, namely, that if every creature were to unite regarding something which Allah, exalted is He, has written in it to occur, and they tried to prevent it from occurring, they would never be able to do so; and if they all gathered concerning something which Allah has not written therein, attempting to bring it into being, they would never be able to bring it about.

This level, therefore, is to believe in the writing contained in the Preserved Tablet. The inscription that Allah, Most High, has placed in the Preserved Tablet can never be changed. Were all created beings to collaborate to alter anything Allah has written, they would not succeed; and were they to collaborate to bring into existence something that Allah has not written in the Preserved Tablet, they could never bring it about. This is exactly as stated in the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās, when the Prophet ﷺ said: “Know that if all created beings were to gather together to benefit you with something, they could not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you; and if they were to gather together to harm you with something, they could not harm you except with what Allah has already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” (1)

There is, therefore, no alteration or substitution of what Allah—glorious and exalted—has written in the Preserved Tablet.