THE FOURTH LEVEL OF AL-QADAR

 FAJR REMINDER: THE FOURTH LEVEL OF AL-QADAR

By: Umm Affān

Muḥarram 23, 1448 (8-July-2026)

Dear brethren! Every moment of our lives unfolds under the perfect Care of Allāh. Nothing exists independently of Him, and nothing escapes His Knowledge, Power, or Authority. He alone creates every creature, owns everything completely, places each creation where it belongs, provides for it with perfect justice, knows what is best for it at every stage of its existence, decrees its end when its appointed time arrives, and will resurrect every soul to stand before Him for judgment. How magnificent is our Lord! Allāh (ﷻ) says: “That is Allāh, your Lord, the Creator of all things…” [Sūrah Al-Ghāfir (40): 62]

This brings us to the fourth level of understanding Al-Qadar: Al-Khalq—the belief that Allāh is the Creator of everything and the One Who oversees every affair. From the smallest atom hidden from our sight to the greatest creation in the heavens, from what remains still to what moves without pause, nothing exists except that Allāh has brought it into existence. He alone is the Creator, the Lord, the Sovereign, and the Controller of all things. Every affair is under His Dominion, every creation is under His Power, and everything remains under His perfect Guardianship. He (ﷻ) says: “Allāh is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakīl (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian, etc.) over all things.” [Sūrah Az-Zumar (39): 62]

Furthermore, we must firmly believe that even our actions are created by Allāh—whether they are acts of righteousness, such as observing Ṣalāt and feeding the poor, or acts of disobedience, such as murder, stealing, fornication, and slander. Ḥudhayfah reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Indeed, Allāh has created every doer of deeds and what he does.” [Recorded by Imām al-Bukhārī in Khalq Af'āl al-'Ibād, p.114]

Shaykh Ibn Sa’dī (Raḥimahullāh) beautifully explained this reality when he said: “Just as Allāh is the One Who created them—meaning people—He has also created that by means of which they act, namely their abilities and will, then they do various actions of obedience and sin, by the abilities and will which Allah has created.” [ad-Durrah al-Bahiyyah Sharḥ al-Qasīdah at-Tā’iyyah, p. 18]

At this point, an important question naturally comes to mind: if Allāh is the Creator of our actions, does that mean we bear no responsibility for what we do? Can a person justify his sins by claiming that Allāh created those actions? This is a crucial matter that has confused many people throughout history. In shā’ Allāh, I shall discuss this important question later.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to protect our hearts from deviation, grant us a sound understanding of His Religion, and keep us firm upon the truth until we meet Him. Aameen.