Belief in Qadar (Divine Pre-Ordainment):
The sixth and final pillar of Iman is belief in Qadar, The good of it and the bad of it.
The Good and the Bad of it
The 4 components of correct belief in Qadar.
- The sixth and final pillar of Iman is belief in Qadar, The good of it and the bad of it. Correct belief in Qadar consists of 4 components in the following order.
1. Allah ﷻ has prior knowledge of everything that is going to happen.
2. Everything that will happen is written in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh.
3. Allah ﷻ wills whatever is going to happen.
4. Allah ﷻ creates everything that is going to happen.
- Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh is where everything that has and is going to happen is written down. Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas states that Al-Lawh Al-Mahfoodh is a tablet of white pearl, its length is the distance between heaven and earth, its edges are lined with pearls and sapphires and its sides with rubies.
- A fundamental part of belief in Qadar is to accept things that happen whatever the outcome may be. In a hadeeth reported in Saheeh Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that if believers have a good experience, they should thank Allah ﷻ and if they have a bad experience, they should be patient. If a person does not accept a consequence of Qadar, in fact he/she rejects what Allah ﷻ has planned for him/her.
- Qadar is based on the wisdom of Allah ﷻ . Things do not happen by chance or accident. This means that Muslims should be patient when something bad happens and ask Allah ﷻ for help. A person should not ask ‘Why’ it happened or to question Allah ﷻ in what He has planned. Allah ﷻ Says in the Qur’aan:
“He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.” (Soorat al-Anbiyaa:23)
لَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْـَٔلُونَ ( سورة الانبياء : ٢٣)
- Qadar (Divine Pre-Ordainment) should not be used as an excuse to do bad deeds. A person cannot commit sins and say it was because of Qadar. At the time, the person had the choice to do the action or not. A thief used this excuse with ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab. The thief said, “I stole because of Qadar!” ‘Umar replied, “You stole because of Qadar and we punish you with Qadar!”
What we learn from the lesson:
- Correct belief in Qadar (Divine Pre-Ordainment) comprises of 4 components.
- Muslims should not question what Allah ﷻ does.
- Muslims accept Qadar, the good of it and the bad of it.
“Discussion:”
- What should a Muslim say when something unpleasant happens ?
