Manhaj al-Quran fi al-Qada wal-Qadar
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- Editions
- Dar Al-Qalam Li Al-Turath
Manhaj al-Quran fi al-Qada wal-Qadar ("The Quranic Method Concerning Divine Decree and Destiny") is a theological treatise by the Egyptian scholar Mahmud Muhammad Gharib that examines the Islamic doctrine of predestination and divine decree through the lens of Quranic exegesis.
Background and Purpose
The treatise forms part of Gharib's broader series titled Hatta La Nukhti' Fahm al-Quran ("Lest We Misunderstand the Quran"), which he originally authored as regular contributions to the Iraqi periodical Majallat al-Tarbiyah al-Islamiyyah in Baghdad over a seven-year period. A second edition of the standalone work was published in 1419 AH (1998 CE) by Dar al-Qalam li-l-Turath in Cairo.
Gharib composed the work to address widespread misunderstandings and sterile philosophical disputations surrounding divine decree (al-qada' wa-l-qadar), aiming to safeguard the faith of Muslim youth by providing an interpretive key based on the principle of explaining the Quran by the Quran (tafsir al-Quran bi-l-Quran).
Structure and Core Division of Decree
To clarify human agency and moral accountability alongside divine predetermination, Gharib divides divine decree into three categories, noting that he was preceded in this tripartite framework by Abu al-Wafa Darwish, though their methods of presentation and analysis differ:
- Decree requiring patience or gratitude (qada' yastawjib al-sabr aw al-shukr): Matters occurring without human choice or volition, such as intelligence, lifespan, physical appearance, and innate distribution of sustenance. These lie outside the domain of legal obligations (al-takalif al-shar'iyyah), and humans bear no moral accountability for them.
- Decree requiring remedy and pursuit of means (qada' yastawjib al-mu'alajah): Matters governed by ordinary causality (al-asbab wa-l-musabbabat). Muslims are required to exert full effort in taking appropriate measures—such as seeking medical treatment for illness, studying for education, or preparing defenses against an enemy—because taking the means is itself part of God's decree, as demonstrated by the companion Umar ibn al-Khattab turning away from plague-stricken Syria.
- Decree within which one possesses free will and accountability (qada' anta fihi hurr, wa-fi hudud al-hurriyyah muhasab): Actions concerning religious duties and voluntary deeds. God granted humans free volition and the capacity to direct their energy toward obedience or disobedience, which serves as the basis for divine reward and punishment.
Key Themes and Theological Arguments
Divine Justice and Human Agency
Gharib asserts that religious obligations and the afterlife are grounded in absolute divine justice (al-'adl al-mutlaq). He argues that God does not compel servants to act and then punish them; whenever human choice is compromised by severe compulsion, legal culpability ceases, as evidenced by Umar exempting a compelled woman from legal penalty. He cites Muhammad Abduh and Muhammad al-Ghazali when discussing the fallacy of attributing sins to destiny, noting that while Adam acknowledged his fault and repented, Iblis blamed God for his deviance by claiming predestination.
Psychological Balance in Da'wah
The author outlines a pastoral methodology for applying Quranic verses to human psychology:
- When individuals become arrogant and succumb to tyrannical self-reliance (as exemplified by Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Qarun), preachers should cite verses emphasizing total divine sovereignty and human limitation.
- When individuals fall into despair, passivity, or fatalistic lethargy, preachers should cite verses emphasizing free will, personal capability, and responsibility to initiate reform.
The Four Dimensions of Guidance
Gharib delineates four distinct meanings of guidance (hidayah) in the Quran:
- Hidayat al-fitrah: The innate guidance and instinct bestowed upon all creation to fulfill their designated roles.
- Hidayat al-irshad wa-l-ta'lim: The instructional guidance conveyed by prophets and callers to show the path of truth.
- Hidayat al-tawfiq: The inner divine enablement granted exclusively by God to those who willingly accept instructional guidance.
- Hidayat al-mu'minin li-manazilihim fi al-jannah: The final guidance directing the people of Paradise to their specific dwellings.
Refutation of Common Misconceptions
The treatise concludes by correcting distorted notions (mafahim mazlumah). Gharib contrasts early Muslims (al-Salaf), who drew courage and diligence from belief in destiny, with later generations who adopted fatalism to shirk responsibility. He explains that God's eternal knowledge ('ilm Allah) is an attribute of disclosure (sifat inkishaf) rather than an attribute of coercion (sifat ijbar), drawing analogies to a mirror or an experienced teacher who anticipates student outcomes without causing their failure. Drawing on his own experiences in preaching, he observes that appeals to fatalism or atheism frequently arise as attempts to quiet the reproaching conscience (al-nafs al-lawwamah), advising repentance and seeking forgiveness rather than engagement in fruitless debate.
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