What is the ruling on belief in divine decree, and how is it?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on belief in divine decree, and how is it?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Belief in divine decree is obligatory, and its status in the religion is that it is one of the six pillars of faith. This is because Jibril (peace be upon him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about faith, and he said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2610Sahih (Darussalam) Divine decree is the predestination of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in eternity, meaning His predestination of what has happened and what will happen. Indeed, when He (Glorified and Exalted is He) created the Pen, He said to it: "Write." It said: "My Lord, what should I write?" He said: "Write what is destined to happen until the Day of Resurrection." So it wrote in that moment what is destined to happen until the Day of Resurrection. Thus, everything that occurs in the heavens and the earth, whether it is an action of Allah such as rain, vegetation, life, and death, or an action of the servants such as righteousness and deviation, is written. It is written in eternity with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). It is obligatory for us to believe in this, that Allah has written the destinies of all things until the Day of Resurrection, and that this written record encompasses what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) does Himself and what His servants do. The scholars said that belief in divine decree has four levels. The first level is to believe in the all-encompassing, general knowledge of Allah the Exalted regarding the present, the future, and the past, and that all of this is known to Allah by His eternal, everlasting knowledge. The Lord (Mighty and Majestic) does not err and does not forget, as Pharaoh asked Moses (peace be upon him): [Taha 20:51-52] (Glorified and Exalted is He). So we must believe in the knowledge of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He is All-Knowing of everything in general and in detail. The general is like His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:231] and the detailed is like His saying: [Al-An'am 6:59] and also His saying: [Luqman 31:34] and also His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:235] [Al-Baqarah 2:187] There are many examples of this. This is the first level of the levels of belief in divine decree.
The second level is to believe that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has written the destinies of all things until the Hour, so everything is written with Allah in the Preserved Tablet, which does not change or alter. The evidence for this is His saying:[Al-Hajj 22:70] and the hadith we mentioned earlier: .
The third level is to believe that there is no movement or stillness, no creation or destruction in the universe except by the will of Allah, meaning except that Allah has willed it, whether it is from His action (Blessed and Exalted is He) or from the actions of His creation. The movements of man and the stillness of man, his height and shortness, his whiteness and blackness, his satisfaction and anger, his righteousness and deviation, all of this is by the will of Allah. Nothing deviates from the will of Allah, even guidance and righteousness are by the will of Allah. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Al-Baqarah 2:253] And Allah the Exalted said: [At-Takwir 81:28-29] And the Muslims have agreed upon this great word: "What Allah wills comes to be, and what He does not will does not come to be".
As for the fourth level, it is creation. You must believe that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is the Creator of all things, as Allah the Exalted said:[Az-Zumar 39:62] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan 25:2] Allah the Exalted mentioned creation in general, as in these two verses, and mentioned it in specific, such as His saying: [At-Tariq 86:5-6] and His saying: [As-Saffat 37:96] So everything other than Allah is a created thing that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created, whether in entities, actions, or attributes. The human being has a body; who created this body? Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The human being is tall and short, white and black; who determined this? Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The human being has actions and movements, righteous or not; who created this action? Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because the action of man is among the attributes of man, and man is a created being, so his attributes are created. The evidence for this is what I mentioned earlier: [Al-Furqan 25:2] [As-Saffat 37:96].
So it is obligatory for us to believe in divine decree on these four levels: the knowledge of Allah, His writing of the destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet, the will of Allah for every existent and non-existent thing, every movement and stillness, and the creation of Allah for every existent and non-existent thing, every movement and stillness. So the non-existent, Allah brings it into existence, and the existent, Allah destroys it.
The children of Adam have differed regarding divine decree, disputed over it, and disagreed about it. Among them are the extremists, the neglecters, and the moderates. The extremist in affirming divine decree says that man is compelled in his action and has no choice in it. If he does good, it is by compulsion upon him. If he does evil, it is by compulsion upon him. If he stands or sits, he is compelled and forced, because Allah the Exalted willed it, so it must be.
And others fell short in this, saying that Allah wills everything and creates everything except the actions of man, for He has no control over them. And these have fallen short regarding lordship.
And others took the middle path, saying that man acts by his choice and distinguishes between the action he is compelled to do and the action he chooses. And this is the reality. You go out to the market by your choice, you return from it by your choice, you enter such-and-such a school by your choice, you leave it by your choice, you travel by your choice, you stay in your country by your choice. This is a matter that is not denied, and no one ever feels that they are compelled to do this action. Therefore, if one is truly compelled, the sin is dropped from him if he is compelled to do a forbidden act or to leave an obligatory act. Even Allah dropped the ruling of disbelief in the case of compulsion, and He said:[An-Nahl 16:106].
And if we said that man is compelled, the entire Shari'ah would be invalidated, and one would not be praised for doing good nor blamed for doing evil. So we refute those who said that he is compelled with this. As for those who said that he is independent, we say: Glory be to Allah, man is in the dominion of Allah, and how can there be in the dominion of Allah what He does not will? Man is a creation of Allah, so how can his actions not be created by Allah? They are created by Allah and are in the dominion of Allah. But the sinner may argue with divine decree regarding his sin. If he commits zina, steals, or drinks intoxicants, he says, "By Allah, this is by the decree of Allah." We say: Did Allah compel you? Do you know that Allah has decreed for you to commit zina, steal, or drink intoxicants? You do not know, and we do not know, whether Allah has decreed our actions or words until they occur. When they occur, we know that He intended them, but before they occur, we have no knowledge of what Allah has decreed, as He the Exalted said:[Luqman 31:34] So when the sinner proceeds to the action, he proceeds to it by his choice and did not know that Allah had written it for him or upon him until it occurred. For this reason, you do not see anyone excusing another when he strikes him. If the striker strikes him and the one struck says to the striker, "Why did you strike me?" and the striker says, "By Allah, this is by the decree of Allah," you will not find anyone who accepts this argument.
It is mentioned regarding the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that a thief was brought to him, so he ordered his hand to be cut off. The thief said to him, "Wait, O Commander of the Faithful! By Allah, I did not steal this except by the decree of Allah." He said, "And we do not cut off your hand except by the decree of Allah." The important point is that it is not possible for a person to argue with divine decree regarding the oppression and aggression of people. And you are amazed at this sinner who disobeys Allah, and his disobedience to Allah is oppression to himself, yet he argues with the decree of Allah regarding his oppression of himself, even though if an oppressor oppressed him and he argued with his oppression by saying it is the decree of Allah, he would not accept it from him. Therefore, there is no excuse for the sinner with the decree of Allah regarding his disobedience. For this reason, Allah invalidated the argument of those who argued with the decree, and He said:[Al-An'am 6:148] He the Exalted said: [Al-An'am 6:148] And the fact that they taste the wrath of Allah indicates that they have no argument, because if they had an argument, they would not have tasted the wrath of Allah.
The conclusion is that it is obligatory for man to believe in divine decree, and that everything is from Allah, and that there is no argument for the sinner regarding his disobedience with the decree of Allah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his Companions, he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 4945 They said, "O Messenger of Allah, should we not leave the work and rely on the decree?" He said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2136 In that case, we are commanded to work, and when we do what pleases Allah, Allah makes it easy for us. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited His saying: [Al-Layl 92:5-9] So we say: I believe in divine decree and I act according to the Shari'ah, so that your faith is complete.
And part of faith in the divine decree is believing in what comes to the servant as disliked, such as calamities in his body, his family, his wealth, his companions, or his community. No person is free from calamity, for Allah the Exalted tests with blessings and tests with hardships. When these calamities occur, be pleased with them and be pleased with Allah’s decree of them, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best what is in your interest. How many a person was struck by a calamity, and that calamity became an opening for his guidance. Thus, calamities are a polishing of the hearts when Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, intends to guide a person. Conversely, for others, Allah the Exalted said:[Al-'Ankabut 29:10] meaning that when he is afflicted in his religion and restricted in his religion, he treats it as a punishment, so he turns back and retreats on his heels, may Allah protect us from that.
The important point is that faith in the divine decree makes calamities easy for you, because you know that they are from Allah, and that Allah owns everything, and you are among those whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, owns. You are a servant of Allah, and He does with you what He wills, so do not be distressed. Allah the Exalted said:[At-Taghabun 64:11] 'Uqaym said regarding the meaning of [At-Taghabun 64:11] that he knows that it is from Allah, so he is pleased and submits. If a man had harmed you, you would defend yourself and not be pleased, but if the calamity that struck you is from Allah, then you must be pleased, for He is your Lord, your Owner, and He does with you what He wills. If you are patient and seek reward from Allah, that calamity becomes an elevation in your ranks, a reward and a recompense. [Az-Zumar 39:10]
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Belief in divine decree is obligatory, and its status in the religion is that it is one of the six pillars of faith. This is because Jibril (peace be upon him) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about faith, and he said:
To believe in Allah, His Angels, His, Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgement, and Al-Qadar, the good of it and the bad of it.
أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الأخر والقدر خيره وشره(51) [Pharaoh] said, "Then what is the case of the former generations?" (52) [Moses] said, "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets."
فَما بالُ القُرونِ الأولى * قالَ عِلمُها عِندَ رَبّي في كِتابٍ لا يَضِلُّ رَبّي وَلا يَنسَىAllah is Knowing of all things.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيءٍ عَليمٌAnd with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.
وَعِندَهُ مَفاتِحُ الغَيبِ لا يَعلَمُها إِلّا هُوَ وَيَعلَمُ ما فِي البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ وَما تَسقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلّا يَعلَمُها وَلا حَبَّةٍ في ظُلُماتِ الأَرضِ وَلا رَطبٍ وَلا يابِسٍ إِلّا في كِتابٍ مُبينٍIndeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلمُ السّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الغَيثَ وَيَعلَمُ ما فِي الأَرحامِ وَما تَدري نَفسٌ ماذا تَكسِبُ غَدًا وَما تَدري نَفسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرضٍ تَموتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَليمٌ خَبيرٌAllah knows that you will have them in mind
عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُم سَتَذكُرونَهُنَّAllah knows that you used to deceive yourselves
عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُم كُنتُم تَختانونَ أَنفُسَكُمThe second level is to believe that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has written the destinies of all things until the Hour, so everything is written with Allah in the Preserved Tablet, which does not change or alter. The evidence for this is His saying:
Do you not know that Allah knows what is in the heaven and earth? Indeed, that is in a Record. Indeed that, for Allah, is easy.
أَلَم تَعلَم أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعلَمُ ما فِي السَّماءِ وَالأَرضِ إِنَّ ذلِكَ في كِتابٍ إِنَّ ذلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسيرٌWhen Allah created the Pen, He said to it: Write. It said: My Lord, what should I write? He said: Write what is destined to occur until the Day of Resurrection. So it wrote in that hour what is destined to occur until the Day of Resurrection.
إن الله لما خلق القلم قال له اكتب قال رب ماذا اكتب قال اكتب ما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامة فجرى في تلك الساعة بما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامةThe third level is to believe that there is no movement or stillness, no creation or destruction in the universe except by the will of Allah, meaning except that Allah has willed it, whether it is from His action (Blessed and Exalted is He) or from the actions of His creation. The movements of man and the stillness of man, his height and shortness, his whiteness and blackness, his satisfaction and anger, his righteousness and deviation, all of this is by the will of Allah. Nothing deviates from the will of Allah, even guidance and righteousness are by the will of Allah. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
If Allah had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allah does what He intends.
وَلَو شاءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقتَتَلَ الَّذينَ مِن بَعدِهِم مِن بَعدِ ما جاءَتهُمُ البَيِّناتُ وَلكِنِ اختَلَفوا فَمِنهُم مَن ءامَنَ وَمِنهُم مَن كَفَرَ وَلَو شاءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقتَتَلوا وَلكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفعَلُ ما يُريدُ(28) For whoever wills among you to take a right course. (29) And you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds.
لِمَن شاءَ مِنكُم أَن يَستَقيمَ * وَما تَشاءونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ العالَمينَAs for the fourth level, it is creation. You must believe that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is the Creator of all things, as Allah the Exalted said:
Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.
اللَّهُ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهُوَ عَلى كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَكيلٌand has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقديرًا(5) So let man observe from what he was created. (6) He was created from a fluid, ejected,
فَليَنظُرِ الإِنسانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ * خُلِقَ مِن ماءٍ دافِقٍWhile Allah created you and that which you do?"
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم وَما تَعمَلونَand has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقديرًاWhile Allah created you and that which you do?"
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم وَما تَعمَلونَSo it is obligatory for us to believe in divine decree on these four levels: the knowledge of Allah, His writing of the destinies of all things in the Preserved Tablet, the will of Allah for every existent and non-existent thing, every movement and stillness, and the creation of Allah for every existent and non-existent thing, every movement and stillness. So the non-existent, Allah brings it into existence, and the existent, Allah destroys it.
The children of Adam have differed regarding divine decree, disputed over it, and disagreed about it. Among them are the extremists, the neglecters, and the moderates. The extremist in affirming divine decree says that man is compelled in his action and has no choice in it. If he does good, it is by compulsion upon him. If he does evil, it is by compulsion upon him. If he stands or sits, he is compelled and forced, because Allah the Exalted willed it, so it must be.
And others fell short in this, saying that Allah wills everything and creates everything except the actions of man, for He has no control over them. And these have fallen short regarding lordship.
And others took the middle path, saying that man acts by his choice and distinguishes between the action he is compelled to do and the action he chooses. And this is the reality. You go out to the market by your choice, you return from it by your choice, you enter such-and-such a school by your choice, you leave it by your choice, you travel by your choice, you stay in your country by your choice. This is a matter that is not denied, and no one ever feels that they are compelled to do this action. Therefore, if one is truly compelled, the sin is dropped from him if he is compelled to do a forbidden act or to leave an obligatory act. Even Allah dropped the ruling of disbelief in the case of compulsion, and He said:
Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment;
مَن كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِن بَعدِ إيمانِهِ إِلّا مَن أُكرِهَ وَقَلبُهُ مُطمَئِنٌّ بِالإيمانِ وَلكِن مَن شَرَحَ بِالكُفرِ صَدرًا فَعَلَيهِم غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُم عَذابٌ عَظيمٌAnd if we said that man is compelled, the entire Shari'ah would be invalidated, and one would not be praised for doing good nor blamed for doing evil. So we refute those who said that he is compelled with this. As for those who said that he is independent, we say: Glory be to Allah, man is in the dominion of Allah, and how can there be in the dominion of Allah what He does not will? Man is a creation of Allah, so how can his actions not be created by Allah? They are created by Allah and are in the dominion of Allah. But the sinner may argue with divine decree regarding his sin. If he commits zina, steals, or drinks intoxicants, he says, "By Allah, this is by the decree of Allah." We say: Did Allah compel you? Do you know that Allah has decreed for you to commit zina, steal, or drink intoxicants? You do not know, and we do not know, whether Allah has decreed our actions or words until they occur. When they occur, we know that He intended them, but before they occur, we have no knowledge of what Allah has decreed, as He the Exalted said:
no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow
وَما تَدري نَفسٌ ماذا تَكسِبُ غَدًاIt is mentioned regarding the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that a thief was brought to him, so he ordered his hand to be cut off. The thief said to him, "Wait, O Commander of the Faithful! By Allah, I did not steal this except by the decree of Allah." He said, "And we do not cut off your hand except by the decree of Allah." The important point is that it is not possible for a person to argue with divine decree regarding the oppression and aggression of people. And you are amazed at this sinner who disobeys Allah, and his disobedience to Allah is oppression to himself, yet he argues with the decree of Allah regarding his oppression of himself, even though if an oppressor oppressed him and he argued with his oppression by saying it is the decree of Allah, he would not accept it from him. Therefore, there is no excuse for the sinner with the decree of Allah regarding his disobedience. For this reason, Allah invalidated the argument of those who argued with the decree, and He said:
Those who associated with Allah will say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything."
سَيَقولُ الَّذينَ أَشرَكوا لَو شاءَ اللَّهُ ما أَشرَكنا وَلا ءاباؤُنا وَلا حَرَّمنا مِن شَيءٍLikewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment
كَذلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذينَ مِن قَبلِهِم حَتّى ذاقوا بَأسَناThe conclusion is that it is obligatory for man to believe in divine decree, and that everything is from Allah, and that there is no argument for the sinner regarding his disobedience with the decree of Allah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his Companions, he said:
There is none of you but has his place written for him in Paradise or in the Hell- Fire.
ما منكم من أحد إلا وقد كتب مقعده من الجنة ومقعده من النارWork, for everyone is facilitated for what he was created.
اعملوا فكل ميسر لما خلق له(5) As for he who gives and fears Allah (6) And believes in the best [reward], (7) We will ease him toward ease. (8) But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need (9) And denies the best [reward],
فَأَمّا مَن أَعطى وَاتَّقى * وَصَدَّقَ بِالحُسنى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِليُسرى * وَأَمّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاستَغنى * وَكَذَّبَ بِالحُسنى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلعُسرىAnd part of faith in the divine decree is believing in what comes to the servant as disliked, such as calamities in his body, his family, his wealth, his companions, or his community. No person is free from calamity, for Allah the Exalted tests with blessings and tests with hardships. When these calamities occur, be pleased with them and be pleased with Allah’s decree of them, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best what is in your interest. How many a person was struck by a calamity, and that calamity became an opening for his guidance. Thus, calamities are a polishing of the hearts when Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, intends to guide a person. Conversely, for others, Allah the Exalted said:
And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah," but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allah, they consider the trial of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allah.
وَمِنَ النّاسِ مَن يَقولُ ءامَنّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذا أوذِيَ فِي اللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتنَةَ النّاسِ كَعَذابِ اللَّهِThe important point is that faith in the divine decree makes calamities easy for you, because you know that they are from Allah, and that Allah owns everything, and you are among those whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, owns. You are a servant of Allah, and He does with you what He wills, so do not be distressed. Allah the Exalted said: