Title: Free Will & Destiny... Question: At the time when the human fetus is in the mother's womb, it is said that an angel comes (after 120 days of conception), and declares (From Allah) four things about that child. My question relates to the writing down of whether that child will be a good servant of Allah or a bad human being. If Allah already knows that that child will be good or bad, then why is the child responsible? I understand, that Allah (with HIS Ultimate Knowledge) knows that that child (after using his free will) will later on become a good or a bad person, but still since Allah knew before hand that that would be so, what is the point of free will? Also, is there a chance that if for that child it is written that he will be a bad person, is there a possibility that he can change his destiny by using his free will and thus become a good person? You will need to explain it to me the concept of free will and destiny? Atif Aziz Pakistan Answer: Before answering your specific question I would try to enumerate the correct method of deducing religious directives from the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). The first principle in this regard is that the Qur'an is the last word on matters pertaining to our belief system, or for that matter, any issue related to our faith. Sunnah holds the same status in issues relating to practices. Regarding Ahadith , it should be kept in mind that, while they are an invaluable source of the life and times of the Prophet (pbuh), any hadith or any understanding of a hadith that negates or is inconsistent with the unequivocal and certain directives and teachings of the Qur'an cannot be accepted as correctly ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). Thus we could either reject that particular hadith or try to reach an explanation for it that is consonant with the Qur'anic verdict. The second approach, being more desirable, requires us to gather together all the Ahadith on the subject matter we are dealing with and reflect on this collection which could have the potential of providing us with the crucial context and the missing links in arriving at an agreeable interpretation. The criticality of this method can never be overemphasized. Now turning to your question, the hadith you have referred to can be found in Bukhari . It reads: Narrated Abdullah: Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(as regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for another forty days, and then a piece of flesh for an other forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and hell, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) Fire and enters the (Hell) Fire." (Volume 4, Book 55, Number 549) An apparent and cursory reading of the Hadith can easily lead one into the understanding that the final outcome of a man's efforts in this world is predestined, written at the time before birth, thus rendering him a mere toy in the hands of a higher being. Now no one who has the slightest idea of the concept of justice can accept this as a just arrangement. And we are talking about the justice of the Most Merciful and the Most Just of all. It is unimaginable that He would punish us for the deeds we were forced to do. Man has been granted freedom in the sphere that will be decisive in his qualifying for Paradise or Hell. Thus the time and place of our birth, the environment that surrounds us, the mental capabilities we have and the opportunities that come our way are, among other things, predestined for us. But the moral sphere of life, the choice between good and evil, is where granting man free will is the very essence of the grand scheme of things without which the whole existence becomes meaningless. You write: I understand, that Allah (with HIS Ultimate Knowledge) knows that that child (after using his free will) will later on become a good or a bad person, but still since Allah knew before hand that that would be so, what's the point of free will? The effective thing in this regard is a person's actions and not Allah's knowledge of those actions. Take the example of a teacher who by dint of his knowledge and experience knows beforehand that a particular student of his would fail the exam, yet it is absolutely clear that the responsibility of the student's failure rests not on the teacher's knowledge but on the student's ineptness. Now if that student were to be told that there is no need for him to take the exam, since his teacher knows the outcome of the exam, he would never accept it as justified, unless given the opportunity to prove otherwise. The same, I believe, is true of the test of this life. To sum it up, the apparent understanding of the Hadith is unacceptable for being against the Qur'an and the basic concept of justice and fair play. It could very well be that due to the misunderstanding of a narrator or the omission of a few words, the Prophet's (pbuh) actual words were misreported. Such errors can be corrected in light of the Qur'an and other criteria mentioned in the beginning. It may also be useful to read some of the other replies to previously asked questions relating to this issue [1] . Regards, Razi Allah January 29, 2003 [1] You may like to see: ' What is Taqdeer (Fate)? ', ' Why is God Testing Man, if He already Knows the Results? ' and ' God's Omniscience & Man's Freedom '.