Man has freedom of will through which he can choose whichever woman he wishes to marry, and that whatever choice he makes has already been decreed by Allah.

1. Quoting Al-Qadar as an excuse for committing sin or for not doing obligatory duties is a false excuse, according to Shari`ah, common sense and reality. 2. Al-Qadar may be invoked when calamities befall a person such as poverty and sickness, loss of a loved one, destruction of crops, loss of wealth, accidental killing, and so on. 3. Some of the scholars said that one of those who are justified in referring to Al-Qadar as an excuse is the one who repents from sin.

There is no contradiction between the fact that things are decreed and written, and the fact that we have free will when doing them, for we do not know what is written and we feel that we have complete freedom to choose what actions to take, and we distinguish between involuntary actions such as the heartbeat and the activity of the intestines, and voluntary actions that we do with our hands or feet or eyes and so on.

1. The accountable person is free to choose whether to obey or disobey of his own free will, and he will be requited for that. 2. Allah knows what His slave’s fate will be, and He has written that with Him. 3. Allah supports and helps His believing slave, and He knows best who is deserving of support and help. 4. Allah forsakes whomever He will, and does not grant him support or help him. His support is based on His grace and His forsaking is based on His justice. 5. The one who is helped is the one who asks Allah for support and help. 6. The believing slave affirms the grace of Allah, acknowledges the blessings that He has bestowed upon him, and attributes all goodness and success to Him.

• If Allah tests a person with calamity because of his sin, and he bears it with patience and gratitude, Allah, may He be exalted, will forgive him his sin, raise him in status in Paradise and give him the reward of those who are patient and seek reward with Him. • If the one who is affected is a disbeliever, then his calamity cannot be to raise him in status. • If the one who is affected is a Muslim who commits sin openly or is a blatant evildoer, then it is most likely that he is being requited and punished with this calamity. • If the Muslim is a devoted worshipper, obedient and righteous, and there is nothing between him and Allah but true servitude, gratitude, praise, repentance and submission to Him, may He be glorified, then it is most likely that this calamity is a kind of honour and raising in status. • If the one who is affected shows displeasure and panic, then it cannot be thought that his calamity is an honour from Allah to raise him in status. • The practical benefit that one should think about is that every calamity and test is good for him and will bring reward if he is patient and seeks reward with Allah, and that every test and calamity is bad for him if he panics and gets angry.