Qadar is an Arabic word mentioned in the Qur’an, which means, amongst other things, ‘fate’ or ‘divine destiny’: Allah has knowledge of everything in His creation and nothing occurs except by His will. This term, however, should not be confused with ‘predestination’ or ‘fatalism’ which implies that humans have no free will.
There are obviously certain things over which humans have no control:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has ordained for every servant amongst His creation five things: his death, his action, his abode, the places of his moving about and his means of sustenance. [Tirmidhi]
However, Muslims do believe that human beings are given free will and it must be made clear that destiny does not remove the necessity for humans to make choices. The choices that humans make are all within Allah’s knowledge, which is unlike and beyond our understanding.
Since Allah is Fair, He would not judge us for actions or events over which we have no control. Humans are free to choose their paths in life and God will judge each individual according to their choices and circumstances.
