i. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Indeed, all things We created with predestination." (al-Qamar 54:49) It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The polytheists of Quraysh came to argue with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the divine decree, and the words, 'The Day they will be dragged into the Fire on their faces (it will be said to them), 'Taste the touch of Hell.' Indeed, all things We created with predestination (al-Qamar 54:48, 49) were revealed." (Muslim) Ibn Jarir said, “Here Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: Indeed We created everything according to a precise measure that We decreed. This clearly indicates that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, warned these evildoers for disbelieving in the divine decree in addition to their disbelief in Him.” Al-Sa‘di said, “This includes all created things and the heavenly and earthly realms. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, alone created them, and they have no other creator except Him; no one else played any role in their creation. He created them according to a decree preceded by His knowledge thereof and written by His pen, at a particular time and in a particular condition that He decreed, and with all the characteristics that He decreed for them. That is easy for Allah.”

ii. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And the command of Allah is a decree determined." (al-Ahzab 33:38) Ibn Kathir said, “That is, what He decrees will inevitably come to pass and will certainly happen. For whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen.”

iii. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tells us about Musa (peace be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning), "And you remained some years among the people of Madyan. Then you came here at the decreed time, O Musa." (Ta-Ha 20:40) Al-Sa‘di said, “That is, you came in such a way that was already decreed; Allah had prior knowledge of it and willed that it would happen at that time in that place. Your coming there was not random and did not happen without a prior plan or arrangement on Our part.”

iv. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "But Allah caused you to meet so that He might bring about what was already decreed." (al-Anfal 8:42) Al-Sa‘di said, “That is, it was decreed from eternity and would inevitably come to pass.”

2.1.2. General evidence from the Sunnah that it is obligatory to believe in the divine will and decree

i. It was narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that Jibril (peace be upon him) asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about faith (iman), and he said, “It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day, and to believe in the divine decree, both good and bad.” (Muslim) Al-Muzhiri said, commenting on this hadith, “Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah say: Everything that happens in the world, good or bad, disbelief or faith, obedience or disobedience, and so on, all happens by the will and decree of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, but people have freedom of will. The decree is from Allah and actions are done by people, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, creates those actions in the people.”
                                                                                                                                             
ii. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Everything is already decided and decreed.” (Muslim) Abu’l-Abbas al-Qurtubi said, “What this hadith means is that there is nothing that happens in this universe, no matter what it is, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, had prior knowledge of it and He already willed it, whether it is our actions, our characteristics, or anything else. Hence the word kull in the phrase kullu shay’ (translated here as ‘everything’) is used to encompass and include all things.”

2.1.3. Scholarly consensus that it is obligatory to believe in the divine will and decree
i. Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi and Abu Hatim al-Razi said, “We met the scholars in all regions – the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and Yemen – and among their beliefs… was the belief that what is decreed, good and bad, is from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”

ii. Ibn Qutaybah said, “The scholars of hadith are all agreed that whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen, and that He is the creator of everything, good and bad.”

iii. ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi said, “The leading scholars of the early generations of Muslims were unanimously agreed that it is obligatory to believe in the divine decree, good and bad, sweet and bitter, small or great, and to believe that all of that happens by the will and decree of Allah, and there is nothing that happens except by His will. Nothing happens, good or bad, except that He wills it.”

iv. Ibn Taymiyah said, “One of the things on which the early generations and leading scholars of the ummah are agreed – in addition to their belief in the divine will and decree, that Allah is the Creator of all things, that whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen, and that He sends astray whomever He wills and guides whoever He wills – is the fact that people have free will and the ability to do, by their free will and power, what Allah enables them to do. They also believe that people do not choose anything except what Allah wills… There was no one among the early generations and leading scholars who said that the individual is not the one who does the action or does not have the choice of free will or ability; and no one among them said that the individual is the doer by way of metaphor. Rather both those who spoke in terms of the true sense of words or metaphors were agreed that the individual does his actions in a real sense, and it is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, Who created him and his attributes and his actions.”

Views of the early generations and scholars regarding the obligation to believe in the divine will and decree
i. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “The divine decree is an integral part of Tawhid (affirmation of Allah’s oneness), so whoever believes in the oneness of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and believes in the divine decree, then this is the trustworthy handhold that never breaks, but whoever believes in the oneness of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, but does not believe in the divine decree, has invalidated his belief in Allah’s oneness (Tawhid).”

ii. Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Whoever disbelieves in the divine decree has disbelieved in Islam, for Allah created creation, and He created them according to a divine decree, allocated lifespans to them according to a divine decree, allocated their provision according to a divine decree, allocated trials according to a divine decree, and allocated well-being according to a divine decree.”

iii. It was narrated that Zayd ibn Aslam said, “The divine decree is a sign of Allah’s might, so whoever disbelieves in the divine decree has denied the might of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”

iv. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “We believe in the divine will and decree; both good and bad, sweet and bitter, are from Allah.”

v. Al-Tahawi said: “Allah created creation by His knowledge and ordained decrees for them; He allocated lifespans and nothing was hidden from Him before He created them. He knew what they would do before He created them, and He commanded them to obey Him and forbade them to disobey Him.”

vi. Ibn Hajar said, “The view of all the early generations is that all things happen by the decree of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And there is not a thing but its sources are under Our control, and We send it down only in a predetermined measure." (al-Hijr 15:21)

vii. al-Sa‘di said: “One of the basic principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah is belief in the divine will and decree, which is part of believing in Allah, His Books and His Messengers. They know that Allah has encompassed all things with His knowledge, and that He wrote in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz all events, minor and major, what would happen sooner and what would happen later, then He decreed them and caused them to happen at their appointed times by His wisdom, might, care and perfect knowledge. As all events are connected to His wisdom and knowledge, they are also connected to His might and power; whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. All people’s actions, good and bad, happen by His will and decree, even though they happen in accordance with people’s will and ability, and He does not compel them to do them. He created for them all apparent and hidden strengths, including the ability and will by which they choose and act.”

2.2. Essential elements of belief in the divine decree
Al-Sa‘di said, “The essential elements of belief in the divine will and decree are four, and belief in the divine decree cannot be perfected unless one attains all of them. This means believing that Allah knows everything, that His knowledge encompasses all events, small and great, that He wrote that in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, and that all of that will happen by His will and might. Whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen, yet despite that He has enabled people to do what they do, so they do it by their own choice, free will and ability, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth? Verily, that is inscribed in a record; verily that is easy for Allah." (al-Hajj 22:70) "for whoever among you wills to tread the straight path. But you cannot will it unless Allah, the Lord of the worlds, so wills it." (al-Takwir 81:28, 29)

2.2.1. Belief in the knowledge of Allah which encompasses all things
The knowledge of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, encompasses all things. He knows what was and what will be; in the case of that which does not happen, He knows how it would be if it did happen. Thus He knows what exists and what does not exist, what is possible and what is not possible. He knew people and their lifespans, provision, conditions, movements and rests, who is doomed and who is blessed, who will be among the people of Paradise and who will be among the people of Hell, before He created them and created the heavens and the earth. All of that is what is implied by Him Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, being described as being All-Knowing. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "He is Allah; there is no god worthy of worship except Him, Knower of the unseen and the seen." (al-Hashr 59:22) "So that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that He encompasses all things in His knowledge." (al-Talaq 65:12) Ibn Taymiyah said: “The early generations and leading scholars of the ummah are agreed that Allah knows what will happen before it happens.”

2.2.2. Belief that Allah wrote all things in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, wrote the decrees of all things in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, so everything that happened and will happen is already written in it and it is with Allah.

i. Evidence for His writing of all things
Firstly: evidence from the Holy Qur’an
a. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth? Verily, that is inscribed in a record; verily that is easy for Allah." (al-Hajj 22:70) Ibn Kathir said, “Allah has perfect knowledge of all things, as He knew things before they happened, He decreed them and wrote them down. Whatever people do, He knew of it before that, and the way in which they would do it. Thus He knew before creating them that this one would obey Him by his free will and choice, and that one would disobey Him by his free will and choice, and he wrote that with Him. He encompasses all things in His knowledge and that is easy for Him, hence He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Verily, that is inscribed in a record; verily that is easy for Allah." (al-Hajj 22:70)
b. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "No calamity befalls the earth or your own selves but it is already written in a Book before We make it happen. Verily, that is easy for Allah." (al-Hadid 57:22) Al-Shinqiti said: “In this verse, Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, states that every calamity that happens on earth, such as famine, drought, blights of crops and fruits, and what befalls people of sickness and death, all of that was written in a Book before He created people and before those calamities occurred.”
Secondly: evidence from the Prophet’s Sunnah
a. It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah wrote the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. And His Throne is above the water.” (Muslim) Al-Nawawi said: “The scholars said: What the hadith refers to is the time of writing in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz or something else; it does not refer to the divine decree itself, for that is eternal and has no beginning.”
b. It was narrated that ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say, 'The first thing that Allah created was the Pen, and He said to it, 'Write!' It said, 'My Lord, what shall I write?' He said, 'Write the decrees of all things until the Hour begins.'" (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad. Sahih) Ibn ‘Uthaymin said: “The decrees of all things until the Hour begins were written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, so there is nothing that has happened or will happen but it is written and decreed before it happens.”

Views of the scholars regarding this essential element of the divine decree
a. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said regarding belief in the divine decree, “We believe in it and we know that whatever befalls us could never have missed us, and whatever missed us could never have reached us; Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has decreed all things, good and bad, and it is already written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz: whether the son of Adam is doomed or blessed was written before he was created, when we were in the loins of our fathers.”
b. Ibn Taymiyah said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, ordained the decrees of all creation and wrote down the deeds that people would do before they do them, as is clearly mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah and the reports of the early generations. Then He instructs the angels to write it down after they come to know it, so what was already written that they would do is compared with the record of what they actually do, and they match perfectly, with no difference between them. This was stated by Ibn ‘Abbas and others among the early generations, and it is true.”
c. Ibn Baz said, “The writing of things that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, brought into existence or will bring into existence is something that is well known and is mentioned in the religious texts, the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So we must believe in that and believe that Allah wrote all things and knew them all, one by one; nothing is hidden from Him.”

ii. Types of decrees having to do with writing
Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “There are five types of decrees: The first type is the general decree, which is what was written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was above the water… The second type is the decree of people’ provisions, lifespans and deeds, which comes before they are created. The third type is the decree of what was mentioned regarding the foetus in his mother’s womb… The fourth type is the annual decree, which is what happens on Laylat al-Qadr. The fifth type is the daily decrees. So the divine decrees are of five types: daily, annual, once in a lifetime when the soul joins the body and when it is formed, the decree before the creation of the son of Adam and after the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the decree that came before the creation of the heavens and the earth. All of these are details regarding the divine decree mentioned above.”

The first decree: the writing of the decrees of all creation fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth
Evidence for that:
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah wrote the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. And His Throne is above the water.” (Muslim) Al-Tha‘labi said, commenting on the verse (interpretation of the meaning) "No calamity befalls the earth or your own selves but it is already written in a Book before We make it happen. Verily, that is easy for Allah." (al-Hadid 57:22), "But it is already written in a Book that is, al-Lawh al-Mahfuz before We make it happen that is, before We created the earth and people themselves.” Ibn Baz said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, ordained the decrees of creation; He knew what they would do and He decreed their provision and lifespans, and He wrote all of that with Him, as He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Say: Nothing will ever happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us." (al-Tawbah 9:51) "Do you not know that Allah knows all that is in the heavens and on earth? Verily, that is inscribed in a record; verily that is easy for Allah." (al-Hajj 22:70) "No calamity befalls the earth or your own selves but it is already written in a Book before We make it happen. Verily, that is easy for Allah." (al-Hadid 57:22) And there are many similar verses.”

The second decree: Decreeing who will be the people of Paradise and who will be the people of Hell before the creation of all things
Evidence for that:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "And remember when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam – from their loins – their offspring, and made them testify concerning themselves saying: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes indeed; we testify.’ That was lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: Verily, we were unaware of this." (al-A‘raf 6:172)

Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz said, “Allah brought forth the progeny of Adam from his loins, and made distinct the people of Hell and the people of Paradise… He decreed their creation, their lifespans and their deeds. He brought forth these images from their substance, then he put them back and decreed that each individual would come into existence at its appointed time.”

The third decree: the decree covering each individual’s lifetime from the moment the drop of semen is first created, when the provision, lifespan and deeds of the foetus are written, and whether he is doomed (destined for Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise)
Evidence for that:
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who is the most truthful one, told us, 'The creation of any one of you is put together in his mother’s womb for forty days as a nutfah (drop of semen), then he becomes a ‘alaqah (a clinging clot) for a similar period, then he becomes like a lump of flesh (mudghah) for a similar period, then Allah sends to him an angel with four words: he writes down his provision, his lifespan, his deeds and whether he is doomed (destined for Hell) or blessed (destined for Paradise). Then he breathes the soul into him. By Allah besides Whom there is no god worthy of worship, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is nothing between him and it but a cubit, then what is written overtakes him and he does a deed of the people of Hell and enters it. And one of you may do the deeds of the people of Hell until there is nothing between him and it but a cubit, then what is written overtakes him and he does a deed of the people of Paradise, and enters it.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Al-Ajurri said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has already decreed the provision of all people, and each person will receive his provision in full, no more and no less. He has already decreed lifespans, and nothing will be added to or taken away from the lifespan of anyone until he reaches the end of his lifespan. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has already written the deeds that he will do, good or bad, and He has already written whether he is doomed or blessed. All people are striving for something that has already been decided. Believing in that is obligatory, and whoever does not believe in it has disbelieved.”

Ibn Taymiyah said, “The decree and the writing thereof is like giving details of what was outlined in general terms. When Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, ordained the decrees of creation fifty years before He created the heavens and the earth, He did not disclose these details to the angels. When He created Adam, before He breathed the soul into him, he disclosed to the angels what He had decreed for every newborn.”

Ibn Baz said, “The one who is doomed is one of the people of Hell and the one who is blessed is one of the people of Paradise. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, wrote down all their deeds, but that does not mean that there is no point in complying with His commands and prohibitions, for the divine decree will come to pass as Allah has ordained, but what the individual must do is strive.”

The fourth decree: the annual decree which occurs on Laylat al-Qadr
On Laylat al-Qadr, what is to happen in the coming year of deaths and births, provision, rain, what people will do of deeds and so on, is copied from al-Lawh al-Mahfuz.
Evidence for that
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Verily, We sent it the Qur’an down on the Night of Decree." (al-Qadr 97:1) "Verily, We sent it down during a blessed night, for We were to give warning. On that night, all matters are decided on the basis of wisdom, by Our command. Verily, We were to send Messengers." (al-Dukhan 44:3-5)

It was narrated from Mujahid that he said regarding the verse On that night, all matters are decided on the basis of wisdom: “On Laylat al-Qadar, everything that is to happen in the coming year of births and deaths, livelihoods and calamities, is all decreed.”

Ibn Jarir said, “On this blessed night, everything is ordained and every command is issued that Allah has decreed for that year until the next year.”

Abu’l-Layth al-Samarqandi said: “It was said that on that night, everything that is to happen in the coming year of provision, lifespans, sickness and a good or bad harvest, is copied from al-Lawh al-Mahfuz.”

The fifth decree: The daily decree, which is the implementation and execution of each of the written decrees in the appointed place and at the appointed time, as foreordained

Evidence for that
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "All those who are in the heavens and on earth ask of Him; every day He has matters to bring about." (al-Rahman 55:29) Ibn ‘Atiyyah said, “The words every day He has matters to bring about mean: He shows something of His might that was decreed from eternity, at the appointed time, whether it is life or death, raising or lowering, and other matters. No one knows how many these matters are except Him Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”

iii. What is meant by erasing and confirming things in the records
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah erases and confirms whatever He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book al-Lawh al-Mahfuz." (al-Ra‘d 13:39) Al-Sa‘di said, “Allah erases and confirms whatever decrees He wills, and this erasing and alteration applies to matters other than what Allah has already decreed by His knowledge and written with His pen, for the latter is not subject to any alteration or change, for it is impossible for there to be any shortcoming in the knowledge of Allah. Hence He says: and with Him is the Mother of the Book, namely al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, which is the reference point of all things, because it is the basis thereof, and everything else branches from it.

Rather changes and alterations may occur in minor issues, such as people’s actions during the day and night that are recorded by the angels, and Allah creates causes for the confirmation or erasure thereof that do not go beyond what is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. For example, Allah has ordained that righteousness, upholding ties and doing good deeds should be causes for being granted a long life and abundant provision; He has ordained that sins should be causes for loss of blessing (barakah) in provision and lifespan; He has ordained the taking of measures for protecting oneself against fatal accidents and injury as a means of safety; and He has ordained that exposing oneself to risks is a cause of damage and injury. It is He Who controls all things according to His will and decree, and whatever He controls does not take a course contrary to that which He already knew and wrote in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz.”

It was narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever would like his rizq (provision) to be increased and his life to be extended, should uphold the ties of kinship.” (al-Bukhari, Muslim)

The decrees that have already been written, such as provision and lifespans, are of two types: One type that is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, which cannot be changed or altered, and another type of which Allah informed His angels, so it is in their records and may increase or decrease, according to the causes. The angel does not know whether it will increase or decrease, but Allah knows the final outcome by His prior knowledge.

Ibn Taymiyah said, “Allah writes a lifespan for His slave in the records of the angels, then if he upholds ties of kinship, what is written will be increased, and if he does something which dictates that it should be decreased, that written decree will be decreased… Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, knows what has happened and what will happen, and if what did not happen were to happen He knows how it would happen. Thus He knows what He wrote for him and by how much He will increase it after that, but the angels know nothing except what Allah tells them. Allah knows all things before they happen and after they happen, hence the scholars said: Things may be erased or confirmed in the records of the angels; as for the knowledge of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, it does not change.”

2.2.3. Belief in the will of Allah that will inevitably come to pass
Whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. Nothing moves or rests in the heavens or on earth but it happens by His will; nothing happens in His dominion except what He wills, and nothing is beyond His will. There is a great deal of evidence to support this in the Qur’an and Sunnah
i. Evidence from the Qur’an
a. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Say: O Allah, Lord of all dominion, You grant dominion to whomever You will, and You take away dominion from whomever You will: You grant honour to whomever You will, and You humiliate whomever You will; in Your Hand is all good. Verily, You have power over all things." (Al ‘Imran 3:26)
b. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills. There is no god worthy of worship except Him, the Almighty, the Most Wise." (Al ‘Imran 3:6)
ii. Evidence from the Sunnah
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say, “The hearts of the sons of Adam are all between two fingers of the Most Merciful, like one heart, and He directs them as He wills.” Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O Allah, controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to obey You.” (Muslim)

Views of the scholars regarding the divine will
i. Malik said, “There is no clearer refutation of the Qadaris than the verses in which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "But you cannot will it unless Allah so wills. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, Most Wise. He admits whomever He wills to His mercy, and for the wrongdoers He has prepared a painful punishment." (al-Insan 76:30-31) "That was nothing but a trial from You, by which You caused to go astray whomever You willed and You guided whomever You willed." (al-A‘raf 7:155) "But Allah leaves the wrongdoers to go astray; Allah does whatever He wills." (Ibrahim 14:27)

ii. Ibn Qutaybah said: “The scholars of hadith are all agreed that whatever Allah wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen.”

iii. Harb al-Kirmani said: “Whoever claims that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, willed for His slaves who disobey Him that they should be righteous and obedient, then people willed for themselves to be evil and disobedient, so they acted in accordance with their will, is in effect claiming that people’s will prevailed over the will of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. What fabrication against Allah could be worse than that?”

We should point out that phrases attributing will to fate should not be used:
Ibn Baz said, “Some people say ‘Fate willed’ and the like. Such talk is not permissible, and it is wrong to say such things. The correct way is to say ‘Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, willed’ or ‘Our Lord willed’ and similar phrases in which the will is attributed to Allah and not to His attributes.”

Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Saying ‘Fate willed’ or ‘Circumstances willed or dictated’ is objectionable, because the Arabic word for circumstances, zuruf, is the plural of zarf, which is another word for time – and time does not have a will. Similarly, fate does not have a will either. The One Who does have a will is Allah. If a person says ‘the decree of Allah dictated such and such’, there is nothing wrong with that. But it is not correct to attribute will to decrees, because the will does not belong to the description, it belongs to the One Who is described.”

2.2.4. Belief that Allah is the Creator of all things
Nothing happens in this universe but Allah is its Creator; that includes people’s actions.
i. Evidence from the Holy Qur’an
a. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is in charge of all things." (al-Zumar 39:62)
b. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Such is Allah your Lord, the Creator of all things." (Ghafir 40:62)
ii. Evidence from the Sunnah
It was narrated that Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah created every doer and his deeds.” (Ibn Mandah, al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi. Sahih) Al-Bukhari said, “Deeds and their doers are created by Allah.”
Scholarly views regarding that:
a. Abu Hanifah said, “We affirm that people, along with their actions, decisions and knowledge, are created. If the doer is a created being, then it is more appropriate that his deeds should also be created.”
b. Al-Shafa‘i said, “People do not create their actions; rather they are created by Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and people are the doers of those actions.”
c. Abu Bakr al-Isma‘ili said regarding the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah: “The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah believe that there is no creator in reality except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and that people’s actions are all created by Him. Allah guides whomever He wills and leaves astray whomever He wills, and the one whom He leaves astray has no argument against Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and no excuse before Him, as He Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Say: Allah alone has the ultimate proof. If He had so willed, He could have guided you all." (al-An‘am 6: 149)
d. Ibn Taymiyah said, “People’s deeds are created by Allah, according to the consensus of the early generations of this ummah and its leading scholars, as stated by all the leading scholars of Islam, Imam Ahmad and those who came before him and after him. Some of them even said that if anyone says that people’s deeds are not created by Allah, his argument is like that of one who says that the heavens and the earth are not created by Allah.”
e. Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Creator of all things and there is no creator except Allah. Therefore it is obligatory to believe that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, created everything and that He is the Creator of all things, even people’s deeds.”

People have ability, will, and free choice:
People have the ability and will to do actions, and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the One Who created in people this ability and will. The evidence for that includes the following. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says, "Verily, this is a reminder; so let him who will, start his journey towards his Lord." (al-Muzzammil 73:19) "That day is sure to come. So let him who will seek a way back to his Lord." (al-Naba’ 78:39)

Al-Khattabi said, “Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Creator of both good and evil, and neither of them happens except by His will. They are to be attributed to Him in the sense that He is the One Who creates them and brings them into existence, and they are to be attributed to the people who do them in the sense that they are the ones who carry out these actions.”

Yahya ibn Abi’l-Khayr al-‘Imrani said, “On the basis of a person’s will and choice he will be praised or condemned, rewarded or punished, but it is Allah Who is the Creator of our intention and will, because they are things, and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Allah is the Creator of all things." (al-Zumar 39:62) and whatever we will happen by the will of Allah. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "But you cannot will it unless Allah so wills." (al-Insan 76:30)

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Here there is something which we must point out, which is that Allah’s will is sometimes connected to His actions and is sometimes connected to the individual’s actions. Its connection to His actions is when it is His will to help His slave, and guide him and enable him to do an action. This divine will dictates that the individual will inevitably do the action and will do it willingly, and it is not sufficient, in order for the action to take place, that Allah should will that His slave should will and intend to do that action without Him also willing that he should actually do the action. For Allah may will that His slave should only will and intend to do the action, so the individual will want and intend to do the action, but he does not do it, because Allah did not will that He should help him and enable him to do it.

These ideas are indicated in the verses in which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "But you cannot will it unless Allah, the Lord of the worlds, so wills it." (al-Takwir 81:29) "But they will not pay heed unless Allah wills." (al-Muddaththir 74:56)

These two verses affirm the religious duties and the divine decree, and the means and their outcome. They also affirm the actions of the individual and that those actions are connected to the actions of the Lord.

Each of these two verses refers to a certain way of demonstrating true servitude (‘ubudiyyah) to Allah. In the first verse, that servitude takes the form of striving and doing one’s utmost, willing and trying hard. In the second verse, that servitude takes the form of seeking His aid, putting one’s trust in Him, turning to Him, asking Him for help, and knowing that the human cannot will or do anything unless Allah enables him to do that.”

Al-Sa‘di said, “One of the basic principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah is that all people’s actions, good and bad, happen by His will and decree, even though they happen in accordance with people’s will and ability, and He does not compel them to do them. He created for them all apparent and hidden strengths, including the ability and will by which they choose and act.”