Divine Decree

﴿إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَـٰهُ بِقَدَرٍ﴾ (“Indeed, We have created all things according to a measure”) (54:49). Belief in the divine decree (al-qadar) means believing that nothing happens in creation outside Allah's knowledge, wisdom and will. Scholars explain it in four parts. Allah knows all things, before and after they happen (6:59). He wrote them down: "Allah wrote the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth" (Sahih Muslim 2653; see also 57:22). Whatever He wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen (81:29). And He is the Creator of all things, including people and their deeds (37:96).

This does not take away human choice. Allah gave each person a real will and the ability to choose, showed them the way of good and the way of evil (91:8), and holds them responsible only for what they choose. When the Companions asked whether they should rely on what was written and stop doing deeds, the Prophet ﷺ said: carry on doing deeds, for each person will be eased toward what he was created for (Sahih al-Bukhari 4949). We cannot see what is written; we can only strive.

Belief in the decree is a source of calm, not passivity. The Prophet ﷺ said: be keen on what benefits you, seek Allah's help and do not give up; and if something befalls you, do not say "if only I had done such-and-such", but say "Allah decreed, and He does what He wills" (Sahih Muslim 2664). So the believer works hard, relies on Allah, is grateful in ease and patient in hardship, and never uses the decree as an excuse for sin.