Free Will and Predestination

In Islam, the concept of predestination, or Qadar, is a widely debated topic with various interpretations. However, the general belief is that Allah has knowledge of everything, including what choices and decisions humans will make. This does not negate the fact that humans have free will and are accountable for their actions. As it is mentioned in the Quran: “Say, ‘The truth is from your Lord’: Let him who will believe and let him who will reject (it)” (Quran 18:29). For example, if a person plans to steal from someone on a particular day and time, Allah has knowledge of this plan, but the person still has the free will to choose whether or not to go through with the act. If the person chooses to carry out the act, they will be held accountable for their actions on the Day of Judgment. On the other hand, if the person chooses not to steal and instead seeks lawful means to fulfill their needs, they will be rewarded for their decision. Furthermore, the concept of free will is also emphasized in the Islamic concept of moral responsibility, where humans are held accountable for their intentions and actions. As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Actions are judged by intentions, and each person will be rewarded according to their intentions” (Sahih Bukhari). It is important to note that while Allah’s knowledge of future events does not negate human free will, it is believed to work in conjunction with it to fulfill Allah’s divine plan. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to make their own choices and decisions, and to be responsible for the consequences of their actions. Add more Qur’an Verses to prove that we have freewill.

Summary:

There is a common misunderstanding about the concept of predestination in the Qur’an. The belief is not that everything is predetermined and fixed, but rather that Allah has complete knowledge and awareness of all things, including our choices and actions. For example, if someone plans to harm another person on a specific date, Allah already knows about this plan from the beginning. However, the individual still possesses free will and can choose to change their mind at any time. Allah’s foreknowledge of our actions does not mean that we are forced to act in a certain way, as we have the ability to make our own choices. But “If Allah has decreed that a certain event will occur at a specific time, then it will happen regardless of our choices, in different ways, but Allah will accept our choices because of free will. Although everything happens according to the will of Allah, we also know that He has given us free will. Therefore, It is ultimately our choices and actions that determine what happens; however, Allah has the power to intervene and change the course of events.

Therefore, the concept of predestination in the Qur’an is not meant to limit human free will, but rather to emphasize the vast knowledge and wisdom of Allah.

Part 1. Free Will and Predestination in Islam

The Conditional Script Given to Angels

When you were created, Allah commanded the angel to write conditional decrees such as:

• If he obeys and avoids major sins → 50 years
• If he disobeys and does X, Y → 30 years
• If he commits suicide → 20 years

You make the choice, and Allah already knows which one you will take. Once you choose:

• If Allah sees you obey and avoid major sins → the record confirms 50 year (finalized in the Mother of the Book).
• If Allah sees you disobey → the record confirms 30 year. (finalized in the Mother of the Book).
• If Allah sees you choose suicide → the record confirms 20 year. (finalized in the Mother of the Book).

So, He does not cut or extend life afterward; He only records what you freely chose from those options.

📖Qur’an 35:11
And no soul lives long or has its life cut short but it is in a Record.”

• Cut short means: relative to what the angel originally wrote based on conditions.
• You “cut it short” by choosing an action that triggered an early end.
• Allah allowed that possibility and already knew which one you’d pick.

3. So Why Does It Look Like You Did It?

Because:

• The angel’s record had two paths (longer life or shorter life).
• Your actual decision activated the shorter one.
• This is why you are responsible – it was your choice inside the options Allah gave.

📖Sahih Muslim 2643a
Verily your creation is on this wise. The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother’s womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.

Sunan Ibn Majah 90
Nothing extends one’s life span but righteousness, nothing averts the Divine Decree but supplication, and nothing deprives a man of provision but the sin that he commits.

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2139
Nothing turns back the Decree except supplication, and nothing increases the life-span except righteousness.

Meaning:

Allah commands the angels to write your potential lifespan, provision, and good deeds from Him, He leaves it to the person to choose which actions to follow.

Meaning:

1. Allah commands the angels to write your potential lifespan, provision, and good deeds from Him. He sees how a person may change, including when they accept the whispers of Shayṭān, which leads to evil from themselves. This happens by Allah’s permission because He allows free will.
2. Humans have free will: they can choose good today, evil tomorrow, and their actions may be influenced by Shayṭān’s whispers.
3. The good in the angelic record is from Allah, while evil arises when a person follows Shayṭān’s temptation.
4. Allah observes every choice a person makes, including whether they accept or reject the whispers of Shayṭān.
5. By exercising their free will, a person effectively determines the manifestation of their Divine Decree in their lifetime.
6. Importantly, Allah Himself does not change the Divine Decree; He already knows how the person will exercise their free will and records the final outcome.
7. Whatever a person chooses becomes their reality, and Allah observes it.
8. When a person makes du‘ā or acts righteously, the manifestation of the angelic record may change, reflecting their choices, but the ultimate Divine Decree in Allah’s knowledge was already fixed.
9. In short: humans can influence the unfolding events from the angelic record – choosing good from Allah or evil from Shayṭān – shaping their life within what Allah has foreseen, and Allah records their final choices in the Divine Decree.

Note: By changing the angelic record through their choices, the person effectively changes the Divine Decree for themselves in practice, but Allah does not change the original Decree; the person’s free will determines how it unfolds.

Allah writes all the good things for you before birth:

• Lawful provision
• Natural lifespan
• Potential good deeds
• The potential to be blessed in the Hereafter

Only good is recorded in the angelic record by Allah’s command, and when a human chooses this path, it is from God. Wickedness does not come from Allah; it occurs when a human, influenced by Shayṭān, makes a choice. Allah sees the choice and allows it by His permission, but the choice itself belongs to the human. Whatever they choose, even when inspired by the devil, is also recorded as their own decision.

• You freely choose to follow good (Allah’s guidance) or evil (Shayṭān’s whispers).
• Your choice becomes reality.

Explanation:

• Allah writes all good things: lawful provision, natural lifespan, potential good deeds, and the potential to be blessed.
• Wretchedness is not written by Allah; it happens only when you choose evil.

1. Free Will and Shayṭān’s Role

• Good option (from divine decree): Allah has prepared guidance and good deeds for you.
  Example: You are guided to maintain family ties.
• Evil option (from Shayṭān): Shayṭān whispers temptation to disobey or commit evil.
  Example: You feel a sudden urge to break family ties.

📖Qur’an 76:29-30
Indeed, this is a guidance. So whoever wills may take to his Lord a way. And you do not will except that Allah wills, Lord of the worlds.

• Meaning: Allah shows the path of guidance (good) to everyone.
• Each person has the free will to choose whether to follow it or not.

2. Qur’anic Example

Event today from your life (two paths come into effect):

Divine decree / good:
📖Quran 4:1
Maintain ties of kinship; Allah commands you to good.

📖Qur’an 5:91
Shayṭān tempts: he only wants to incite enmity and hatred among you, and divert you from the remembrance of Allah.

Divine Decree / Killing or Self-Harm
📖Qur’an 4:29
Allah commands: “Do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you.

📖Qur’an 4:119
Shayṭān tempts / Evil: “I will surely mislead them and arouse in them sinful desires.

Divine Decree / Falsehood, Deception
📖Qur’an 2:42
Allah commands: “Do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].

📖Qur’an 2:169
Shayṭān tempts: He commands you only to evil and immorality and to say about Allah what you do not know.

You choose one:

• If you follow good, angels record it as a righteous deed.
• If you follow evil, angels record it as an actual evil deed, and you become wretched, which was not commned by Allah, but is the result of your choice you followd the devil 

So, In the Angelic Books, what is recorded can change according to your choices. Yet the ultimate Divine Decree is fixed and fully known by Allah. You act freely, and whatever unfolds happens because of your own decisions. So yes, you may ‘change’ the record in the Angelic Book by your choices, but Allah’s final decree remains fixed and unchangeable, The path you follow in life, and the way you die, becomes your final path. You choose it yourself, and Allah sees it and records it in the Divine Decree.

Do Allah cuts lives short after writing them?

📖Surah Fatir 35:11
And no soul lives long or has its life cut short but it is in a Record. Indeed, that is easy for Allah.

Not arbitrarily. Scholars explain it like this:

Two Types of Writing

• Preserved Tablet (Lawh al-Mahfuz): Everything is final – nothing changes.

• Angels’ Records: Lifespan can appear to change because Allah orders increases or decreases based on deeds.

Examples (from Hadith):

The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever wishes to have his provision increased and his lifespan extended, let him maintain family ties.”
(Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 56)

This means doing good deeds can lengthen life (in the angels’ record), and sins can shorten it.

You might ask: “So if I cut kinship, my life decreases?”

Yes. The important part is: it reflects your choice, not disbelief. No one forced you – you acted freely, and the result follows your action.

Example for clarity:

• Suppose you know Islam well but die as a non-Muslim. You cannot blame anyone or question why you ended up in hell, because you chose your path freely. The Divine Decree already accounted for your choices, but your actions now determine your outcome.

1. Just now, you read this post but ignored it, right?
2. If you walk away without reflecting or acting, that action – ignoring and leaving – is also recorded in the Divine Decree.
3. Allah sees it and records it because it was your choice, not imposed by anyone.
4. Allah already knows the outcome, but you exercised free will, and the action manifests in your life according to your choice.

How Free Will and Predestination Work

God is Outside of Time

• God exists beyond time. He sees the entire timeline of every creation at once – from birth to death and beyond.

God Sees All Choices

• Before your birth (Time 0), God already knows every choice you will make. This is His knowledge, not His compulsion.

Life and Free Will

• When you are born (Time 1), you receive life, health, and blessings.
• You are given the freedom to choose your path: obey God or follow disobedience (Satan).

Receiving Guidance

• At various points (Time 2), God sends messages, revelation, and signs to guide you.
• You have the free will to accept or reject these messages.

Consequences of Choices

• If you reject guidance (Time 3), God may allow challenges or suffering (Time 4) to guide you.
• Even then, your choices are yours; God does not force you.

Predestination and Divine Decree

After all choices are made, God’s knowledge of your actions (from Time 0) allows Him to decree your destiny (Time 5).

• After all choices are made, God’s knowledge (from Time 0 via angelic records) allows Him to decree your destiny (Time 5).
• Your destiny is determined according to your choices, but God already knows the outcome eternally.
• Free will and predestination coexist: your choices cause your destiny, while God’s knowledge and decree encompass it all.

The Illusion of Escape

• Someone may think they are escaping responsibility, but they are walking into the outcome they freely chose.

Does God Alter the Divine Decree?

No, God does not directly alter the Divine Decree. Events are first recorded in the angelic records, which act as a “working draft” of potential outcomes. Humans can influence outcomes through du‘ā (supplication), repentance, and righteous deeds, which may adjust these records.

Example: War Between Two Groups
Imagine a war is happening. In the angelic records, it is written:

• Group A (following God): Act according to guidance, make peace, follow justice.
• Group B (following Satan): Engage in killing, steal, spread corruption, follow evil whispers.

Both groups have freedom to act according to their choices. Satan may whisper to some in Group A, but they can choose to resist. Similarly, people in Group B may have chances to repent. God, being All-Knowing, sees all choices at once – who will follow good or evil. Normally, the final outcome of events is recorded based on human choices, not imposed by God.

Where God Intervenes for Believers:
God may personally intervene to protect or aid the believers (Group A), taking it as His duty out of mercy and justice. This may involve altering the angelic records in favor of those who sincerely follow Him, while still respecting general human free will. Humans still influence the course of events through their actions, but God ensures that believers are not left to unjust suffering.

Stopping the Devil’s Plan:
Sometimes the devil’s plan is so destructive that God directly sets the final outcome, overriding normal free will for that moment. This ensures that evil does not triumph. Humans’ previous actions may still influence events, but finality is written by God Himself in the Divine Decree to nullify the devil’s victory. God sees all results and can write down the final outcome to end the war, but He may allow events to unfold for a time before doing so.

Finality in the Divine Decree:
After all choices and interventions, God writes the finality of all events in the Divine Decree (Al-Qadr). This decree reflects:

• Human choices
• God’s intervention for justice and mercy
• The ultimate prevention of the devil’s triumph

📖Surah Al-Insan 76:30
“And you do not will except that Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.”

📖Qur’an 13:39
“Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.”
This verse explains that in the angelic records, things can appear to be erased or added, but the Mother of the Book never changes. Human choices are real, but they occur within God’s knowledge and ultimate decree. The final outcome is preserved by His wisdom.

📖Qur’an 71:4
“That He may forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term.”
This shows an apparent extension of life based on good deeds like repentance. Scholars say this refers to the conditional record with angels, where Allah commands them to increase the lifespan if the servant does good (e.g., repentance, maintaining kinship).

📖Sahih Muslim 131 a
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ transmitted it from the Blessed and Great Lord: Verily Allah recorded the good and the evil and then made it clear: He who intended good but did not do it, Allah recorded one complete good in his favour. But if he intended it and also did it, Allah recorded ten to seven hundred virtues and even more to his credit. But if he intended evil but did not commit it, Allah wrote down one complete good in his favour, If he intended it and also committed it, Allah recorded one evil against him.

What We Learn From It Today:

1. Intentions Matter
   This hadith shows that your heart and your intentions are not hidden from Allah. Even thinking about good earns reward – even if you fail to do it. That means every sincere desire counts in Islam.

2. Mercy Over Punishment
   Good deeds are multiplied many times, but bad deeds are counted only once. That shows the system of Allah is heavily tilted in favor of mercy. He wants us to succeed, not fail.

3. Free Will is Real
   This clearly proves we have free will. You get rewarded only if you intend, and punished only if you actually commit the act. No one is forced. You choose, and you’re judged based on what you choose.

4. Don’t Misuse It for Major Sins
   This does not mean you can plan major sins like murder, rape, or adultery and expect easy forgiveness. Such crimes require punishment, as stated in other hadiths and Qur’anic laws. Yes, even these sins can be forgiven — but after justice is served, true repentance is made, and Allah wills to forgive.

📖Quran 6:160
Whoever comes with a good deed will have ten times the like of it, and whoever comes with an evil deed will not be recompensed except the like thereof; and they will not be wronged.

📖Quran 91:8
And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it. And inspired it with [discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness.

This shows Allah gave us free will – we are shown right and wrong, but we choose which path to take.

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW DISASTERS LIKE EARTHQUAKES AND FLOODS?

1. Sometimes these things are a test. When it is a test, the people who die are not really dead – they are alive in Heaven. So you don’t have the right to question, because that’s what a test means. If you question it, you are in some way rejecting the fact that they are alive and rejecting God’s plan of their time of death. Who are you to question when God already decreed their death from His side?

2. Many times disasters happen because of human sins. But these things are already written in the Angelic Book. God allows them when humans cause too much corruption, as a sign to repent.

📖Quran 8:25
And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, but will afflict everyone. And know that Allah is severe in penalty.

This means even good people are affected, because God’s punishment is not targeted like humans would expect. If God destroyed only the specific sinners, then people would know exactly who was guilty, and they would believe only out of fear not by their own choice.

3. Sometimes God even causes two groups to fight each other when corruption has spread too much. It affects others too, so they can realize, repent, and return to Him. God never causes anything with a bad intention – rather, He allows it as a sign to wake people up before it’s too late.

📖Quran 6:65
Say: It is He who is able to send upon you affliction from above you or from beneath your feet, or to confuse you in [the manner of] your [resentful] factions and make you taste the violence of one another….”

This verse affirms that God has the power to instigate conflict among groups, not out of malice, but as a form of divine reminder and test.

📖Quran 2:251
“And if Allah had not repelled [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted; but Allah is kind to the worlds.”

This verse is often understood to mean that when wrongdoing becomes rampant, Allah allows one group to check another – creating hardship or conflict – not out of malice, but as a mercy to prevent total destruction and to awaken people to reform, 

These things do not happen randomly in our time. God already sees the corruption before it happens, and He commands the angels to record it. If humans do not change, the punishment comes upon them exactly as written, Now, many will say earthquakes and floods happen by nature. Yes, they do – but God already ordered to happen, either as a test or as a punishment. It is all already written, These events can be altered if humans repent, because they are not fixed to happen unconditionally. So, if tomorrow an earthquake strikes a country, it is not simply because of tectonic plates moving – it is because it was already written to happen at that time, At the same time, God may cause certain events to save people by taking some of them, but He never allows injustice in His punishment. For example, if one group is correct and another is wrong, He would not cause them to fight. He only causes two groups to clash when both parties are wrong and corrupted Quran 2:251 , so that it becomes a sign for others to repent. But when humans fight from one side while the other side is innocent, that is not from God, that is from the whisper of the devil.

Understanding Free Will and Divine Decree (Qadar) in Islam – Simple Way

The concept of free will and predestination (Qadar) in Islam often feels difficult to grasp. To make it easier, we’ll explain it in two parts:

• Part 1: A deeper perspective, showing how Allah’s knowledge covers all things.
• Part 2: A simpler explanation, based on our perception of time.

Both parts carry the same essential message:
Humans have free will.
Allah has complete knowledge of every choice.
Events unfold by His wisdom and decree.

Part 1: The Student Example

Imagine a student who studied hard but still failed an exam. The student wonders, “Why did this happen despite my effort?”

In Islam, we believe that Allah already knew this outcome long before it happened. If the result is announced tomorrow at 1 PM, Allah already knew from the beginning that the student would fail. Why? Because Allah knows everything – the student’s preparation, weaknesses, and missed areas.

So the failure wasn’t random; it was a result of personal shortcomings. But here’s the key: Allah could have changed the outcome.

• If the student had made dua (prayer), sought Allah’s help, and worked harder, Allah might have allowed success instead of failure.
• This is why sincere prayer is powerful – it can alter destiny.

📖Sunan Ibn Majah 90
“Nothing can change the Divine Decree except dua.”

So while Allah’s knowledge is perfect, He allows outcomes to shift when His servant sincerely turns to Him.

Part 2: The Sin Example

Now, imagine a man decides today that he will commit a crime tomorrow at 1 PM.

• This decision is his own free choice. Allah does not force anyone to sin.
• Yet, because Allah’s knowledge is infinite and beyond time, He already knows this choice.

For Allah, past, present, and future are all clear. So Allah’s decree includes this act, but it doesn’t mean He forced the man. The man still bears full responsibility.

However, Allah could change the situation:

• If the man sincerely repented,
• Or if something stopped him before the act,

Then the decree could shift. This shows how free will, divine knowledge, and Allah’s mercy all coexist.

Quranic Context

📖Quran 5:48
“If Allah had willed, He would have made you one nation, but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.
Allah could have made us all the same, but He gave us free will to be tested through our choices.

📖Quran 3:145
“And whoever desires the reward of this world – We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter – We will give him thereof. And We will reward the grateful.
This verse shows humans choose what they seek – dunya or akhirah.

📖Quran 18:29
“And whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.”
Clear evidence of free will.

📖Quran 41:46
“Whoever does righteousness, it is for his own soul; and whoever does evil, it is against it. And your Lord is never unjust to His servants.
Everyone is accountable for their choices.

📖Quran 9:51
“Say, ‘Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.’ And upon Allah let the believers rely.
We act with free will, but outcomes are within Allah’s decree.

📖Quran 54:49
“Indeed, all things We created with predestination.
Allah’s knowledge covers everything.

📖Quran 57:22
“No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being – indeed that, for Allah, is easy.”
Everything is recorded, yet Allah has the power to erase or confirm what He wills (Quran 13:39).

Hadith on Free Will and Responsibility

📖Sahih Muslim 1829 a
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every one of you is a shepherd and every one of you is answerable with regard to his flock…”
This shows each person has responsibility over their choices.

📖Sunan Ibn Majah 91
The Prophet ﷺ explained: “It is in that which the Pen has already dried, and each person is facilitated for what he has been created.”
Our choices are written, but we still freely decide between good and evil.

📖Sahih al-Bukhari 6491
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) narrating about his Lord I’m and said, “Allah ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written, and He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him); and if he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times to many more times: and if somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him, and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allah will write one bad deed (in his account) .

Even though everything is written, man still chooses his path, and his deeds define his fate.

In Islam:

• Allah knows everything – nothing is hidden from Him.
• We have free will – we choose right or wrong.
• Our choices are written – but Allah allows change through dua, repentance, and good deeds.

📖Quran 13:11
Surely, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.

This verse balances it all: Allah’s will is supreme, yet He gives us the power to choose and improve our destiny.

Summary:

In Islam, free will and predestination coexist. Humans have the ability to make choices and take actions, but Allah already knows what those choices and actions will be. Therefore, the belief in predestination does not negate the concept of free will. Rather, it emphasizes the idea that Allah has complete knowledge and control over all things, while humans are still given free will and are responsible for their choices and actions. Allah’s statement that everything happens by His will is based on His infinite knowledge and power, and it is meant to remind us that He is the ultimate authority and creator of all things. In Islam, the concept of predestination or “qadar” is a belief that Allah has decreed all events and outcomes in the universe, whether good or bad. However, this belief does not negate the concept of free will, as humans are still responsible for their actions and are held accountable for their choices and decisions. When Allah says that everything happens by His will, it means that everything is under His control and happens according to His divine plan. This does not mean that humans are forced to do certain actions or that they have no control over their lives. Rather, it means that Allah has knowledge of all things and has the power to guide and influence events and outcomes. In the Quran, Allah says, “Surely, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Quran 13:11). This verse emphasizes the importance of human agency and free will. We have the power to make choices and take actions that can lead to positive outcomes in our lives. However, the ultimate outcome is determined by Allah’s will and is beyond our control.

Additional Information

It is important to note that this is a article, and we have provided a brief reference information. If you have any doubts, you can seek more information from scholars near you. We also recommend that you gather more accurate information from your scholars.