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THE
MEANING OF DESTINY AND DECREE
There
is nothing of which its treasuries
are not with Us, and We send not
down anything but in a known
(pre-determined) measure.
And
all things We have kept in a
Manifest Record.
The
Arabic word translated as “destiny”
is qadar. In its derivations, this word
also means “determination,” “giving
a certain measure and shape,” “dividing,”
and “judging.” Muslim scholars of
Islam define it as “Divine measure,”
“determination,” and “judgment in
the creation of things.”
Before
discussing Divine Decree and Destiny
further, we will provide the translation
of some relevant verses:
With
Him are the keys of the Unseen. None
but He knows them. He knows what is in
the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls
but He knows it, not a grain amid the
darkness of the soil, naught of wet or
dry but it is in a “Kitabun Mubin”
(Manifest Book). (6:59)
There
is nothing hidden in the heaven or the
Earth but it is in a Manifest Book.
(27:75)
It
is We Who bring the dead to life. We
record what they send (of their lives
and conduct to the Hereafter) and what
is left of them. All things we have
kept in a “Imamun Mubin” (Manifest
Record). (36:12)
They
ask: “When (will) this promise (be
fulfilled), if you are truthful?”
Say: “The knowledge is with God
only, and I am but a plain warner.”
(67:25-6)
Nay,
but it is a glorious Quran. On a
“Lawhun Mahfuz” (Preserved
Tablet). (85:21-2)
In
one sense, Decree and Destiny mean the
same thing. In another sense, however,
Destiny means to predetermine or
preordain, while Decree means to execute
or put into effect. To be more precise,
Destiny means that everything that
exists, from subatomic particles to the
universe as a whole, is known by God
Almighty. His Knowledge includes all
space and time, while He Himself is
absolutely free both of them. Everything
exists in His Knowledge, and He assigns
to each a certain shape, life span,
function or mission, and certain
characteristics.
Consider
the following analogy: Authors have full
and exact knowledge of the book they
will write, and arrange its chapters,
sections, paragraphs, sentences, and
words before writing it. In this sense,
Destiny is almost identical with Divine
Knowledge, or is a title of Divine
Knowledge. It is therefore also called
the “Supreme Preserved Tablet” (or
the “Manifest Record”). Destiny also
means that God makes everything
according to a certain, particular
measure and in exact balance:
God
knows what every female bears and what
the wombs absorb and what they grow.
And everything with Him is measured.
(13:8)
The
sun and the moon are made punctual
according to a calculation. The stars
and the trees adore, in subservience
to Him. And the sky He has uplifted;
and He has set the balance, that you
exceed not the balance, but observe
the balance strictly, nor fall short
thereof. (55:5-9)
The
universe’s exact measure and balance,
order and harmony, as well as that of
all it contains, clearly show that
everything is determined and measured,
created and governed by God Almighty.
Therefore, Divine Destiny exists. Such
assertions as determinism, which is
upheld by many people and even some
Marxists, to explain such an obvious
universal order and operation are tacit
admissions of Destiny. But we have to
clarify one point here: According to
Islam, absolute determinism cannot be
used in the context of human action.
All
seeds, measured and proportioned forms,
and the universe’s extraordinary order
and harmony, which has continued for
billions of years without any
interruption or deviation, demonstrates
that everything occurs according to God
Almighty’s absolute determination.
Each seed or ovum is like a case formed
by Divine Power into which Divine
Destiny inserts the future life-history
of a plant or a living being. Divine
Power employs atoms or particles,
according to the measure established by
Divine Destiny, to transform each seed
into a specific plant, and each
fertilized ovum into a specific living
being. This means that the future
life-history of these entities, as well
as the principles governing their lives,
are prerecorded in the seed or the
fertilized ovum as determining factors
and processes.
Plants
and living beings are formed from the
same basic materials. However, there is
an almost infinite variety between
species and individuals. Plants and
living beings grow from the same
constituent basic elements, and display
great harmony and proportion. And yet
there is such abundant diversity that we
are forced to conclude that each entity
receives a specific form and measure.
This specific form and measure is
established by Divine Destiny.
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