Are human actions predetermined by God, or does man choose them and is held accountable for them, despite God's prior knowledge of them and their inscription in the Preserved Tablet?
Belief in divine decree (Qada') and destiny (Qadar) is one of the pillars of faith and has four stages: knowledge, writing, will, and creation. We believe in Allah's ancient knowledge that encompasses all things, His writing in the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz), His prevailing will, and His creation of all things, including the actions of His servants. Limiting it to knowledge and writing alone is an innovation (bid'ah). The servant has a choice, which makes him accountable and deserving of reward or punishment, and this choice is part of Allah's decree and destiny. Therefore, man is given choice in one aspect and predetermined in another, or facilitated for what he was created for. Reconciling the affirmation of divine decree with the servant's will is one of Allah's mysteries, and the intellect must submit and believe in the unseen.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/184407