Decree (qada) and Destiny (qadr)
There is something referred to as the secret of destiny, which represents the fine edge of decree. This is alluded to in His saying, Exalted is He: "Indeed, We created everything with predestination. And Our command is but one, like a glance of the eye." (54:49-50) Decree is this singular command that transcends time and space, as indicated by the phrase "like a glance of the eye." Destiny, on the other hand, is the execution of decree, manifesting it within the confines of time and space, through gradual progression, delay, and development.
Decree (qada) and destiny (qadar) are also referenced in another verse, where Allah, Exalted is He, says: "Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book." (13:39). His saying, "Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms," refers to destiny (qadar) and is an allusion to the process of development through the successive transformations of created forms. We have previously mentioned that life cycles through forms in pursuit of being constant in form, just as it is constant in essence - but how distant that goal is!
His saying, "And with Him is the Mother of the Book," refers to decree (qada), which is the secret of destiny (sirr al-qadar).
These concepts are also referenced in His saying, Exalted is He: "And there is not a thing but that with Us are its treasures, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure." (15:21). His words, "We do not send it down except according to a known measure," refer to destiny (qadr), while His words, "And there is not a thing but that with Us are its treasures," refer to decree (qada), which also implies the secret of destiny (sirr al-qadr).
Destiny is a dual realm, encompassing good and evil, knowledge and ignorance. Decree, however, is a realm of unity, where evil vanishes, and only absolute good remains - with Allah, where there is no "where." This is what our companions refer to as the secret of destiny, a matter they considered too profound to disclose, out of respect for the wisdom of the time and adherence to proper decorum.
Every created being has two precedents: one in decree and one in destiny. The precedent in decree is absolute good for all creation, while the precedent in destiny may be either good or evil. The nature of this precedent in destiny is concealed from people, though it may be inferred from the subsequent state of the individual - whether they are righteous or unrighteous in their daily life. This subsequent state is not hidden from those with insight (basirah), who recognize the imperfections in human adherence to the Shari‘ah and understand the purpose of Allah sending messengers. The messengers were sent to unveil the subsequent state through the elaboration of the Shari‘ah. Meanwhile, Allah has concealed the precedent within the secret of His Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), establishing proof against His servants and obliging them to act according to the commands and prohibitions of the Shari‘ah, as He says:
"So that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers." (4:165). He, Exalted is He, said regarding this: "And they said, 'If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them.' They have no knowledge of that; they are only guessing." (43:20)
They have no knowledge of the will of the Most Merciful, as it is concealed from them. What they do have knowledge of is the law (shari‘ah) of the Most Merciful, which commands them to worship none but Him. His words, "They are only guessing," mean they are lying, for they do not attribute all matters to Allah - neither in their livelihood nor in earning their sustenance. Even when they attribute matters of worship to Him, it is only due to their lack of certainty in the Hereafter compared to their certainty in worldly life.
When the self gains insight into the secret of destiny (sirr al-qadr) and becomes certain that Allah is pure goodness, it finds peace in Him, becomes content with Him, and surrenders and submits to His will. At that point, it is freed from fear, achieves peace with itself, with living beings, and with all things. The self purifies its thoughts from evil, guards its tongue from harmful speech, and restrains its hand from violence. It soon attains the unity of its essence, becoming pure goodness, radiating sweetness of character effortlessly, just as fragrance naturally emanates from a fragrant flower.
Here, the heart prostrates, eternally, at the threshold of the first station of servitude. On that day, the servant is no longer determined; rather, he is given free choice. This is because determinism has elevated him to the stations of honor, delivering him to the freedom of choice.
They have obeyed Allah to the extent that Allah grants them obedience in return, as a retribution for their actions. Thus, they live with the life of Allah, know with the knowledge of Allah, will with the will of Allah, and act with the power of Allah - until they become Allah.
Allah, Exalted is He, has no form to be assumed, nor an end to be reached. Rather, one’s share of that is to remain in continuous becoming, renewing the life of his feelings and his thoughts at every moment, emulating His saying about Himself: "Every day He is [bringing about] a matter." (55:29)
This is the purpose of worship, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, summarized in his advice: "Adorn yourselves with the attributes of Allah, for my Lord is on a straight path."
Allah, Exalted is He, also said: "Be people of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Book and because of what you have studied." (3:79)
Concerning these individuals, Allah, Exalted is He, said: "They will have whatever they wish with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good." (39:34). His words, "They will have whatever they wish," indicate that they are given free choice. His words, "with their Lord," signify the station of servitude, for none stands with the Lord (Rabb) except the servant (abd). His words, "That is the reward of the doers of good," refer to those who excelled in managing absolute individual freedom by using it to fulfill servitude to Allah. For He, exalted is He, has said: 'And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (51:56)
This is the realm of individualities, where the laws are individual laws, and the caller to Allah is Allah Himself. Here, the servant stands directly before the Lord, with no intermediaries between them and with the veils - both the veils of darkness and the veils of light - lifted.
Worship in this realm is pure servitude, and actions are carried out with an awareness of the precedent (sabiqah) and a careful alignment of the subsequent (lahiqah) with it, so that balance is achieved with justice. The servant’s endeavor here is to be for their Lord as their Lord is for them. This is the meaning of the command of the Lord, Exalted is He, when He said: "And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance." (55:9)
If the servant’s presence with the Lord mirrors the Lord’s presence with the servant perfectly, then the balance has been established with justice. Yet, how distant this ideal remains!
A brief digression on the practical value of worship is permissible here, because the servant standing directly before the Lord, with no intermediaries between them, signifies the meeting of the transient and the eternal. The veils have been lifted between them - the transient here is the mind, and the eternal is the heart, which is also expressed as the subconscious mind.
These veils are the remnants of repressed desires, lying on the surface of the subconscious mind, caused by inherited fear that stretches back to ancient times, from the very beginning of human existence. This is the "stain" (rayn) mentioned in His saying, Exalted is He: "No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts for what they were earning." (83:14)
An individual cannot attain absolute individual freedom while being divided within himself, with parts of him in conflict with each other. Instead, they must restore unity to their inner structure so that they may be at peace with themselves before attempting to be at peace with others, for one cannot give what one does not possess. One achieves peace with oneself only when the conscious mind is not in opposition or conflict with the subconscious mind. On that day, the heart will find peace, and the mind will achieve clarity. In other words, the life of thought and the life of feeling will be realized, and that is the higher life.
The unification of the forces embedded within the structure is achieved when a person thinks as they wish, speaks as they think, and acts as they speak. This is the demand of the Qur'an for all of us, as He, Exalted is He, said: "O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do." (61:2-3)
The conflict between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind is resolved through understanding the conflict between the individual and the community, as well as between the individual and the universe. We have already explained the virtue of Islam in addressing this. Thus, it becomes clear that the necessity of understanding the relationship between the individual and the community, and the individual and the universe, in a well-defined manner, arises from the practical need for a methodology through which absolute individual freedom can be achieved. This cannot be accomplished by any other methodology.
There remains one thing: there is a mistake into which many thinkers fall when they assume that the belief in determinism implies passivity. The truth is otherwise. The concealment of what destiny has decreed beforehand, and the revelation of what the Sharia has brought forth, have obligated the human being to act according to the commands and prohibitions of the Sharia, striving for excellence and perfection. Then, one must accept with contentment whatever may be written and destined by Allah, relying on Him and trusting in Him. The infallible (the Prophet) said: "Indeed, Allah has prescribed excellence in all things. So, when you kill, kill with excellence, and when you slaughter, slaughter with excellence. Let one of you sharpen his blade and spare his animal from suffering." In fact, I know of no greater form of positivity than that of a person who performs their immediate duty with utmost excellence, as "Allah has prescribed excellence in all things," and then accepts the outcome, whatever it may be, without succumbing to despair in failure or being carried away by joy in success.
And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, nurtures and disciplines us in this regard with His words: "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. So that you may not despair over what has eluded you and not exult [in pride] over what He has given you. And Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful." (57:22-23)
