Introduction

ʿUmar Sulaymān al-Ashqar (1940–2012) was a Jordanian scholar whose formation at the Islamic University of Madinah placed him firmly within the Sunnī hadith-centred intellectual tradition. After completing his studies he taught at the University of Jordan and the University of Kuwait, producing a substantial body of work in theology and jurisprudence. Allah's Qadar (al-Qaḍāʾ wa al-Qadar) belongs to his widely read creed series and addresses one of the most philosophically demanding articles of Islamic faith. The doctrine of divine decree was a focal point of theological controversy in early Islamic history, with the Muʿtazilah denying Allah's pre-eternal knowledge of human acts and the Jabriyyah denying all human agency. Al-Ashqar writes in explicit response to both errors and to various modern formulations that attempt to dissolve the tension between divine sovereignty and human freedom on grounds other than those established by revelation.

The book is structured around the four levels (marātib) of belief in qadar that classical scholars identified as constituting correct faith on this matter: Allah's comprehensive pre-eternal knowledge of all things; His having recorded everything in al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ before creation; His will that whatever occurs does occur; and His creation of all things including the acts of created beings. Al-Ashqar examines each level in turn, citing Quranic evidence and prophetic narrations, and then devotes careful attention to the reconciliation of these affirmations with the equally established Islamic teaching that human beings possess real will, real choice, and real moral accountability. He also treats the practical and spiritual dimensions of qadar: how a believer should respond to calamities, the distinction between using qadar as an excuse for sin and finding consolation in it after unavoidable loss, and the relationship between reliance on Allah (tawakkul) and the use of ordinary means.

This volume addresses a doctrine that has generated more misunderstanding among both Muslims and outside observers than almost any other topic in Islamic theology. By organising the discussion around the authoritative classical framework of the four levels and consistently returning to Quranic and hadith evidence, al-Ashqar gives readers a reliable map for navigating a subject that can otherwise seem labyrinthine. The book has been used in Islamic education programmes across the Arab world and in translation as a corrective to both the fatalistic and the rationalist misreadings of qadar that circulate widely in popular discourse.

A reader approaching this work should be prepared for a subject that cannot be fully resolved by logic alone and that ultimately requires a posture of faith alongside rational inquiry. Al-Ashqar is honest about the limits of human understanding here and never claims to dissolve the mystery of divine will and human freedom entirely; rather, he establishes the boundaries within which correct belief must stay. Students are advised to read the Quranic verses cited in each chapter in their full context, as the cumulative effect of the textual evidence is central to the book's argument. Those who work through it carefully will find their understanding of Islamic theology significantly deepened and will be better equipped to engage both the intellectual and the pastoral dimensions of this foundational doctrine.