Qadariyah

Qadariyah is a term used in early Islamic theological discourse to designate groups that advocated free will and moral responsibility, in contrast to fatalistic determinism. The name derives from qadr, meaning power, decree, or capacity, and the adherents were said to be those who possess power over their own actions.

Historically, the term appeared in the 7th–8th centuries during debates about divine decree and human action. Proponents argued that humans have real choice in their deeds and that God does not compel all actions; consequently people bear responsibility for sin and virtue. Some Qadariyya taught that humans create their own actions (khalq al-a’mal) with their will, though God remains aware of and just in relation to those actions. The term was often used by opponents as a label for various dissenting groups; consequently it did not always denote a single, cohesive school.

Qadariyya beliefs were opposed by the Jabariyya, who asserted that God creates all that happens and leaves humans with little or no real power to choose. Later Islamic theology, including Mu’tazila and Ash’ari thought, addressed the issue of divine sovereignty and human accountability with varying positions—ranging from complete occasionalism to a theory of acquisition (kasb)—but the Qadariyya label persisted as a historical descriptor for early free-will thought rather than a lasting sect.

Today, Qadariyya is primarily of historical interest. It is used in studies of early Islamic theology to indicate debates on free will, predestination, and moral responsibility, and to illustrate the diversity of early Muslim thought on divine decree.