Texts of the Qur'an and the Sunnah regarding destiny and fate

 

1- Proofs from the Glorious Qur'an:

Allah's Saying:

• "(He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting, and the sun and the moon for reckoning. Such is the measuring of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing." [Surat Al An`am: 96].

 

• "but (you met) that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained (in His Knowledge)" [Surat Al Anfal: 42].

 

• "And there is not a thing, but with Us are the stores thereof. And We send it not down except in a known measure." [Surat Al Hijr: 21].

 

• "Except his wife, of whom We have decreed that she shall be of those who remain behind (i.e. she will be destroyed)." [Surat Al Hijr: 60].

 

• "And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture, that indeed you would do mischief on the earth twice and you will become tyrants and extremely arrogant!" [Surat Al Isra': 4].

 

• "See they not that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is Able to create the like of them. And He has decreed for them an appointed term, whereof there is not doubt. But the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.) refuse (the truth the Message of Islamic Monotheism, and accept nothing) but disbelief." [Surat Al Isra': 99].

 

• "Then you came here according to the fixed term which I ordained (for you), O Musa (Moses)!" [Surat Taha: 40].

 

• "And We sent down from the sky water (rain) in (due) measure, and We gave it lodging in the earth, and verily, We are Able to take it away." [Surat Al Mu'minun: 18].

 

• "He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements." [Surat Al Furqan: 2].

 

• "And if Allah were to enlarge the provision for His slaves, they would surely rebel in the earth, but He sends down by measure as He wills. Verily! He is in respect of His slaves, the Well-Aware, the All-Seer (of things that benefit them)." [Surat Ash-Shura: 27].

 

• "And Who sends down water (rain) from the sky in due measure. Then We revive a dead land therewith, and even so you will be brought forth (from the dead)," [Surat Az-Zukhruf: 11].

 

• "And the Command of Allah is a decree determined." [Surat Al Ahzab: 38].

 

• "And We caused the earth to gush forth with springs. So the waters (of the heaven and the earth) met for a matter predestined." [Surat Al Qamar: 12].

 

• "Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz)." [Surat Al Qamar: 49].

 

• "We have decreed death to you all, and We are not unable," [Surat Al Waqi`ah: 60].

 

• "For a known period (determined by gestation)? * So We did measure, and We are the Best to measure (the things)." [Surat Al Mursalat: 22 - 23].

 

• "From Nutfah (male and female semen drops) He created him, and then set him in due proportion" [Surat `Abasa: 19].

 

• "And Who has measured (preordainments for each and everything even to be blessed or wretched)" [Surat Al A`la: 3].

 

2- Proofs from the Sunnah:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

• "To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Messengers, resurrection after death, and in destiny whether good or bad, sweet or bitter."[1].

• "To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Messengers, Paradise, Hell-Fire, the scale of deeds, to believe in resurrection after death, and in destiny whether good or bad."[2].

• "A man does not become a true believer unless he believes in fate good and bad and till he knows that what confronts him could not have escaped and what escapes him could not have confronted him." [3].

• "No one is a Believer unless he believes in four things:
(1) He testifies that there is no God but Allah and that I am Allah's Messenger and He sent me with the truth.
(2) He believes in death (being certain and does pious deeds before that). (3) He believes in resurrection after death, and
(4) He believes in predestination." .[4]

• "A strong believer is better to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: `If I had taken this or that step,' it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: `Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word `if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts." [5].

• "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: `If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: `Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word `if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts." [6].

• "Allah had created Adam then created creatures from his back and then said: Those people shall enter Paradise, and I do not care, and those are in Hell-Fire and I do not care. Someone said: O Messenger of Allah, then why should we act? He replied: To see where is your position according to destiny." [7].

• "There is no harm on you if you do not do it, for Allah destined everything that he shall create until the Day of Recompense."[8].

• "Allah never destined a creation but it will be created."[9].

• "O Ka`b, it is part of Allah's Destiny." [10]

• "Allah had destined the fate of creators before He created the heavens and the earth with 50.000 years."[11].

• "Adam and Moses debated with each other and Moses said: 'You are Adam who turned out your offspring from Paradise.' Adam said: "You are Moses whom Allah chose for His Message and for His direct talk, yet you blame me for a matter which had been ordained for me even before my creation?' Thus Adam overcame Moses." [12].

• "What has been destined in wombs shall be created."[13].

• "I fear three things for my nation after my death: The oppression of rulers, belief in stars, and denial of destiny."[14]

• "There are three types of people from whom Allah shall not accept anything: A filial disobedient, a person who reminds others with his favors upon them, and a person who denies fate."[15]

• Tawus Al Yamany said: I lived in a time where some Companions used to say: Everything is happening according to fate."[16]

 

Sayings of the Pious Predecessors regarding fate and destiny:

Wahb ibn Khalid reported from Ibn Ad-Daylamy who said: I came to Ubay ibn Ka`b and said to him: I was confused about Fate, so tell me something that may cause that confusion to go away. He said: When Allah tortures the people of heavens and earth, he does so without oppression. And when He bestows mercy upon them, His Mercy shall be better for them for their actions. If you had spent as much money as the mountain of Uhud, Allah would not have accepted it from you until you believe in fate and to know that things which had hit you would have never missed you and what had missed you would have never hit you. If you die while believing in the opposite of what I mentioned, you shall enter Hell-Fire.

He said: Then I came to `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud and asked him, and he replied with the same. Then I came to Hudhayfah ibn Al Yaman and asked him, and he replied with the same. Then I came to Zayd ibn Thabit and asked him, and he replied with the same[17].

 

Mujahid said: It was said to Ibn `Abbas: Some people are doubting fate. He said: They belie the Qur'an, and if I catch the hair of one of them, I shall pull it out. Indeed, Allah had been on His Throne before He created anything then created the entire creation and wrote what shall be happening until the Day of Recompense. What is happening to the people is according to His Destiny which He wrote a long time ago[18] .

 

• Abu Al Aswad Ad-Diyaly said: `Imran ibn Al Husayn said to me: Have you seen the actions which people do? Are they predestined on them or something that shall be written on them in the future and proofs were set against them? I said: It is something which Allah predestined on them in the past. He then said: Would not be oppression to them? I said: I got extremely frightened and said: Everything Allah has created and it belongs to Him, so He is not questioned about what He is doing but they are. He said: May Allah bestow mercy on you, I have not said that but to warn my mind not to question the matter. Two men from the tribe of Mazinah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, Have you seen the actions which people do? Are they predestined on them or something that shall be written on them in the future and proofs were set against them? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: It is something which Allah predestined on them in the past. The confirmation of that is found in the Book of Allah: "And by Nafs (Adam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion * Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him" [Surat Ash-Shams: 7 - 8][19]

 

Fate is the system of monotheism:

This phrase is mentioned often in the books of `Aqidah in the chapter of fate and destiny. For the benefit, I shall mention to you the views of scholars in this regard:

 

It was reported in the series of weak Hadiths of Sheikh Al Albany:

2244- Believing in fate is the system of monotheism. [Weak]

Reported by Ad-Daylamy [1: 2: 359] from Muzahim ibn Al `Awwam from Al Awza`y from Az-Zuhry from Sa`id ibn Al Musayyab from Abu Hurayrah.

 

I said: This is a weak chain of transmission because the status of Muzahim ibn Al `Awwam was not known despite that he had reported another Hadith regarding belief in destiny [806].

 

4072- Fate is the system of monotheism. So, whoever believes in the oneness of Allah and believes in destiny has kept to the strong bond that will never break. [Weak]

Reported by At-Tabarany in Al Mu`jam Al Awsat from the Hadith of Hani' ibn Al Mutawakkil from Ibn `Abbas. Hani' is weak as was reported in Majma` Az-Zawa'id [7: 197], and its chain of transmission shall be mentioned later No. 7150.

 

I said: Hibatullah Al Lalika'y reported it in the book of I`tiqad Ahl As-Sunnah [6: 262: 2] from Al Awza`y who said: Some of our people reported the Hadith from Az-Zuhry from Ibn `Abbas then mentioned the Hadith, which is more correct.

It was reported from Sufyan Ath-Thawry [1: 142: 1] from one of the sons of Ibn `Umar ibn Al Khattab from another person from Ibn `Abbas.

 

7150- "All matters whether good or bad are from Allah." [Deniable]

It was reported by At-Tabarany in Al Mu`jam Al Awsat [4: 45: 3573] from the way of Hani' ibn Al Mutawakkil.