Belief In Qadr (Predestination) - Ustadh Aqeel Mahmood
By Ustadh Aqeel Mahmood | 2026-07-06T18:40:32.437543+00:00 | Topic: Qadr
Belief in Qadr (Predestination)
As for what follows: the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The worst of affairs are the newly-invented matters, and every newly-invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.
An Opening Story: The Missed Flight
You need to attend this meeting, to get this contract signed, to make all this money. And they say to him, "I'm sorry, but the gate is closed, the plane is on the runway, and it's about to go."
And he's complaining, and he's becoming very angry with them. He's losing his temper, he's completely losing it. And he's thinking to himself, no matter what, I have to get on this plane.
He speaks to the supervisor, he speaks to the superiors, he speaks to the boss, to the manager. But all of them say the same thing — it's too late now, you have to get the next plane. And so he misses that flight, and he becomes very angry, very upset, and he starts threatening them. He starts to tell them, "I'm going to sue you." And he sits there, thinking about what he's going to do, thinking about the amount of money that he's lost because of him missing this flight.
And while he's there, the news is on the television, and suddenly there's breaking news. Breaking news comes on the television and it says: Flight 456, travelling from New York, has crashed. And all the people on board have died. The very same plane that he was supposed to catch.
And when he sees this on the screen, he starts to cry. He starts to break down. Because he knows that no matter how much money he would have made, nothing is worth more than his own life. And because of the fate, and because of the qadr of Allah, he wasn't able to get that flight.
Qadr — A Pillar of Faith
Belief in qadr, brothers and sisters, belief in predestination, is one of the pillars of faith for every single one of us. The fact that Allah knows what's going to happen. Knows what's happening right now. And whatever happens in the future, Allah knows. And in fact, whatever Allah intends to happen in the future — whatever He intends, whatever He plans, whatever He wants to happen anytime in the future, whether it's one hour from now, one week from now, one year from now — it's going to happen. It's going to take place exactly how Allah wanted it to take place. This is part of our iman.
Sometimes we wake up in the morning and we have a plan for the whole day. We intend to do certain things — certain goals, certain objectives, whether it's to do with our family, to do with the household, to do with work. We have certain things that we want to do during the day. And maybe there's a certain way we want to get those things done. But things don't always go the way we want them to go. Our days don't always go the way we intend for them to go.
Yet when Allah intends for something to happen, it happens exactly how He wanted it to happen. Allah says:
His command is only that when He intends something, He says to it "Be," and it is. This is the power of Allah.
Common Doubts and Misunderstandings About Qadr
Many of us tend to have some doubts or some misunderstandings with regards to qadr, with regards to belief in predestination. Sometimes some of us don't fully understand qadr, even though it's a pillar of our iman — one of the six pillars of iman that every single Muslim must believe.
Sometimes a person, when he thinks about qadr, he thinks to himself: How can Allah know what will happen in the future? How is this even possible? How can Allah know what's going to happen one week from now, one month from now, fifty years from now?
If Allah didn't know what was going to happen in the future, then very simply, we wouldn't be worshipping an entity that wasn't aware of what was going to happen in the future. Would we really be comfortable in worshipping something which doesn't know what's going to take place? Would we really be confident enough to worship an entity that isn't aware of what's going to happen in our lives, isn't aware of what's going to happen in the future?
So part of our iman, brothers and sisters, is that we know for a fact that Allah is the most powerful. And part of Him being the most powerful is that He knows what's going to happen in the future. If He wasn't the most powerful, then very simply, we wouldn't be worshipping an entity that didn't know what was going to happen to any of us.
And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, told us that Allah ordered the pen to write after He created it. And He ordered the pen to write everything that was going to take place 50,000 years before He created the heavens and the earth. 50,000 years. And He ordered the pen to write every single thing that was going to take place.
"I Want to Be in Control of My Own Destiny"
Some of us say: "I don't like the idea of somebody controlling my destiny. I want to be in control of my own destiny. I want to know what happens to me in the future." Some feel that believing in qadr, believing that Allah knows what's going to happen in the future, somehow makes them not in control of their own destiny.
There are some things, brothers and sisters, that we are in control of. Every single one of us is in control of what he's going to do. Every single one of us is in control of what he's going to say. But there are some things which we have no control over.
A person on the road, under the speed limit, with his seatbelt on, making sure he drives on his side of the road, making sure he avoids the other cars, making sure he avoids other pedestrians, making sure he doesn't hit the kerb — fully aware of all the things around him. But then a car comes from a side road and hits him on the side. Did he have any control over that car? Did he intend for that car to hit him? No. So we see from this, brothers and sisters, that there are some things which are outside of our control, and yet there are other things which we do have control over — such as what we do and such as what we say.
"What's the Point of Doing Good Deeds?"
Another person might say: "If Allah has already decreed for me everything that's going to happen — and He even knows whether I'm going to enter paradise or hellfire — what's the point of me even trying? What's the point of me even praying? What's the point of me even fasting? What's the point of me doing any types of good deeds?"
But it's interesting that a person doesn't use the same logic with other things. It's always with the good deeds. And this is from the whisperings of the shaitan. A person never says, "If Allah knows how much money I'm going to make, what's the point of me even trying to make money? Why don't I just stay at home and not go out to work?" Or why doesn't a person say, "If Allah has already decreed certain things for me, what's the point of me even eating?"
Because death has been decreed for every one of us. And if Allah knows who's going to enter hellfire and who's going to enter paradise, why should we even try? Why are we even here? Why are we even living? What's the point of going through all of this if Allah has already decreed that we're going to enter into one of those two places?
Imagine if there was no life. Imagine if we weren't born and never lived these lives that we are living right now. Imagine if we were raised up and brought before Allah on the Day of Judgment — on the plains — facing Allah without us having ever lived our lives. And then Allah starts to decree: "You are entering paradise, you are entering jannah, you are entering hellfire." And He starts to single out those individuals. And He says to you, "You are entering hellfire." What would a person say? He'd say, "How can I enter hellfire? What have I done to deserve the hellfire? What things have I done that I deserve to enter into hellfire?"
When a person lives his life in this world and does the deeds that he does, then on the Day of Judgment, Allah will display for him everything he's done in this life. And there will be no excuses for that individual. It is part of Allah's justice. "Here is your book — read whatever you've done." Everything that you did in this life will be written down, it will be recorded.
Whoever did an atom's weight of good deeds — something really, really small, something tiny — he'll see it on the Day of Judgment. And whoever did something evil, even if it's an atom's weight, he'll see it on the Day of Judgment. And on that day, he'll have no excuse. It is part of the justice of Allah that after an individual has lived his life, he'll have no more excuses. He won't be able to say that he never did any of these things, because everything has been recorded.
Some people say, with regards to Al-Qadr, that Allah has decreed everything, and this makes a person feel helpless — like he can't do certain things, because he feels he isn't in control. But every single one of us, brothers and sisters, is in control of our own actions. Nobody is controlling what we're going to do. Nobody is controlling what we're going to say. There's no puppet master who's controlling us and pulling our strings, telling us what to do and what to say.
Practical Benefits of Believing in Al-Qadr
I want to talk about some of the practical benefits that we can gain from believing in Al-Qadr. We know that Al-Qadr is one of the pillars of iman. We know it's something that we have to believe as Muslims. But what kind of practical benefits can we take from this belief?
1. It Is a Condition of Faith
First of all, an individual isn't a Muslim until he believes in Al-Qadr. If he doesn't believe in this pillar of faith, in this pillar of iman, he isn't a Muslim.
2. It Strengthens Iman
Secondly, when a person believes in Al-Qadr, when he believes in all of the pillars of iman, it strengthens his iman. It makes him into a stronger believer when he has full understanding and full belief in the decree and predestination of Allah.
3. It Reveals the Power of Allah and Brings Contentment
From the benefits of belief in Al-Qadr, brothers and sisters, is that when a person knows that Allah knows everything that's going to happen in the future, he realizes the power of his Creator. It also makes a person content — content with the decree of Allah. It makes a person understand and realize that no matter what he does in this world, it's already been written down. And it puts his trust in Allah.
Whoever puts his trust in Allah, then that is enough for him. He doesn't need anything else. So he puts his trust in Allah. Whatever Allah has decreed for that person, it's already been put in place — it happened 50,000 years before He even created the heavens and the earth. And so he's more content with the decree of Allah.
4. It Makes a Person More Courageous
From the benefits of believing in Al-Qadr, brothers and sisters, is that it makes a person more courageous, it makes a person braver. He knows that death won't come to him except at an appointed time. Death is going to come to every single one of us. And when he fully believes in Al-Qadr, he knows that death has been appointed for him — it's going to come to him eventually. And he also believes that nothing will harm him except what Allah has already decreed is going to happen to him. If Allah has decreed for something to happen, it's going to happen. And a true believer understands this.
5. It Gives Patience in Trials and Tribulations
He understands that nothing is going to happen to him except that it's already been written down. If a calamity befalls you — something happens to your health, something happens to one of your family members, something happens to you at your workplace — when that calamity befalls you, you understand and you realize that this was in the decree of Allah. And so you have more sabr. You have more patience in overcoming those trials and those difficulties. Allah says:
No disaster strikes upon the earth or upon yourselves except that it is already in a register — in a book — before We bring it into being, before it actually happens to that individual. It's already been written down. So a person, when those trials happen to him, when those tribulations come to him in his life, he's able to deal with them in a much better way. He's able to overcome them. Because he gets over questioning why that happened to him. He doesn't have to think about that. He shouldn't be thinking to himself, "Why has this happened to me? Why did this affliction come to me? Why was I given this trial and this tribulation?" Because he already understands: this was something that was in the decree of Allah. It was meant to happen. So he overcomes this obstacle and looks at how he can move forward.
6. It Gives Good Thoughts of Allah
Another one of the benefits of believing in Al-Qadr, brothers and sisters, is that it has the ability to give the Muslim good thoughts of Allah. It makes him think good of Allah. Sometimes a trial is given to a person and he starts to question Allah's decree. He starts to question why Allah did this to him. He starts to think that Allah is punishing him, that Allah intends to do some evil to him. And yet we know as Muslims that the more trials and tribulations a person goes through — even though he's not going to go looking for those trials — the more Allah loves that individual.
Do the people think that just because they say "we believe" that they won't be tested and they're going to be left alone? Rather, We tested those people who came before. The stronger a person's iman is, the stronger a person's belief is in Allah, the more he's going to be tested in his life. And look no further than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the trials and tribulations that he went through personally — in his family, with his own self, with his people, with the Quraysh. You look at the trials he went through and you look at his status: the best of people in history.
7. It Encourages Working Harder for the Hereafter
Another benefit of believing in Al-Qadr, brothers and sisters, is that it will make a person work harder for the hereafter. Because he doesn't know what Allah has in store for him in the future. So instead of Al-Qadr crippling an individual, paralyzing a person, stopping him from doing good deeds — it encourages him to do good deeds. The world is his oyster. He can go and achieve whatever he's able to achieve. Whatever is in his capacity to achieve. He can do as many good deeds as he can. Nothing should stop him from trying to achieve the rewards and the fruits of his work in this life and in the hereafter.
8. It Is a Means of Receiving Guidance from Allah
Another benefit of Al-Qadr is that believing in predestination is a means of receiving guidance from Allah. Allah says:
No trial happens except by the permission of Allah. And whomsoever believes in Allah, Allah will guide his heart. So an individual, when he's afflicted with a trial, when he's given a problem, when tribulations are happening to him in his life, when he puts his belief and his trust in Allah, Allah will guide him as a result. Whoever believes in Allah, Allah will guide his heart. And Allah is all-knowing — He knows everything that's going to happen.
9. It Builds Tawakkul and Confidence
Another benefit of Al-Qadr, brothers and sisters, is that when a person puts his trust in Allah, he realizes that some things are outside of his control. And so when he puts his trust in Allah, he's relying on Allah to help and support him in his life.
Whoever fears Allah, Allah will find for him a way out. And He will provide for him from ways he never even imagined.
When a person puts his trust in Allah, it should give him more confidence. It should make him less afraid. It should encourage an individual to do whatever he can for the sake of Allah.
When a person is in a car and there's someone driving — a taxi driver, someone he trusts, someone he knows, maybe a family member — and that person starts driving and takes different routes, you put your trust in that driver. There might be obstacles along the way. It might be a bumpy ride. But you know that the individual who's driving the car knows what he's doing, knows where he's going. And so you have this element of trust. And we don't compare Allah with His creation. But when a person puts his trust in Allah, it should increase his love for Allah. It should make him realize and understand that everything he does — whatever is in his capacity to do — he's aiming for the stars, trying to achieve whatever he can to gain the rewards of Allah.
10. It Stops a Person Worrying About the Future
One of the benefits of believing in Al-Qadr is that it stops a person worrying about the future. It stops a person thinking: what's going to happen tomorrow? What's going to happen next week? What's going to happen next month? What's going to happen to me today? It stops a person from waking up in the morning stressed out about what's going to happen — because what's going to happen to him on that day or in that week has already been written down for him. There's no need for him to worry. There's no need to stress out about something which has already been decreed by Allah. And so he goes with the flow, he rides the waves. And whatever happens to him, he puts his trust in Allah and he overcomes those obstacles.
The Prophetic Guidance on Qadr
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Strive to do that which will benefit you. Strive and struggle. Make as much effort as you can to do those things which will benefit you. And seek the help of Allah. And don't feel helpless. Don't feel as if you're powerless, because Allah is on your side. And if anything befalls you — if any calamity or trial befalls you — don't say: 'If only I had done such and such. If only I had done this. If only I had done that.' But rather say:"
(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 2664)
"Allah has decreed, and whatever He intends to do, He does." And then he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not say 'if,' because 'if' opens the door to the works of the shaytan." Because a person starts to regret certain things. He starts to feel powerless, crippled, upset, depressed, and sad over the situation that he's in.
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
With regards to qadr, brothers and sisters, and the things we've talked about — the benefits that we can take — a person needs to understand that every single cloud has a silver lining. Whatever happens to a believer in this world, there's going to be some good in it, as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "How amazing is the affair of the believer! If something good happens to him, then he praises Allah, he thanks Allah. If something bad happens to him, he has sabr, he has patience. And he's rewarded even for that — he's rewarded for his patience."
(Sahih Muslim, Book 55, Hadith 2999)
Closing Reminder
So when you leave this masjid today, brothers and sisters, realize and understand that whatever is going to happen to you today, it has already been decreed. Don't worry and don't stress about what's going to happen to you today, or this week, or this month, or this year. Whatever is going to happen to you, it's already been decreed. Rather, put your trust in Allah. Ride the waves. Whatever happens to you, overcome those obstacles. Because these are simply tests from Allah. And one of the ways Allah shows His love for the believer — for the Muslim brother or the Muslim sister — is to give that individual tests, to test him.
We ask Allah that He gives us the power and the strength and the ability to be able to overcome any of the obstacles that we have in our lives.