How is a person given free will despite Allah’s foreknowledge?
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Question:
The questioner says: Some of the common people ask about certain matters, among which they say: How is it that Allah’s knowledge (Glorified and Exalted is He) preceded what is to happen until the Day of Resurrection? And how is it that the human being is then given free will in this world, whether toward the path of faith or the path of disbelief? These people have not been able to reconcile these two matters. We ask you, Your Eminence, to clarify this confusion?
Answer:
Allah’s knowledge is prior; He has decreed all the destinies, (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He knows the people of Paradise and the people of the Fire. In the authentic hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr in Muslim:, and in the authentic hadiths, he said to the Companions: Sahih al-Bukhari 4945, so it was said: O Messenger of Allah, then what is the point of working? He said: Sahih al-Bukhari 4948, then he recited His saying (Mighty and Majestic): AND BELIEVED IN THE BEST THEN WE WILL MAKE EASY FOR HIM THE EASY PATH AND AS FOR HE WHO WAS CHURLISH AND SELF-SUFFICIENT AND DENIED THE BEST THEN WE WILL MAKE EASY FOR HIM THE HARD PATH [Al-Layl: 5-10], and this is in "the two Sahihs" from the hadith of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).
The point is that the destinies of the creatures are known; what happens to the created beings has preceded in Allah’s knowledge, but He (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not punish them for His knowledge of them. Rather, He gave them intellects, and He gave them the faculties: hearing, sight, hand, and foot. He sent the messengers and sent down the books, and He commanded them and forbade them, as He the Exalted said: [An-Nahl: 78], and He said: [Al-Hadid: 7], and He said: [An-Nisa: 1]. So they are commanded and forbidden, and they have intellects by which they know evil from good. If you wanted to take a riyal from him, he would not give it to you except according to his will. Likewise, if you wanted to prevent him from some need, he would not obey except according to his will, or else he would fight you, or else he would hit you, or else there would be a problem between you and him. He does not argue with divine decree. If you said to him: Give us this cloak that has a coat on it, it is decreed for me, he would not obey. He would not give you the cloak, nor would he give you anything else, even if you argued with divine decree. How can he argue with divine decree when he does not act according to divine decree?
Divine decree, its knowledge is with Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), so it is not permissible for a person to argue with divine decree except in calamities. When a calamity befalls, he says: "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return." In calamity, he argues with divine decree: "It is Allah’s decree, and He did what He willed." But as for his deeds, his sins, and the deeds of people, no, he does not argue with divine decree. He must work, strive, and fear Allah. If a person hit him or took his money and said: "This is decreed," he would not obey. He would demand his right regarding the hitting and his right regarding the taking of his money. He would not obey in arguing with divine decree. It is known that he did not hit you and did not take your money except by decree, and you are not pleased with this. You demand your right. So if you are not pleased with this in your right and you demand it, so it is the matter of sin. If you sinned: whoever drinks intoxicants, abandons prayer, and commits unlawful sexual intercourse, you are refuted; because you have known, and choice has been given to you, and insight has been given to you; so you must refrain from falsehood, and you must proceed to the truth.
The questioner says: Some of the common people ask about certain matters, among which they say: How is it that Allah’s knowledge (Glorified and Exalted is He) preceded what is to happen until the Day of Resurrection? And how is it that the human being is then given free will in this world, whether toward the path of faith or the path of disbelief? These people have not been able to reconcile these two matters. We ask you, Your Eminence, to clarify this confusion?
Answer:
Allah’s knowledge is prior; He has decreed all the destinies, (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He knows the people of Paradise and the people of the Fire. In the authentic hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr in Muslim:
Indeed, Allah decreed the destinies of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was over the water, then He wrote in the Preserved Tablet everything
إنَّ الله قدَّر مقادير الخلائق قبل أن يخلق السَّماوات والأرض بخمسين ألف سنة، وعرشه على الماء، ثم كتب في الذكر كلَّ شيءٍThere is none of you but has his place written for him in Paradise or in the Hell- Fire.
ما منكم من أحدٍ إلا وقد علم مقعدَه من الجنة، ومقعده من النارThose who are destined to be happy (in the Hereafter) will find it easy and pleasant to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to happiness, while those who are to be among the miserable (in the Hereafter), will find it easy to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to misery.
اعملوا، فكلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ لما خُلِقَ له، أما أهل السعادة فيُيسرون لعمل أهل السعادة، وأما أهل الشَّقاوة فيُيسرون لعمل أهل الشقاوةAs for he who gave and feared Allah
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى The point is that the destinies of the creatures are known; what happens to the created beings has preceded in Allah’s knowledge, but He (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not punish them for His knowledge of them. Rather, He gave them intellects, and He gave them the faculties: hearing, sight, hand, and foot. He sent the messengers and sent down the books, and He commanded them and forbade them, as He the Exalted said:
And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.
وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَBelieve in Allah and His Messenger and spend
آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَأَنْفِقُواO mankind, fear your Lord
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُDivine decree, its knowledge is with Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), so it is not permissible for a person to argue with divine decree except in calamities. When a calamity befalls, he says: "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return." In calamity, he argues with divine decree: "It is Allah’s decree, and He did what He willed." But as for his deeds, his sins, and the deeds of people, no, he does not argue with divine decree. He must work, strive, and fear Allah. If a person hit him or took his money and said: "This is decreed," he would not obey. He would demand his right regarding the hitting and his right regarding the taking of his money. He would not obey in arguing with divine decree. It is known that he did not hit you and did not take your money except by decree, and you are not pleased with this. You demand your right. So if you are not pleased with this in your right and you demand it, so it is the matter of sin. If you sinned: whoever drinks intoxicants, abandons prayer, and commits unlawful sexual intercourse, you are refuted; because you have known, and choice has been given to you, and insight has been given to you; so you must refrain from falsehood, and you must proceed to the truth.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.