Prayer TimesBelief in destiny (qadar) and divine decree (qada) is one of the fundamentals of faith. However, people cannot use destiny as an excuse to absolve themselves of responsibility. Just as it is not appropriate for a person to commit a sin by saying, "Allah has written it this way, this is my fate, what can I do?", it is also not correct to consider oneself blameless by blaming destiny after committing a sin.
The servant is the one who wills the actions that entail responsibility, but is not the creator of them; creation belongs solely to Allah (c.c.). In the Qur'an, it is stated: "Allah is the Creator of all things." (al-An‘am, 6/102). The fact that Allah is the creator of everything should not lead us to evade responsibility and attribute our wrongdoings to Allah. This would be an abuse of the belief in destiny. Furthermore, relying on destiny and decree and abandoning effort, not taking necessary measures to achieve positive outcomes or prevent negative ones, does not align with the Islamic understanding of destiny. For Allah has tied everything to certain causes. If a person fulfills these causes, Allah (c.c.) creates the result of those causes. This is a divine law and destiny.
In conclusion, it is not correct for people to say, "What can I do, this is my destiny," regarding matters within their sphere of responsibility. Since a person is given freedom in the area where Allah has placed responsibility, they will be held accountable for their beliefs and actions.
Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu
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