Belief in the divine decree is inherently encompassed within belief in Allah; in fact, it is a genuine part of it. This is because its meaning entails believing that Allah, the Exalted, encompasses all things with His knowledge, that His will pervades everything that occurs in the universe, and that His power is operative over all things.
The belief in the divine decree brought by Islam is a belief in accordance with the divine perfection that distinguishes the creed of Islam—a creed that corrected the illusions of philosophies and the deviations of religions concerning divinity.
How Islamic Monotheism Distsinguishes Itself from Philosophical Conceptions of Deity
- Not Like Aristotle’s Deity: The Deity in Islam is not isolated from what takes place in the universe—neither aware of it nor intervening in its administration and disposal—like the “Deity of Aristotle,” who knows only Himself, knows nothing of this universe, and directs no affairs within it.
- Not Like Plotinus: Nor is He like the “Deity of Plotinus,” who does not even know His own Self.
- Not Like Magian Dualism: Nor is He like the deity of the Magians, who possesses half of the universe to govern and manage—namely, that which pertains to goodness and light—while the other half, pertaining to evil and darkness, is the domain of another deity. Thus, there are two deities: one the deity of goodness and light, and the other the deity of evil and darkness, with the war between them swaying back and forth until the deity of goodness ultimately triumphs.
- Not Like Greek Deities: Nor is He like the deities of Greece, whose actions are erratic and who live in a state of war with humanity, to the extent that their narratives regarding fate and its blows against people portray it as mocking them, challenging them, pursuing them, and wronging them. Because of this, their literature frequently speaks of the cruelty of fate, blind fate, tyrannical fate, and the like.
- Not Like the Altered Conceptions of the Children of Israel: Nor is He like the deity of the Children of Israel, as portrayed by their altered Torah, books, and legends: jealous, vengeful, destructive, bigoted toward the people of Israel to the exclusion of all worlds, afraid that man might eat from the tree of life and become like one of the gods, regretting things He sometimes does, and incapable of resisting man—to the point that Israel wrestles with Him and overpowers Him.
The Deity of Islam is not any of these entities imagined or portrayed by various religions and philosophies. Rather, the Deity in Islam is the Sovereign of Sovereignty, the Owner of creation and command, the Lord of the worlds. He is the Creator of everything by the grip of His might; no living creature or inanimate object is outside the sphere of His dominion. He decrees what He wills, does what He pleases, and nothing is hidden from Him on earth or in the heaven. Yet, alongside this, He is Benevolent, Generous, Just, Merciful, All-Knowing, and Wise. He wrongs no one, holds no creature accountable for the sin of another, nor diminishes the reward of anyone’s striving. No one fears any injustice or deprivation in His presence. Injustice means punishing someone for what they did not do, and deprivation means squandering the reward of what they have actually done. Allah, the Glorified, neither punishes for other than evil nor squanders the reward of a good deed; rather, He multiplies it, as He, the Exalted, stated:
“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” (An-Nisa: 40)
This is the Deity by Whose decree and disposal, knowledge, will, and consummate wisdom every single thing in the universe takes place. On this basis stood the belief in the divine decree held by the pious predecessors (as-Salaf), the Companions, and those who followed them in righteousness. Belief in the divine decree is not a belief in luck, coincidence, or randomness in the universe—unlike those who translate Greek and Western alterations regarding fate into Arabic, leading them to speak of “blind fate,” “foolish fate,” “tyrannical fate,” “the caprice of destinies,” and “the mockery of fate.” These are terms and expressions from which Islam and Muslims completely dissociate themselves. Rather, it is a belief in the comprehensiveness of Allah’s knowledge, the generality of His will, the totality of His power, and His Lordship over everything in the universe. It is the conviction that everything that occurs in existence takes place strictly on the basis of prior ordering, precise design, masterful management, and an honored, all-knowing decree.
Evidences from the Noble Quran on the Obligation of Believing in the Divine Decree
The Book of Allah, the Exalted, contains verses indicating that matters unfold according to Allah’s decree, that He knew all things and decreed them in pre-eternity, and that they would occur precisely as He—Glorified and Exalted be He—decreed them:
- Allah the Exalted said:“Indeed, all things We created with predestination (qadar).” (Al-Qamar: 49) — meaning Allah predestined everything in pre-eternity and recorded it.
- His statement:“[This is] the established way of Allah with those who passed on before; and you will not find in the way of Allah any change.” (Al-Ahzab: 38) — meaning an ordained decree and a settled judgment, emphasized poetically like a sheltering shade, a dark night, or a lush garden to underscore certainty.
- His statement:“And you stayed some years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.” (Ta-Ha: 40) — meaning he arrived in accordance with Allah’s decree and will without a pre-arranged meeting.
- His statement:“Then We placed it in a secure lodging, for a known term. And We determined [it], and excellent are the determiners.” (Al-Mursalat: 21–23) — meaning We placed water in a secure receptacle, which is the womb, appointed for a known term known and decreed by Allah, the Exalted. Thus We determined it with precision, and excellent are We in determining.
- His statement:“And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure.” (Al-Hijr: 21) — He informs us that He is the owner of everything, that everything is easy and simple for Him, that with Him are the storehouses of all kinds of things, and that “We do not send it down except according to a known measure,” as He wills and desires, and out of His profound wisdom and mercy toward His servants—not out of obligation, but because He has prescribed mercy upon Himself.
- His statement:“We have decreed death among you, and We are not to be outdone.” (Al-Waqi’ah: 60) — meaning We have distributed and ordained it among you, and “We are not to be outdone” means We are not powerless.
- His statement:“And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over it, and blessed it and determined therein its [creatures’] sustenance in four days—sufficient for those who ask.” (Fussilat: 10)
- His statement:“From a sperm-drop He created him and predestined him.” (Abasa: 19) — meaning He decreed his lifespan, sustenance, deeds, and whether he would be wretched or blessed.
And other verses indicating that Allah has decreed all things.
Evidences from the Sunnah on the Obligation of Believing in the Divine Decree
The texts of the Sunnah indicate the absolute obligation of believing in the divine decree and destiny. The narrations concerning this are extremely numerous, including:
- The Hadith of Jibril: Famous through its various narrations, where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in the divine decree—its good and its evil.
- The Hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both): He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “No servant truly believes until he believes in the divine decree—its good and its evil—from Allah, and until he knows that what has befallen him could never have missed him, and what has missed him could never have befallen him.”
- The Hadith of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “No servant truly believes until he believes in four things: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah whom He sent with truth, believing in death, and believing in resurrection.”
Prophetic Guidance for Training the Soul to Be Content with the Decree
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was an educator and purifier of his Companions’ souls—a mission with which Allah honored him. This purification is most clearly manifested through the following three pieces of advice, which truly stand as models of prophetic treatment for spiritual ailments, practically training the soul in submission to Allah’s decree and contentment with it.
The First Advice:
Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while in each there is good. Be keen on what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not despair. If something befalls you, do not say: ‘If only I had done such and such, then such and such would have happened.’ Instead, say: ‘Allah has decreed, and what He willed, He did,’ for indeed ‘if’ opens the work of Satan.”
In this prophetic statement, the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, clarifies that whoever seeks to attain Allah’s love and pleasure must hasten to strengthen their faith, strive against their own soul, and seek strength in knowledge, physical vitality, and other elements of beneficial power that collectively form the character of the Muslim beloved by Allah. To achieve this, the Muslim must adopt the prophetic guidance contained in this hadith: to be eager for what benefits him, seek help from Allah without despairing, surrender his affair to Allah regarding what has been decreed for him, and neither rage nor complain about calamities. He must not give Satan an opening through phrases like “If only I had done this and that.” The word “if” brings regret and sorrow, intensifies anguish, and breeds anxiety and turmoil. No matter how much one regrets, one can never bring back what has passed nor revive the dead. Instead, such a person only brings depression upon himself, physical illness and pain, and incurs Allah’s wrath by objecting to His decree.
The practical remedy is to say: “Allah has decreed, and what He willed, He did,” proclaiming complete surrender to Allah’s command and contentment with His decree, and conditioning one’s tongue to say this whenever anything disliked befalls them.
The Second Advice: The Istikharah Prayer
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both):
“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to teach us Istikharah (guidance prayer) for all our affairs, just as he would teach us a Surah from the Quran. He would say: ‘When one of you is concerned about a matter, let him pray two voluntary rak’ahs, then say: “O Allah, I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. For You have power and I do not, and You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter [mention the matter] is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the end of my affair” — or he said: “in the immediate and future of my affair” — “then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the end of my affair” — or he said: “in the immediate and future of my affair” — “then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.”‘ And he would name his need.”
This prophetic instruction serves as practical training to settle the soul, cultivate contentment with the divine decree, and foster submission to what Allah ordains, based on the belief that His choice is best and most beneficial for the servant. When a Muslim intends to undertake a permissible matter—such as travel, marriage, commerce, or anything else—he should hasten to apply this prophetic teaching by offering the Istikharah prayer. He stands in humility before his Lord, submissive to His command, content with His judgment, praying that Allah chooses what is best for him in his religion, worldly life, and final outcome, and that He averts the matter if it holds evil.
Afterward, he proceeds with his resolve: if his heart becomes open to it and Allah facilitates its path, this is the good that Allah has chosen. If events unfold otherwise, he should rejoice, because Allah has averted evil from him and chosen what is wholesome for him, even if he fails to grasp the wisdom behind it. Thus, his soul finds peace, free from lingering attachment or anxiety over the matter. Through this prophetic counsel, a Muslim trains himself practically to be content with Allah’s decree, submit to His command, strive against personal whims, and foster a commitment to Allah’s commands, for therein lies the well-being of this world and the hereafter.
Al-A’mash narrated from Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
“Indeed, a servant intends a certain trade or leadership role until it becomes easy for him. Allah looks down upon him from above seven heavens and says to the angels: ‘Turn it away from him, for if I facilitate it for him, I will enter him into the Fire.’ So Allah turns it away from him,” and he said: “The servant says: ‘Where was I afflicted?’ when it was nothing but the grace of Allah, the Exalted.”
This is precisely why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, attached immense importance to teaching the Istikharah prayer to his Companions just as he taught them a Surah of the Quran, demonstrating his utmost care and concern for it despite his exalted status.
The Third Advice:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for that is more suitable that you do not belittle the favor of Allah upon you.”
And in the narration of Al-Bukhari: “When one of you looks at someone who has been favored over him in wealth and physical appearance, let him look at someone beneath him who has been favored less than him.
This hadith serves as a cure for the disease of envy and complaining about decrees. A soul that constantly looks upward at others will never be satisfied under any circumstances; as soon as it reaches a certain degree of wealth and status, it grows accustomed to it, becomes bored, and looks for more. It remains perpetually eager for excessive wealth, deeply attached to it, full of resentment and anguish, while belittling blessings and showing ingratitude to the Provider. This confirms the statement of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him:
“If the son of Adam were given a valley of gold, he would love to have a second, and nothing will fill his mouth except dust. And Allah turns forgivingly to whoever repents.”
If a Muslim follows this prophetic advice, he will recognize the true value of blessings, remain content with what Allah has apportioned for him, attain inner peace, and enjoy happiness even if he is afflicted with poverty, illness, or various trials. For if he is poor and lacks abundance of wealth, let him look at those afflicted with extreme poverty and severe hunger. If he is sick and suffering from pain, let him look at those afflicted with physical disabilities or severe chronic illnesses. In this manner, he remains forever appreciative of blessings, content with what Allah has divided for him, grateful, and steadfast.
If Muslims today were to embrace these prophetic instructions, their conditions would become blissful, their affairs would straighten out, and they would realize the true fruit of believing in the divine decree. They would hasten to compete in piety, righteous deeds, and drawing close to Allah, rather than competing over the fleeting debris of this worldly life.
By Dr. Ali Al-Sallabi
