What is Īmān Bil-Qadar (Faith in Destiny)
Al-Īmān Bil-Qadar (Faith in Destiny) is the firm conviction that everything that happens in the universe, good and evil, is by the prior knowledge of God, His writing, His will, and His absolute power. It is a fundamental pillar of faith that brings tranquility, contentment, certainty, and the absence of despair or arrogance.
The Importance & Benefits of Believing in Predestination
- Peace of Mind & Tranquility: The servant is reassured that what has befallen him could not have missed him, and what has missed him could not have befallen him, which makes him content with God’s decree and predestination.
- Courage & Fearlessness: It breeds courage and boldness, for the believer fears none but God, because the appointed time is predetermined, as in the hadith: “Nothing increases lifespan except righteousness, and nothing averts destiny except supplication”.
- Glorifying God: It reinforces the belief that God is the one who controls everything, and He is the one who determines and facilitates.
Levels of Belief in Predestination
- Knowledge: Belief that God knew everything in general and in detail before the creation of the heavens and the earth, as God Almighty said: “Do you not know that God knows what is in the heavens and the earth? Indeed, that is in a record. Indeed, that, for God, is easy” (Q22:70).
- Writing: The belief that God wrote everything that exists in the Preserved Book, as in the hadith: “God decreed the destinies of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth”.
- The will: The belief that what God wills comes to pass, and what He does not will does not come to pass, and that the will of the servants does not go beyond the will of God. God Almighty said: {And you do not will except that God wills, Lord of the worlds} Q81:29.
- Creation: The belief that God is the creator of everything, including the actions of people, yet the person has will and choice and is held accountable for it.