Understanding Predestination and the Deviations of Qadariyah and Jabriyah
- Laila Nasheeba
- 3 hours ago
- 8 min read
Predestination is not a side topic in Islam. It is part of iman, and the Muslim’s belief in it must be rooted in revelation, not speculation, philosophy, or emotional discomfort.
This week, Ustadah Laila Nasheeba began the topic of Divine Decree, known as qadar, by stressing a serious point: belief in predestination is a component of faith. It is not optional, and it is not open to being reshaped by later theological trends. The safest path is the path of the Prophet’s Companions, who accepted what the Messenger of Allah taught them about the decree of Allah without arguing, denying, or trying to explain it away.
That matters because the earliest deviations in this topic did not remain harmless opinions. They became schools of thought. They affected how people understood Allah’s power, justice, knowledge, will, and creation. Two of the most well-known deviations were the Qadariyah and the Jabriyah, both of which moved away from the balanced belief of Ahl al-Sunnah.
Predestination is part of faith
Belief in qadar means believing that nothing happens outside the knowledge, will, decree, and creation of Allah. Whatever occurs in the heavens and the earth happens by His permission and wisdom. This includes what people see as good and what they experience as painful, difficult, or evil.
The Muslim does not say that events are random. Nor does the Muslim say that creation operates independently from Allah. At the same time, Islam does not teach that people are lifeless objects with no choice or responsibility. The correct belief holds both truths together:
Allah knows all things before they happen.
Allah has written what will occur.
Nothing happens except by His will.
Allah is the Creator of everything.
People act, choose, intend, obey, disobey, and earn the consequences of their actions.
This balance protects belief in Allah’s lordship and also preserves human responsibility. A person cannot use predestination as an excuse for sin. The same person cannot claim independence from Allah in the smallest movement, decision, or outcome.
Ustadah Laila Nasheeba emphasized that denying any aspect of qadar is not a matter to be taken lightly. She explained that such denial invalidates one’s shahadah because it contradicts a core component of iman. This is why the early Muslims treated the issue with such seriousness.
The Companions of the Prophet accepted what he told them about Divine Decree. They did not argue over it during his lifetime, nor did they turn it into a field of debate after his death. Their model was one of submission, certainty, and careful restraint.
The Companions opposed the first denial of qadar
The first major public deviation regarding qadar appeared in Basrah. Imam Muslim narrated from Yahya ibn Ya‘mar that the first person to speak about qadar in Basrah was Ma‘bad al-Juhani. He and those who followed him claimed that things happened without prior decree.
This was not treated as a minor disagreement. Some of the Companions were still alive at that time, including great scholars and narrators such as:
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar
Ibn ‘Abbas
Wathilah ibn al-Asqa‘
Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah
Abu Hurayrah
Anas ibn Malik
They strongly opposed this belief and declared war against those who supported it. Their response shows how clearly they understood the danger. The issue was not only about human action. It touched the core of belief in Allah’s knowledge, power, will, and authority over creation.
The early Qadari denial claimed that events, especially human actions, occur outside Allah’s decree. This opened the door to a false idea: that people initiate their own actions independently of Allah.
That belief directly clashes with tawhid. If anything in existence occurs outside Allah’s will and creation, then His lordship is being restricted. The Companions did not accept that. They understood that nothing happens except by the will of Allah, even though people are still accountable for what they choose and do.
The Qadariyah separated evil from Allah’s decree
The ideas of Ma‘bad al-Juhani were later adopted and developed by leaders of the Mu‘tazilah. Among their claims was the idea that evil could not be attributed to Allah. They reasoned that Allah could not create evil and sin because, in their view, this was not possible for Him.
Ustadah Laila Nasheeba mentioned An-Nazzaam, one of the Mu‘tazilah, who said that Allah could not be described as having the power to create evil and sin. This way of speaking may appear, at first glance, to be an attempt to defend Allah’s perfection. In reality, it denies the completeness of Allah’s power and His control over creation.
The group became known as Al-Qadariyah. They were given this name because they denied qadar in the sense that they claimed people create or initiate their own actions independently of Allah. They did not affirm that all things occur by Allah’s decree and will.
The Prophet is reported to have called the Qadariyah the Magians of this ummah. The narration is found in Sunan Abi Dawood and Al-Mustadrak of Al-Hakim, and the latter cited it as authentic according to the conditions of the two most authentic collections, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
The comparison is powerful. The Magians, or Zoroastrians, held a dualist belief in two origins, often described as light and darkness. Good was connected to one source, and evil to another. In a similar way, the Qadariyah attributed good to Allah while pushing evil outside His decree and creation.
The correct belief avoids this dualism. Allah is the Creator of both good and evil. Nothing comes into existence except by His will. Yet there is a careful distinction:
Evil is attributed to Allah in the sense that He created it and allowed it to exist by His wisdom.
Allah’s creation of something does not mean He loves it or commands it.
Evil is attributed to people in the sense that they commit it, choose it, and earn blame for it.
A person’s sinful act remains the person’s responsibility.
This distinction is essential. Allah may create what He does not love. He created Iblis, but He does not love disbelief. He allows sins to occur, but He commands justice, obedience, worship, and repentance. He tests His servants through hardship, temptation, and moral choice. His wisdom is complete, even when people do not grasp it.
So the Muslim says: Allah created all things, and Allah is never unjust. People commit sins by their own will, and they cannot escape Allah’s knowledge, decree, or judgment.
The Jabriyah denied human choice
Another deviation appeared during the Umayyad period. This group went in the opposite direction. Instead of denying Allah’s decree over human actions, they claimed that people are compelled to do whatever they do and have no real choice.
This belief is known as Jabriyah. Some of its followers said that human beings have no will at all. Others said a person may have some kind of power, but that it has no real effect. In the end, both forms remove meaningful human responsibility.
The first person known to spread this view was Al-Jahm ibn Safwan. From this innovation came many other errors and forms of misguidance. The belief later spread among parts of the ummah and was adopted by some worshippers and Sufis.
The danger of Jabriyah is clear. If a person says, “I had no choice, Allah forced me,” then repentance loses meaning. Commands and prohibitions lose meaning. Reward and punishment become difficult to understand correctly. Why would Allah command prayer, forbid oppression, praise obedience, and condemn sin if people had no real choice at all?
Islam rejects this fatalism. The Qur’an repeatedly speaks to people as responsible moral agents. People are commanded to believe, pray, give, repent, speak truth, avoid injustice, and struggle against their desires. These commands only make sense because people have a real, created will and ability.
But that will is not independent of Allah. Human choice exists under Allah’s will, not outside it.
The balanced belief avoids both extremes
The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah stands between Qadariyah and Jabriyah.
The Qadariyah gave human beings too much independence. They spoke as if actions could occur outside Allah’s decree and creation. The Jabriyah erased human choice and treated people as though they were forced into every deed.
The truth is neither extreme.
A person chooses, but Allah created the person and the choice. A person acts, but Allah created the person and the ability to act. A person intends, but the heart, mind, body, time, place, and outcome all exist by Allah’s will.
This is why the Muslim can say two things at once without contradiction:
Allah decreed all things.
The servant is responsible for what they choose and do.
A simple example can help. A person chooses to give charity. The intention is theirs. The action is theirs. They are praised and rewarded for it by Allah’s mercy. Yet the wealth they gave, the hand they used, the heart that softened, the opportunity that appeared, and the guidance to act all came from Allah.
The same applies to sin. A person chooses to lie or oppress. The act is theirs, and they are blameworthy for it. Yet the existence of that act does not escape Allah’s decree. Allah created the person, the ability, and the world in which the act occurred. He allowed it by His wisdom, and He will judge it with perfect justice.
This balanced view protects the heart from two spiritual diseases.
The first is arrogance. A person who forgets qadar may think, “My obedience is from me.” That person fails to see Allah’s favor in guidance, knowledge, patience, and opportunity.
The second is excuse-making. A person who misuses qadar may say, “My sin was decreed, so I am not responsible.” That person uses belief in Allah’s decree to avoid repentance, even though the same Allah commanded repentance.
The correct response to obedience is gratitude. The correct response to sin is repentance.
Why the early Muslim response still matters
The early Muslims did not treat qadar as a philosophical puzzle. They treated it as a matter of submission to Allah and His Messenger. That is why the Companions rejected the first people who denied decree. They knew that once people began speaking about Allah without revelation, confusion would spread quickly.
This topic also teaches restraint. There are matters of qadar that human reason cannot fully encompass. A Muslim believes what Allah revealed and what the Messenger taught. The heart submits even when the mind cannot see every wisdom.
That does not mean the topic cannot be studied. It should be studied, but with proper sources, sound teachers, and humility. The purpose is not to win arguments. The purpose is to correct belief, strengthen worship, and protect the heart from deviation.
The believer should walk away with several clear principles:
Allah’s knowledge covers everything.
Allah’s decree is complete.
Allah’s will always takes place.
Allah creates all things.
People have real choices and are accountable.
Evil is not outside Allah’s creation, but Allah is never unjust.
Sins are committed by people and earned by them.
Guidance is a gift from Allah, and repentance is always needed.
The safest path is the path of the Prophet’s Companions. They affirmed qadar without denial, and they affirmed accountability without fatalism. They did not separate creation from Allah, nor did they use decree as an excuse for disobedience. Belief in predestination should make the believer humble, not careless. It should increase trust in Allah, not laziness. It should bring patience in hardship, gratitude in ease, repentance after sin, and firmness upon the Sunnah.
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