RS17: Predestination and Free Will

☪️ Predestination and Free Will

📋 Different Muslim Views

🔍 How Predestination Relates to the Day of Judgement

• Muslims believe they will be judged on the Day of Judgement for their actions
• This judgement only makes sense if humans have free will — you cannot be judged for actions you were forced to take
• Most Muslims believe Allah has complete knowledge of what will happen, but humans still make genuine choices
• The concept of "books of deeds" (recorded by angels) implies moral responsibility
• Some Muslims (especially Sunni) emphasise qadr more strongly; others (especially Shi'a) emphasise free will more

❓ Practice Questions

✅ Answers

1. 1) Qadr — Muslims believe Allah has decreed all things and has complete knowledge of everything that will happen. Surah 9:51 states "Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us." 2) Free will — most Muslims also believe humans have genuine freedom to choose their actions. Without free will, the Day of Judgement would be unjust, as people cannot be held responsible for actions they were forced to take. The balance: Allah knows what we will choose, but we still choose freely.
2. Some argue that if Allah has complete foreknowledge, human choices are already determined. However, most Muslim scholars distinguish between God's knowledge and God's compulsion — Allah knowing what you will choose does not mean he forces you to choose it. An analogy: a teacher may know a student will fail an exam, but the student still freely chooses not to revise. For Muslims, belief in both qadr and free will is essential — qadr gives trust in Allah's plan, while free will gives moral responsibility.

🎯 Exam Tips

• Always refer to specific sources of authority (scripture, sacred texts, religious leaders)
• Explain contrasting beliefs — different views within and between traditions
• Use key terminology precisely (e.g. tawhid, atonement, sanctity of life)
• For 12-mark evaluation questions, consider both sides before reaching a justified conclusion
• Link beliefs to their impact on individuals, communities and society
• Acknowledge diversity — no religious tradition has a single, uniform view

📝 Exam Technique

⚠️ Common Errors

✍️ Model Answer

📊 AO Deep Dive

📖 Detailed Notes: Predestination and Free Will

💡 Al-Qadr: Allah’s Foreknowledge and Decree

Al-qadr (predestination or divine decree) is the Sunni belief that Allah has knowledge of all things past, present and future, and that nothing happens without His permission. The Qur’an states: “With Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them but He. He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it” (Surah 6:59). Muslims believe that Allah’s knowledge is complete and perfect, encompassing everything that has ever happened and ever will happen. However, the relationship between Allah’s foreknowledge and human free will is one of the most complex questions in Islamic theology.

The concept of al-qadr does not mean that humans have no choice. Most Muslim scholars teach that Allah knows what people will freely choose to do, but this knowledge does not cause them to act — humans make their own decisions and are held accountable for them. The Qur’an states: “Whoever does righteousness — it is for his own soul; and whoever does evil — it is against it” (Surah 41:46), emphasising personal responsibility. The Ash’ari school (dominant in Sunni Islam) describes the relationship as ‘acquisition’ (kasb): Allah creates the capacity for action, but humans freely acquire specific actions. The Mu’tazila school historically argued for complete human free will, while some strict determinists have argued that Allah predetermines all actions. For GCSE, the mainstream Sunni position is that Allah has complete foreknowledge but humans have genuine free will to choose.

🔍 Shi’a Emphasis on Free Will and Divine Justice

Shi’a Islam places greater emphasis on human free will than most Sunni traditions, linking it to the concept of divine justice (Adl), which is one of the Five Roots of Usul al-Din. Shi’a scholars argue that it would be unjust for Allah to punish people for actions they were compelled to perform. Since Allah is perfectly just (Adl), He must give humans genuine freedom to choose between right and wrong. The Qur’an supports this: “Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves” (Surah 10:44). For Shi’a Muslims, the emphasis on free will also connects to the importance of standing against injustice — Imam Husayn chose to fight at Karbala, and that choice had moral significance precisely because it was free.

The Shi’a position does not deny Allah’s foreknowledge — God knows what will happen, but His knowledge does not force events to occur. An analogy used by Shi’a scholars is that a teacher who knows a student will fail an exam does not cause the failure — the knowledge is simply accurate foreknowledge. Similarly, Allah’s knowledge of human choices does not remove the freedom of those choices. This position is sometimes called ‘limited free will’: humans are free within the boundaries set by Allah, who has ultimate control over all things but chooses to grant humans genuine moral agency.

⚖️ Practical Implications of Predestination and Free Will

The balance between al-qadr and free will has significant practical implications for Muslims. If everything is predestined, does it matter how people behave? Mainstream Islamic teaching is clear: yes, it matters enormously. The Prophet said: “Work for your worldly life as if you are going to live forever, and work for your hereafter as if you are going to die tomorrow” (Hadith). This teaching encourages Muslims to take full responsibility for their actions while also trusting in Allah’s wisdom. Belief in al-qadr provides comfort during hardship: Muslims believe that difficulties are part of Allah’s plan and can carry hidden blessings. The Prophet said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affair is all good. If something good happens to him, he is grateful for it, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him” (Sahih Muslim).

In the British context, the balance between qadr and free will helps Muslims navigate everyday challenges. A British Muslim who loses their job may find comfort in the belief that this is part of Allah’s plan (qadr), while also actively seeking new employment (free will and personal responsibility). A Muslim student taking exams may trust in Allah’s will for the outcome while also studying diligently. This balance prevents both fatalism (the idea that effort is pointless because everything is predetermined) and arrogance (the idea that success comes entirely from one’s own efforts, without acknowledging Allah’s role).

📊 Sunni and Shi’a Views on Predestination and Free Will

❓ Additional Practice Questions

✅ Additional Answers

1. Al-qadr is the belief that Allah has complete foreknowledge of all events and that nothing happens without His permission. The Qur’an states that Allah knows “what is on the land and in the sea” (Surah 6:59). However, most Muslim scholars teach that Allah’s foreknowledge does not remove human free will. Allah knows what people will freely choose to do, but this knowledge does not cause them to act. Humans make their own decisions and are held accountable on the Day of Judgement. The Qur’an emphasises personal responsibility: “Whoever does righteousness — it is for his own soul” (Surah 41:46). The balance is that Muslims trust in Allah’s wisdom (qadr) while taking full responsibility for their actions (free will).
2. On one hand, a misunderstanding of qadr could lead to fatalism — the idea that since Allah has decreed everything, human effort is pointless. This misunderstanding is condemned by Muslim scholars, who point to the Prophet’s teaching that believers should work hard and take responsibility for their actions. On the other hand, belief in qadr actually provides strength: it gives Muslims comfort during hardship (knowing that difficulties are part of Allah’s plan) and prevents arrogance during success (knowing that all blessings come from Allah). The Prophet said: “Tie your camel and trust in Allah,” perfectly summarising the balance between personal effort and trust in God’s will. A balanced view is that properly understood, qadr motivates rather than discourages action.

📝 Exam Questions by Topic

• AQA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- AQA
• Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
• OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
• Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
• CCEA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- CCEA

🎬 Video Resources

• BBC Bitesize - Islam
• Religious Studies YouTube