Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Without any doubt, Allah Ta‘ala has granted the children of Adam the ability to choose between good and evil. The statement of Allah Ta‘ala is: {اِِنَّا ہَدَیْنٰـہُ السَّبِیْلَ اِِمَّا شَاکِرًا وَّاِِمَّا کَفُوْرًا} (Surah Ad-Dahr: 3) … “We showed him (the human) the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” However, Allah Ta‘ala already knew who would do what deeds and what the outcome of each would be, and then He recorded it in writing; this is called the decree (taqdeer) of Allah Ta‘ala or His knowledge. Or, you may understand it this way: Allah Ta‘ala foretold the way of life and the outcomes of the children of Adam, and this prediction proved true. Now, no human is compelled to do good or evil deeds; rather, he has choice, and he himself must make the selection. It is a separate matter that Allah Ta‘ala has knowledge of his choice. Now, there is complete agreement between the action of the human and the knowledge of Allah Ta‘ala; this is what is meant by saying that a human acts according to the decree (taqdeer) of Allah Ta‘ala.