Statements [45]–[48]: concealed destiny, disclosed and withheld knowledge, final decree, and the benefits of faith Read the bilingual lesson for The Secret of Divine Decree, Allah’s Knowledge, and the Tablet and Pen and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Predestination: A secret of Allah
وَأَصْلُ الْقَدَرِ سِرُّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي خَلْقِهِ
The foundation of predestination is Allah Most High’s secret concerning His creation.
The aspect of divine knowledge and decree kept hidden from creatures cannot be comprehensively grasped by human reason. Faith in predestination does not require claiming to uncover this secret fully; it requires acknowledging the truth of Allah’s knowledge and decree.
2. The limit of created knowledge
لَمْ يَطَّلِعْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ وَلَا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ
Neither a near angel nor a sent prophet has been given access to this secret.
Angels and prophets possess knowledge bestowed by Allah, but this hidden aspect of predestination has not been disclosed to creation. If even those of high rank do not encompass that secret, an ordinary person must recognize the limits of his knowledge.
3. Intrusive speculation into predestination
وَالتَّعَمُّقُ وَالنَّظَرُ فِي ذَلِكَ ذَرِيعَةُ الْخِذْلَانِ وَسُلَّمُ الْحِرْمَانِ وَدَرَجَةُ الطُّغْيَانِ
Excessive probing of that secret becomes a path to failure, deprivation, and rebellion.
Speculation that attempts to master Allah’s concealed decisions and make human reason their judge can draw a person away from faithful submission. Reason must therefore operate within the sphere of knowledge made available to human beings.
4. Guarding against speculation and whisperings
فَالْحَذَرَ كُلَّ الْحَذَرِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ نَظَرًا وَفِكْرًا وَوَسْوَسَةً
Beware completely of such speculative scrutiny, thought, and obsessive whisperings.
Affirming predestination and fulfilling one’s duties is different from repeatedly attempting to penetrate an undisclosed secret through groundless questions. The first approach supports submission and steadiness; the second entangles a person in matters beyond the knowledge granted to him.
5. Why the secret remains hidden
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى طَوَى عِلْمَ الْقَدَرِ عَنْ أَنَامِهِ وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنْ مَرَامِهِ
Allah has kept this knowledge of predestination concealed from creation and forbidden pursuit of its hidden depths.
Human responsibility concerns the commands and guidance made clear to them. Claiming access to what Allah has retained within His own knowledge exceeds the boundary of knowledge given to a servant.
6. Allah is not called to account
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ
Allah is not questioned about what He does, whereas they will be questioned.
Allah is the Creator and Sovereign; there is no higher authority to hold Him accountable as a servant is held accountable. Creatures, by contrast, are subject to His commands and answerable for them. Rejecting His decree through an accusatory “Why did He do this?” contradicts this principle.
7. The consequence of rejecting divine judgment
فَمَنْ سَأَلَ لِمَ فَعَلَ فَقَدْ رَدَّ حُكْمَ الْكِتَابِ
Whoever asks “Why did He do it?” in rejection of Allah’s judgment has rejected the ruling of the Book.
There is a fundamental difference between submitting to divine judgment and objecting to it as invalid. A servant is not charged with knowing every concealed decree; he is charged with accepting his Lord’s judgment and fulfilling his own obligations.
8. First benefit: patience in hardship
Belief in predestination makes patience in times of hardship easier.
When a servant knows that an occurrence is not outside Allah’s knowledge and decree, he is better able to remain patient rather than protest uncontrollably. This faith does not make pain disappear, but it shapes the believer’s response by placing hardship within the divine decree.
9. Second benefit: lawful means, not unlawful ones
A believer in predestination pursues permissible means and avoids impermissible means.
He is certain that what has been decreed for him will reach him, so he need not pursue it through unlawful methods. The obligation to take appropriate means remains, but those means must be lawful. Predestination is not a license for prohibited conduct.
10. Third benefit: freedom from arrogance
Belief in predestination restrains a person from pride in God-given talents and good qualities.
He does not treat his ability, success, and excellence as achievements originating solely from himself; he recognizes Allah’s gift. Gratitude then replaces conceit. A person who recognizes the divine source of his gifts has no grounds to become arrogant about them.
11. Fourth benefit: means and their ultimate Cause
The believer gathers and uses means but does not rely on the means alone. His reliance is upon the One who makes means effective—Allah.
Taking action and trusting Allah are not opposites. A person makes lawful efforts within his ability, yet does not regard the outcome as guaranteed by the effort itself. Action, proper caution, and trust each retain their place.
12. The firmly grounded in knowledge
فَهَذَا جُمْلَةُ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مَنْ هُوَ مُنَوَّرٌ قَلْبُهُ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
This is the body of what the enlightened-hearted friends of Allah need.
Those firmly grounded in knowledge accept the knowledge Allah has granted, believe His reports, and do not claim knowledge of realities withheld from them. Sound learning includes recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge.
13. Two kinds of knowledge
لِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ عِلْمَانِ: عِلْمٌ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَوْجُودٌ، وَعِلْمٌ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَفْقُودٌ
Knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge present among creatures and knowledge withheld from them.
Available knowledge is what Allah has disclosed to His servants; withheld knowledge is what they have not been allowed to know. The concealed mystery of predestination belongs to the second category. Confusing these categories distorts both faith and understanding.
14. Rejecting disclosed knowledge
فَإِنْكَارُ الْعِلْمِ الْمَوْجُودِ كُفْرٌ
Rejecting the knowledge made available to creation is unbelief.
Once a truth has been conveyed by Allah, it must be accepted. Faith does not depend on the servant independently grasping every detail of the divine report; rather, he acknowledges the truth of what Allah has disclosed. Denying that disclosed knowledge contradicts such acceptance.
15. Claiming knowledge withheld from creation
وَادِّعَاءُ الْعِلْمِ الْمَفْقُودِ كُفْرٌ
Claiming knowledge withheld from creation is unbelief.
A servant must acknowledge that certain realities remain hidden. Guesswork, conjecture, and imagination do not yield certain knowledge of concealed divine decisions. To claim possession of knowledge never given to humanity is to cross the proper boundary of created knowledge.
16. The path of faith: accept and refrain
وَلَا يَثْبُتُ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا بِقَبُولِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَوْجُودِ وَتَرْكِ طَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَفْقُودِ
Faith is established only through accepting disclosed knowledge and ceasing the pursuit of knowledge withheld.
With belief in predestination, a servant does not attempt to expose its hidden essence. He affirms what Allah has taught and closes the door to futile disputation over what has not been revealed. This is the proper relationship between knowledge and submission.
17. Belief in the Tablet and the Pen
وَنُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّوْحِ وَالْقَلَمِ وَبِجَمِيعِ مَا فِيهِ قَدْ رُقِمَ
We believe in the Tablet, the Pen, and everything inscribed upon it.
Events extending to the Day of Judgment have been recorded by Allah. What is inscribed corresponds to His knowledge and decree of what will occur. Faith in the Tablet and the Pen forms part of affirming the perfection of Allah’s knowledge and decision.
18. What is decreed to occur cannot be prevented
فَلَوِ اجْتَمَعَ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهِ أَنَّهُ كَائِنٌ لِيَجْعَلُوهُ غَيْرَ كَائِنٍ لَمْ يَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِ
If all creatures gathered to prevent something written to occur, they would be unable to do so.
Whatever is known and decisively decreed by Allah will take place as decreed. Even the combined effort of creation cannot prove Allah’s knowledge or final judgment false. The discussion concerns the unalterable divine decree.
19. What is not decreed cannot be made to occur
وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا كُلُّهُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ لَمْ يَكْتُبْهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهِ لِيَجْعَلُوهُ كَائِنًا لَمْ يَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهِ
If all creatures gathered to bring into being something not decreed to occur, they could not do so.
In the first case, they could not prevent what is decreed; in the second, they cannot cause what has not been decreed. Together these statements affirm the firmness of Allah’s knowledge and definitive determination.
20. The meaning of “the Pen has dried”
جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
The Pen has dried concerning all that will occur until the Day of Judgment.
Ink may be changed while being written, but once it has dried, its writing cannot be altered in the same manner. The expression emphasizes the established character of Allah’s definitive decree. A creature’s efforts do not revise what Allah has eternally known.
21. What reaches or misses a servant
وَمَا أَخْطَأَ الْعَبْدَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَهُ، وَمَا أَصَابَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُخْطِئَهُ
What missed a servant could not have reached him, and what reached him could not have missed him.
Comfort, hardship, benefit, and trial—whether received or missed—occur according to Allah’s knowledge and decree. This conviction guards the servant against pride over what he obtains and misplaced protest over what escapes him.
22. Allah’s prior knowledge of every occurrence
وَعَلَى الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ سَبَقَ عِلْمُهُ فِي كُلِّ كَائِنٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ
A servant must know that Allah’s knowledge precedes every occurrence among His creatures.
Whatever comes into existence was already known to Allah. The emergence of something new does not add a new item of knowledge to Him. Predestination accords with His complete, prior knowledge.
23. Firm and definitive predestination
فَقَدَّرَ ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرًا مُحْكَمًا مُبْرَمًا
Allah has determined it through a firm and definitive decree.
Muḥkam indicates firmness and certainty; mubram signifies a conclusive decree not subject to alteration by creatures. Allah determines matters according to His knowledge, and no one else can add to, subtract from, or modify this definitive judgment.
24. No rescission, alteration, addition, or reduction
لَيْسَ فِيهِ نَاقِضٌ وَلَا مُعَقِّبٌ وَلَا مُزِيلٌ وَلَا مُغَيِّرٌ وَلَا زَائِدٌ وَلَا نَاقِصٌ
There is none to annul, reverse, erase, change, increase, or decrease this definitive decree.
No creature in the heavens or on earth can alter Allah’s decisive knowledge and judgment. The statement denies such authority to created beings; it does not attribute any defect to divine knowledge.
25. Predestination within divine Oneness and Lordship
وَذَلِكَ مِنْ عَقْدِ الْإِيمَانِ وَأُصُولِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالِاعْتِرَافِ بِتَوْحِيدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ
This belongs to the foundations of faith and knowledge and to acknowledging Allah’s Oneness and Lordship.
Affirming Allah’s complete knowledge and definitive decree is part of recognizing His sovereignty. The Creator who knows all events and determines them has no created partner in His knowledge and authority.
26. Every created thing is measured
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا
He created everything and determined it with precise measure.
Nothing in creation stands outside Allah’s power and measurement. Created beings and their circumstances do not arise without knowledge or determination; they remain subject to what Allah has appointed. Faith in predestination affirms this principle.
27. Allah’s command is a measured decree
وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا
Allah’s command is a decree firmly measured.
This Qur’anic statement establishes the certainty of the divine judgment. Once Allah has decisively determined a matter, objection or a creature’s claim of power cannot revise it. The appropriate response is affirmation and submission, not quarrelling over the concealed decree.
28. Quarrelling over destiny and probing the unseen
فَوَيْلٌ لِمَنْ صَارَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي الْقَدَرِ خَصِيمًا
Woe to the one who becomes an adversary concerning Allah’s decree.
A person who believes he can penetrate hidden realities through defective conjecture, then disputes Allah’s decision, has not thereby mastered predestination. Such a course risks falsehood and sin. A servant must acknowledge the truth of divine knowledge and avoid groundless contention.
29. What is known, written, and brought into existence
All coming events are within Allah’s knowledge and have been recorded upon the Preserved Tablet. Therefore, whatever appears in existence was already known to Him.
Allah has decreed matters according to His pre-existing knowledge. A servant’s discovery of an event when it occurs does not mean that Allah has acquired new knowledge or reached a new definitive decision. This is why no creature can eliminate or alter His decree.
Practice questions
Question 1
How is the foundation of predestination characterized?
- A mere human estimate
- Allah’s secret concerning creation
- A history written by creatures
- Only the work of angels
Question 2
Who has full access to the concealed secret of predestination?
- Every religious scholar
- All near angels
- No creature
- Every person through private reflection
Question 3
In what context is deep probing censured?
- Intrusive investigation of Allah’s concealed decree
- Learning daily arithmetic
- Obeying a clear command
- Accepting disclosed knowledge
Question 4
Who is answerable in “He is not questioned about what He does, but they are questioned”?
- Allah before creation
- Creatures before Allah
- Only angels
- No one will be questioned
Question 5
What is the first stated benefit of faith in predestination during hardship?
- The hardship must instantly disappear
- No trial ever occurs
- Patience becomes easier
- Means must be abandoned
Question 6
How does faith in decree guide the pursuit of benefit?
- Treating every effort as unlawful
- Using lawful means and avoiding unlawful ones
- Using only unlawful means
- Treating outcomes as entirely self-controlled
Question 7
Which moral vice is restrained by the third benefit?
- Humility
- Gratitude
- Knowledge
- Pride in one’s God-given abilities
Question 8
Upon whom should one rely while taking appropriate means?
- Allah, the ultimate cause behind means
- Only the inherent power of means
- One’s reputation
- Others’ praise
Question 9
How many basic kinds of knowledge are identified?
Question 10
What does “knowledge made present” mean?
- Knowledge based solely on guesses
- Knowledge everyone claims for himself
- Knowledge Allah has granted to creation
- Knowledge forever hidden in every respect
Question 11
What is required concerning disclosed knowledge?
- Reject it
- Change it arbitrarily
- Disregard it
- Accept it
Question 12
What is the proper attitude to knowledge withheld from creation?
- Claiming certain possession of it
- Refraining from claiming or seeking its concealed reality
- Treating guesses as revelation
- Assuming everyone is born knowing it
Question 13
What is the approach of those firmly grounded in knowledge?
- Accept what is disclosed and avoid claiming the withheld
- Judge every concealed secret
- Deny disclosed knowledge
- Follow rumors alone
Question 14
What is included in belief in the Tablet and the Pen?
- Only the stars
- Only Adam’s descendants
- The Tablet, the Pen, and what is recorded
- The independent power of human rules
Question 15
What if all creation attempts to prevent an event written to occur?
- They must prevent it
- They cannot alter Allah’s decisive decree
- Allah’s knowledge will end
- Predestination would cease to exist
Question 16
What is believed about an event not decreed to occur?
- Anyone can bring it about at will
- A stronger person alone can cause it
- Creation cannot bring it about against definitive decree
- The inscription is unrelated
Question 17
What does “the Pen has dried” emphasize?
- The established nature of definitive decree
- A shortage of ink
- A ban on writing today
- The ignorance of angels
Question 18
What is meant by “What missed a servant could not have reached him”?
- What was missed must still have arrived
- Every loss is a sin
- A person revises destiny
- What was not allotted to him would not have reached him
Question 19
Which attribute of divine knowledge is fundamental to predestination?
- Acquired only after events
- Preceding every event
- Restricted to the present
- Ignorance of some matters
Question 20
What does “a firm, definitive determination” mean?
- An uncertain temporary guess
- A decision open to revision by creatures
- Allah’s firm and conclusive decree
- The consultation of various people
Question 21
What does “neither increased nor decreased” negate?
- Alteration of definitive decree by creatures
- Ordinary business gain and loss
- Sincerity in action
- Faith in Allah
Question 22
Within what foundations is predestination placed?
- Only everyday custom
- Only historical writing
- Only calculation
- Divine Oneness, Lordship, and foundations of faith
Question 23
What is affirmed by “He created everything and determined it precisely”?
- Creation creates itself
- Everything is within Allah’s creation and determination
- Only human estimation is reliable
- Predestination has no link to creation
Question 24
What attitude concerning predestination is condemned?
- Accepting divine judgment
- Taking lawful means
- Quarrelling with Allah over the concealed decree
- Fulfilling obligations
Question 25
Why is it wrong to claim certainty about the concealed decree through conjecture?
- Conjecture does not give certain knowledge of the unseen
- Every conjecture is necessarily revelation
- Created knowledge exceeds Allah’s knowledge
- Every hidden decree was written by a human
Question 26
A believer in predestination abandons permissible effort.
Question 27
One should accept disclosed knowledge and refrain from claiming hidden knowledge.
Question 28
Created beings together can alter the definitive decree inscribed upon the Tablet.
Question 29
Allah first learns of an event when it happens.
Question 30
“Allah’s command is a measured decree” indicates the certainty of His determination.
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