Discover the meaning of the term Al-irada (إرادة) in Islamic vocabulary.
Contents :
Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readAn attribute necessitating upon the Living a state from which the act proceeds one way rather than another; in truth it never attaches except to the nonexistent, for it is an attribute that particularizes a thing toward its happening and existence, as God said: 'His command, when He wills a thing, is but to say to it: Be, and it is.'
An inclination that follows the belief in benefit.
The heart's demand, the food of the spirit, from the goodness of the soul; it has been said: irada is the soul's veiling itself from its objects of will and its turning to God's commands with acceptance; it has been said: irada is a coal from the fire of love in the heart, disposing one to answer the calls of reality.
An attribute necessitating upon the Living a state from which the act proceeds one way rather than another, attaching only to the nonexistent: an attribute that particularizes a thing toward its happening and existence; mentioned by Ibn Kamal (cf. al-Ta'rifat, p. 15).
An attribute necessitating upon the Living a state from which the act proceeds one way rather than another.