Divine Intention — Divine Will in the Qur’an
This article explores the word Divine Intention or Divine Will in the Qur’an. When Qur’an is seen as a Scripture where God’s Self Disclosure is unveiled, here the intention of the author is to explore the direct Divine Will or Divine Intention expressed in the Qur’an using the Quranic term YURID and its derivatives.
For the meaning ‘to will’, ‘to intend’, ‘to desire’, ‘to wish’ the Arabic is Yurid or Arada (Root: Ra, Waw, Daal) and this word occurs about 148 times in a number of forms. Some of them are used in other context such as people desiring something etc. See here for a list of all the occurrences in the Qur’an with Ayat reference via Corpus Quran.
Out of the 148 references, referring to Divine Will or Intention of God are the following which sheds some light of Divine Will or Mind of God in a sense in the Qur’an:
2:185 God intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and for you to complete the period and to glorify God for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
وَلَكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
2:253 And God does what He wills.
وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًۭا لِّلْعَلَمِينَ
3:108 and God wills no injustice to the ‘Alamin (worlds, sentient beings).
3:176 And do not be grieved, by those who hasten into rejecting truth. Indeed, they will never harm God at all. God intends that He should give them no share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.
4:26 God wills to make distinct to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And God is Knowing and Wise.
4:27 God intends to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path.
4:28 And God wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ مَا يُرِيدُ
5:1 Indeed, God ordains what He wills.
5:6 God does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.
5:17 They have certainly disbelieved who say that God is Christ, the son of Mary. Say, “Then who could prevent God at all if He had intended to destroy Christ, the son of Mary, or his mother or everyone on the earth?” And to God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. He creates what He wills, and God is over all things competent.
5:41 O Messenger! Do not grieve for those who race to disbelieve — those who say, “We believe” with their tongues, but their hearts are in disbelief. Nor those among the Jews who eagerly listen to lies, attentive to those who are too arrogant to come to you. They distort the Scripture, taking rulings out of context, then say, “If this is the ruling you get, accept it. If not, beware!” Whoever God allows to be deluded, you can never be of any help to them against God. It is not God’s Will to purify their hearts. For them is disgrace in this world, and they will suffer a tremendous punishment in the Hereafter.
5:49 And judge, between them by what God has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what God has revealed to you. And if they turn away — then know that God only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
6:125 And whomsoever God wills to guide, He opens his breast to Surrender and Tranquility, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus God puts the wrath on those who believe not.
8:7 …it was God’s Will to establish the truth by His Words and uproot the rejector of truth.
8:67 …some of you desire the commodities of this world, but God desires [for you] the Hereafter. And God is Exalted in Might and Wise.
9:55, 9:85 So let not their wealth or their children impress you. God only intends to punish them through them in worldly life and that their souls should depart while they are rejector of truth.
10:107 And if God should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty. He causes it to reach whom He wills of His deserving servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
13:11 And when God intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.
إِذَآ أَرَدْنَهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
16:40 Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, “Be,” and it is.
17:16 And when We intend to destroy a city, We command its affluent but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.
18:81 So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.
18:82 And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord…
21:17 Had We intended to take a diversion, We could have taken it from [what is] with Us — if [indeed] We were to do so.
22:14 …Indeed, God does what He intends.
22:16 And thus have We sent the Qur’an down as verses of clear evidence and because God guides whom He wills.
28:5 And We intended to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.
33:17 Say, “Who is it that can protect you from God if He intends for you an ill or intends for you a mercy?” And they will not find for themselves besides God any protector or any helper.
33:33 And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give charity and obey God and His Messenger. God intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
36:23 Should I take other than Him [false] deities [while], if the Most Merciful intends for me some adversity, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me?
إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُۥٓ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْـًٔا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ
36:82 His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, “Be,” and it is.
39:4 If God had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed. Exalted is He; He is God , the One, the Prevailing.
39:38 And if you asked them, “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they would surely say, “ God.” Say, “Then have you considered what you invoke besides God? If God intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?” Say, “Sufficient for me is God; upon Him [alone] rely the [wise] reliers.”
وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًۭا لِّلْعِبَادِ
40:31 And God wants no injustice for [His] servants.
48:11 Those who remained behind of the Arabs will say to you, “Our properties and our families occupied us, so ask forgiveness for us.” They say with their tongues what is not within their hearts. Say, “Then who could prevent God at all if He intended for you harm or intended for you benefit? Rather, ever is God , with what you do, Acquainted.
51:56–57 I created the jinn and humankind only that they might acknowledge Me. I do not intend from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me.
72:10 And we know not whether harm is willed unto all who are in the earth, or whether their Lord intends guidance for them.
فَعَّالٌۭ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ
85:16 (God is the) Effecter of what He intends.
For reference of Ayah and English translations of the Qur’an, mostly Corpus Quran and Quran.com was consulted.
If you find any other Ayah missing where the Divine Intention is mentioned but not found here, please mention in the Comment for inclusion.
