Author: Abu Ayesha
Qadriyyah Sect (Part Four)
Introduction:
One of the fundamental pillars of Islam, according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, is faith, belief, and conviction in divine predestination. In the view of the scholars of truth, destiny holds a very high position, and they have always acknowledged divine predestination, considering all matters as subjects of Allah’s will and decree. The importance of predestination is such that some scholars have considered it the sixth pillar of Islam. Most scholars agree that predestination is a divine mystery that no one knows. Imam al-Tahawi (MABH) states regarding predestination: “Predestination is, in essence, a divine secret within His creation, which no angel close to Allah or messenger knows. Curiosity and reflection upon it led to failure and serve as a ladder to deprivation and arrogance. Therefore, one must avoid any contemplation, thought, or whisper regarding predestination.” Despite this significance, some have denied it and rejected Allah’s prior knowledge of the actions of His servants and other matters. In this section of the research, we aim to clarify predestination according to the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah with clear and evident reasoning.
Beliefs of the Qadriyyah Sect
Imam al-Nawawi (MABH) writes regarding the beliefs of the Qadriyyah sect: “The Qadriyyah sect denies the predestination of things and believes that Allah did not predetermine these things. They claim that Allah had no prior knowledge of them and that Allah’s knowledge of them is recent; meaning, Allah knows them only after they occur. With their false statements, they have falsely attributed their views to Allah.”
Know, may Allah have mercy on you, that the Qadriyyah sect denies Allah’s decree and does not accept His knowledge and will. They do not have a book to refer to, nor do they have a prophet to follow, nor a scholar to emulate. Rather, they have fabricated these views based on their own desires and have falsely accused Allah. Their argument in this regard is weak, and they are subject to the anger and wrath of the Almighty.
Imam al-Ash’ari (MABH) says: “Qadari is someone who attributes predestination to himself rather than to his Lord, believing that he himself determines his actions, not Allah the Almighty.”
The reason for their belief that Allah is not the Creator of the actions of His servants and that predestination is denied is this: “They claim that Allah did not will for His servants to commit disbelief, sin, or disobedience, and He does not love or approve of it. So, how could He create actions that involve disbelief, disobedience, and sin?”
The summary of the belief of the Qadriyyah is that there is no predestination; Allah has no prior knowledge of the actions of His servants, but rather He knows them only after they occur, and the servants themselves are the creators of their own actions.
The View of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah
Imam al-Nawawi (MABH) states: “Know that the correct belief is the affirmation of predestination. This means that Allah the Almighty has predestined things in the past, and Allah knew that these things would occur at specific times and in precise forms as determined by Him. Consequently, these things happen exactly as Allah the Almighty has decreed.”
Imam al-Kirmani (MABH) says: “The belief of the people of truth is that all matters—faith, disbelief, good, evil, benefit, harm, and so on—are subject to Allah’s decree, and only those things happen in Allah’s kingdom that He has predestined.”
Imam al-Baghawi (MABH) says: “Faith in predestination is mandatory; meaning, a person believes that Allah the Almighty is the Creator of all the actions of His servants, whether good or bad, and that these actions were written in the preserved tablet before they occurred. Faith, disbelief, obedience, and disobedience—all of them are subject to the will, decree, and plan of Allah the Almighty. However, Allah loves faith and obedience and has promised rewards for them, while He dislikes disbelief and disobedience and has promised punishment for them.”
Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah firmly believe that every good and bad event that occurs in the universe happens according to divine predestination. Allah the Almighty has power over everything, and whatever He wills happens, and He does whatever He desires. Therefore, nothing happens without His will, plan, and ability.
The summary of the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah is that they believe in predestination and all its aspects of good and bad, attributing them to the will of Allah the Almighty. They have provided many proofs for this from the Qur’an, the sayings of the Prophet (PBUH), the consensus of the Ummah, and the statements of scholars, which will be discussed in more detail in the next writing, where we will present a few examples of these proofs.
Continues…
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References:
[1] Tahaawi, Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad. Aqidat al-Tahawi, translated by Ubaidullah Afrokhteh, n.d., p. 11.
[2] Al-Nawawi, Abu Zakariya. Sharh al-Nawawi ’ala Sahih Muslim (Al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim Ibn al-Hajjaj), Chapter on explaining Iman, Islam, Ihsan, and its obligatory nature, 1392 AH, p. 154.
[3] Al-Hanbali, Abu Abdullah Ubaidullah ibn Muhammad ibn Batta. Al-Ibanah ‘an Shar’iat al-Firqah al-Najiyah wa Mijanabah al-Firaq al-Madhmuma, edited by Dr. Uthman Abdullah Adam Al-Ethiopi, Book One, 1418 AH, Vol. 2, p. 179.
[4] Ash’ari, Ali ibn Ismail. Al-Ibanah ’an Usul al-Diyanah, edited by Dr. Fawqiyah Hussein Mahmoud, 1397 AH, p. 197.
[5] Al-Ashqar, Omar ibn Suleiman. Al-Qada’ wa al-Qadar, Chapter Six: Causes of Misguidance in Predestination, 1425 AH, p. 105.
[6] Al-Nawawi, Abu Zakariya. Sharh al-Nawawi ’ala Sahih Muslim (Al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim Ibn al-Hajjaj), Chapter on explaining Iman, Islam, Ihsan, and its obligatory nature, 1392 AH, p. 154.
[7] Al-Kirmani, Muhammad ibn Yusuf. Al-Kawakib al-Durari fi Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (Sharh al-Kirmani ’ala al-Bukhari), 1401 AH, Book on Predestination, Vol. 23, p. 72.
[8] Al-Baghawi, Al-Husayn ibn Mas’ud ibn Muhammad. Sharh al-Sunnah, edited by Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut and Zuhayr al-Shawish, n.d., Vol. 1, Chapter on Iman in Predestination, p. 142.
[9] Al-Bazzaz al-Athari and Iraqi, Abdullah ibn Abdulhamid. Al-Wujiz fi Aqidat al-Salaf al-Salih, translated by Muhammad Gul Ghomshad Zahi, 1437 AH, p. 78.
