The Arabic word translated as destiny is qadar. In its derivations, this word also means determination, giving a certain measure and shape, dividing, and judging. Muslim scholars of Islam define it as Divine measure, determination, and judgment in the creation of things. Before discussing Divine Decree...
In Relation to Divine Knowledge. God is completely beyond our abilities of comparison and conception, and so we can acquire only some knowledge of His Attributes and Names, not of His Divine Essence, by meditating on and studying His acts and creatures. To understand His...
After birth, everyone is registered in a Registry of Births. Then, based on this information, everyone receives an identity document. Similarly, everyone’s complete personal characteristics, particularities, and future life-history are registered on the Supreme Preserved Tablet, which then is copied by angels. They record all...
The existence of human free will is asserted on the following grounds: • We feel remorse when we do something wrong. We beg God’s forgiveness for our sins. If we trouble or harm someone, we ask that person to excuse us. These actions show that we...
God takes our free will into account when dealing with us and our acts, and then uses it to create our deeds. Thus we are never victims of Destiny or wronged by Fate. However insignificant our free will is when compared with God’s creative acts,...
For example: A train travels between Istanbul and Ankara. Considering its speed and characteristics, the railway’s condition, the distance between the two cities, as well the number of stations along the way and how much time must be spent in each, a timetable can be...
We may summarize the discussion so far in seven points: 1. Divine Destiny, also called Divine determination and arrangement, dominates the universe but does not cancel our free will. 2. Since God is beyond time and space and everything is included in His Knowledge, He encompasses the past, present,...
Divine Decree means carrying out Destiny’s decisions or judgments. It simultaneously includes our actions and God’s creation of them, for God allows us to do what we will to do by bringing it into existence. The Arabic word translated here as Divine Grace is ‘ata’,...
Why did God create us with different levels of provision and intelligence, lifestyle and physiology? Why does He allow hardship and poverty amidst ease and luxury? Such questions, besides relating to Destiny, also have some bearing on understanding the Divine way of acting. We Must Try...
That means that we will hunger, thirst, tire, and encounter hardship in the world. This must be so, because in this world we sow the seeds that will be harvested in the Hereafter. Those seeking only to gratify their desires most probably are the ones...
Question: Are we victims of Destiny? Do we have any part in the calamities befalling us? Answer: As this question has been discussed earlier, I will a summarized account. No one is a victim of Destiny. God does not destine our acts; rather, He creates whatever we will to...
Now we will answer the question. Intention. Our intention is critical. The Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings, says: “Actions are judged according to intentions. Whatever you intend to do, you get the reward thereof. So, whoever emigrates for God and His Messenger...
Even if we all worked together, we could not create even one fruit, one leaf, or one blade of grass. Denying the existence of the One Who can do all of this, and Who created this huge universe and gave us dominion over it, is...
Question: What does guidance mean, and can we guide someone else? Answer: Guidance is a light that God kindles in you because you use your own free will in the way of belief. Only God guides one to the truth, as pointed out repeatedly in the Qur'an: If God...