Allah will replace his evil deeds with good deeds, and after repentance he will be better than he was before his sin, like Allah’s other God-fearing friends.

But whoever among them follows Iblīs, persists in sin, invokes divine decree as an excuse, and seeks to lead others astray will be among those of whom Allah said:

“I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them who follow you, all together.”

The purpose here is to discuss divine decree. It is established in Sahīh Muslim, on the authority of 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Amr, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah decreed the destinies of all creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon the water.”

In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, 'Imrān ibn Husayn reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah existed, and nothing existed before Him. His Throne was upon the water, and everything was written in the Record. Then He created the heavens and the earth.”

In both collections, it is reported through several chains of transmission that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stated:

“Allah already knew the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, and what His servants would do before they did it.”

Also in both collections, 'Abd Allāh ibn Mas'ūd reported:

“Allah sends an angel after the body has been formed and before the soul is breathed into it. The angel writes down the person’s lifespan, provision, deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.”

These hadiths will be discussed in their respective places, Allah willing. This is the divine decree denied by the Qadariyyah who appeared toward the end of the Companions’ era.

It has been reported that the first person to introduce this innovation in Iraq was a man from Basra called Sīsawayh, who was of Magian descent. Ma'bad al-Juhanī learned it from him. It is also said that it first arose in the Hijāz when the Kaaba burned, and someone said: