In Islam, the existing conflict between free will and predestination (decreed by Allah) and its political use for serving Muhammad’s personal interests is an important issue. According to Islamic doctrine, everything is controlled by the will of Allah, as stated in the Qur’an:
(Surah Al-Hadid: Verse 22) No calamity befalls the earth or yourselves except that it is written in a Book before We bring it into existence. Surely that is easy for Allah.
(Surah Al-An‘am: Verse 59) And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows whatever is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it, nor a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything wet or dry, but it is in a clear Book.
But the question is: why are humans held accountable for their actions?
For example, as mentioned in the Qur’an: (Surah Al-Kahf: Verse 29) And say, “The truth is from your Lord; so whoever wills—let him believe; and whoever wills—let him disbelieve.” Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for water, they will be given water like molten metal that will scald their faces. What a wretched drink and what an evil resting place!
This duality raises the question: if every action is predetermined by Allah, then why should humans be blamed or praised for actions they did not control? And if humans have free will, then why should they be punished?
According to Islamic tradition, Allah Himself created humans with a disposition toward disobedience and then punishes them for sins they cannot control. Human actions, belief, disbelief, and even the mistakes of prophets are also predetermined according to Allah’s decision.
Among the many hadiths mentioned in Islamic literature, Sahih Bukhari 6614 and 4738 and Sahih Muslim 2652 are notable. These narrate the argument between Adam and Moses, highlighting the concept of predestination. In Sahih Bukhari 6614, narrated by Abu Huraira, the Prophet said that Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam, “O Adam, you are our father; you disappointed us and expelled us from Paradise.” Adam then said to him, “O Moses, Allah favored you with His speech and wrote for you with His own hand. Do you blame me for an action that Allah had written in my destiny forty years before my creation?” Thus Adam refuted Moses; Adam refuted Moses. The Prophet repeated this statement three times.
In Sahih Bukhari 4738, narrated by Abu Huraira, the Prophet said that Moses argued with Adam and said to him, “You are the one who caused mankind to be expelled from Paradise and brought misery upon them because of your sin.” Adam replied, “O Moses, you are the one whom Allah chose for His message and to speak directly to Him. Yet you blame me for something that Allah had decreed for me before my creation.” The Messenger of Allah further said that in this way Adam prevailed over Moses with this argument.
In Sahih Muslim 2652, narrated by Abu Huraira, the Messenger of Allah said that Adam and Moses argued. Moses said to Adam, “You are our father. You harmed us and caused us to be expelled from Paradise.” Adam said to him, “O Moses, Allah chose you to speak directly to Him and wrote the Book for you with His own hand. Yet you blame me for an action that Allah had decreed for me forty years before my creation.” The Messenger of Allah said: thus Adam prevailed over Moses, and Adam prevailed over Moses.
Muhammad said that with this argument Adam prevailed over Moses. The most striking aspect of this hadith is that Adam did not blame Satan for his sin but rather Allah’s predestination. That is, in his view, Allah Himself was the true source of his sin because this action had been written before his creation.
If Adam had free will, then his expulsion from Paradise would have been his own fault. But according to his own statement, he acted only according to Allah’s predetermined decision. The question arises: who is actually responsible for humanity’s expulsion from Paradise? Adam? Satan? Or the One who predetermined all of this beforehand?
Qur’anic verses that deny the concept of free will
Allah Himself grants guidance and misguidance. The Qur’an states (Al-An‘am, Verse 125): Whomever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomever He wills to misguide, He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were ascending into the sky. Thus Allah places defilement upon those who do not believe.
From this verse it is clear that guidance does not depend on human actions or intentions but on Allah’s will.
Allah seals hearts. The Qur’an says (Al-Baqarah, Verse 7): Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil, and for them is a great punishment.
Here human free will is nonexistent, because when Allah seals hearts there is no opportunity to choose belief or disbelief, and punishment becomes a predetermined outcome rather than a consequence.
If Allah willed, everyone would believe. The Qur’an states (Yunus, Verse 99): And if your Lord had willed, everyone on earth would have believed altogether. So will you compel people until they become believers?
From this verse it is understood that disbelief of all people is determined by Allah Himself.
Allah misguides whom He wills. The Qur’an says (An-Nahl, Verse 93): If Allah had willed, He could have made you one community, but He misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And you will surely be questioned about what you used to do.
This conflicts with the logic of justice, because for one whom Allah decides to misguide there remains no path of virtue or faith, and punishing such a person is unjust.
Every calamity is prewritten. (Al-Hadid, Verse 22): No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a Book before We bring it into being, and that is easy for Allah.
This verse proves that human decisions or actions have no real effect because everything is prewritten. If a murderer’s act of killing is predetermined, then he cannot be called a criminal; and if a thief’s theft is in Allah’s decree, then what is the meaning of punishment?
Both good and evil are by Allah’s will. Many verses of the Qur’an link sin, disbelief, and belief to Allah’s decree, such as (Al-Baqarah, Verse 7): Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil, and for them is a great punishment.
If Allah seals hearts, then punishing them for disbelief is morally oppressive.
So-called Islamic analysts were aware of these contradictory beliefs and the questions and doubts arising from them, and therefore they tried their best to resolve this conflict. But the arguments they provided, largely self-created explanations, also proved contradictory to one another. From these narratives it becomes clear that human action is not free but part of Allah’s eternal decree, acceptance of which would collapse Islam’s moral system, because then no person could be held responsible for their sins.
As a result, they began weaving interpretive frameworks to reconcile determinism and free will, which in reality only made the contradiction more apparent. Some Islamic speakers say regarding Adam that his mistake was an ijtihadi error, meaning his intention was good but his action was flawed. But if everything is predetermined by Allah, then intention, error, and judgment are all subject to the same destiny.
Others say that Allah wrote the decree but did not enforce it. But the Qur’an and hadith repeatedly state that Allah guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills, such as in Surah Al-Qasas, Verse 56, which says that you cannot guide whom you wish, but Allah guides whom He wills, and He knows best who follows guidance.
Islamic scholars seek a middle path to resolve this conflict and invent the concept of kasb (acquisition), or claim that Allah only has knowledge but does not compel actions. Nevertheless, the fundamental question remains: if Allah knows that a person will go astray and still creates him, how is that justice, as stated in Surah An-Nahl, Verse 93, that Allah could have made you all one community, but He misguides whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and you will be questioned about what you used to do?
One thing should be clearly stated. Zakir Naik and various religious businessmen twist this simple explanation in another way. They say that Allah wrote it because humans would do it, not that humans did it because Allah wrote it. This claim is refuted in the Qur’an itself.
The Qur’an states (Surah Al-Insan: Verse 30): You do not will unless Allah wills. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. This verse shows human will as subordinate to Allah’s will, which indicates not mere foreknowledge but determination. Sahih Muslim 2653B narrates that Allah wrote the future of all creation fifty thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth. This pre-creation writing shows the determination of actions, which becomes the cause of human deeds.
Muhammad politically used the two contradictory beliefs of free will and destiny in Islam. He cleverly applied these two doctrines for his political and governing advantage. This happened in the following ways.
Forcing people to accept religion: When he wanted people to accept Islam, he would convince them that each individual is solely responsible for his actions.
Demanding absolute obedience after conversion: Once people accepted Islam, he demanded complete obedience and submission to his commands.
Using destiny as an excuse in cases of failure or defeat: When people were defeated in battle despite complete obedience, Muhammad immediately resorted to destiny. For example, after the defeat in the Battle of Uhud, this declaration came: (Surah At-Tawbah, Verse 51): Say, “Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us.”
This was a psychological tactic. These contradictory statements—sometimes attributing everything to Allah’s will, sometimes blaming human error—served a single purpose: to keep authority and accountability with Muhammad and prevent the public from questioning.
Making destiny a part of faith: Muhammad did not merely demand acceptance of destiny; he made it an essential pillar of faith. The hadith states: “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and destiny, its good and its evil.” (Sahih Muslim 8). When oppression is labeled as “Allah’s will,” protesting against it becomes religious rebellion.
Destiny: the most powerful political weapon of the Umayyad caliphs. The clearest example in Islamic history is the Umayyad period. The Umayyad caliphs officially turned the doctrine of destiny into political propaganda. They told the public: “Our rule is Allah’s decree. If we commit injustice, that too is Allah’s decision.”
A famous statement of Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Sufyan is: “What we have obtained is Allah’s decree, and whoever opposed us did so by Allah’s decision.” That is, power is Allah’s decree, and oppression is also Allah’s will. Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik executed Ghaylan al-Dimashqi, whose crime was saying: “Allah cannot be unjust.” This incident clearly shows that the Islamic doctrine of destiny was primarily used to protect power.
Even in this modern age, people continue to practice that old Islamic politics and servitude to Muhammad, which is truly disappointing. When will the nation be free from this trap? Or do they not want to be free?
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