Written by: Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim
If Allah already knows who will enter Hell, why are we held responsible? And why did Allah create evil?
This question requires distinguishing between two fundamental concepts:
✿ Allah’s Knowledge (ʿIlm)
✿ Allah’s Will (Mashīʾah)
✔ Attribute of Creation (Ṣifat al-Khalq): Allah is the creator of everything.
✔ Intention Behind Creation (Mashīʾah): The wisdom or objective behind what He creates.
Allah created good so that people may embrace it, and He created evil so that people may avoid it—demonstrating loyalty to Him. Though He created both, He imposed neither. Human beings have been given free will to choose between good and evil. The consequences of both have been clearly communicated in divine revelation, enabling informed moral choices.
However, knowing a person’s choice is not equivalent to compelling them. Thus, if Allah declares that a group will enter Hell based on His foreknowledge, it does not imply compulsion. Rather, it reflects what those individuals freely chose.
For instance, Allah created the tongue as a blessing—man can use it for truth or falsehood, praise or slander. If someone uses it for lying or backbiting, this is a misuse of free will, often prompted by Shayṭān. Thus, such acts should be attributed to human choice and satanic temptation, not to Allah.
Allah did not impose guidance by force. Instead, He sent prophets and scriptures, clarified the path, and left man to choose. Once a person makes a choice, Allah facilitates their journey upon that path—this is part of the test’s fairness and wisdom.
◈ The Common Objection
❖ Objection:If Allah already knows who will enter Hell, why are we held responsible? And why did Allah create evil?
This question requires distinguishing between two fundamental concepts:
✿ Allah’s Knowledge (ʿIlm)
✿ Allah’s Will (Mashīʾah)
◈ Distinction Between Knowledge and Will
Allah’s knowledge encompasses every moment from eternity to eternity—good, bad, righteous, or evil. However, Allah’s will is always associated with good, not evil.◈ Creation vs. Intention in Divine Acts
Allah has two relevant attributes:✔ Attribute of Creation (Ṣifat al-Khalq): Allah is the creator of everything.
✔ Intention Behind Creation (Mashīʾah): The wisdom or objective behind what He creates.
Allah created good so that people may embrace it, and He created evil so that people may avoid it—demonstrating loyalty to Him. Though He created both, He imposed neither. Human beings have been given free will to choose between good and evil. The consequences of both have been clearly communicated in divine revelation, enabling informed moral choices.
◈ Divine Foreknowledge and Human Choice
Allah’s eternal knowledge includes who will choose good and who will choose evil. This knowledge is what is recorded in predestination (Qadar).However, knowing a person’s choice is not equivalent to compelling them. Thus, if Allah declares that a group will enter Hell based on His foreknowledge, it does not imply compulsion. Rather, it reflects what those individuals freely chose.
◈ Trial and Free Will
This trial is not only for humans but also for Shayṭān. Allah is the Creator of evil but not the doer of evil. It is through the misuse of created faculties that evil manifests.For instance, Allah created the tongue as a blessing—man can use it for truth or falsehood, praise or slander. If someone uses it for lying or backbiting, this is a misuse of free will, often prompted by Shayṭān. Thus, such acts should be attributed to human choice and satanic temptation, not to Allah.
◈ The Qur’anic Perspective
The Qur’an clearly states that Allah created man with limited freedom to undergo a divinely ordained test. Shayṭān, too, was granted freedom to tempt but not compel.Allah did not impose guidance by force. Instead, He sent prophets and scriptures, clarified the path, and left man to choose. Once a person makes a choice, Allah facilitates their journey upon that path—this is part of the test’s fairness and wisdom.
