Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad

Qadar
 and a man’s actions
 
 
Abu Hanifa was very perceptive and that is why he refused to become involved with the topic of 
qadar
and 
encouraged his companions to follow the same course. When Yusuf ibn Khalid as-Samti came to him from 
Basra, Abu Hanifa said to him about the question of 
qadar
, “This is a question which is difficult for people. 
How should they be capable of understanding it? It is a lock whose key is lost. If the key is found, what is in it 
will be known. It is only opened when someone is informed by Allah.” 
When the Qadarites came to argue with him about 
qadar
, he said, “Do you not know that someone who 
looks into 
qadar
is like someone who looks into the rays of the sun: the more he looks, the more his confusion 
increases. But you do not stop at this point. You carry on until you equate the decree and justice. How is it 
that Allah decrees all things and they happen according to His decree and yet people reckon that what happens 
is by their own actions.” They said to him, “Can any of the creatures bring about in the kingdom of Allah 
something he did not decree?” “No,” he replied, “but there are two aspects to the decree (
qada’
): command 
and power. He decided for them and decreed unbelievers but did not command it, and indeed forbade it. There 
are two commands: the existential, which is when he commands a thing to be, and the command of 
Relevation.” 
This is an excellent, precise distinction by Abu Hanifa. He separated the decree from 
qadar
and made the 
decree what Allah had ruled which is brought by Divine Revelation and 
qadar
what His power makes occur. 
He decreed what would be from before time. Responsibility is according to Revelation while actions occur 
according to the decree before time. The command has two categories: bringing into existence and imposing 
obligation. The second category has a reward in the Next World. 
The History of Baghdad
reports that Abu Yusuf said: “I heard Abu Hanifa say, ‘When you speak to the 
Qadarite, there are two possibilities: either he is silent or he disbelieves.’ He was asked, ‘Did Allah know in 
His prior knowledge that these things would be as they are?’ He said, ‘Someone who responds to such a 
quetion has disbelieved. If he says, “Yes,” is it that He wills that it be as He knows or did He will it to be 
different from what He knows?’ If he says, “He wants it to be as He knows,” then he avers that He desires 
belief from the believer and disbelief from the unbeliever. If he says, “He wants it to be different from what 
He knows,” he makes the Lord unable to achieve what He wants because He desires the existence of that 
which He knows will not be. A person who affirms that is an unbeliever.’” 
In summary, Abu Hanifa used to deal with this question in a restrained way. He believed in the decree of 
good and evil and the comprehensiveness of Allah’s knowledge, will and power in created beings. None of a 
person’s actions are independent of Allah’s will even though man’s acts of obedience and disobedience are 

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ascribed to him and he has choice and will in respect of them. He will be questioned and accountable for 
them. He will not be wronged the weight of an atom. This is the Qur’anic dogma which is derived from Book. 
He debated with the Qadarites to cut them off. 
Abu Hanifa did not accept the opinion of the Jahmites who espoused the theory of predetermination and 
said that a man’s actions involve no will, even if he feels and senses will. Further-more, we find that those 
who tried to attack him constantly claimed that he was a Jahmite. They forged lies and claimed that he 
venerated al-Jahm and followed him even though Abu Yusuf related that he said, “Two types of evil people 
are in Khorasan: the Jahmites and the anthropomorphists.”