What qadr means

Qadr (also called qada wa qadar) means Allah's decree: everything that happens, happens by Allah's knowledge, plan and will. Nothing in the universe happens by accident, and nothing happens outside His control.

Belief in qadr is one of the six pillars of iman (faith). When Jibril asked Nabi ﷺ about iman, he said: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in qadr, its good and its bad¹.

Allah says: We created everything in a measure².

This belief does not make life smaller. It makes the heart calm. You do your part, and you know that the One in charge of everything is wise, just and merciful.

The four parts of qadr

Scholars explain that belief in qadr has four parts. All of Ahl al-Sunnah agree on them.

Written for each person

Nabi ﷺ said that while a baby grows in the womb, Allah sends an angel to write four things: its provision (what it will be given), its lifespan, its deeds, and whether it will be happy or miserable in the end. Then the soul is breathed into it⁹.

Ibn Umar said: everything is by qadr, even being unable and being able¹⁰.

Our choices are real

If everything is written, are we just puppets? No. The same Quran that teaches qadr also tells us again and again that we choose, and we are responsible.

• We showed him the way, whether he is grateful or ungrateful¹¹.
• By the soul, and the One who shaped it, and showed it what is wrong and what is right. Successful is the one who purifies it, and lost is the one who corrupts it¹².
• Whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve¹³.
• Allah does not put on any soul more than it can carry. It gets the good it earned, and carries the bad it earned¹⁴.

How can both be true?

• Knowing is not forcing. Allah knows what you will choose. His knowing does not push you to choose it. You still feel yourself choose, and you really do.
• You do not know what is written. Nobody reads their own page before living it. So you never act because of what is written. You act because of what you want, and you are asked about that.
• Allah is never unjust. He does not ask more of you than you can carry, and you can ask Him to forgive what you forgot or did by mistake¹⁵.

The Companions asked Nabi ﷺ this exact question. His answer is the key to the whole topic:

Qadr is not an excuse for sin

Some people use qadr as an excuse: "It was written, so it is not my fault." The Quran tells us this is an old excuse. The idol worshippers said: if Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped others. Allah answered: do you have any knowledge? You only follow guesses¹⁸.

• Before you act, you do not know what is written. So you are free to choose good, and you must try.
• After you sin, the answer is not "it was written". The answer is repentance. Say sorry to Allah, fix what you can, and do better.
• Qadr is a comfort for what happens to you, like illness or loss. It is not cover for what you choose to do, like lying or skipping salah.

Taking the means is also qadr

A man asked Nabi ﷺ: should I tie my camel and trust Allah, or leave it loose and trust Allah? He said: tie it, and trust Allah¹⁹. Effort and trust go together.

• Nabi ﷺ said: Allah has not made a disease without making a cure for it²⁰. So we see doctors and take medicine. That is part of qadr too.
• Study for your exam, look for work, lock your door. Then leave the result to Allah. Allah says: when you have decided, put your trust in Allah²¹.

Dua and qadr

If everything is written, does dua (asking Allah) change anything? Yes. Nabi ﷺ said: nothing turns back the decree except dua, and nothing adds to life except doing good²³.

• Scholars explain: your dua is also part of qadr. Allah knew you would ask, and wrote that your dua would be the reason for what He gives you. So never think dua is pointless.
• Nabi ﷺ also said: whoever wants more provision and a longer life should keep good ties with family²⁴. Good deeds are causes, and causes are part of the plan.
• Allah says: call on Me, and I will answer you²⁵.

Istikhara: asking Allah to choose for you

For any decision, Nabi ﷺ taught the istikhara: pray two rakat (units of prayer), then ask Allah: O Allah, I ask You to guide me by Your knowledge. You know and I do not know. If it is good for my religion, my life and my end, make it easy for me. If it is bad for me, turn it away from me, and give me what is good, wherever it is²⁶.

This is living with qadr at its best: you think, you ask, you act, and you trust the One who knows.

Living with qadr

Belief in qadr is one of the strongest comforts a person can have. It changes how you meet both good days and bad days.

When something bad happens

• No hardship comes except by Allah's permission. Whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart²⁷.
• Allah tells us it was all written before, so that you do not grieve too much over what you missed, and do not become proud over what you got²⁸.
• Companions taught that faith in qadr means knowing that what reached you was never going to miss you, and what missed you was never going to reach you²⁹.
• Nabi ﷺ told the young Ibn Abbas: if all people came together to help you, they could only help you with what Allah wrote for you. If they came together to harm you, they could only harm you with what Allah wrote. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry³⁰.
• You may dislike something that is good for you, and love something that is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not³¹.

Do not say "if only"

Nabi ﷺ said: a strong believer is better and more loved by Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in both. Work hard for what helps you, ask Allah for help, and do not give up. If something goes wrong, do not say: if only I had done this, it would have been like that. Say instead: Qadarullahi wa ma sha'a fa'al, Allah decreed it, and He does what He wills. For "if only" opens the door to the work of shaytan³².

• Looking back to learn is good. Looking back to torture yourself with "if only" is what this hadith warns against.

Patience and gratitude

Nabi ﷺ said: how amazing is the affair of the believer! All of it is good for him, and this is only for the believer. If something good happens, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens, he is patient, and that is good for him³³.

• Even small pains count: no tiredness, illness, worry or sadness reaches a Muslim, even a thorn's prick, except that Allah wipes away some of his sins with it³⁴.
• When a loss comes, say: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, we belong to Allah and to Him we return³⁵.
• For plans about the future, say in sha Allah, if Allah wills³⁶.

Do not go too deep

Qadr is about Allah's own knowledge and wisdom, and our minds cannot hold all of it. That is why scholars have always warned against going too deep into how it works.

• Nabi ﷺ once came out and found his Companions arguing about qadr. He became so angry that his face turned red. He said: is this what you were told to do? Is this what I was sent with? The people before you were ruined when they argued about this. Do not argue about it³⁷³⁸.
• Some questions go round in circles. When shaytan whispers: who made this, who made that, and then who made Allah?, Nabi ﷺ said: seek refuge in Allah and stop there³⁹.
• The safe way is simple: believe what Allah told you, act on what He asked of you, and leave what is beyond you to Him.

Where Sunni scholars explain it differently

All of Ahl al-Sunnah, whether Athari, Ash'ari or Maturidi in creed, agree on the four parts of qadr, that our choices are real, and that we are responsible. They use different words to explain how our choice and Allah's creating fit together. Ash'aris speak of the person "earning" (kasb) the action Allah creates. Maturidis and Atharis put more stress on the real choice and ability Allah gave the person. All of them reject both extremes: that people are forced like a feather in the wind, and that people act outside Allah's will. You do not need these details to have strong faith. If you want them, learn from a teacher you trust.

Common questions

If Allah wrote that I would sin, why does He punish me?

Because you chose it, and you did not know it was written. Allah wrote what He knew you would freely choose. His writing did not force you. And the door of repentance is open until your last breath. Allah forgives all sins for those who come back⁴⁰.

Is the person I marry already written?

Yes, everything is written⁴¹. But you do not know who it is, so you still search, ask good people, pray istikhara⁴², and choose well. The effort is your part.

Should I still go to the doctor, if my lifespan is written?

Yes. Nabi ﷺ said Allah made a cure for every disease⁴³. Taking medicine is part of qadr, as Umar showed with the plague⁴⁴.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

This life is a test, and hardship is not a sign that Allah hates you. It wipes away sins⁴⁵, raises your level, and is good for you if you are patient⁴⁶. Allah sees the whole picture. We see a small part⁴⁷.

Can I say "it was meant to be"?

Yes, about things that happen to you, after you did your best. That is like saying Qadarullah⁴⁸. Do not say it to excuse a sin you chose, or to avoid fixing a mistake.

These questions confuse me and shake my faith.

That is normal, and you are not alone. The Companions asked too⁴⁹. Hold on to what is clear: Allah is wise and just, your choices count, and Allah is with the patient. Leave the deep "how" questions, as Nabi ﷺ advised⁵⁰, and ask a teacher you trust.