Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him. He has created everything and decreed everything for it. He says,
Indeed, We have created all things according to a measure. [Al Qamar 49]
So, “Al Qadaa'” (Literally: Judgment) is the concern of Allah's Will with all things eternally and everlastingly according to His Knowledge. It is one of Allah's Self Attributes, whereas Al Qadar (destiny) means that Allah brings things into being in a specific amount and a specific way according to Allah's Will. So, it is one of the Attributes of Actions. Then, Al Qadaa' is eternal while Al Qadar is casual and incidental
You should know that there is consensus among scholars that believing in Al Qadaa' and Al Qadar is a must. We should also believe that Allah's Knowledge and Will are concerned with all things eternally and everlastingly. His Ability is concerned with all things everlastingly according to His eternal Knowledge and His Eternal Will. Nothing ever happens, either good or bad, but by His Ability and His Will according to His Knowledge.
The meaning of Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar is large enough to include also the world of the unseen. It also includes distributing talents among creatures, all the hardships and the trials which may occur to us; either good or bad and which our minds can not perceive.
We should know that there is a great distance between slaves’ knowledge and Allah’s Knowledge, Which is connected with the eternal and the everlasting, endless things. So, Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar are two puzzles, which have perplexed man all over history because he wants to know the causes and the targets of the things that happen upon him. But how can he know such things and he is so imperfect while his Lord is so Perfect, All-Knowledgeable and All-Able?
No doubt that man’s mind can not perceive the essence or the reality of all the things, even the material things, because its abilities are so limited, For example, we don’t know many of the things which happen inside our bodies. Up to now, we don’t have full knowledge of how our organs and our cells are benefitted with food or how every organ carries out its job. Then, how do we want to know the immaterial hidden things such as the world of the unseen, Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar?
We invite our reader to consider the following Holy Verses carefully:
Your creation and your resurrection are but as a single soul. Allah is the Hearer, the Seer. [Luqman 28]
So, it is so easy for Him to create all of them, to see what all of them do and hear what they say. It is the same easiness, with which He creates, sees and hears one of them.
When He wills a thing, His command is to say to it 'Be', and it is! [Yaseen 82]
And Our Order is but one word like the flashing of an eye. [Al Qamar 50]
As to Almighty Allah, there are no time borders; there is no hour, no day, nor a flashing of an eye but He addresses us in this way as to make the meaning within our reach.
He, who gets to know Almighty Allah, must realize His Loftiness and His Sublimity. So, he mustn’t crave after knowing His secrets. He mustn’t ask Him: why did You do so and so? You are not speaking to your friend, or even your governor, who is, after all, a man like you. Allah, glory be to Him, is not your peer. He is your Lord and you are His slave. And to be a sincere slave, you must devote yourself to Him and surrender to Him in whatsoever He does, fully satisfied with what He does.
Don’t be like those secularists or atheists who say that God is not just to His slaves when He decrees for them without their satisfaction. Their claim is null and void because the relation between people is not the same relation between man and God, Who knows so well what is good to His slave and decrees it for him. The slave doesn’t know what is good or what is bad for himself. He even doesn’t have the ability to know it. And don’t forget that Almighty Allah forbade injustice to Himself; so, He is never unjust to us.
Muslim narrated from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were alarmed when this Verse was revealed,
To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Whether you reveal what is in your hearts or hide it Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and punish whom He will; He has power over all things. [Al Baqara 284]
They hurried to the Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace be upon him). They knelt to their knees and said that Allah has over burdened them with that which they can not bear because He will set them into account for their hidden thoughts, which they can not take control of. The Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace be upon him) said, “Do you want to say as the people of the Two Books (The Torah and the Bible) have said: we hear and disobey? Instead, say: we hear and obey. Our Lord! We ask for Your forgiveness and to You is our destiny.” He means to tell them to be true slaves and surrender to Allah in whatsoever He does. When they declared their satisfaction and submitted to Him, Allah bestowed His mercy upon them and revealed to His Messenger the following two Verses,
The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from His Lord, and so do the believers. Each believes in Allah and His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, we do not differentiate between any one of His Messengers. They say: 'We hear and obey. (We ask) Your forgiveness Lord, and to You is the arrival.[Al Baqara 285]
Allah charges no soul except to its capacity. For it is what it has earned, and against it what it has gained. 'Our Lord, do not take us to account if we have forgotten, or made a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us with a load as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not over burden us with more than we can bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Guide, so give us victory over the nation, the unbelievers.' [Al Baqara 286]
Thus, a true slave must fashion himself to be satisfied with what Allah does to him so that Allah will have His mercy upon him and forgives him his mistakes.
SOURCES:
Al Qadaa’ And Al Qadar (Questions & Answers) By Counselor Dr. Mohammad Najm Addin Al Kordy, First Edition, 1440 a.h. / 2019 AD, Translation: Taha Ibrahim Badr