Proponents
of predestination point to two particular verses of the Qur’an: (1) “Dost thou
not know that God knows all that occurs in heaven as well as on earth? All
this, behold, is in [God’s] record: verily, [to know] all this is easy for God”
(22:70).
(2) No
calamity can ever befall the earth, and neither your own selves, unless it be
[laid down] in Our decree before We bring it into being: verily, all this is
easy for God. [Know this,] so that you may not despair over whatever [good] has
escaped you nor exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to you: for, God
does not love any of those who, out of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner”
(57:22-23).
However,
āyah 22:70 simply shows that Allah knows all that exists in the heaven
and on earth. His knowledge is preserved in the Book. It in no way conveys a
message concerning predestination.
As for
āyah 57:22-23 when understood and interpreted in the light of other ayāt
which highlight man’s freedom to think, choose, and act, it will mean that
Allah has outlined laws and principles for the universe, that are immutable and
written in the Book. The Book does not contain precise information of each and
every event related to man. For example, Mr A suffers burns from a fire on 29th
July 2009 at 3pm at his house number…etc. Is this event written in the Book
with such precise detail? Certainly not. What is written in the Book is that
fire burns; whatever comes in contact with fire will get burnt; the fire will
not cause anyone, anything, any place to feel cold. (Israr Ahmad Khan, Authentication
of Hadith: Redefining the Criteria [London: The International Institute of
Islamic Thought, 2010], 193 n. 28)
