“No calamity befalls except by Allah’s permission. And whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart.”

Ibn Masʿūd said: “This is the man who suffers a calamity, knows that it is from Allah, and so is content and submits.”

The fortunate person seeks forgiveness for his faults and patiently endures calamities, as Allah Most High said:

“So be patient; surely Allah’s promise is true. And seek forgiveness for your sin.”

The wretched person, however, despairs when calamities strike and invokes divine decree to excuse his faults.

After all, Adam—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—had repented of his sin, and his Lord had chosen and guided him. Moses was far too noble to reproach anyone for a sin of which he had repented and which Allah had forgiven, let alone Adam. Moses himself had also repented of what he had done, saying:

“My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.” Then He forgave him.

He also said:

“We have turned to You in repentance.”

And he said:

“You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us.”

Moses and Adam knew Allah far too well for either of them to suppose that divine decree excuses anyone who disobeys Him. They knew what had befallen Iblīs and others. Adam himself had been expelled from Paradise, and he and his wife had begun stitching together leaves from Paradise to cover themselves. Allah had punished the peoples of Noah, Hūd, Sālih and other nations. Allah has also prescribed punishment for transgressors and prepared Hell for the disbelievers. How, then, could divine decree excuse sin?

These people invoke divine decree only when they are following their desires without knowledge, and they do not apply their argument consistently. If divine decree were an excuse for people, it would follow that no one should be blamed, censured or punished, either in this world or in the Hereafter, and that no wrongdoer should ever face retribution. Rather, people would be allowed to do absolutely whatever they pleased. It is well known that no one’s welfare, either in this world or in the Hereafter, could conceivably rest on such a basis. Rather, it necessarily leads to universal corruption. And the proponent of