The question of ‘fate and freewill’ has baffled people for many centuries; but Islām have given a clear answer. The first point to be noted in this respect is that the Islāmic concept of Qadar and Qadha’ is quite different from fatalism, determinism and predestination, as understood by most peo-ple. In Arabic, the words Qadar and Qadha are often used for fate and destiny. The word, Qadha means to decide; to settle; to judge. A Qadhi is a judge who decides a matter between disputants. From the Islamic view, the events of the world take place within God’s Knowledge and Will.
Read the following verses:
- “And not an atom’s weight in the earth or in the sky escapes your Lord, nor what is less than that or greater than that, but it is (written) in a clear Book.” (Yunus 10:61)
- “No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves that it is in a register before We bring it into being – indeed that, for God , is easy – In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exalt [in pride] over what He has given you. And God does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.” (al-Hadid 57:22-23).
The above verses speak of God Almighty’s power and control over His creation, as well as of His will and plan. This is one aspect of His Qadar. There is also another aspect of Qadar, which is concerned with human freewill.
B: On human freedom and responsibility read the following verses:
- “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He [i.e., God] may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].” (a-Rum 30:41)
- “… The truth is from y6our Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.” (as-Kahf 18:29)
The above verses speak of the special status of humans as beings with a role and mission. God’s power over His creation and His fore-knowledge of all our actions and their results do not preclude that status. God’s Qadar and Qadha – which could be loosely rendered as ‘Divine decree and human destiny’ – include a certain amount of freedom for humans. We may say that God Almighty has willed that we must have the freedom to choose between good and bad and take the course of action we decide, i.e. to the extent we are permitted. It is God Who created us will all our talents and gifts and if we do not have the freedom to use them, what would be the meaning of those blessings? And remember that God gave us, not merely our intellectual faculties but also the power of moral judg-ment. And what is more, He sent us His Guidance through His chosen Prophets and Books, to help us make the right choices. So in Islam, there is no contradiction between belief in Divine Preordain-ment on the one hand and the freedom of man on the other.