Al-Qadariyyah (Anti-fatalists)
30-8-2010 | IslamWeb
Question:
What is the creed of [the sect] Al-Qadariyyah and how can we refute it? Moreover, how do we respond to those who claim that only Man’s will and power of spirit, concentration or determination, affect his actions? Such people take, as evidence to back their beliefs, the Hadeeth in which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered us to supplicate to Allaah The Almighty with certitude, so that He would respond to our supplication. [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi] They claim that invocations, in and of themselves, are of no benefit, rather it is the individual’s conviction or will that benefits him or her.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Him, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The people of Al-Qadariyyah deny the existence of fate and contend that Allaah The Almighty does not have knowledge of occurrences beforehand. Their belief indicates that He is not aware of things until after they come to pass and this is a clear negation of His prior Knowledge. It is an unmistakable aberration, disbelief in Allaah The Almighty and denial of indisputably established religious facts.
The sound creed that is supported by evidence from the Quran and Sunnah confirms that Allaah The Almighty is Aware [of everything] in advance; He ordained the destiny of all creatures before their creation and nothing takes place in His universe without His Will. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
· {Indeed, all things We created with predestination.}[Quran 54:49]
· {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 Allaah, is easy}[Quran 57:22]
· {So whoever Allaah wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allaah place defilement upon those who do not believe.}[Quran 6:125]
On the authority of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas 
and his father, the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that Allaah The Almighty set down the fate of the creation, fifty thousand years before fashioning the heavens and the earth, and that His Throne was over the water. [Muslim]
In another Hadeeth, narrated by ‘Ali the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered us to perform good deeds, for whichever actions lead the individual to his destiny are facilitated for him. Allaah The Almighty, Who knows in His prior Knowledge, that a certain person will be among the dwellers of Paradise, paves the path for him to do what would lead him there. Likewise, if one is to be among the inhabitants of Hell, He makes the way of doing deeds that would land him in that place, easy for him to do. Then, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, recited the verse (what means): {As for he who gives and fears Allaah. And believes in the best [reward], We will ease him toward ease. But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need, And denies the best [reward], We will facilitate for him the difficult end.}[Quran 92:5-7]
Furthermore, ‘Ubaadah ibn As-Saamit reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that Allaah The Almighty ordered the Pen to write the fate of everything until the Day of Resurrection. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, dissociated himself from anyone who dies believing otherwise. [Abu Daawood]
There are Hadeeths dispraising Al-Qadariyyah, describing them as the Magi of this Ummah (Muslim nation). However, they are mostly Dha’eef (weak), even though some of them acquire the degree of being Hasan (good) reports. An example of the latter is the one related by Ibn ’Umar who related that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, mentioned that Al-Qadariyyah were the Magi of this Ummah; and, [the Muslims] were ordered not to visit its members if they fell sick and not to attend their funerals if they die. [Abu Daawood, Saheeh –As-Siyooti; Hasan –Al-Albaani]
The founder of Al-Qadariyyah was Ma‘bad Al-Juhani Al-Basri, who lived near the end of the era of the Companions, and he was followed by Ghaylaan Ad-Dimishqi. The Companions, such as ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, Abu Hurayrah, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Anas ibn Maalik, ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Awfa, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir Al-Jahni and others 
all, dissociated themselves from them [both and their sect]. Yahya ibn Ya‘mur 
related that he had told Ibn ‘Umar about how the members of Al-Qadariyyah would deny fate, whereupon he distanced himself from them and told him that Allaah The Almighty would not accept any of their good deeds, even if they were the most sincere of His worshippers, until they believed in predestined decree. [Muslim]
The belief of the followers of Sunnah concerning fate is simultaneous with their conviction that man has a choice and freedom, which qualify him to be competent for religious duties. Man, along with his free will, is created by Allaah The Almighty; this fact is confirmed by the Quran, clearly stated in the Sunnah and even previously clarified in many Fatwas (legal rulings). Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
· {For whoever wills among you to take a right course.}[Quran 81:28]
· {So whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve.}[Quran 18:29]
· {And you do not will except that Allaah wills - Lord of the worlds.}[Quran 81:29]
Consequently, the invalidity of their claim that it is only one’s will or power of spirit, concentration or determination that affect his actions, is evident, for he cannot do anything and nothing takes place in this universe, unless Allaah The Almighty wills it, as He Says (what means): {For whoever wills among you to take a right course. And you do not will except that Allaah wills - Lord of the worlds.}[Quran 81:28-29] This proves that the slave has volition, but it neither matters nor is implemented, without [it concurring with] the Will of Allaah The Almighty. However, the slave is the one who does actions, and therefore, shall be held accountable and thus rewarded or punished for them.
As for the stipulation of having certitude in the answer of Allaah The Almighty to one's supplication for it to be more likely of being accepted, it is just like the requirement of lawful nourishment and clothing of the one praying or said invocations entailing lack of evil and severing of kinship. Thus, attentiveness from the heart and certainty in a Divine response are all factors in the acceptance of prayers. This all comes under [the importance of] having good expectations of Allaah The Almighty, and, indeed, He is as His servant expects Him to be.
It is a plain error to say that invocations have no benefit, and rather, one’s determination or conviction, actually do. This is so, for the [requisite] conviction meant here, is in Allaah The Almighty, that He would answer our prayers; and that would only be applicable, if there were such a thing as supplications.
There is no similarity between the Muslim who worships Allaah The Almighty Alone, believing that nothing happens in His universe without His Will, and the idolaters. Idol worshippers used to believe in destiny, but they made it a pretext for the permissibility of Shirk (association of partners with Allaah The Almighty) and deviation, as Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Those who associated with Allaah will say, "If Allaah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers,}[Quran 6:148]
Using fate as a pretext for committing sins is invalid, because the disbeliever commits these sins voluntarily, without anyone compelling him. It is worthier for him to submit to the order of his Lord and worship Him Alone and shun polytheism. He has the ability and choice to do so. This point has been explained in depth in previous Fatwas.
And Allaah Knows best.