Is Man's Life Predestined, or Does Man Have Free Will?
هل الإنسان مسير أم مخير؟
Man is driven in some things and he has a freedom of choice in others. We are not given a choice of being born nor dying, and we cannot choose who our fathers, mothers and relatives are, so in those matters our life is predestined.
However, we have a free will to choose to pray or not to pray, and to believe or disbelieve. Well, if Allah wants us all to believe, He has the ability to do so, but Allah has created man's reason and let him choose and be held accountable afterwards, and this is what the following Ayah means: (But you cannot will ˹to do so˺, except by the Will of Allah, the Lord of all worlds.) [At-Takwir 81:29]
(No calamity ˹or blessing˺ occurs on earth or in yourselves without being ˹written˺ in a Record before We bring it into being. This is certainly easy for Allah.) [Al-Hadid 57:22]
(Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much.) [Ash-Shura 42:30]
إن الإنسان مسير في أشياء ومخير في أشياء أخرى، فنحن مجبرون على الولادة والموت، مجبرون غير مختارين فيمن هم آباؤنا وأمهاتنا وأقاربنا.
بينما نحن مخيرون في أن نصلي أو لا نصلي، نؤمن أو نكفر، ولو أراد الله أن نؤمن جميعا فله القدرة على ذلك، ولكن الله خلق للإنسان العقل وتركه يختار ويحاسب بعد ذلك، وهذا هو معنى قوله تعالى: (وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ) [التكوير 81: 29].
وقال الله تعالى: (مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ) [الحديد 57: 22]
(وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ) [الشورى 42: 30]
1. Written Before Creation | إلا في كتاب من قبل أن نبرأها
Everything is written beforehand, including what a person does not choose: No calamity or blessing occurs on earth or in yourselves without being written in a Record before We bring it into being (57:22). Ibn Kathir explains that Allah tells of His decree over His creation before He brought it into being, and when al-Hasan was asked about this verse he said: Glory be to Allah, who doubts this? Every calamity between the heaven and the earth is in the Book of Allah before He creates the soul. See the meaning of fate and destiny.
مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَا (سورة الحديد: 22)
كل شيء مكتوب من قبل، ومنه ما لا يختاره الإنسان. قال تعالى: (ما أصاب من مصيبة في الأرض ولا في أنفسكم إلا في كتاب من قبل أن نبرأها) (الحديد 57: 22)، قال ابن كثير: يخبر تعالى عن قدره السابق في خلقه قبل أن يبرأ البرية ... ونقل عن الحسن أنه سئل عن هذه الآية فقال: سبحان الله! ومن يشك في هذا؟ كل مصيبة بين السماء والأرض ففي كتاب الله من قبل أن يبرأ النسمة.
2. Shown the Way, Then Free to Choose | إنا هديناه السبيل إما شاكرا وإما كفورا
What a person does choose, Allah has made clear to him: We already showed them the Way, whether they choose to be grateful or ungrateful (76:3). Ibn Kathir explains: We made it plain and clear to him and showed it to him ... as in And shown them the two ways (90:10), the way of good and the way of evil ... and so he is either wretched or happy. The Prophet said: All people go out in the morning and sell themselves, either setting themselves free or ruining themselves (Sahih Muslim 223). How guidance is given is explained in why Allah does not decree guidance for all His creation.
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا (سورة الإنسان: 3)
ما يختاره الإنسان قد بيّنه الله تعالى له. قال تعالى: (إنا هديناه السبيل إما شاكرا وإما كفورا) (الإنسان 76: 3)، قال ابن كثير: أي: بيناه له ووضحناه وبصرناه به ... وكقوله: (وهديناه النجدين) (البلد 90: 10)، أي: بينا له طريق الخير وطريق الشر ... فهو في ذلك إما شقي وإما سعيد. وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "كل الناس يغدو فبائع نفسه فمعتقها أو موبقها" (صحيح مسلم 223).
3. Man’s Will Within Allah’s Will | وما تشاءون إلا أن يشاء الله
The scholar cites the verse: But you cannot will to do so, except by the Will of Allah, the Lord of all worlds (81:29). Ibn Kathir explains: the will is not left to you, so that whoever wishes is guided and whoever wishes goes astray; rather, all of it follows the will of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. This agrees with the scholar’s answer: man truly chooses, and his choice never falls outside what Allah wills.
وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ (سورة التكوير: 29)
جاء في الجواب الاستشهاد بهذه الآية. قال تعالى: (وما تشاءون إلا أن يشاء الله رب العالمين) (التكوير 81: 29)، قال ابن كثير: أي ليست المشيئة موكولة إليكم، فمن شاء اهتدى ومن شاء ضل، بل ذلك كله تابع لمشيئة الله عز وجل رب العالمين. وبهذا يتبين ما قرره الجواب: أن الإنسان يختار حقا، وأن اختياره لا يخرج عما شاءه الله تعالى.
4. What Your Own Hands Have Committed | فبما كسبت أيديكم ويعفو عن كثير
Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much (42:30). Ibn Kathir explains: whatever calamities befall you, people, come from sins you committed before, and He pardons many sins and does not repay you for them. A hadith shows that for the believer even the affliction is a mercy: the Prophet said that no fatigue, illness, worry, grief, harm or sadness befalls a Muslim, even a thorn that pricks him, except that Allah expiates some of his sins by it (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641). Leaving prayer and blaming destiny is answered in whether someone can abandon prayer claiming Allah has not guided him.
وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ (سورة الشورى: 30)
قال تعالى: (وما أصابكم من مصيبة فبما كسبت أيديكم ويعفو عن كثير) (الشورى 42: 30)، قال ابن كثير: أي: مهما أصابكم أيها الناس من المصائب فإنما هو عن سيئات تقدمت لكم، (ويعفو عن كثير) أي: من السيئات، فلا يجازيكم عليها بل يعفو عنها. انتهى كلام ابن كثير. ومن الدليل على أن المصيبة رحمة في حق المؤمن قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ما يصيب المسلم من نصب ولا وصب ولا هم ولا حزن ولا أذى ولا غم، حتى الشوكة يشاكها، إلا كفَّر الله بها من خطاياه" (صحيح البخاري 5641).
Scholarly Insight: Every day is a sale: the Prophet said that all people go out in the morning and sell themselves, either setting themselves free or ruining themselves (Sahih Muslim 223), and Ibn Kathir cites it in explaining the verse: We already showed them the Way, whether they choose to be grateful or ungrateful (76:3). The choice is real, and so is the account. Read more in the tafsir of Surah Al-Insan.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Is man’s life predestined, or does he have free will?
Both. He is driven in some things, such as his birth, his death and his parents, and free in others, such as praying and believing, for which he is held to account.
Does man’s will work outside Allah’s will?
No. But you cannot will to do so, except by the Will of Allah, the Lord of all worlds (81:29).
Is every calamity written beforehand?
Yes. No calamity or blessing occurs on earth or in yourselves without being written in a Record before We bring it into being (57:22).
Why do afflictions befall people?
Whatever affliction befalls you is because of what your own hands have committed. And He pardons much (42:30); for a Muslim, even a thorn expiates sins (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641). Calamities are not only for sins: the prophets are tested most severely (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2398, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →