Shaykh al-Islām, the mufti of mankind and heir to the early generations, Abū al-‘Abbās Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked about people who invoke the prior divine decree as an excuse, saying:

“The matter has already been settled: the wretched are wretched, and the blessed are blessed.” They cite as evidence the words of Allah, glorified be He:

“Indeed, those for whom the best reward from Us has already been decreed will be kept far away from it.”

They maintain that Allah has decreed good and evil, that fornication is decreed for us, and that we have no power over our actions; rather, power belongs to Allah alone. They say that we guard against what has been decreed for us, that Adam did not disobey, and that whoever says, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,” will enter Paradise. They cite as evidence the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Whoever says, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ will enter Paradise, even if he commits fornication and even if he steals.”

Please explain to us the falsity of this group’s claims with decisive proofs.

He replied—may Allah Most High have mercy on him:

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds. If these people persist in this belief, they are greater in disbelief than the Jews and Christians. For the Jews and Christians believe in divine commands and prohibitions, promises and threats, reward and punishment. Yet they have engaged in distortion and alteration, believing in some and rejecting others. As Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers, and wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers, saying, ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in others,’ and wish to adopt a way in between—”

“It is they who are