Predestination & Islam (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

The Nature & Importance of Predestination

What is the Nature of Predestination?

• Muslims believe in Al-Qadr or predestination

• This is the idea that Allah is omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing)

• This teaching from the Qur’an means that Allah is so omniscient that he even knows the secrets within our hearts

• As the creator of everything, Allah has put predetermined and unchangeable rules in place that govern the universe

  • These include the rules of science, for example, how the planets orbit the sun

• Allah therefore knows everything that will happen

  • The Qur’an teaches:

• Although Allah has given humans free will, nothing happens unless it is the will of Allah 

• Muslims often use the phrase 'insha’Allah', meaning ‘if Allah is willing’ or ‘if Allah allows it’ about everyday events to express this belief

• Sometimes people’s choices are in harmony with Allah’s will, and this is part of al-Qadr, helping to bring about God’s plan for the world

  • Some Muslims disagree about the exact nature of free will in al-Qadr

How Human Freedom Relates to the Day of Judgement

What is Human Freedom?

• Islam means submission, and so Muslims are supposed to submit to Allah’s will

• However, Muslims believe that humans have free will to choose what actions to take and what to think

  • This is what is meant by human freedom

• Sometimes these choices are in harmony with God’s will and help with al-Qadr, his predetermined plan for the world, but sometimes people use their free will to go against what they have been taught and make poor choices

How do al-Qadr and Human Freedom Relate to the Day of Judgement?

• All Muslims believe that on Tawm ad-Din, the Day of Judgement, everyone (not just Muslims) will be judged by Allah on how they have lived their lives

• Muslims believe that Allah is just and will judge everyone fairly in the akhirah (afterlife)

  • He will take into account the circumstances into which a person was born

    • Someone would not be punished for being born into a crime-filled environment; this would be taken into account in passing judgement

• There are many parts of the Qur'an which are dedicated to this

• People are still accountable for their actions in this life

• Those who have had faith and have done good deeds will be rewarded, those who have not will be punished

  • This might seem contradictory to the idea of al-Qadr because if God already knows and controls what will happen, it seems unfair to judge people for something he predestined them to do

  • This is why free will is important: Allah, as creator, has given people free will to choose their actions and does not interfere with this. He could have taken away that choice but didn’t 

• Therefore, Allah will judge people on their choices, not on some destiny already decided for them

  • This is taught in the Qur'an, which says

• This shows that the fate of people’s souls rests on their own actions and choices, not some predetermined destiny

Divergent Understanding of Predestination

• There are differences in how Sunni Muslims and Shi’a Muslims regard Al-Qadr

• It’s a matter of how they interpret free will

• For Sunni Muslims:

  • Belief in Al-Qadr is one of the six Beliefs of Islam

  • They think that Allah knows everything that’s going to happen, and so will know what choices humans will make about their behaviour before they make those choices 

    • Remember: Allah is outside of time and so isn’t governed by the rules of time

  • Humans do choose their actions, but Allah makes sure it’s impossible to choose anything other than what he has already decided for them

  • Some Sunni Muslims think that once someone has made a choice to act, that act becomes ‘theirs’ and so they can then be judged for it

• For Shi’a Muslims

  • There is more emphasis on free will

  • They do believe that Allah has ultimate authority and control and the power to act in the world if he wants

  • However, people’s lives are determined by their own choices. This is the idea of Bada’ which states that Allah has not set a definite course for humans

  • Shi’a Muslims would agree with Sunni Muslims that Allah already knows what will happen as he is outside time

    • However, people choose for themselves what actions to take

• Many Muslims believe in a mixture of these two ideas

Muslims Today & Al-Qadr

What are the Implications of Belief in al-Qadr for Muslims Today?

• Muslims today live in the knowledge of Al-Qadr

• For Sunni Muslims today, belief in Al-Qadr is one of the six Beliefs of Islam and therefore is something they must accept

• Al-Qadr helps them to make sense of the world around them

  • If Allah knows everything and has control over everything that’s going to happen, it must mean that events happen for a reason

  • Therefore, Muslims may find the concept of al-Qadr comforting, especially if something bad happens, because they can trust in Allah that it’s part of Allah’s plan for their lives

  • They will use the phrase ‘insha’Allah’ meaning ‘if God is willing’ to express their faith in al-Qadr 

    • For example, a Muslim may say ‘I will get a good grade at GCSE Religious Studies, insha’Allah’ 

    • This does not mean that they do not need to work hard and revise for their exams.

      • It does, however, mean that they can say that if they don’t get the grade they hoped for it was not Allah’s will for them to achieve a good grade at that time

    • Because they believe that Allah is good and merciful, they will be able to remain positive and hope that there will be a positive outcome in some way from the situation

How Does Belief in Al-Qadr Affects a Muslim’s Daily Life?

• Belief in al-Qadr affects a Muslim’s daily life because

  • They want to be rewarded for good deeds rather than punished for sin after death, so they will try to live a good life in the way that Allah wants

  • They will try to fulfil the duties that Allah gave

  • They will try to help others because that is what the Qur’an and the example set by the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) teaches

  • They will try to live in a constant state of awareness of their thoughts and actions and make sure they are consciously living by Allah’s rules