Answer to a Question
Question:
(It was stated in the book Islamic Thinking, which is one of our adopted books, that supplication does not repel Qadar, nor change the Divine Decree (Qada'), nor the knowledge of Allah, Glory be to Him...) while there are texts from the Quran and Sunnah that seemed to me to contradict this understanding. It was narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: “Nothing repels the Divine Decree except supplication,” and there are many other Hadiths to this effect, and these Hadiths prove that supplication changes Qadar... So how is this contradiction dealt with between what was stated in the book and these texts? And may Allah reward you with goodness.
Answer:
It appears that you are referring to what came in the book Islamic Thought (Al-Fikr al-Islami) and not Islamic Thinking (Al-Tafkir al-Islami) as incorrectly stated in the question. Another error in the question is your statement "(which is one of our adopted books)"; it is not an adopted (mubtana) book. It is mentioned in the Administrative File under the section: "Non-adopted books issued by the Party, whether the Ameer’s name is mentioned on them or another member’s name for certain considerations, and they are not taught in the study circles." Then, among these books, it mentions: (...Islamic Thought...)... In any case, as I mentioned earlier, it seems you are referring to what came in the book: (However, it must be clear that supplication does not change what is in the knowledge of Allah, nor does it repel a decree (Qada'), nor strip away a destiny (Qadar), nor cause anything to happen without its cause. This is because Allah’s knowledge is inevitably realized, and Allah’s decree is bound to happen. For if supplication repelled it, it would not be a decree. And destiny was originated by Allah, so supplication does not strip it away...) And you say that this contradicts what came in the Hadith:
إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ يَرُدُّ الْقَضَاءَ
"Indeed, supplication repels the Divine Decree."
And in another narration:
لَا يَرُدُّ الْقَدَرَ إِلَّا الدُّعَاءُ
"Nothing repels destiny except supplication."
And you ask: How is this contradiction dealt with?
Before I answer you, I will mention some related matters as an introduction to the answer:
1. The status of supplication in Islam and its response by Allah's permission... Verses and Hadiths have been narrated regarding this subject, including:
- The Almighty said:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
"And your Lord says, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you.' Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible." (Surah Ghafir 40:60)
- Al-Hakim narrated in his Mustadrak from Abu Hurairah (ra), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ الدُّعَاءِ
"Nothing is more honorable to Allah than supplication."
- Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from Abu Sa'id that the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو بِدَعْوَةٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا إِثْمٌ وَلَا قَطِيعَةُ رَحِمٍ إِلَّا أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا إِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ إِمَّا أَنْ تُعَجَّل لَهُ دَعْوَتُهُ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَدَّخِرَهَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ مِنْ السُّوءِ مِثْلَهَا قَالُوا إِذاً نُكْثِرُ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَكْثَرُ
"There is no Muslim who supplicates with a prayer that does not involve sin or the severing of family ties, except that Allah gives him one of three things: either He hastens his response, or He stores it for him in the Hereafter, or He averts from him an equivalent evil." They said: "Then we shall increase [our supplication]." He said: "Allah is more [bountiful]."
It was also narrated by Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak from Abu Sa'id (ra).
These evidences show that Allah loves for His believing servant to supplicate to Him and to increase in supplication, and that there is a response to supplication in one of three ways as in Musnad Ahmad... and the response is recorded in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-Mahfuz). Nothing occurs unless it has been recorded since eternity, as shown in the evidences of Qadar below.
2. If there is definitive (qat’i) evidence on a matter giving a specific rule, and there is speculative (zanni) evidence with an authentic chain (sahih) on the same matter giving another rule that appears to contradict the definitive evidence, then in this case, one attempts to reconcile the two evidences. This is because acting upon both evidences is better than neglecting one of them. If reconciliation is impossible, the definitive evidence is taken, and the speculative evidence is rejected in terms of its content (dirayatan) even if its chain is authentic. However, if its chain were weak, it would be rejected for its weakness.
3. From the evidences on Qadar:
- The Almighty said:
وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَراً مَقْدُوراً
"And ever is the command of Allah a destiny decreed." (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:38)
The meaning of "destiny" (qadaran) here is a matter that was determined in eternity, and the meaning of "decreed" (maqduran) is inevitable in its occurrence. So, "a destiny decreed" means a final judgment; that is, it must occur.
وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْ رَبِّكَ مِنْ مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَا أَصْغَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
"And not absent from your Lord is any [part] of an atom's weight within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller than that or greater but that it is in a clear register." (Surah Yunus 10:61)
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 [anything] smaller than that or greater but that it is in a clear register." (Surah Saba 34:3)
مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
"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." (Surah Al-Hadid 57:22)
- Similarly, Hadiths were narrated regarding Qadar or the writing in the Preserved Tablet, including:
From Abu Hurairah, who said: The Prophet ﷺ said to me:
جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ بِمَا أَنْتَ لَاقٍ
"The pen has dried regarding what you will encounter." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Meaning, what you will encounter was written in eternity... and the Hadith of Umar from the Prophet ﷺ in which the coming of Jibril and his questioning about Islam and Iman was narrated. It says in the Hadith: He said: "Inform me about Iman." He said:
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ 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 destiny (Qadar), the good of it and the evil of it." (Narrated by Muslim)
Meaning, you believe that Allah the Almighty determined good and evil before creating the creation... and from Jabir who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لَا يُؤْمِنُ عَبْدٌ حَتَّى يُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ وَأَنَّ مَا أَخْطَأَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ
"No servant believes until he believes in destiny (Qadar), the good of it and the evil of it, until he knows that what befell him was not to miss him, and what missed him was not to befall him." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi)
...and from Abu al-Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (ra) who said: I was behind the Prophet ﷺ one day and he said:
يَا غُلَامُ، إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ، احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ، احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ، إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ لَوْ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَكَ، وَلَوْ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوكَ إِلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ، رُفِعَتْ الْأَقْلَامُ وَجَفَّتْ الصُّحُفُ
"O boy, I will teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask Allah; and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with something that Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with something that Allah had already prescribed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi)
*4. Now we come to the two Hadiths stating that supplication repels the Decree (Qada') and in another narration it repels Destiny (Qadar):*
- Al-Hakim narrated in Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn from Ibn Abbas, from Thawban, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ يَرُدُّ الْقَضَاءَ
"Indeed, supplication repels the Divine Decree."
In another narration by Al-Hakim from Abdullah bin Abi al-Ja'd, from Thawban (ra) who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لَا يَرُدُّ الْقَدَرَ إِلَّا الدُّعَاءُ
"Nothing repels destiny except supplication."
Al-Hakim said: "This Hadith has an authentic chain of narration, though they (Bukhari and Muslim) did not include it."
5. By studying what was narrated regarding Qadar, especially the verses of definitive meaning (qat’i al-dalalah), it is understood from these evidences that there is nothing on earth or in heaven except that Allah has determined it and recorded it with Him. Nothing occurs in this existence except that Allah has previously determined and recorded it. What Allah has previously determined and recorded must occur, and there is no escape from its occurrence; meaning, nothing repels destiny so as to prevent its occurrence.
It is understood from the two Hadiths above **that supplication repels destiny (Qadar) or repels the decree (Qada')**, so the meaning here is the same. Therefore, here is a semblance of contradiction with the definitive evidences narrated regarding Qadar. As we mentioned earlier, one first resorts to reconciling the Hadiths with the definitive evidences; if possible, it is done, otherwise the Hadith is rejected in terms of its content (dirayatan)...
6. Accordingly, and by contemplating this matter, I say, and with Allah is success:
A- The Hadith "Nothing repels destiny except supplication" in the literal sense of the words (repels destiny), meaning it erases it from the Preserved Tablet—this Hadith in this sense is rejected dirayatan because the determined or decreed matter is recorded in the Preserved Tablet and must occur, and there is no escape from its occurrence, so it does not fail, i.e., destiny is not erased from the Preserved Tablet. Therefore, the Hadith is rejected dirayatan if reconciliation is impossible, and in that case, the definitive evidences in Qadar are taken, meaning that destiny must occur and is not repelled... But before rejecting it dirayatan, effort must be exerted in reconciling the definitive and speculative evidences because acting upon both evidences is better than neglecting one of them.
B- In the principles (Usul), when the literal meaning is impossible due to a preventive context—which here is the definitive evidences in Qadar mentioned earlier—one resorts to metaphor (majaz). The Hadith is then understood accordingly if this is linguistically possible. This is possible here: the word Qadar or Qada' in the Hadith is understood in the metaphorical sense, meaning its consequences or its effect. In other words, what is caused by it through the relationship of causality. The cause is mentioned while the effect is intended, just as you say, "The earth sprouted rain," where you mentioned the cause (rain) and intended the effect resulting from it (plants). Here as well, (Destiny) was mentioned, and the metaphorical meaning is intended, i.e., its effect or what results from it. In that case, the "repelling" is not for the destiny or decree itself, but for its effect. For example, if a believer is struck by a destiny or decree such as illness, loss of a child, loss of money, or a business failure... etc., then supplication repels the effect of that upon him. As stated in the Hadith of Al-Hasan bin Ali (ra) who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me words to say in the Qunut of Witr:
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ... وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ...
"O Allah, guide me among those You have guided... and protect me from the evil of what You have decreed..."
If the believer supplicates to Allah and increases in supplication that He protects him from the evil of the decree, Allah lightens its effect on him and helps him bear it and be patient with it. Consequently, his life remains good despite the occurrence of the decree upon him; that is, the decree becomes light for him and its impact is eased, as if his supplication has metaphorically repelled the decree, i.e., Allah helped him bear it and be patient with it... How many a man is pricked by a thorn and his strength weakens and his affairs are disturbed, and how many a man is struck by a calamity while his tongue is moist with the remembrance of Allah, supplicating to Him, Glory be to Him, to protect him from the evil of this calamity and its effect, so he is patient with it and his affairs remain upright, as if his supplication repelled it metaphorically. This is how the Hadith is understood, meaning that destiny occurs inevitably, but the sincere and faithful supplication of the believer repels its effect on him, meaning it lightens it for him, he is helped in bearing it and being patient with it, and the weight of the calamity is eased for him. Thus, his life remains good as if the calamity did not occur. All of that is recorded in the Preserved Tablet; Allah determined it and knew it since eternity... i.e., it is recorded in the Preserved Tablet that a specific calamity is destined for this servant and that it will occur... and that this servant will supplicate to Allah to protect him from its evil, so Allah responds to him and helps him bear it and be patient with it, so it is as if it did not happen to him metaphorically.
This is how the Hadith is understood as I outweigh it, and Allah knows best and is most wise.
7. For information and for further benefit, I mention the following:
A- It was stated in my book (Al-Taysir fi Usul al-Tafsir):
[The response to supplication does not mean a change in destiny, or the writing in the Preserved Tablet, or in Allah’s knowledge. That is, the response does not mean that Allah did not know of His servant’s supplication and His response to it, and thus it was not recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Rather, Allah knows it and it has been recorded since eternity... Destiny is the knowledge of Allah, i.e., the writing in the Preserved Tablet, and everything that exists is written in it since eternity. Allah knows that so-and-so will supplicate to Him, and if Allah had destined its response, it is written that so-and-so will supplicate for such and such, and that this will be realized by such and such... Supplication is not a new creation that was not in Allah’s knowledge or was not written in the Preserved Tablet, and the same applies to the response. Rather, everything that exists is recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Allah knows the Unseen and knows what the servant does in word or deed, and everything is written beforehand since eternity. The supplication that the servant makes is known to Allah and recorded as it is, as is its response as Allah, Glory be to Him, wills it, recorded since eternity. Supplication and response are not beyond Allah’s knowledge; rather, they are recorded in the Preserved Tablet exactly as they will happen. Allah is the Knower of the Unseen and the witnessed:**
لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
"Not absent from Him is an atom's weight within the heavens or within the earth." (Surah Saba 34:3)]
B- It was stated in Sharh al-Sunnah by Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi al-Shafi'i (d. 516 AH):
[(Abd al-Wahid bin Ahmad al-Malihi informed us... from Abdullah bin Abi al-Ja'd, from Thawban, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Nothing repels destiny except supplication"... I say: Abu Hatim al-Sijistani mentioned that: (a person's persistence in supplication makes the arrival of the decree pleasant for him, so it is as if he repelled it...))]
C- It was stated in Mirqat al-Mafatih Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih by Abu al-Hasan Nur al-Din al-Mulla al-Harawi al-Qari (d. 1014 AH):
[His saying: "Nothing repels the Decree except supplication," the Decree (Qada') is the determined matter... or he meant by "repelling the decree," if the literal meaning is intended, its softening and the easing of the matter until it is as if it did not descend...]
I hope this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
16th of Rabi’ al-Awwal 1441 AH 13/11/2019 CE