What is TAQDEER (Fate)?

By Mr. Muhammad Sohaib Niazi

Introduction
This write up aims at addressing some common myths and wrong beliefs regarding Taqdeer
(fate). I have tried my best to convey the concept and essence of Taqdeer (fate) in an easy and
detailed manner. While as the sub-ordinates of Almighty Allah we are advised not to debate
much about fate, this article serves the purpose for the sake of masses’ benefit. Humans act
according to their set of beliefs and thinking patterns. If these patterns would be wrongly
shaped, individuals may suffer a lot in leading their lives.

To start talking about Taqdeer (fate), first we need to understand that Taqdeer (fate) has been
divided into two parts:

1. Jabri Taqdeer (Enforced Fate)

It refers to that part of taqdeer (fate) that largely is not concerned with what happens in our
lives and what results will we reap in hereafter. It composes of things like, rainfalls, natural
calamities, birth of a baby boy or girl, death time, the rise of judgement day etc.

2. Qadri Taqdeer (Fate which is in our own control)

This is the significant part of Taqdeer (fate) that is most relevant with respect to our personal
and collective lives as humans. It refers to the free will that we as humans have in our lives. We
are free to choose the paths we want to follow, also we are free to perform any actions we
want to achieve any kind of results in this world and hereafter.
Whatever choices we make in our lives, whether good or bad, will eternally define our
successes or failures in both the worlds.
While a common myth prevails in our society as some people argue that fate is a pre-
determined and fixed phenomena that will define our both lives and what happens in the two.
Whatever is in our fate will happen anyway, no matter how hard we try otherwise. Fortunately,
it is not a fact.

Fact
The actual fact is that whatever we do in this world is just pre-written by Almighty Allah as it
was pre-known by Allah. It doesn’t mean we don’t have a free will, rather Allah already knew
what we will do by our free will in future.
Points to Ponder
 If at all fate was pre-defined, why Allah asked us to make Dua (Prayer) and assured us
that Allah will accept it. If nothing could have been changed, this concept would seem
rather useless.
 In Surah Al-Mulk Chapter 29, Allah said that WE created life and death in order to judge
who among you performs better deeds. If all was pre-defined, no question about what a
human will do in future, as s/he will not have free will.
 Why Allah said in Quran, that a Mushrik (Polytheist) will not be forgiven ever, if his/her
fate was defined by Allah, isn’t it injustice to hold someone responsible for those things
which were never under his/her control. Without independent choice, there is no
accountability.

These points clarify that Taqdeer (fate) is basically a potential energy that is given by Allah to
humans on earth, to shape it as they may want to shape it by their own free choices and
actions.
Quran also tells us that WE have shown you both right and wrong paths. It is “You” who decides
whether to follow Rehman’s (Allah) path or shaitan’s (Satan) path.
Therefore, now it should be clear that if you know by taking such and such steps, you will earn a
degree of say Psychology or Engineering, and will become a Psychologist or an Engineer
respectively. It is purely your choice, and not a pre-planned passive phenomenon. This was not
pre-planned for you, but rather known before you came to the world that you will do such and
such to become Psychologist or an Engineer. Same analogy applies to all choices and actions in
life and their results.
When people tend to fail in their life, don’t get their desired results and wishes, they apply a
fake tactic to ease up their worries- “O dear! I lost my job, it was all what Allah had intended for
me”, “Alas! I couldn’t marry the girl of my choice, must be fate opposing my wishes, Allah had
this plan for me I have to accept it anyway”, such and many other such voices clutter our ear
drums to sway our weak and misguided perceptions too.
For Allah’s sake! Understand that Allah never said couples are made on heavens, no hadith says
that when you lose something in your life it is merely a matter of fate. People to some extent
have developed wrong notions in life just to justify their wrong steps, actions and choices.
Media has saturated our minds with such fake concepts to some extent and we ourselves are
also lazy to learn the rules of the game of life.
If Allah was to define your partner in life, why Prophet (S.A.W) established parameters for
choosing a partner? Allah would have said that marry anyone passively, as WE have selected
the “right” person for you already. Alas! It is not the reality.
Example
Now I am giving you a very worthy example of Fate, suppose a person is sitting on a hill and is
looking at a road in front of the hill. The person notices that the road is composed of two lanes
and it is one way road around the hill. After some distance the road gets narrow and is one lane
ahead only. Afterwards, the person notices two cars heading parallel to each other on that very
road, the person thinks in mind that if anyone of these two car drivers don’t take the car in
front of the other car or behind it, one of them will crash at place where the road becomes
narrow. As rationally thinking, the road is not broad enough for two cars to run parallel. The
cars keep going parallel and one of the car gets crashed with part of the hill due to one lane
track.
See in this example that if we think with insight, that person never intended or desired that one
of the cars may get crashed, but due to broader observation and better knowledge, the person
knew what was probably going to happen if they go parallel. Same is the case with fate, Allah
knew what we were to do in future but it is not that Allah desired good for some people and
bad for some others.

Exceptions to the General Rule

Now we come to the point of exceptions to the general concepts explained above:
If at any moment in life, a question may arise in your mind that you probably made a certain
choice right and took the right steps at the right time and still didn’t get desired results. In such
situations remember two things:

1. Punishment (Azaab)
Assuming that you made right choices at the right times and took the right actions, but you
didn’t get the results you wanted. It may be due to a punishment given to you due to some of
your bad deeds.
Here some people also think falsely that Allah didn’t want such and such to happen or it wasn’t
just meant for me etc. While Quran clarifies the stance that the fruits you reap are the result of
those deeds your hands have sent forward (you performed) and Allah is not unjust to anyone.

2. Exam (Imtehaan)
Otherwise it may be due to an Exam that Allah wants to test the sub-ordinate’s level of belief.
Allah says in Quran that do you think you will enter Paradise (Jannah) and you will not be
tested? Allah also says that verily you will be tested by hunger, loss of lives, and loss of money
(and property) and give good tidings to those who remain patient.
Difference between Punishment and Exam
Now we need to know the parameter to recognize the difference between Punishment and
Exam from Allah. The difference lies in the result, if after a tough time or a failure or a loss, you
revert to Allah more strongly and you come closer to Righteousness (hadayah) that means you
were in Exam from Allah. On the contrary, if you sway from the right path and become more
disobedient, it signifies that you were in Punishment from Allah. Because after Punishment, we
can’t achieve Righteousness (hadayah) until first we make right efforts to change our lives.

Point of Action
So the point of action here is that when you want something in life, make right choices at the
right times and take right actions at the right times, but also remember to make sincere Prayers
(Dua) for such thing. It is a weapon if a Muslim and also remember that a weapon is as effective
as is its user’s skill and expertise to use it smartly. It tells that back up your right choices and
guided actions with prayers (Dua).
We need to perform the possible part and leave the possible to Allah with full belief in Allah’s
powers.
Tawakkal k ye ma’ani hain keh khanjar tez rakh apna
Phir anjaam us ki tezi ka muqaddar kay hawalay kar
Whenever you pray (dua) for something, always ask for three things in it:
1. Betterment in your regard (Behtari)
2. Barakah (Barkat)
3. Easiness (In its achievement) (Asani)
After all this, either you will definitely get that thing or person or desired result with betterment
as Allah has powers to convert something, anything that was earlier bad for you, good in your
regard. That is the concept of favor of Allah (Barakah)-that is you get additional factor of
contingency going your way. Say you worked hard at the right time and unfortunately got ill
near your crucial interview date, and the interview gets delayed due to any reason that is a
favor from Allah to you for your efforts. Otherwise if I haven’t bothered to prepare for anything
related to interview, no amount of favor will ever help me to get undue advantage over other
candidates who at least performed the possible part.
If you still don’t get the required results, either your prayer (dua) wasn’t accepted for any
reason known to Allah or it was a lacking at your end in terms of wrong choice or not taking
enough and right and actions at appropriate times. As if someone prepared for interview but
got late due to the fault of bus driver, it was just that success accepts no reasons and here the
candidate unlike the previous one, didn’t get the benefit of his efforts.
It is primarily because, we humans are mutually interdependent and we get or lose some things
also due to the acceptance or rejection of injustice done by other humans respectively. Here
the driver’s mistake made the candidate to lose the interview.
Secondly because no matter how smart we may be, Allah shows us sometimes that the ultimate
controller of universe is Allah and not us. But not due to the false belief that it was not in your
fate. Prayer (dua) says Fate is not fixed. Those who rely on fate passively are those who wait
and wait and lose and blame the fate again.

Significance of Right Choices and Actions

Right choices and actions are significant also because the universe operates under principle of
justice that is if you want something, deserve it first by your actions and don’t just desire. No
amount of prayers (dua) can help me achieve A grades at any university in which I didn’t appear
in exams.
Ki Muhammad se wafa tu ne to HUM teray hain
Ye jahan cheez hai kya, Loh-o-Qalam teray hain
This couplet also reveals that your actions will decide your fate, if you base your life and actions
on true Sunnah of Prophet (S.A.W), you will get whatever you want as you will be making right
choices and performing right actions.
Please come out of these defenses that life is all about fate. Allah clarifies on numerous
occasions that you yourself are controller of your lives, choices and actions. It is you who will
determine the quality of your life in this world and ultimate success or failure in the next world.
Allah also said “That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the
result of] their deeds. So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, And whoever does
an atom's weight of evil will see it.”

Conclusion
To conclude, I must say that learn the rules and skills of life to shape our perceptions and
thinking the right way, which may lead to right choices at the right times, those right choices
may lead us to the right actions at the right times and those actions may accumulate to ensure
forever success for us.
Otherwise, the opposite results may strike our lives and we may regret that we never bothered
learning the right set of beliefs as we will not be spared merely because we never bothered to
learn any right thing.
Make every effort to learn the rules of life and principles of universe. I made my effort yet again
to knit your brain better than ever, to guide your perceptions about Taqdeer (fate).