The topic of destiny (al-qadar) is one of the most difficult topics to understand. The more you go into it, the more complicated it feels. I will try my best to simplify it, and also give you some tips on how to deal with it and understand it, because it is one of the most important parts of the articles of iman: to believe in destiny.
Many people understand something is destined as something you cannot avoid. However, we need firstly to go through the definition, then what we find in the Qur’an and thirdly, what we find in the Sunnah.
- Definition of Al-Qadar
- Al-Qadar in the Qur’an
- Al-Qadar in the Sunnah
- The historical dispute over al-Qadar
- Al-Qadar in Islamic Creed
- Al-Qadar and supplication (duʿaʾ)
- How should we understand al-Qadar in our daily lives?
I will take you on a quick journey. Furthermore, we will look briefly at the historical dispute over this topic. Destiny was discussed early on by scholars, and there were corrections and clarifications.
We will also look at Islamic creed, what it is and how we can simplify it. Then we will discuss du‘a: can du‘a stop destiny or not? People have confusion here, so we will clarify it. Finally, at a practical level: how do we live our lives with the right understanding of destiny, instead of blaming destiny for our failures and what have you? How do we put it in the right perspective?
Definition of destiny
Usually we have two definitions. If you studied sharia, or attended some classes, you will know that in Islamic studies we often start with two definitions: the linguistic definition, and then the technical definition.
What is the linguistic (lughawi) definition? When you open the dictionary and you find the word, you obtain the linguistic definition. Then you have the technical (istilahi) definition: what scholars mean by it in creed and terminology.
It is important point to note that there must be a link between the linguistic definition and the technical definition. If there is no link, then something is wrong. The technical definition needs to be revisited. This is a good tip: if you ever read a technical definition that is not linked to the linguistic meaning, then pause, because something is not right.
Linguistically, al-qadr carries the meaning of measuring, determining, and setting something with its measure and proportion, to be precise, to be accurate, to know the details of something. And you see this meaning across the Qur’an whenever Allah speaks about creating things with exact measure. This meaning appears clearly: precision, measure, nothing random. (Qadar is not the same as qadr (value and honour), as in Laylatul Qadr which means Night of Honour, but is frequently mistranslated as Night of Power. But power in Arabic is quwa or qudra, but not qadr!)
As for the technical definition, it refers to Allah’s knowledge of all things, and that He recorded them before their existence, according to how they truly are, and then they come into existence exactly as preceded by His knowledge, His writing, and His decree.
Destiny in the Quran
The Qur’an has many verses that speak about this, and there are many hadith as well. There are even dedicated collections on al-qadar. I went through over 20 and selected a few examples from the many verses and narrations.
First, as we mentioned:
“Indeed, We have created everything according to a precise decree.” (54:49)
“With Him are the keys of the unseen… nothing falls except that He knows it… all is recorded in a clear register.” (6:59)
“Not even the weight of an atom escapes your Lord, on earth or in heaven, except that it is recorded in a clear register.” (10:61)
“And the command of Allah is a decree already determined.” (33:38)
This shows you Allah’s knowledge and precision: nothing more, nothing less, exactly as He designed it. I love documentaries about the universe. My children know I am obsessed with them, because for me it is like a session of tasbih. Even if the presenter is an atheist, I take the facts they present. When they say, “We don’t know how it came into being,” we say: you don’t know, and that is fine.
When we talk about Allah’s attributes, it is beyond our comprehension. We try with our limited minds, but we cannot truly encompass Allah or His attributes. And I usually give an example: if you have an ocean you cannot fit it into a cup. Our minds are like the cup, and the reality of Allah’s attributes is like the ocean. We can touch some meanings, but we cannot encompass it. Why? Simply because He is Allah. There is nothing like Him. Allah introduced Himself to us and said:
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ
“There is nothing like Him.” (Surah ash-Shura 42:11)
No matter what you imagine, Allah is beyond that. This is also why the Qur’an describes Jannah in familiar terms, like fruits, so we can recognise the idea, but their reality is different. Thus when we say Allah is al-‘Alim, we know knowledge in our terms, but Allah’s knowledge is beyond our comprehension. When we say Allah is generous, we understand generosity in our terms, but Allah’s generosity is beyond our comprehension. And so on.
Allah says:
وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ لَا يَعۡلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَۚ
“With Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him…” (Surah al-An‘am 6:59)
From an Islamic point of view, the world is divided into two: the seen world, what we witness, see, touch, and experience, and the unseen (al-ghayb). This is where the test is. Allah will test you in both, of course, but the unseen is central: Allah is unseen, the angels are unseen, the afterlife is unseen, the resurrection is unseen, Jannah is unseen, and so on.
In the opening of Surat al-Baqarah, Allah praises those who believe in the unseen:
ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ
“Those who believe in the unseen…” (Surat al-Baqarah 2:3)
Here, Allah is saying: He has the keys of the unseen. No one knows the details of the unseen except Him. And Allah praises those who believe in it.
Allah says:
وَكَانَ أَمۡرُ ٱللَّهِ قَدَرٗا مَّقۡدُورًا
“And the command of Allah is a decree already determined.” (Surah al-Ahzab 33:38)
We will come back to this later, because people confuse Allah’s knowledge, Allah’s power, Allah’s will, and Allah’s pleasure, and if you do not distinguish between these, you will get confused about al-qadar. We will also address the question people always ask: do we have choice? If everything is decreed, where do our choices fit?
Destiny in the Sunnah
Now, in the Sunnah, there are many hadith. The most famous is the hadith of Jibril. You know the hadith of Jibril: the long hadith where the narrator says we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one day, and a man with very white clothes and very dark hair came. No one knew him, and there were no signs of travel on him. He sat close to the Prophet ﷺ and began to ask him questions: “O Muhammad, tell me about Islam. Tell me about iman…”
Then, at the end, the Prophet ﷺ told the companions that this was Jibri; he came to teach you your religion.
In that hadith, when he asked about iman, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned the articles of faith, and he mentioned at the end:
«… وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ»
“…and to believe in destiny (al-qadar), its good and its bad.” (Muslim)
Believing in destiny is part of iman. I know people get stuck here and feel confused: “If it is destined, does it mean I cannot change it?” However, you CAN change it.
What is decreed before birth
A second narration, and I am pretty sure most of you know it, is the hadith about the creation of the foetus in the womb of the mother. The Prophet ﷺ described the stages, and then the angel comes and is commanded to write four matters for that child: his deeds, his provision (rizq), his lifespan, and whether he will be blessed or wretched, even though he has done nothing yet. It is written. Yes.
`Abdullah bin Mus’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إِلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: بِكِتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ…»
“(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature’s) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behavior and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Therefore your lifespan is written, your provision is written, and those matters are written. Then what can be done? I will tell you later.
The speaking Pen
One of the companions, he was an old man at that time, was giving his final advice to his son. He said: “My son, you will not taste the sweetness of iman until you believe in al-qadar.” The sweetness of iman is not like sugar; it does not affect your blood, it goes straight to your heart.
He said that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say that the first thing Allah created was the Pen. Allah commanded it:
“Write.” The Pen said: “My Lord, what shall I write?” Allah said: “Write the decrees of everything until the Hour is established.” (Tirmidhi)
Now, the nature of the Pen, and the nature of the record (the Preserved Tablet) in which everything is written, we cannot guess it. This is a very important principle: the unseen cannot be invaded by our intellect alone. Our intellect helps us, but we need guidance from divine revelation. Without revelation, we cannot just guess the unseen.
This is why classical books often divide knowledge into three categories. There is what relates to Allah and His attributes (ilahiyaat), what relates to the prophets and messengers (nubuwaat), and then the knowledge that is received through hearing, transmitted knowledge, which includes much of the unseen (samiyaat). Because without revelation, we have no idea what is beyond this world. Who knows what happens in the grave? No one. Even if you dig a grave, you see nothing, except rare, exceptional cases, but generally you see nothing. Barzakh is a new life. Allah commanded the Pen to write everything, and it is in the record.
Disputes about destiny
Historically, we had disputes about this topic. During the times of tribulation and internal conflict, ideas began to spread in the wrong direction. Muslim historians mention that Ma‘bad al-Juhani was among the early figures (during the time of Ali in Iraq), associated with denying pre-decree, he claimed there is no prior writing, that things simply happen and then Allah knows them. In other words: we “make it up as we go”. That is not correct.
Then different groups formed. Imam Ashari wrote an extensive book, Maqalaat al Islamiyeen, on all the sects. One extreme group said: everything is written, and you have no choice at all, you are like a feather in the wind. This is the approach of the Jabriyyah.
Another extreme group denied decree altogether, and that became known as the Qadariyyah.
Another group, the Mutazalites, defended human responsibility by saying we create our own actions, but this is a major problem, because creation belongs to Allah.
Ahl al-Sunnah are in the middle: we believe in al-qadar, but we do not say we create our actions. Allah creates our actions, but we have choice and responsibility. This is how we balance it.
Distinguishing between destiny, Allah’s will, power, knowledge and pleasure
Now, the key section here is how to distinguish between Allah’s knowledge, Allah’s will, Allah’s power, and Allah’s pleasure, what He loves and what He hates. Anyone who studies al-qadar without understanding these distinctions will end up confused.
The correct understanding according to Ahl al-Sunnah
- Divine decree (al-qadar) is of two types:
- The definitive (absolute) decree
- What is recorded in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz)
- It does not change or alter
- The conditional decree
- What is written in the records of the angels
- It is conditional upon causes such as:
- Supplication (duʿāʾ)
- Righteousness
- Maintaining family ties
- Sin
- Supplication changes the conditional decree, not the eternal decree.
Allah’s knowledge
Al-qadar is connected to Allah’s knowledge. He commanded the Pen to write everything, and that is from His knowledge. But does Allah’s knowledge force us to do things? No. Allah’s knowledge does not compel us. It reveals what will happen, but it does not force it upon us.
Allah’s will
Is everything that happens in the universe within Allah’s will, or outside His will? This is where many people lost their way. They saw evil and said: evil cannot be from Allah, so it must be outside His will. And from that they concluded: humans create their own actions. Their intention was to glorify Allah and protect His perfection, but they went in the wrong direction.
If something happens in the universe outside Allah’s will, then Allah would be weak, unable to control it. And if it is outside His control, then He would not be worthy to be God, because something else would be stronger than Him. So the scholars said: everything happens in this universe by Allah’s will. But here is the crucial distinction: not everything Allah wills is something Allah loves or is pleased with. Everything happens by His will, but not everything happens by His approval.
- Distinguishing Between:
- God’s Knowledge (ʿIlm): eternal and all-encompassing
- God’s Will (Irādah / Mashī’ah): whatever He wills occurs
- God’s Power (Qudrah): His absolute ability to create and sustain
- God’s Pleasure (Riḍā): what He approves and rewards
- God’s Love (Maḥabbah): what He loves and is pleased with
- Human Choices: real, accountable choices within God’s created order
- Clarifying how these attributes relate without contradiction.
For example: disbelief happens by Allah’s will, yes, but does Allah love disbelief? No. Sin happens by Allah’s will, yes, but is Allah pleased with it? No. On the other hand, salah happens by Allah’s will, and Allah loves it and is pleased with it.
So you cannot say: “If Allah willed it, then Allah loves it.” That is wrong. If Allah wills it and it is in line with His commands, He loves it. If Allah wills it but it is against His commands, then He hates it, He does not approve of it, and He does not reward it, rather, He may punish for it. This is subtle, but it must be understood, otherwise you fall into confusion.
In the middle of this, where is our choice? Do we have a choice?
Everything is written. Before you were created, the Pen wrote everything. Everything before you were born until your death is written. So do you have any choice? Yes, and no.
What you can’t choose
You cannot choose your parents. You have no choice there. There are matters you have no choice over. But there are matters you do choose. If you go to the tenth floor and jump, do you have a choice? Yes. You can decide: “No, I don’t want to jump.” You cannot say, “I am like a feather in the wind.” No, you have choice.
What you can choose
People say: “But Allah knows I will fail this exam, so I failed.” No. Not because Allah knows you will fail. You failed because you did not study, and Allah knows that you will not study.
Allah takes you through trials and it makes you a better person. So is it for your good? Yes. And sometimes, ten years down the line, you look back and say: it was a bad experience, but I learned a lot from it. If I had not gone through it, I would have missed many things. So yes, trust Allah.
The things that can change are those mentioned in the hadith: like lifespan in some scenarios, provision, illness and so on. Apart from that, it is definitive, it does not change. But again, how do you know what is written? You do not. So you need to do your best to reach the best. You cannot say, “This is not going to change, so let me not do anything.” How do you know? You do not. So do your best, and ask Allah to facilitate what is best for you. That is it. This is the beauty of al-qadar: it is hidden. It is hidden.
There is a statement attributed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), although I do not know of an authentic chain for it, but it is a beautiful meaning. It says: if Allah were to unveil destiny, you would have chosen the reality as it is. Meaning: you would still choose to be who you are, not someone else. Part of this meaning is true.
Does du’a change al-qadar?
قال رسول الله ﷺ:
“لا يزيدُ في العمرِ إلَّا البرُّ، ولا يردُّ القدرَ إلَّا الدُّعاءُ، وإنَّ الرجلَ لَيُحْرَمُ الرزقَ بالذنبِ يُصيبُهُ.” ابن ماجه.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Nothing increases one’s lifespan except righteousness; nothing repels divine decree except supplication; and indeed, a person may be deprived of provision because of a sin he commits.” (Ibn Majah)
How does supplication repel divine decree?
- The scholars said:
- Supplication itself is part of divine decree.
- Thus, the complete picture is as follows:
- The affliction was decreed
- It was decreed that the servant would supplicate
- And it was decreed that the affliction would be lifted because of that supplication
- Therefore, the change occurs within the decree, not outside of it.
How should we understand al-Qadar in our daily lives?
Free will and pre-destination
The time-machine analogy
Recording deeds does not determine them
Actions are based on your choice
“We shape our destiny through the choices we make.”
Q&A
Is failing an exam your destiny?
If you prepared for an exam and then go to the exam. You do your best. You do not know if you will pass or fail. But more likely, if you follow the means, you will pass. That is it. If you fail, as with anything in life, you keep trying.
Across the Qur’an, we read that Allah “leads astray” or “lets them go astray”, or that Allah prevented them from guidance, language along those lines. So how do we understand this in line with al-qadar, choice, and Allah’s attributes?
Allah knows that their intention is not good, and that they will not accept Islam. So we have three levels: intention, will, and action. If their intention is bad, they will not activate the right path. They will do the wrong thing. If their intention is evil, Allah gives them what they want. He lets them go astray because they want that. Allah gives them what they chose.
If they had decided to choose iman, Allah would facilitate iman for them. I can tell you real stories from brothers and sisters who converted to Islam: they had a good heart, they had good intention, and they were seeking the truth. Deep down, they were searching for it, Allah guided them. But those who never even wanted the truth, who were against Allah and His messengers, and against iman, they are not interested. Allah will not force it on them.
Allah says clearly:
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ
“There is no compulsion in religion.” (Surah al-Baqarah 2:256)
Faith is a choice. If they decide, “We do not want iman,” Allah will not force iman on them. He will leave them in misguidance because they chose it. And if, at any point in their lives, they turn back sincerely, Allah will facilitate iman for them.
Look at Abu Lahab – he could have chosen iman easily, but he did not. Abu Sufyan was an enemy of Islam, then he chose iman, and Allah facilitated iman for him. The difference is intention and action. Abu Sufyan activated his intention into action. Abu Lahab, in arrogance, decided: “I am not interested.” So Allah does not force iman on someone who rejects it.
Anything you read in the Qur’an or Sunnah that might suggest Allah “forced” them into kufr, that is not the correct meaning. It means they chose it, Allah knew what was in their hearts, and Allah gave them what they were after. Be careful with this. Otherwise, if you take it in a crude literal way, it would imply oppression, “I wanted good but you prevented me from good.” Allah is not unjust and does not wrong anyone.
Is there some sort of limit to our intellect?
Yes. Our intellect is limited. Allah answered this clearly in the Qur’an:
وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
“And you have not been given of knowledge except a little.” (Surah al-Isra’ 17:85)
Beyond what we have been given, there are oceans beyond our comprehension.
In Jannah, Allah will reshape us. We will not have the same body. We will have a new body that can comprehend Jannah and what cannot be comprehended here. In this dunya body and mind, we cannot comprehend those realities. Allah will change us there. No fillers, no botox, all natural.
When something happens, do not keep saying, “If only I had done this, it would have been that.” In the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ taught us not to open the door to Shaytan with “if only”. Rather, after something happens, accept it, learn your lesson, and move forward.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«… وَإِنْ أَصَابَكَ شَيْءٌ فَلَا تَقُلْ: لَوْ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ كَانَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَلَكِنْ قُلْ: قَدَرُ اللَّهِ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ، فَإِنَّ (لَوْ) تَفْتَحُ عَمَلَ الشَّيْطَانِ»
“…and if something befalls you, do not say: ‘If only I had done such-and-such, then such-and-such would have happened.’ Rather say: ‘Qaddar Allah, and what He willed, He did,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to Shaytan.” (Sahih Muslim)
Accept what happened, and move on. You learn, but you do not remain stuck, moaning about what is already done.
Does repentance delete sins?
Yes. Sincere repentance deletes your sins. Whether it is after many years, many months, or a few days, it does not matter.
Sincere repentance has conditions:
First: Stop the sin.
Second: Regret what you have done.
Third: Rectify it. If you wronged someone, you go and apologise, it is not enough to ask Allah’s forgiveness if there is a third party involved. If it is only between you and Allah, then sincere repentance is enough, and Allah will forgive you.
Fourth: if it involves people’s rights, you return the right, money, property, and so on, if possible, and you ask Allah to keep you firm.
People commonly ask if trials are a punishment or a test?
Many times, it is simple. Check yourself. Have you done something clearly wrong recently? It may be a wake-up call. If nothing comes to mind, it may be a test, and tests are part and parcel of iman.
This is why you taste the sweetness of iman when you accept Allah as your Lord, and Muhammad ﷺ as His Messenger. When you say from the bottom of your heart: I accept Allah as my Lord, then whatever Allah decrees, I accept. And I believe it is for my good, even if I cannot see the good in it right now. Allah’s mercy is vast. And Allah loves His servants with a love greater than a mother’s love.
Does Allah dislike excessive questions?
There is a hadith that Allah dislikes certain types of questioning, the type that is not useful, the argumentative question, the question asked just to cause difficulty, or to embarrass someone, or to show off: “I know better than you.” But useful questions, asked with the right intention, Allah loves. And the cure for ignorance is to ask. The Prophet ﷺ said:
«أَلَا سَأَلُوا إِذْ لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا؟ فَإِنَّمَا شِفَاءُ الْعِيِّ السُّؤَالُ»
“Why did they not ask when they did not know? The cure for ignorance is to ask.” (Abu Dawoud)
So ask, but with etiquette, good intention, good tone, and for benefit.
Whether you think about it or not, what will happen will happen. It will not ask you. But that does not remove your responsibility. You do your best because you do not know what has been written.
Allah has written what you will do, but He wrote it knowing that you will do it by your own choice. So choose the right thing, and that becomes your destiny. Choose the wrong thing, and that becomes your destiny. Do not be confused.
Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim to the CUISOC on 24th Jan 2026