2.3.6.1 Meaning of Qadar

Understanding the Meaning of Qadar

Qadar is one of the six pillars of faith. A Muslim cannot have complete faith until he or she believes in Allah’s decree, both the good and what appears to be bad. This belief connects directly to the reality of Allah’s Lordship, His knowledge, His wisdom, and His power.

Allah says:

“Indeed, all things We created with Qadar.”
(Qur’an 54:49)

And the Prophet ﷺ said when asked about faith:

“…that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and that you believe in the divine decree, its good and its bad.”
(Muslim)

In this chapter we will focus only on what Qadar means in a simple and foundational way, and how a beginner should understand it, without going into details that belong to later chapters like human choice, trials, and trust in Allah.

The Core Meaning of Qadar

The word Qadar in Arabic carries the sense of measuring, determining, and setting something in a precise way. When we speak about Qadar in Islamic belief, we mean that Allah has determined all things with His perfect knowledge, wisdom, and power.

Qadar is not random fate and not blind luck. It is the wise and purposeful decree of Allah, who is the Lord of all worlds. He alone creates, arranges, and governs every matter.

Allah says:

“And the command of Allah is a decree determined.”
(Qur’an 33:38)

Qadar includes everything that exists in the universe, from the greatest events in history to the smallest details of our lives, such as a leaf falling from a tree or a drop of rain that falls on the earth.

“And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry but that it is written in a clear record.”
(Qur’an 6:59)

Qadar therefore means that nothing happens outside the knowledge, will, and creation of Allah.

Qadar and Allah’s Perfect Knowledge

One essential part of understanding Qadar is to know that Allah’s knowledge is complete, eternal, and surrounds all things. He knows what has already happened, what is happening now, what will happen in the future, and even what would have happened if things were different.

“Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.”
(Qur’an 8:75)

“…and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.”
(Qur’an 65:12)

Nothing surprises Allah. Events do not appear before Him as new or unexpected. When something occurs in our lives, we come to know it only at that moment, but Allah knew it always.

This is why the Prophet ﷺ taught that part of true belief is to know that whatever reaches you could never have missed you, and whatever misses you could never have reached you. He ﷺ said:

“Know that what has passed you by was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by.”
(at-Tirmidhi)

This is only possible because Allah already knows all things in full detail.

Qadar and the Preserved Record

Another fundamental aspect of Qadar is that Allah has written everything that will happen in a complete record called Al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ, the Preserved Tablet.

“Do you not know that Allah knows what is in the heaven and the earth? Indeed, that is in a Record. Indeed, that is easy for Allah.”
(Qur’an 22:70)

The Prophet ﷺ explained:

“The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He said to it, ‘Write.’ It said, ‘My Lord, what shall I write?’ He said, ‘Write what will occur of all things until the Hour begins.’”
(Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi)

Every event, every lifespan, every provision, and every circumstance that will ever occur is already written by Allah, in full detail, according to His knowledge and wisdom.

This writing does not force people in the way a human author controls a story. Rather, Allah’s knowledge and writing perfectly match how things will occur in reality, including the choices that His servants freely make, a topic that will be discussed under human choice and accountability.

Qadar and Allah’s Will

Qadar also includes the reality that nothing can occur in the universe unless Allah allows it to occur by His will. His will is perfect, and it always happens exactly as He intends.

“And you do not will except that Allah wills, Lord of the worlds.”
(Qur’an 81:29)

“His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”
(Qur’an 36:82)

If Allah wills a matter, it will surely occur. If He does not will it, then it can never come into existence. This does not mean that Allah loves or is pleased with everything that happens. There is a difference between what He wills to occur in His creation, and what He loves and commands in His law, a point that will be explained more when we speak about trials, sin, and wisdom.

For now, the key meaning is simple. The believer understands that everything that occurs in creation only happens by Allah’s will.

Qadar and Creation

Qadar also means that Allah is the sole Creator of all things. Every object, every action, and every event exists because Allah created it. He is the one who brings things from non-existence into existence and gives them their form, their properties, and their results.

“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.”
(Qur’an 39:62)

“And Allah created you and that which you do.”
(Qur’an 37:96)

We should not imagine that there is any independent power that creates events or controls outcomes separate from Allah. Causes and means, like medicine, work, or study, only have any effect because Allah created them and allows them to have that effect.

This is why a Muslim naturally says “In shā’ Allah” when planning, and “Mā shā’ Allah” when seeing something good. He acknowledges that the true power and creation belongs to Allah alone.

The Four Key Aspects of Qadar

Classical scholars summarized the meaning of Qadar by describing four main aspects. For a beginner, these four parts offer a simple structure that is easy to remember and protects from confusion.

First, Allah’s complete and eternal knowledge of all things. Nothing is hidden from Him, and nothing is new to Him.

Second, Allah’s writing of all things in the Preserved Tablet, based on this perfect knowledge.

Third, Allah’s will and permission, by which all things come to pass. If He wills something, it happens. If He does not will it, it does not happen.

Fourth, Allah’s creation of all beings, states, and events. Every creature and every action is His creation.

These four aspects are indicated together in many texts. Allah says:

“Indeed, We have created all things with Qadar.”
(Qur’an 54:49)

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“A person does not have faith until he believes in Qadar, its good and its bad, and until he knows that what has befallen him was not going to miss him and what has missed him was not going to befall him.”
(at-Tirmidhi)

These statements include Allah’s knowledge, writing, will, and creation.

Good and Bad Decree

Part of the meaning of Qadar is that a believer accepts both what is pleasing and what is painful as coming from Allah’s decree. This does not mean that sins and injustice are beloved to Allah. It means that the existence of these events in the world is not outside His knowledge, will, and creation.

The Prophet ﷺ summed up faith in Qadar in a short phrase:

“…and that you believe in the divine decree, its good and its bad.”
(Muslim)

The “good” refers to what we see as blessings, ease, and success. The “bad” refers to hardships, losses, and tests, and also to the fact that sins and disobedience occur in the world. All of this happens within Allah’s decree, but He is never unjust.

“Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who wrong themselves.”
(Qur’an 10:44)

A Muslim understands that what reaches him from good is by the favor and decree of Allah. What harms him in this life is also by Allah’s decree, but with wisdom and justice. The detailed relationship between decree, sin, and trials belongs to later discussions.

Qadar and the Attitude of the Believer

Although the practical fruits like patience and trust will be explained in a separate chapter, it is still important here, when explaining the meaning of Qadar, to see that it is not just a theory. It shapes how a Muslim views the world.

He knows that what comes to him was always known to Allah and already written. He does not think that events are chaotic, that life has no direction, or that Allah is unaware of what is happening.

Allah says:

“No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being. Indeed, that, for Allah, is easy. In order that you not despair over what has eluded you and not exult in pride over what He has given you.”
(Qur’an 57:22–23)

This verse shows two sides of the meaning of Qadar. First, the fact that everything is written before it happens. Second, the effect that this understanding has on the heart, that a person does not fall into deep despair nor extreme pride.

The Prophet ﷺ also connected belief in Qadar with inner peace. He said:

“How amazing is the affair of the believer. All of his affair is good, and that is for no one but the believer. If something pleasing comes to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If something harmful befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him.”
(Muslim)

This balanced attitude rests upon the sure conviction that everything is by the decree of Allah and that His decree always has wisdom, even when we do not see it.

Avoiding Extremes about Qadar

From the beginning of Islamic history, some groups went to extremes about Qadar. Some denied it and claimed that Allah does not decree people’s actions. Others claimed that humans are forced and have no real will at all.

The Qur’an and Sunnah guide us to a middle path. We affirm that everything is by the decree of Allah and that His knowledge, writing, will, and creation surround all things. At the same time, people are addressed, commanded, and forbidden, and are held responsible for their choices, which shows that they have a real, limited will. The details of this balance will be explained when we speak about human choice and accountability.

For now, the beginner must hold to this simple rule. Qadar is true, fully and completely. Personal responsibility is also true, fully and completely. Both are affirmed without denying one of them because of the other.

Allah says:

“Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful.”
(Qur’an 76:3)

And at the same time:

“And you do not will except that Allah wills.”
(Qur’an 76:30)

The Muslim accepts both truths as they are revealed, knowing that full understanding belongs to Allah, and that our duty is to submit to what He has informed us.

Summary of the Meaning of Qadar

To conclude, Qadar means that Allah has, from eternity, known, written, willed, and created everything that will happen, in the most precise and wise way. Nothing escapes His decree. What pleases us and what pains us both occur according to His knowledge and writing in the Preserved Tablet, by His will, and through His creation.

This belief is one of the foundations of faith that every Muslim must accept. It protects the heart from pride in times of success and from hopelessness in times of hardship. It reminds us that the universe has a Lord who is in full control, and that nothing in creation stands outside His plan.

“Indeed, all things We created with Qadar.”
(Qur’an 54:49)