Question:
Al salam aleykum, I thank you all so much for offering a non-judgmental portal for our questions. I would like to ask about the concept of Naseeb, or that events in our life are predestined. How much of our lives are actually naseeb? Many people I ask say that we have free will and naseeb can change over time, and I was confused whether our spouses have been chosen for us by Allah, as well as our mistakes and paths in life.
Thank you for all of the help you have provided the Muslim community, jazakum Allah khair.
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
Your question is actually about Qadar which is one of the pillars of belief. Qadar means Divine apportionment while naseeb means a portion in the generic sense. We believe that together with the reality of Qadar, which is the overriding Divine Will, Allah Most High gave us partial will by which we acquire responsibility for our actions. This is why we are rewardable and punishable for all that we do by using our will. This delicate balance can be compared to passengers on a ship. The ship is led by the captain to its destination without interference from the passengers; however, they are free to come and go inside the ship, fight and make up etc. Within this scenario the Law and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) provide Divine guidelines for righteousness.
You may read in depth about this very important tenet of belief here.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
