nor is any affair a fresh, unplanned occurrence; every single event is both predestined and written down.

Belief in divine decree and predestination comprises four distinct degrees, which may be summarized as follows:

1. The first degree is to believe in Allah’s all-encompassing knowledge: He has known from pre-eternity whatever has been, whatever will be, and even what has not been—had it come to be, He would have known exactly how it would be. Nothing whatsoever is hidden from His knowledge, glorified is He. This constitutes the universal inscription that embraces everything. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He commanded it, ‘Write.’ It said, ‘My Lord, what shall I write?’ He replied, ‘Write down everything that is to occur until the Day of Resurrection.’” 1 Accordingly, the Pen set down all that will take place until the Final Hour.

2. The second degree is that Allah, majestic and exalted, wrote the detailed destinies of all created beings in the Preserved Tablet after having full knowledge of them.

3. The third degree is the degree of will: nothing whatsoever takes place in the universe except by Allah’s will and choice, among all that is in the Preserved Tablet and encompassed by His knowledge.