Is marriage a matter of divine decree and preordainment written for a person before their birth, and does supplication change what has been thus written?
Allah ordained the measures of all things fifty thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth. Everything a person does is predestined for them before their birth. Divine decree (qada') is of two types: an unalterable, eternal, unchangeable decree (qada' mubram azali), and a contingent decree (qada' mu'allaq) recorded in the scrolls of the angels, which can change through supplication (du'a) and charity (sadaqa). This is what is meant by the Almighty's saying: "Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book," and by the hadith: "Nothing averts divine decree except supplication, and nothing increases lifespan except righteousness."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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