What is the difference between qadar (divine decree) and qada' (divine decree and destiny), and how do we respond to those who commit sins on the pretext that they are among the decrees of Allah, saying: "Allah decreed it upon me"?

The questioner : The questioner asks: What is the difference between qada' (divine decree and destiny) and qadar (divine decree), and how do we respond to those who commit sins on the pretext that they are among the decrees of Allah, saying that Allah decreed it upon them?

The Shaykh : Scholars have differed regarding the difference between qada' (divine decree and destiny) and qadar (divine decree). Some said that qadar (divine decree) is the decree of Allah the Exalted in eternity, while qada' (divine decree and destiny) is the judgment of Allah the Exalted regarding a thing when it occurs. So if Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, decrees that a specific thing will happen at a specific time, that is qadar (divine decree). When the time for that thing to happen arrives, it becomes qada' (divine decree and destiny). This is frequent in the Qur'an, such as His saying: and the like. So qadar (divine decree) is the decree of Allah the Exalted of a thing in eternity, and qada' (divine decree and destiny) is His judgment regarding it when it occurs. As for those who use qadar (divine decree) as an excuse for sins against Allah, their argument is invalid. Allah the Exalted invalidated it in the Qur'an, saying: These people used their shirk (associating partners with Allah), the shirk of their fathers, and their prohibition of what Allah has made lawful as an excuse, claiming that it was by the will of Allah and that if Allah had willed, they would not have associated partners with Him. But Allah the Exalted invalidated this by saying: meaning We punished them. This is proof of the invalidity of this argument. We also invalidate the argument of this person who uses qadar (divine decree) as an excuse by his own action. If someone were to grab this man by the collar and slap him from cheek to cheek, and the man said, "Why are you hitting me?" and the other said, "Because this is qada' (divine decree and destiny) and qadar (divine decree)," would he agree or not? He would not agree. That is why it is said that a thief was brought to the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and 'Umar ordered his hand to be cut off. The thief said: So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) invalidated his argument with his own argument. We also say to this man who uses qadar (divine decree) as an excuse: Did you know when you committed the sin that Allah had decreed it upon you? When you proceeded to do it and determined that you would do it, did you know that Allah had decreed it upon you? I ask you now: Did this man, when he intended to commit the sin and then proceeded, know that Allah had decreed it upon him? No, because qada' (divine decree and destiny) and qadar (divine decree) are a hidden secret that no one knows except Allah, Mighty and Majestic, or those who witness it after it has occurred. If he does not know of the decree and qadar (divine decree) of Allah when he proceeds to commit the sin, why does he not assume that Allah has written him as a happy person who obeys the command of Allah, and act in accordance with what necessitates happiness? We say now: Your state has two possibilities. It is possible that you are written as wretched, and it is possible that you are written as happy. Do you know which it is? No, you do not know. So why do you not act like the happy ones and assume that Allah the Exalted has written you as happy? We also say: Do you believe that Allah has written your provision? He will say, yes. Do you strive for this provision and work for it, or not? Yes, he works and strives. So go to the employment office and see how many applications are requested to become an employee. He strives for provision and seeks it, traveling and going here and there to obtain provision, even though he knows that provision is written. He does not say, "I will stay in my house, and what is decreed for me will reach me." We say to him: If Allah the Exalted has decreed children for you, do you seek these children through marriage, or do you leave marriage and say, "Children will come, if Allah wills"? Which is it? You seek marriage so that children may be obtained. The conclusion is that using qadar (divine decree) as an excuse for sins against Allah is an invalid and refuted argument, and it has no validity at all.