وَلَمْ يَخْفَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ أَفْعَالِهِمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ
Before creating them, none of their actions was hidden from Allah.
Clause structure: Qabla an khalaqahum locates the statement before the act of creating. Its function is to make the before-and-after relation explicit.
Meaning and inference: The servants’ acts were known to Allah before their creation; He did not have to acquire this knowledge afterward.
Limit of inference: Foreknowledge and coercion are distinct claims: the word qabla by itself does not establish compulsion.