Future Prediction and Preordination

The Quran says that humans bring their own troubles:

‏ أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَدْ أَصَبْتُم مِّثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّىٰ هَٰذَا ۖ قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِكُمْ

AND DO YOU, now that a calamity has befallen you after you had inflicted twice as much [on your foes], ask yourselves, 'How has this come about?' Say: 'It has come from your own selves.' Verily, God has the power to will anything: (3:165) [Asad]

The focal point of the entire teaching of the Qur'an is that human being's every action and even his thought produce consequent results (3:29; 9:78; 67:13). Good actions produce good results and bad actions produce bad results (2:81-82; 2:202). This is called the law of requital:

It may not accord with your wishful thinking - nor with the wishful thinking of the followers of earlier revelation - [that] he who does evil shall be requited for it, and shall find none to protect him from God, and none to bring him succour, (4:123) [Asad]

وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

And you will be requited nothing except for what you used to do (evil deeds, sins, and Allah's disobedience which you used to do in this world). (37:39) [Hilali & Khan]

اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لَا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Taste you therein its heat, and whether you are patient of it or impatient of it, it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you used to do. (52:16) [Hilali & Khan]

But this is possible only if a human being is free and uses his freewill and freedom of choice to act (18:29) and face the consequences thereof:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۖ وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِوَكِيلٍ

SAY [O Prophet]: "O mankind! The truth from your Sustainer has now come unto you. Whoever, therefore, chooses to follow the right path follows it but for his own good, and whoever chooses to go astray goes but astray to his own hurt. And I am not responsible for your conduct. (10:108) [Asad]

If one cannot act with one's own freewill and cannot use one's freedom of choice, then how can one be held responsible for that action? The entire chain - comprising of transmission of Allah's revelation through Prophets; the law of requital; the life in the hereafter; and its heaven and hell - circles around this central point that a human being is accountable for his actions. And obviously, only that person can be held accountable for his actions if and only if he is free to use his freewill and freedom of choice. If we believe that a human being is not free to exercise his freedom of choice or that his future is preordained, then this entire process of sending guidance and rectitude becomes useless and meaningless. This is the reason the Qur'an has very strongly opposed such a concept. What we say prophecy is only for those objects which do not have freewill; and they are the only things about which one can make prophecy or prediction.

Difference between having freewill and not having freewill

Prediction based on natural laws comes under the category of knowledge. But predictions about those with freewill will not qualify as knowledge. For example, saying that someone will get pneumonia after a year, or will become a king, or will be arrested - all this is being told about a human being with freewill! This is commonly referred to as the knowledge of the unseen علم غیب ('Ilm-ul-Ghaib). But Allah has said that no one knows the knowledge of the unseen except Him (27:65). Even about the Prophet ﷺ, Allah said that whatever he tells about future events it is given to him through revelation. If Allah did not give this knowledge of the unseen to the Prophet ﷺ through revelation, then even he could not say this about the future. Even he (PBUH) could not have the knowledge of the unseen (11:31). Now, if the situation is this that even the Prophet (PBUH) could not have this kind of knowledge of the future; that even he could not make prophecies about human beings; then how come we have people among us making predictions on a daily basis.

When Allah says that no human being, not even the Prophet, can make a prediction about the future (except what Allah gave him through revelation) then is it not a con-game on the part of the people who make future predictions using astrology; or those who predict future using palmistry; or those who predict future using mysticism? All this is because we have left the Qur'an, and the Prophet (PBUH) will complain to Allah about us:

وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا

And the Messenger ﷺ will say: "O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Quran. (25:30) [Hilali & Khan]

If we take guidance from it then it will tell us that we are live human beings with freewill, not subject to stars or to lines in our palms or objects of prediction by con-artists, no matter what sacred names are given for this con-game.

There is no greater crime than abandoning or denying one's freedom of choice. This is the ONLY exclusive gift from Allah bestowed to human beings. Allah has called this gift His divine energy (32:9). This makes humankind uniquely special in comparison to all the other creations. By denying this Allah-given unique gift one degrades one's own humanity. It is to accept humiliation. That is why the punishment is so severe.

Fulfillment of two conditions before destruction

From live dust to dead dust

The obligation of the Prophet's Ummah (امّہ)

May Allah give us the fortitude, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to follow the shining footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ. Then Allah guarantees that His cosmic forces will join us in our effort to achieve this goal:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Verily, God and His angels bless the Prophet: [hence,] O you who have attained to faith, bless him and give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter self-surrender! (33:56) [Asad]