The Qadariyyah were the first of the deviated sects to appear, coming about towards the end of the period of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Their deviation is in Qadar, the divine decree.
This page is drawn from Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan’s A Glimpse at the Deviated Sects, its chapter on the Qadariyyah and its foundations passage, and from Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s Commentary on Al-‘Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah, Vol. 2, its section on the levels of belief in al-Qadar.
The Denial of the Decree
They deny Qadar and say that whatever happens in the universe is not from the decree and predestination of Allah. Rather, they claim, events occur purely from the actions of the slave, with no prior decree from Allah at all. By this they rejected the last of the six pillars of faith: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and belief in Qadar, its good and its bad, all of it from Allah.
Shaykh al-Fawzan states their claim in their own words:
“Whatever happens in the universe is not from Qadar and Qadaa (pre-destination) of Allah, rather it is a matter which occurs from the actions of the slave, without any pre-decree from Allah.”
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explains why the author mentioned Allah’s encompassing power here:
“The author only mentioned this statement to refute the Qadariyyah who say that Allah has no power over the actions of the slave, and that the slave is independent in his actions! But the proofs in the Book and the Sunnah about the encompassing power of Allah clearly refute them.”
The Magus of This Ummah
They were named the Qadariyyah, and they were also called the Maajoos (the fire worshippers) of the ummah. The reason is that they claim every individual creates his own actions, and none of it happens by the decree of Allah. In doing so they affirmed creators alongside Allah, just as the Magians say the universe has two creators, light creating the good and darkness creating the bad. The Qadariyyah went even further than the Magians, because they affirmed countless creators: every person, on their claim, creates his own actions independently of Allah. Far removed is Allah from what they say.
Shaykh al-Fawzan gives the naming and its reason in full:
“They have been named Qadariyyah and also ‘the Maajoos (the fire worshippers) of the ummah’ due to the fact that they claim every individual creates his own actions and none of that occurs by the decree of Allah. Thus they affirmed creators alongside Allah just like the Maajoos who say: ‘The Universe has two creators, light and darkness. Light created the good and Darkness created the bad’. However, the Qadariyyah went further than the Maajoos by affirming numerous creators since they said: ‘Every individual creates his own actions’.”
That name is the Prophet’s ﷺ own naming of them. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“This is the level of Al-Qadar which the majority of the Qadariyyah - those whom the Prophet ﷺ named ‘the Magus of this Ummah’ - belie it.”
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explains why the name fits them:
“Because the Majus (Zoroastrians) believe that there are two creators for events: A creator of good, and a creator of evil! So the creator of good is the light, and the creator of evil is the darkness. The Qadariyyah resemble these Majus in a way, because they say that events are of two types: Events from Allah’s doing; so this is Allah’s creation, and events from the slaves’ doing; and the slaves are independent in this, and Allah, Exalted is He, had no part in creating that.”
The hadeeth is reported by Imam Ahmad (2:86) from Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Dawud (4691), graded Hasan by al-Albani, as the commentary’s footnote records.
Two Generations of Denial
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said of this measurement:
“This measurement (At-Taqdir), the extreme among the Qadariyyah of the past rejected it, but those who reject it today are few.”
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explained his words:
“‘This measurement (At-Taqdir):’ That is, the knowledge and the recording were rejected by the extreme among the Qadariyyah. They would say that Allah does not know the actions of the slave, except after they exist, and that they were not recorded. And they say that the matter resuming; that is renewable. However, the later generations of them acknowledge the knowledge and the recording, but they reject the will (Mashi’ah) and the creation. This is in relation to the actions of the creatures.”
Those Who Followed Their Way
Among those who followed this way are the Mu’tazilah and those who went along with them in this matter.
The Two Extremes in Qadar
The Qadariyyah are one of two extremes in the matter of Qadar: those who went to extremes in denying it. Their opposites, the Jabriyyah, went to extremes in affirming it until they stripped the slave of any choice at all. Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama’ah are between the two: they affirm that Allah decreed everything, its good and its bad, and they affirm that the slave truly chooses and acts, and is rewarded and punished for what he himself does.
Shaykh al-Fawzan divides those who deviated in Qadar into two:
“Therefore, there are two sects of those who deviated in Qadar: 1. Those who went to extremes in negation. 2. Those who went to extremes in affirmation.”
The Middle Way of Ahlus Sunnah
Shaykh al-Fawzan states their way in the foundations passage:
“Ahl us Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah – and all Praise is due to Allah – differ with the Qadariyyah who deny Qadar. Ahl us Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah believe in Qadar and the fact that it is from the six pillars of imaan and nothing happens in this universe except by His pre-ordainment and His Decree since He is the Creator, the Lord, the Owner and the One who directs the affairs.
Allah knew everything that has happened and that which has not happened. Then He wrote it in the Lawh al Mahfoodh (the Preserved Tablet) and He willed it, and then brought it into existence and created it.”
He supports it with the words of Allah:
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Wakeel (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian, etc.) over all things. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth…”
(Surah az-Zumar 39:62-63)
The same passage affirms the slave’s part in his actions:
“And the slave has a will, an ability and a choice. He is not deprived of a will and forced into his actions as the extremist Jabariyyah say, in opposition to the Qadariyyah.”
Their Splitting
The Qadariyyah split into so many sects that only Allah knows their number. This is the nature of the people of misguidance: when a person abandons the truth, he wanders aimlessly, each group innovating a way for itself and splitting off from the one before it. As for Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, confusion and splitting do not overcome them, because they cling to the truth that came from Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, and they are upon one way.
Key Lessons
The Qadariyyah denied that the slaves’ actions are by Allah’s decree, and so made every person a creator of his own actions; for this the Prophet ﷺ named them the Magus of this ummah. Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama’ah are between them and the Jabriyyah: nothing happens except by Allah’s knowledge, writing, will, and creation, and the slave truly wills, chooses, and is recompensed for his deeds.
References
- A Glimpse at the Deviated Sects, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Salafi Publications, translated by Abu Naasir Abid bin Basheer: chapter “The Qadariyyah” (printed folio 11) and the foundations passage (printed folios 21-22).
- Commentary on Al-‘Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Dar-us-Salam, Vol. 2: the section “Concerning the Levels of Belief in Al-Qadar” (printed pp. 291, 298, 319-320).
- The hadeeth naming the Qadariyyah “the Magus of this Ummah” is reported by Imam Ahmad (2:86) and Abu Dawud (4691) and was graded Hasan by al-Albani, as recorded in the commentary’s footnote (printed p. 320).
The books cited print “Allaah” and “Allāh”; inside quotations on this page the name is spelled Allah, by the site’s rule.
Further Reading
- Some of the Deviated Sects in Islam: the sects that departed from the main body, in overview
- Jabriyyah: the opposite error on decree, compulsion without choice
- The Saved Sect (Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama’ah): who the saved sect is and how it is known
- Pillars of Faith (Iman): the six pillars of faith, belief in Qadar the last of them
Verified on 2026-10-26 against: A Glimpse at the Deviated Sects (Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan) and Commentary on Al-‘Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah, Vol. 2 (Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen).