We believe that there is no contradiction between the Shariah, the command, and the creation. To Allah Almighty belong the creation and the command. As He does whatever He wills and is not questioned about that, He commands and none can reverse His command and judgment. He, Glorified be He, says: {Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and earth in six days, and then rose over the Throne. He makes the night and day overlap in rapid succession. He made the sun, the moon, and the stars – all subservient to His command. Behold, His is the creation and the command. Blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 54]
We believe that Allah, the Exalted, had determined the destiny of all creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. Nonetheless, He commanded people to obey Him and obey His messengers and prophets and forbade them from disobeying Him or disobeying His messengers and prophets. Allah, Blessed and Glorified be He, says: {If Allah afflicts you with harm, none can remove it except Him; if He wants good for you, none can withhold His bounty. He grants it to whom He wills of His slaves, and He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Say: "O people, the truth has come to you from your Lord. So whoever accepts guidance, it is only for his own good; and whoever goes astray, it is only for his own loss. I am not a keeper over you." Follow what is revealed to you, and be patient until Allah passes His judgment, for He is the Best of Judges.} [Surat Yūnus: 107-109] In these verses, Allah Almighty informs about His predestination along with the command to follow His revelation and injunctions. He, Exalted be He, also says: {Follow [O Prophet] what is revealed to you from your Lord – none has the right to be worshiped except Him – and turn away from those who associate partners with Allah. If Allah had willed, they would not have associated partners with Him. We have not made you a keeper over them, nor are you their trustee.} [Surat al-An‘ām: 106-107] Our Lord points out that it is our duty to follow guidance, and that He guides whomever He wills by His grace, and He misguides whomever He wills by His justice. Allah, Glorified be He, says: {If your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind a single community, but they will not cease to differ, except those whom Allah has given mercy, and for this He created them, and the word of your Lord will be fulfilled: "I will certainly fill Hell with jinn and humans all together." We relate to you [O Prophet] the stories of the messengers to strengthen your heart. And there has come to you in this the truth, an admonition and a reminder to the believers. Say to those who do not believe: "Carry on in your ways; so will we do. And wait; we too are waiting." To Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and earth, and to Him will return all matters. So worship Him and put your trust in Him, for your Lord is not unaware of what you do.} [Surat Hūd: 118-123] In these verses as well, Allah Almighty mentions His general will and His threat to the disobedient ones, along with His command to His believing servants to worship and rely upon Him.
Combining belief in the divine predestination and acting upon the Shariah is something possible and within people's reach. Hence, Allah, the Exalted, says: {Allah does not charge any soul more than what it can bear.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 286] Allah Almighty also says: {We do not burden a soul more than what it can bear.} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 62]
Our Lord commanded us to display patience over the painful things He had predestined for us. He, Glorified be He, says: {We will surely test you with something of fear and famine, and loss of property, lives and fruits. But give glad tidings to those who are patient.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 155] He Almighty also says: {Those who observe patience will be given their reward without measure.} [Surat az-Zumar: 10]
And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most afflicted among people are the prophets, then those next to them, then those next to them, then those next to them." [Narrated by Is'hāq ibn Rahwayh (2413), Ahmad in Al-Musnad (27079), Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya in Al-Marad Wa Al-Kaffārāt (6), and An-Nasā’i in Al-Kubra (7440)]
In another Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Afflictions continue to befall a believing man or woman in his self, children, and property until he meets Allah free from sins." [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi (7859), Ibn Abi Shaybah (10916), Ahmad in Al-Musnad (7859), and Hannād ibn as-Sirri in Az-Zuhd (402)]
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were attending a funeral procession in Baqī‘ aI-Gharqad. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to us and sat, and we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand. He bent his head and started scraping the ground with it. He then said: "There is none among you, and not a created soul, but he has place either in Paradise or in Hellfire assigned for him, and it is also determined for him whether he will be among the blissful or the miserable." A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, should we not depend on what has been written for us and leave the deeds as whoever amongst us is blissful will do the deeds of a blissful person and whoever amongst is miserable will do the deeds of a miserable person?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Good deeds are made easy for the blissful, and bad deeds are made easy for the miserable." Then, he recited the verses: {As for the one who gives in charity and fears Allah, and truly believes in the best reward.} [Surat al-Layl: 5-6] [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (1362), Muslim (2647), Abu Dāwūd (4694), and At-Tirmidhi (3344)]
‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, are the people of Paradise recognized from the people of Hellfire?" He replied: 'Yes.' He further asked: "Why should people do good deeds then?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Everyone does what he was created for - or what has been made easy for him." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (6596), Muslim (2649), and Abu Dāwūd (4709)]
Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Surāqah ibn Mālik ibn Ju‘shum came and said: "O Messenger of Allah, explain our religion to us as if we have been created just now. What are our deeds today for? Are they for things about which the pens have dried and the destinies have been determined, or about something in the future?" He replied: "No, they are for things about which the pens have dried and the destinies have been determined." He said: "Why should there be deeds then?" Zuhayr said: "Then, Abu az-Zubayr said words which I could not understand. So, I asked about what he said, and he replied: "Do deeds, for everyone has been enabled." [Narrated by Muslim (2648)]
Sahl as-Sa‘idi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A person may do deeds that seem to people as the deeds of the dwellers of Paradise while in fact, he is from the dwellers of Hellfire; and a person may do deeds that seem to people as the deeds of the dwellers of Hellfire while in fact, he is from the dwellers of Paradise. Verily, the deeds depends on how they end." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri (6493) and Muslim (112)]
Speaking about Allah Almighty, Imām Al-Ājurri said: "He likes obedience from His servants and commanded it. It happened by those who obey Him through His guidance to them. Also, He forbade sins and willed them to exist, without liking them or commanding them. Far exalted be Allah above enjoining or liking immorality. So Glorified be He that nothing can happen in His dominion without His will or without His prior knowledge. He had known what His servants would do before He created them and after He created them, and before they did it, according to His predestination and decree. The Pen had written in the Preserved Tablet, at Allah's command, what people, pious and wicked, would do. Nonetheless, He commends those of His servants who obey Him, attributes their deeds to them, and promises them a great reward for those deeds, though if it were not for His help to them, they would not have done those deeds or become entitled to this reward from Him. {That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, for Allah is the Lord of great bounty} [Surat al-Hadīd: 21]. Likewise, He dispraises those who commit sins, threatens them with punishment for doing them, and attributes the deeds to them, which have happened according to the divine predestination. He misguides whomever He wills and guides whomever He wills." [Ash-Sharī‘ah by Al-Ājurri (2/702)]
We believe that as there is no contradiction between the creation, the command, and the Shariah, there is also no contradiction between the Shariah, the command, and reason. Everything commanded or prohibited by Allah Almighty or His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) or predestined or stated by Allah, the Exalted, does not run counter to reason. On the contrary, it is quite reasonable and perfectly wise. Allah, the All-Wise and All-Knowing Lord, says: {This is part of the wisdom that your Lord has revealed to you [O Prophet]. Do not set up any other god with Allah, or you will be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 39] Allah Almighty also says: {Which contain extensive wisdom, but the warnings are of no avail.} [Surat al-Qamar: 5] And He, Exalted be He, says: {And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 113] With it, the argument is established against humankind. Allah, Exalted be He, says: {Say: "Allah alone has the most conclusive argument. If He had willed, He could have guided you all."} [Surat al-An‘ām: 149] This Shariah, the command, and predestination are at the climax of excellence. Nothing is more excellent than them. Allah Almighty says: {Do they seek the judgment of the times of ignorance? Who could be better than Allah in judgment for people who are certain in faith?} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 50]
Ad-Daylami related: I went to Ubayy ibn Ka‘b and said to him: "I am confused about the divine predestination. So, tell me something by means of which Allah may remove the confusion from my mind." He replied: "Were Allah to punish everyone in the heavens and on earth, He would do so without being unjust to them, and were He to show mercy to them, His mercy would be much better to them than their actions. And were you to spend in support of Allah’s cause an amount of gold equivalent to Uhud, Allah would not accept it from you till you believed in the divine predestination and knew that what befell you could not have missed you and what missed you could not have befallen you. Were you to die believing other than this, you would enter Hellfire." I then went to ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd, and he said something similar to that. Then, I went to Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān, and he said something similar to that. Then, I went to Zayd ibn Thābit, who related to me something similar to that from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd (4699), Ibn Mājah (77), Ahmad (21589), ‘Abd ibn Humayd (247), Al-Faryābi in Al-Qadar (190), and Sharh Usūl I‘tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah Wa Al-Jamā‘ah (4/676)]
Praising His Book which comprises the legislation and the command, Allah Almighty describes it as the best message and speech. He, Glorified be He, says: {Allah has sent down the best message – a Book.} [Surat az-Zumar: 23] Everything Allah Almighty has legislated or predestined is totally perfect and excellent, whether our minds could grasp it or not. We should not make our minds and views a judge over Allah's Shariah and predestination, by approving of it some times and disproving it in other times. Indeed, all that is legislated and predestined by our Lord is at the pinnacle of beauty and perfection.
We believe that the Shariah and the divine predestination are all good. Allah Almighty would not predestine sheer evil. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "All goodness is in Your Hands, and evil does not belong to You." [Narrated by Muslim (771), Abu Dāwūd (761), At-Tirmidhi (266), and An-Nasā’i (897)]
Evil falls under the general predestination. Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, We have created everything according to a determined measure.} [Surat al-Qamar: 49] Evil is mentioned in the Qur’an being attributed to those who perpetrate it. Allah, the Exalted, says: {Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak, from the harm of all what He has created."} [Surat al-Falaq: 1-2]
Out of politeness, we should not attribute evil to Allah Almighty. Some jinn are quoted in the Qur’an as saying: {We do not know whether evil is intended for those on earth, or their Lord intends good for them.} [Surat al-Jinn: 10] Prophet Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) is quoted in the Qur’an as saying: {And when I am ill He heals me.} [Surat ash-Shu‘arā’: 80] He attributed illness to himself and healing to Allah, Exalted be He.