GOD’S PREDESTINATION AND DECREE

Qs a). What are the Muslim beliefs about predestination and

decree? (10)

Belief in God's predestination or “Al-qadr'' or “Taqdir” is one of the

fundamental articles of faith. It is expressed in Iman-e-mufassal, “ I believe in
Allah, in His angels,in His books, in His messengers, in the Last Day and in
the fact that everything good or bad is decided by Allah the Almighty and in
life after death ”. Muslims believe that everything in the universe and all the events
that are to take place are per-ordained by Allah. By believing in predestination,
Muslims mean that Allah being Omnipotent, is the Absolute Controller of all the
affairs of the universe. It is He who decides what is good and what is bad. Nothing can
happen without the will and the knowledge of Allah. Allah knows the present, the past
and the future of every creature as He is the Omniscient God. The destiny of every
creature is already known to Allah, which is recorded in the “Loh-e-Mahfooz-The
Sacred Tablet”. This is called the fore-knowledge of God. Allah says,“say! nothing
shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Protector,
and the believers should keep trust in Allah alone”

The fact that Allah knows what the person is going to do in future, does not affect the
freedom of will (intentions and actions) given to mankind by Him. This freedom of
action does not clash with the fore-knowledge of Allah. Man has the free will to
choose the course of action that he wants to take (either right or wrong), but Allah
already knows what he will choose to do in future because of His fore-knowledge. He
is not forcibly compelled by Allah to make his choice of intentions and actions. He will
be judged on the basis of these choices on the day of judgment. If he follows Allah's
guidance, he will be rewarded and if not, he will be punished. Allah says, “man can
have nothing but what he strives for”.

The principle which Islam lays down in regard to destiny is that man is neither
completely the master of his fate nor is he bound to the blind law of predestination.
Man is thus, partly free and partly bound to predestination and decree of Allah. This,
however, does not affect the concept of accountability in the hereafter. He would be
held accountable only for acts that he intended to do out of his own free will. He would
not be asked about the good deeds he could not perform due to his limitations.
Likewise, he will not be held accountable for things he has no control over, e.g his
family, appearance,ethnicity etc. Man is therefore free to win heaven or hell through
the choice of deeds that he makes in this world. In a way he can determine his own
destiny. He cannot complain that he is helpless in the face of predestination. He has
been shown both paths, i.e of truth and falsehood, by Allah through the divine books
and His prophets. He has been given complete freedom of choice between the two. He
has to exercise this freedom in a careful, responsible and wise manner because his
choices between right or wrong will determine his final destination of either heaven
or hell.

Another aspect of predestination is that everything good or bad is from Allah which is
already written in the destiny of every individual in the form of tests and trials. Allah
will test us from time to time to determine how we react in such a situation i.e with
gratitude and patience or disobedience and defiance. However, the prophet has told us
that duas, charity and kind treatment of relatives can change this part of our
predestination and decree by removing calamities in exchange, and prolonging our
lives.

Qs b) What is the influence of this belief in a Muslim’s daily life? (4)

Ans. The concept of predestination in Islam does not in any way mean helplessness
or despair. It is rather a source of comfort and inspiration, and a powerful means of
promoting a sense of piety, humility and self-surrender to the will of God. It does not
cause frustration in a man, making his life dark and difficult. On the other hand, it
teaches him to put his heart and soul in the sublime work as assigned to him by his
Master- the Almighty Allah. A Muslim believes that all events that are to take place are
pre-ordained by Allah,therefore, it strengthens his heart to deal with difficult
situations with a firm resolve . Belief in predestination is the freedom of will so a
Muslim must be careful in using it and must make wise choices regarding his deeds.
Every person will be held accountable only for acts he was able to perform, therefore,
he must focus on the hereafter instead of this temporary life. This belief makes a
Muslim responsible for his intentions, thoughts, words and actions which ultimately
transforms him into a productive member of society.