Qadar

What is Qadar?

Qadar — often translated as "divine decree" or "predestination" — is the belief that Allah, in His eternal knowledge and wisdom, has decreed everything that occurs in the heavens and the earth. Not a leaf falls but by His knowledge (Quran 6:59). Belief in qadar is one of the six pillars of iman, taught by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the famous hadith of Jibril: "...that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its evil" (Muslim 8).

The Four Levels of Qadar

Classical scholars, following Ibn al-Qayyim and others, distinguish four levels of the belief in qadar:

• Al-Ilm (Knowledge) — Allah has always known all things: what was, what will be, and how it will be.
• Al-Kitabah (Writing) — Allah has written all things in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet), fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth (Muslim 2653).
• Al-Mashi'ah (Will) — Nothing occurs except by Allah's will: "And you do not will except that Allah wills" (Quran 76:30).
• Al-Khalq (Creation) — Allah is the Creator of everything: our actions, our choices, and their outcomes: "Allah is the Creator of all things" (Quran 39:62).

Qadar and Free Will

Islam holds a balanced view of qadar. On one hand, everything is by Allah's decree; on the other, human beings are truly responsible for their choices. Allah says: "Whoever wills, let him take a way to his Lord" (Quran 76:29) — and: "That day, every soul will be recompensed for what it earned; no injustice today" (Quran 40:17). The believer's response is "we heard and obeyed": we do not act as if we know what is written, we act as if we are choosing — and we accept what Allah decrees when it comes to pass.

Its Fruits

• Peace of heart — nothing that happens is outside Allah's wise decree.
• Freedom from arrogance in success — every success is a gift, not merely a personal achievement.
• Freedom from despair in loss — no loss is arbitrary; each carries its wisdom and reward.
• Energy in action — since qadar is unknown to us until it happens, we take every lawful means with full effort.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not lose heart. If something befalls you, do not say 'If only I had done otherwise,' but say: 'Allah has decreed and what He willed He did' — for 'if' opens the door to the work of Satan" (Muslim 2664).

Frequently Asked Questions

If everything is decreed, why be judged for our choices?

Because Allah's knowledge of what a person will choose does not compel that person to choose it. His knowledge is like seeing a play; the actors still choose their lines. This is why Allah gave humans intellect, revelation and commands — and why the response of the servant is worship, not fatalism. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote entire books to clarify this.

May we ask Allah to change what is decreed?

Yes — supplication itself is part of the qadar. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Nothing repels the decree except supplication, and nothing lengthens the lifespan except righteousness" (Tirmidhi 2139). Allah has decreed that supplication and righteousness themselves become means by which the decree unfolds.