this reason, one of
Satan’s most effective traps is procrastination. Many people have vowed to
return to Allah and reform their ways at some future juncture, but they left
this world before they were given the opportunity.
The
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked one of his Companions,
“Shall I not guide you to words that are a treasure from the treasures of
Paradise?” He said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) said, “There is no ability or power except through
Allah” (reported by Bukhari and Muslim). The reality of these words is the
crux of a full and proper understanding of qadar.
1-
The relevant section of the referenced Tradition, which is reported by
Muslim, appears as follows:
He
(the angel Gabriel, peace be upon him) said, “Inform me about Iman
(faith).” The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied,
“That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Apostles,
the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in destiny (qadar),
its good and its evil.” He (the angel Gabriel) said, “You have told the
truth.”
2-
L. Gardet, Encyclopedia of Islam (Brill 1980), p. 366.
3-
Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Reliance of the Traveler (Amana 1994), p.
813.
4-
A traditionalist Egyptian scholar from Damiette who lived in the last
century.
5-
Ibid.
6-
A celebrated scholar from the Indian subcontinent who passed away in
1946.
7-
Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Furuu` al-Imaan (Adam 1998), p. 16.
8-
Faraz Rabbani, "Moral
Responsibility and Divine Will," SunniPath.com.
9-
Abdelwahab El-Affendi, "Islamic
Theology," (Routledge 1998), MuslimPhilosophy.com.
10-
G.F. Haddad, "Al-Buti: Commentary on the Hikam: Part
I, Part
II," Sunnah.org.
