Inasemekwa katika lugha ya Kiarabu, qadā, yaqdī, qadā’an al-shay’, yenye maana ya kukamilisha jambo kwa umakini na azma; na inasemekwa pia kwamba alihukumu [qadā] baina ya wanaogombana, yaani alitoa hukumu na kuamua baina yao; al-‘amru amdāhu: jambo, aliliendesha/alilikamilisha. Neno al-qadā’ limekuja katika aya za Qur’ani mahali pengi. Allah SWT anasema:

It is said in the (Arabic) language qadā, yaqdī, qadā’an al-shay’, meaning he perfected the thing with precision and determination; and it is said he judged [qadā] between two disputants, meaning he ruled and decided between them; al-‘amru amdāhu: the matter, he executed/accomplished it. The word al-qadā’ has come in the ayāt of the Qur’ān in numerous places. Allah  says:

Hiyo ni kusema, anapoamua jambo, hujitokeza papo hapo bila kusita wala kuchelewa; na Yeye amesema:

That is, when He  decides a matter it comes into existence without any hesitation or delay; and He  said:

Hivyo ni kwamba, Yeye ameweka kwa kiumbe hiki, ambacho Yeye aliumba kutokana na udongo, muda wa maisha [ajāl] kati ya kuwepo kwake na kumalizika kwake. Yeye amesema:

That is, He  has made for this creation which He  created from clay a lifespan [ajāl] between its coming to being and its termination. He  said:

Hiyo ni kusema, Yeye ameamuru amri ya wazi kabisa kwamba msimwabudu mwingine yeyote isipokuwa Yeye; na Yeye amesema:

That is, He  commanded a definitive command that you should not worship anyone other than Him ; and He  said:

Yaani, Yeye aliamuru kwa amri na akahukumu kwa hukumu; na akasema:

That is, He  ordered with an order and judged with a judgement; and he  said:

Hiyo ni kusema, kisha akaiumba mbingu kwa hukumu [ihkām] kuhusu hali yake ya kuwa mbingu saba.

That is, then he made the heaven with the judgement/condition [ihkām] with regards to its nature that it be seven heavens. He  said:

Yaani, ili Yeye atimize jambo ambalo lilipaswa kutendeka bila shaka; na Yeye akasema:

That is, that He  may accomplish a matter which necessarily had to be done; and He  said:

Yaani, Yeye ametimiza jambo hilo, nalo ni jambo la kuangamizwa kwao na kufutiliwa mbali, na amelimaliza; na akasema:

That is, He  completed the matter, namely, the matter of their destruction and annihilation, and He  has brought it to an end; and He  said:

Hiyo ni, kwamba ajali ambayo Yeye ameiweka kwa ajili ya kuwafufua wafu na kuwahesabu matendo yao itimie. Alisema:

That is, that the ajāl which He  has designated for resurrecting the dead and for the accounting of their deeds be completed. He  said:

Hiyo ina maana kwamba jambo lingekuwa limekwisha na ningekuangamiza mara moja; na Yeye alisema:

That is, the matter would have been finished and I would have destroyed you instantly; and He  said:

Hiyo ni, ilikuwa jambo lililoamuliwa na Allah, na hukumu iliyokwisha kuamuliwa, yaani tendo litakalotokea kwa lazima bila kujali unachotaka, kwa sababu linatokana na qadhaa [amri ya kikadiri] ya Allah. Yeye (SWT) amesema:

that is, it was a matter decided by Allah  and a judgment which had already been decied, that is, an action which will occur by compulsion regardless of what you desire because it is from the qadā’ [decree] of Allah . He  said:

Al-Hatm ni nomino la kitenzi. Yeye (Mwenyezi Mungu) alilifanya kuwa jambo lisiloepukika alipolilazimisha na alipoamua kwalo, yaani kuvuka kwao juu yake (Moto) kumelazimishwa juu yao; alijilazimisha mwenyewe jambo kama hilo na akahukumu kwalo. Kwa hiyo neno qadā’ ni neno lenye maana nyingi (mushtarak), zikiwemo: alilifanya jambo kwa usahihi; alitekeleza jambo na akalifanya kitu; aliamuru kwa amri na akalikamilisha jambo; alilifanya kuwepo kwa jambo kusiko epukika na akalimaliza jambo; alilimaliza jambo na akatoa hukumu juu yake; na akatoa jambo lililo hakika. Licha ya wingi wa maana hizi, hakuna hata moja kati yake inayomaanisha kuwa al-qadā’ ni hukumu ya Mwenyezi Mungu juu ya mambo ya jumla (kulliyāt) peke yake, kama vile haikuja kwamba al-qadar ni hukumu ya Mwenyezi Mungu juu ya mambo mahususi (juz'iyāt). Kwa hiyo, neno qadā’ lina maana za kilugha ambazo Qur’ān imezitumia, na hakuna mvutano hapa kuhusu maana zilizokuja. Maana hizi ni za kilugha; akili haina kazi nazo. Ikiwa ‘al-qadā’’ ina maana ya kishari’a, basi maana hiyo ni lazima iwe imekuja katika hadithi au aya ili iseme kuwa maana hiyo ni ya kishari’a; lakini hakuna maana nyingine zaidi ya hizi zilizokuja. Kwa hiyo, maana ya ‘al-qadā’’ iliyokuja katika aya si mada ya al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar ambayo Mutakallimūn walitofautiana juu yake. Aya hizi hazihusiani na uchunguzi wa al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar, kama vile aya na hadithi zenye maana ya al-qadar zisivyohusiana na utafiti wa al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar. Aya na hadithi hizi zinazungumzia sifa za Mwenyezi Mungu na vitendo vya Mwenyezi Mungu, lakini al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar huchunguza kitendo cha mja. Uchunguzi wa aya hizi ni wa kishari’a na maana zake ni za kilugha, lakini uchunguzi wa al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar kwa Mutakallimūn ulikuwa wa kiakili. Aya na hadithi hizi zinafafanuliwa kwa maana yake ya lugha au ya kisheria (shar'i), ilhali uchunguzi wa al-qadā' wa'l-qadar una maana ya kitaalamu (istilahi) iliyotolewa na Mutakallimūn.

Al-Hatm is a verbal noun. He  made it an inevitable matter when He  obligated it and when He  decreed by it, that is, their passing over it (the Fire) is obligated upon; He  obliged such upon himself and judged by it. Therefore the word qadā’ is a homonym having many meanings, including: he made the thing with precision; he executed the matter and made the thing; he ordered with an order and he completed the matter; he made the existence of a matter inevitable and he settled the matter; he finished the matter and he ruled upon it; and he gave a definite matter. Despite the multiplicity of meanings none of them meant that al-qadā’ is the judgement of Allah  on the kulliyāt (general matters) only, just as it did not come that al-qadar is Allah's  judgement on the juz'iyāt (specific details). Therefore, the word qadā’ has linguistic meanings which the Qur’ān used and there is no disagreement here about the meanings that have come. These meanings are linguistic; the mind has nothing to do with them. If ‘al-qadā’ has a shar’i meaning then this meaning must have come in a hadīth or ayāh for it to be said that this meaning is a shar’i meaning, yet no other meanings than these have come. Therefore the purport of ‘al-qadā’’ that has come in the ayāt is not the subject of al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar over which the Mutakallimūn differed. These verses have nothing to do with the inquiry of al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar just as the ayāt and ahadīth which contain the meaning of al-qadar have nothing to do with the study of al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar. These ayāt and ahadīth speak of the attributes of Allah  and the actions of Allah  but al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar inquires into the action of the servant. The inquriy of these ayāt is shar’i and their meanings are linguistic but the inquiry of al-qadā’ wa ‘l-qadar with the mutakallimūn was rational. These ayāt and ahadīth are explained by their linguistic or shar’i meaning, whilst the inquiry of al-qadā’ wa‘l-qadar is a technical [istilāhī] meaning given by the Mutakallimūn.