Qaḍā in the following verse means the verbal qaḍā of God...

Qaḍā in the following verse means the verbal qaḍā of God: ﴿ وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلا تَعْبُدُوا إِلا إِيَّاهُ ﴾ “Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except Him.” [^2] And in the following verse it refers to qaḍā of God’s action: ﴿ فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ ﴾ “Then He set them up as seven heavens in two days.” [^3] Similarly, what is referred to in the expression “The judge decrees ( qaḍā ) so-and-so” is the human verbal qaḍā .

And what is meant by the word qaḍaytum in the following verse is the qaḍā of a human action: ﴿ فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمْ مَنَاسِكَكُمْ ﴾ “And when you finish your rites...” [^4] And every definite utterance is also called qaḍiyyah .[^5] In all cases where the word qaḍā is used, definiteness and certainty are implied while ambiguity and doubt are dispelled.

For instance, before the judge issues his judgment, there is ambiguity and uncertainty with respect to the guilt of the accused, but after the issuance of the said judgment, this ambiguity and uncertainty disappear. In the same manner, before a person decides to do something, its realization cannot be determined and unclear but after he decides, it turns into something definite. Given this, the essence of the cosmic qaḍā of God can be inferred, for all the contingent beings are created by God.

On one hand, the wise will of God is to create His creatures through specific causes and effects. Accordingly, prior to the materialization of the complete cause of each of the phenomena, it is vacillating between occurrence and non-occurrence, but after the materialization of its complete cause, its occurrence is definite. It is evident that as long as there is no Divine will or desire for the materialization of a phenomenon, its complete cause will not be materialized.

In conclusion, the Divine decree ( qaḍā ) is one of the Attributes of God’s Action which can be abstracted from the Station of Action of God on the basis of its complete cause.[^6] Since God knows this certainty ( qaṭ‘iyyah ) from the beginning, His essential knowledge of the said certainty is His essential decree.

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