We are not able to comprehend how man can attain a level of...

We are not able to comprehend how man can attain a level of knowledge and awareness to the extent that he forgets himself and only becomes pre-occupied with Allah, the Exalted, but we cannot deny the existence of this station and we know without the least doubt that the special servants of Allah have attained this station of submission and have handed over the management of their affairs to Allah.

A Brief Look at Predetermination and Divine Decree [Qada wa Qadar] In addition to those who have attained the station of submission to the will of Allah, some have attained a position lower than that.

Some of them are those who have attained the position of ‘certain knowledge’ [ ‘ilm al-yaqin ] and they know that all events of the cosmos—whether small or large—have a well-established order which have been decreed by Allah, the Exalted, and besides this decree, they have also attained knowledge about definite predetermination.

That is to say, besides decrees which are controlled by Allah and are changeable, all affairs have also reached a stage of certain predetermination which is not subject to change. ‘ Qada ’ (predetermination) means prescription, certainty and decisiveness. ‘ Qadar ’ (divine decree), on the other hand, signifies measuring an amount and determining an extent. Because the occurrence of events in the world is a result of divine knowledge and providence, they demand divine predestination and…