Fate, what are you?

 Fate or Qadr -The Belief in Divine Decree

Everything that will happen was written 50,000 years before the heavens and the earth were created. This Fate, Destiny or Qadr as known in Arabic.

 وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَّقْدُورًا

And the command of Allah is a decree that is made absolute. (Al-Ahzab 38)

 “Verily the first of what Allah created was the Pen. He said to it: “Write.” So it wrote what will be forever.’”  (Tirmidhi 3319)

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ), the truthful and truly-inspired, said, “Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days) and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days) and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter).” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6594)

Where is it written?

In Lawh-e-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet )- the place where the decrees of Allah are kept.

 وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ

And all things We have recorded with numbers (as a record) in a Clear Book. (Yasin 12)

Can Qadr be altered by Dua (Prayer) and Charity?

Fate is not altered per se; it is written as well that when so and so will make Dua, his previous fate will change in this and this way.

Why should we even make Dua if destiny is pre-written?

Ibn-al-Qayyim ra answered this question beautifully:

“Here there occurs a very popular question and it is:

If the thing that is being supplicated for is already decreed for the servant, then there is no doubt that it is going to come to pass for him, regardless of whether he supplicates for it or not. And if it has not been decreed for him, then it will not come to pass, regardless of whether he asks Allah for it or not.

The correct view… is that the decreed result is preordained along with its proper means, which lead to its occurrence. One of these means is the supplication… So when a person comes across the means, the decreed matter will come to pass. And if he does not come across those means, the decreed matter is denied.

So satisfying one’s appetite and quenching one’s thirst are preordained with (the means of) eating and drinking….Harvesting crops is preordained with (the means of) planting and, the withdrawal of the soul from an animal is decreed with slaughter. Likewise, entrance into Paradise is preordained with (good) deeds, while entrance into the Hellfire is preordained with (bad) deeds.” End Quote.

 

If what we were destined to do is already written, why are we held accountable for our actions?

He makes easy for us whatever we strive for

Whatever we will do has been written beforehand because Allah is Al-Aleem (The All Knowing).

اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا

It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.

(At-Talaq 12)

In his infinite knowledge and wisdom, He knew and ordered the pen to write what we will do, but He does not force us to do anything. Ultimately, out of our own free will, we will end up acting the way it was written but Allah leaves us to get there on our own.

It was narrated that ‘Ali said:”We were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he had a stick in his hand. He scratched in the ground with it, then raised his head and said: ‘There is no one among you but his place in Paradise or Hell has already been decreed.’ He was asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we not then rely upon that?’ (i.e. Stop doing any effort?) He said: ‘No, strive and do not rely upon that, for it will be made easy for each person to do that for which he was created.’ Then he recited:

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى * وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى * وَأَمَّا مَنْ بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى * وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى‏ ‏

“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). But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient. And denies Al-Husna. We will make smooth for him the path for evil. “

(Ibn-e-Majah 78)

Why did Allah give us freewill?

To test us.

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;

(Al-Mulk 2)

Does Allah allow man to do bad things?

He allows it. That is His Mashiat (Will). Without it, we cannot even form an intention to do anything, good or bad.

وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

But you cannot will, unless Allah wills. Verily, Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Al-Insan 30)

So when we do something bad, it is allowed to happen with His Mashiat but not His Raza (Pleasure). This is a very important point.

His allowing it means that if He didn’t want it to happen, we couldn’t do any wrong or bad. But He allows it. Because He has given a fixed time to see who does good or bad out of his own accord. After that, He not only punishes for that in this world if we do not repent, and on the Day of Judgement, we will be judged for it of course.

Again it does not mean just because we are capable of doing something wrong and no one stops us at that moment, that Allah is pleased with it as well.

 

Does that mean we have complete control on our lives?

 

We have complete control on our actions but not on the outcome. We have only partial control over that, and that too as long as Allah allows it. We are neither completely helpless nor completely in charge.

For example, for a good exam, I can control how much I study and work for it, but I cannot control the traffic or the weather condition on my way to the exam hall.

If I fail because I did not work hard, it is my fault. But unstoppable conditions are fate, and my belief that fate, good or bad, is from Allah will put my heart at peace. I will not blame myself for what I could not control.

The bad you get is from yourselves and the good from Allah?

 

If the bad is a punishment then it is entirely from us, due to the sins we committed.

But if the difficulty was written for us as a test, then it is just that: A test. It isn’t inherently bad. In fact, difficulty and blessings are both tests. So if Allah sends us a test, it cannot be ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ because Allah SWT is Wise and Just and all His actions are based on Wisdom and Justice. A thing can only be termed as bad when it is talked about in reference to man.

وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ

And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much. (As-Shura 30)

“And the good, all of it is in Your Hands, and the evil is not attributed to You”. (Tirmidhi 3422)

Let me reiterate here, when we see atrocities happening all over the world, to people of all races and religions, it is because we failed somewhere along the way, collectively as Humanity. That is why it is so important to stand up for truth and justice with courage, regardless for whom it is for: Black, White, Muslim, Christian, Jew or Hindu. Us failing to do our duty puts the blame on us, not Allah SWT, for it is what our own hands have earned. As for Him, as He has mentioned, He pardons much and still has mercy on us despite our negligence of our duty.

Will we be judged on what we cannot control?

“He remains with you when no one else does”

No, our test is up to where we can control something. If we can’t control something, we are not accountable for it. He will judge us according to the freedom that He has given us.

And our test is tailored so that we can bear it:

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.  (Al-Baqarah 286)

We must believe in this during every difficulty, regardless of how difficult it seems, and Allah will give us the courage to come through, as many examples of strong and courageous human beings come come forward every day.

وَاصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

And be patient, for surely Allah does not waste the reward of the good-doers.

(Hud 15)

How is belief in fate good for us?

It helps us cope with pain and loss, by believing that this was Allah’s will and He is testing us in this world. We do not fall into if’s and but’s, we are saved from regret and sadness. Belief in fate is Allah’s utter mercy on us.

الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ

Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return.”

Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.

 (Al-Baqarah 156-157)

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, “If only I had done such and such” rather say “Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does).” For (saying) ‘If’ opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.'” ( Ibn-e-Majah  79)

Ubadah b. al Samit RA said to his son:

Son! You will not get the taste of the reality of faith until you know that what has come to you could not miss you, and that what has missed you could not come to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: The first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: Write. It asked: What should I write, my Lord? He said: Write what was decreed about everything till the Last Hour comes. Son! I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who dies on something other than this does not belong to me. (Sunan Abi Dawud 4700)

It also keeps us accountable. We cannot blame others or fate itself for the wrong we do. Belief in fate keeps us on track.

Can we question why Allah decreed something to happen a certain way?

 

No. We have to accept it and be content with it.

لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ

He cannot be questioned concerning what He does and they shall be questioned.

(Al-Anbiya 23)

 

 

Let us remember:

وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.

(Al-Baqarah 216)

يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ

Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship

(Al-Baqarah 185)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.”  (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641, 5642)

Should Qadr be discussed extensively?

No.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to his Companions when they were disputing about the Divine Decree, and it was as if pomegranate seeds had burst on his face (i.e. turned red) because of anger. He said: ‘Have you been commanded to do this, or were you created for this purpose? You are using one part of the Qur’an against another part, and this is what led to the doom of the nations who came before you.'”  ( Ibn e Majah Hadith 85)