“The Qadariyyah are the Magians of this ummah”

The Qadariyyah Are the Magians of This Ummah

A Discussion of the Hadith and the Explanation of the Scholars

The Hadith

Among the well-known narrations concerning belief in al-Qadar (Divine Decree) is the hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ described the Qadariyyah as the Magians of this Ummah.

It was narrated from ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما، عن النبي ﷺ قال

الْقَدَرِيَّةُ مَجُوسُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ، إِنْ مَرِضُوا فَلَا تَعُودُوهُمْ، وَإِنْ مَاتُوا فَلَا تَشْهَدُوهُمْ

“The Qadariyyah are the Magians of this Ummah. If they become sick, do not visit them, and if they die, do not attend their funerals.”

The Companion who narrated this report is:

ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنهما, the son of the second Caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه.

This narration is reported through the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما in a number of works, including:

Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Sunnah, Bāb fī al-Qadar.

Al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn of al-Ḥākim.

Al-Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī.

Al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ of al-Ṭabarānī.

Sharḥ al-Sunnah of al-Baghawī.

Tārīkh Dimashq of Ibn ʿAsākir.

Al-Sunnah of Ibn Abī ʿĀṣim.

The report was declared ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn al-Qaṭṭān.

 

Al-Ḥākim stated:

هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ، إِنْ صَحَّ سَمَاعُ أَبِي حَازِمٍ مِنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ

Al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim, no. 286.

i.e. he considered it authentic subject to confirmation of Abū Ḥāzim's hearing from Ibn ʿUmar . 

Al-Saffārīnī رحمه الله likewise stated that the hadith is at least ḥasan.

The numbering of the hadith can differ between editions of Sunan Abī Dāwūd, so it is preferable when citing it to mention the book and chapter in addition to the number.

Who Were the Qadariyyah?

The term Qadariyyah was used by the early scholars for those who denied aspects of Allah's decree, particularly those who rejected that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has created and decreed the actions of His servants.

The fundamental error of the early Qadariyyah was their denial of Allah's encompassing decree and their claim that human beings independently bring their own actions into existence.

This is why the Prophet ﷺ compared them to the Magians (Majūs).

The comparison does not mean that the Qadariyyah were literally Magians. Rather, it refers to a similarity in their underlying belief concerning the origin of good and evil.

Why Were They Called “The Magians of This Ummah”?

The great scholar Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله explained the reason for this description.

He wrote:

وَإِنَّمَا سُمُّوا قَدَرِيَّةً لِأَنَّهُمْ أَثْبَتُوا الْقَدَرَ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَنَفَوْهُ عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَزَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ يُحْدِثُونَ أَفْعَالَهُمْ دُونَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَأَشْبَهُوا الْمَجُوسَ فِي إِثْبَاتِهِمْ أَصْلَيْنِ: النُّورِ وَالظُّلْمَةِ، وَزَعْمِهِمْ أَنَّ الْخَيْرَ مِنْ فِعْلِ النُّورِ وَالشَّرَّ مِنْ فِعْلِ الظُّلْمَةِ

They were called Qadariyyah because they affirmed power/decree for themselves while denying it for Allah, Mighty and Majestic. They claimed that they independently originated their actions apart from Allah. Thus they resembled the Magians in affirming two fundamental principles, light and darkness, and in their claim that good comes from the action of light and evil from the action of darkness.

Reference: al-Bayhaqī, al-Iʿtiqād, p. 245.

The point of comparison is therefore the attribution of creation and causation to something other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

The Magians attributed good and evil to two opposing principles, while the early Qadariyyah attempted to remove human actions from Allah's creative decree and make the servant independently responsible for bringing those actions into existence.

The Explanation of al-Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله

Imām al-Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله also explained the reason for this comparison.

He said:

إِنَّمَا شَبَّهَهُمْ بِالْمَجُوسِ لِمُضَاهَاةِ مَذْهَبِهِمْ مَذْهَبَ الْمَجُوسِ، فَإِنَّ الْمَجُوسَ يَقُولُونَ بِأَصْلَيْنِ: النُّورِ وَالظُّلْمَةِ، وَيَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ الْخَيْرَ مِنْ فِعْلِ النُّورِ وَالشَّرَّ مِنْ فِعْلِ الظُّلْمَةِ، فَكَانُوا ثَنَوِيَّةً، وَكَذَلِكَ الْقَدَرِيَّةُ أَضَافُوا الْخَيْرَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَضَافُوا الشَّرَّ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ، وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ خَالِقُ الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ، لَا يَكُونُ مِنْهُمَا شَيْءٌ إِلَّا بِمَشِيئَتِهِ

The Prophet ﷺ compared them to the Magians because their doctrine resembled the doctrine of the Magians. The Magians believed in two fundamental principles: light and darkness. They claimed that good resulted from light and evil from darkness, thereby becoming dualists. Likewise, the Qadariyyah attributed good to Allah, Most High, while attributing evil to someone other than Him. Yet Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Creator of both good and evil, and neither of them occurs except by His will.

Reference: al-Khaṭṭābī, as quoted in the discussions of this hadith and its meaning.

Allah Is the Creator of Everything

The correct belief of Ahl al-Sunnah is that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Creator of everything.

Allah says:

اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

“Allah is the Creator of all things.”

Qur'an 39:62

Allah سبحانه وتعالى also says:

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“While Allah created you and what you do.”

Qur'an 37:96

The servant nevertheless possesses a real will and ability and is genuinely responsible for his choices and actions. His will and ability, however, do not operate independently of Allah's will and decree.

Allah says:

لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَسْتَقِيمَ ۝ وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“For whoever among you wills to take a straight path. And you do not will unless Allah wills, Lord of the worlds.”

Qur'an 81:28–29

Thus, Ahl al-Sunnah affirm both realities:

Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Creator of the servant and his actions.

The servant truly chooses, wills and performs his actions and is therefore rewarded or punished according to them.

There is no contradiction between these two principles.

Other Narrations Concerning the Qadariyyah

The statement concerning the Qadariyyah being the “Magians of this Ummah” was not transmitted through only one route.

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله mentioned that similar reports concerning this meaning were narrated from a number of Companions, including:

Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما

Ḥudhayfah رضي الله عنه

Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما

Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh رضي الله عنهما

Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه

ʿ

Abdullah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ رضي الله عنهما

Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj رضي الله عنه

He discussed these reports in his commentary on the Sunan of Abī Dāwūd.

Reference: Ibn al-Qayyim, Tahdhīb Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 2/347.

This strengthens the fact that the warning against the doctrine of the Qadariyyah was well known among the early Muslims.

Regarding the Longer Wording of the Hadith

A longer wording is sometimes circulated online along the lines of:

“For every nation there are Magians, and the Magians of this Ummah are those who deny al-Qadar... They are the supporters of the Dajjāl...”

Care should be taken here.

The wording that is firmly relevant to the narration of Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما is the concise statement:

«الْقَدَرِيَّةُ مَجُوسُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ، إِنْ مَرِضُوا فَلَا تَعُودُوهُمْ، وَإِنْ مَاتُوا فَلَا تَشْهَدُوهُمْ»

“The Qadariyyah are the Magians of this Ummah. If they become sick, do not visit them, and if they die, do not attend their funerals.”

Therefore, when quoting the hadith, it is better not to combine different narrations and then attribute the entire combined wording to one source without checking its chain and exact wording.

This is especially important because hadith numbering and wording can vary between editions and manuscripts.

The Meaning of “Do Not Visit Them or Attend Their Funerals”

The Prophet ﷺ's instruction concerning the Qadariyyah demonstrates the seriousness with which the early Muslims regarded deviation in the fundamental matter of al-Qadar.

The purpose of such warnings is to protect the Muslim from adopting or normalising false beliefs.

At the same time, the hadith should not be used carelessly to make sweeping judgments about every person who is confused about Qadar or who has questions concerning it.

There is an important distinction between:

someone who unknowingly falls into an incorrect idea,

someone who has doubts and is seeking clarification,

and someone who knowingly adopts and propagates a clearly defined theological doctrine after the truth has been established for him.

The detailed application of the rulings mentioned in such texts therefore belongs to qualified scholars and should not become a matter of reckless individual judgment.

The Importance of Belief in Al-Qadar

Belief in al-Qadar is one of the six foundations of īmān.

The famous hadith of Jibrīl عليه السلام records that when the Prophet ﷺ was asked about īmān, he said:

أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ

“It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in al-Qadar, its good and its evil.”

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān.

Therefore, belief in Allah's decree is not a peripheral theological issue. It is part of the very foundation of Islamic faith.

Conclusion

The hadith:

«الْقَدَرِيَّةُ مَجُوسُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ»

“The Qadariyyah are the Magians of this Ummah”

is a warning against the doctrine of those who deny Allah's decree and attempt to remove human actions from Allah's creation and control.

The comparison with the Magians concerns the similarity in attributing acts or events to an independent source besides Allah. The correct Islamic position is that Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone is the Creator of everything, while His servants genuinely possess will, choice and ability and are accountable for what they choose and do.

For this reason, the Muslim should affirm all aspects of al-Qadar and avoid both extremes: denying Allah's decree on one side, and denying the servant's real choice and responsibility on the other.

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى grant us sound belief, protect us from deviation, and make us firm upon the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah according to the understanding of the Companions رضي الله عنهم.