(Series of Answers by the Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, Amir of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to Questions from the Visitors of his Facebook Page "Fiqhi")
Answer to a Question
To: Ahmad Nadhif
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
It was stated in the book At-Taysir fi Usul al-Tafsir, p. 44: "...or naqli (transmitted), meaning through a source transmitted with certainty (maqtu’ bihi) from Allah (swt) in His Noble Book or from His Messenger (saw) in his mutawatir (mass-transmitted) Hadith, such as belief in the Unseen, the angels, the previously revealed Books, the previous Prophets, the Last Day, and al-Qadar (destiny), its good and its evil. The Almighty says in Surah an-Nisa, verse 136:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
"O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray." (An-Nisa [4]: 136)
And his (saw) says in response to Jibril’s (as) question about Iman (faith) in the Hadith:
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
"That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and al-Qadar (destiny), both its good and its evil from Allah the Almighty."
End quote. I have a question and I hope for clarification. If the mentioned Hadith is mutawatir such that the belief in al-Qadar is built upon it, then why was it not mentioned in the book The Islamic Personality (Ash-Shakhsiyya al-Islamiyya), Vol. 1, when discussing the Islamic Aqeedah? Rather, the author of the book (rh) says that the belief in al-Qada’ wal-Qadar is built on rational evidence (dalil aqli).
May Allah reward you with the best reward. Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Answer:
Walaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Before beginning the answer, I would like to draw your attention to two matters in which there seems to be some confusion. These two matters are: "Al-Qadar" as mentioned in the verses and Hadiths, and the term "Al-Qada’ wal-Qadar." These are two distinct topics and not a single one. The topic of "Al-Qada’ wal-Qadar" that you read in The System of Islam or The Islamic Personality is different from "Al-Qadar" mentioned in the Hadith you are asking about.
Now, here is the answer to your question:
- What was mentioned in the narration of Muslim regarding the Prophet's (saw) response to Jibril’s (as) question about Iman:
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
"That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and that you believe in al-Qadar (destiny), its good and its evil."
This is not a mutawatir Hadith; rather, it is an authentic ahad (solitary) report. Despite this, citing it in the context mentioned in your question from the book At-Taysir fi Usul al-Tafsir is correct. This is because it was provided as evidence for what is required to believe in, not as the foundational evidence for the subject on which faith is built. The request to believe in Islam can be established by a verse, a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (saw), or even by a letter he sent. The Prophet (saw) sent letters with messengers to kings calling them to Islam...
- However, when establishing proof that al-Qadar is part of the Aqeedah (creed) and its denier is a kafir (disbeliever), and when proving that it is the knowledge of Allah and that everything is written since eternity in the Lauh al-Mahfuz (Preserved Tablet), then one relies on definitive evidences (adilla qat'iyyah). Thus, the definitive verses regarding al-Qadar in the sense of "predestination in eternity" are mentioned—meaning that there is nothing in the earth or the sky except that Allah has known it since eternity, it has been predestined since eternity, and it has been written in the Lauh al-Mahfuz since eternity... Among these definitive verses are:
The saying of the Almighty:
إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ قَدَّرْنَا إِنَّهَا لَمِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ
"...except his wife; We have decreed (qaddarna) that she shall be among those who remain behind." (Al-Hijr [15]: 60)
The word "decreed" (qaddarna) in this verse means predestination in eternity. And the saying of the Almighty:
وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا
"...And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent (qadran)." (At-Talaq [65]: 3)
The meaning of "for everything a qadra" is a decree and a timing, referring to predestination in eternity. And the saying of the Almighty:
قُلْ لَنْ يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَانَا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
"Say, 'Never will we be struck except by what Allah has written for us; He is our protector.' And upon Allah let the believers rely." (At-Tawbah [9]: 51)
Its meaning is that nothing will strike us except what Allah has written for us in eternity and what He has predestined for us, and we are reliant upon Allah. And the saying of the Almighty:
وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ
"And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register (al-Kitab) a thing..." (Al-An'am [6]: 38)
The meaning is: except that they are communities like you, whose provisions, life spans, and deeds are written, just as your provisions, life spans, and deeds were written; We have not left out or neglected anything in the Lauh al-Mahfuz. The word "al-Kitab" (the Book/Register) here refers to the Lauh al-Mahfuz, meaning everything is written in the Preserved Tablet, which is a metaphor for Allah’s knowledge—meaning there is nothing except that Allah knows it. And the saying of the Almighty:
عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا أَصْغَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرُ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
"...[He is] Knower of the unseen. Not absent from Him is an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear register." (Saba [34]: 3)
Meaning: except that it is written in the Lauh al-Mahfuz, which is a metaphor for His knowledge, as evidenced by the verse itself.
- It is worth mentioning that al-Qadar in this sense—meaning predestination in eternity, or writing in the Lauh al-Mahfuz, or Allah’s knowledge that a certain matter will happen—does not mean reliance upon Allah’s knowledge of the occurrence of the action and the failure to take the means to perform it, or not taking cause and effect into account. This is because Allah’s knowledge has not been revealed to anyone such that they would know whether something will happen or not. Therefore, it is impossible to know if something will occur or not except after taking the means to perform it and initiating it; only then does the reality reveal itself in terms of the existence or non-existence of the action. From here, it is not correct for anyone to rely on Allah’s knowledge and abandon action. This issue was problematic for the Sahaba, so the Messenger (saw) alerted them not to be fatalistic and commanded them to act. Al-Bukhari narrated from Ali (may Allah ennoble his face):
فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْقَوْمِ: أَلاَ نَتَّكِلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: لاَ، اعْمَلُوا فَكُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ: فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى الآيَةَ
"A man from the people said: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall we not then rely [on what is written]?' He said: 'No, work, for everyone will find easy that for which he was created.' Then he recited: 'As for he who gives and fears Allah...' until the end of the verse."
This is explicit that belief in al-Qadar does not mean fatalism (ittikal), because al-Qadar and the writing—meaning the knowledge of Allah—is not revealed to any of the creation. So, on what would he rely?
Therefore, the Messenger (saw) said to the one who asked him, "Shall we not rely?": "No." Meaning he forbade him from fatalism and did not stop there, but also said to him: "Work," meaning he commanded him to act. Thus, belief in al-Qadar does not mean the absence of action.
I hope that the answer to your question regarding al-Qadar has become clear.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
The link to the answer from the Amir’s Facebook page