In the posts I see that everyone is making it an issue whether Allah has knowledge of all things in all possible detail. This has little to do with taqdeer as told in the quran.
As for does Allah know what anyone is going to do in every possible detail?
This question is not discussed in the quran because it makes no sense.
1)Infinite cannot know the infinite. This question is like asking, does Allah know the greatest number? Because numbers keep going for ever and ever therefore the sense of ultimate number itself is nonsense. This is why such questions are senseless.
2)Infinite can only know anything that has a limit.
3)Even limited can have an aspect that is infinite. If any aspect become unlimited then against the infinite cannot know it. Therefore such a question again becomes senseless and serves no real purpose.
In the light of above explanation one can see what Allah can know and what he cannot and whether knowing something or not makes any difference in person or being of god or the creation.
Another way of looking at this is that all attributes of Allah are zaati personal and ever lasting however some of his attributes are indicative of his capabilities for his actions. So although divine attributes are everlasting divine actions are not ie actions of god are time bound.
For example, the universe was not there till Allah created it. This raises another question if universe was not there before Allah created it, did Allah know about it always or to put it in another way, was this universe in the knowledge of Allah always?
In the quran Allah repeatedly tells us that he has the ability to choose to do certain things or not to do them. This negates Allah knowing all things in all respects always. Ability to choose one action instead of another takes away idea of prior knowledge of things in all their detail.
From this it would seem that Allah also thinks things through this is why he talks of planing things and executing the plan. The being with ability to choose is bound to have ability to know as well.
Both acts of free will and act of knowing would therefore be actions of Allah and actions cannot be everlasting even if they are actions of god.
For example, actions are known as past, present and future. The while the quran was not yet revealed Allah knew it that it has not been revealed. When he revealed it from then on he knew that he has done this act already so it would appear that Allah knows things in sense of events as time bound. This shows that knowledge of Allah about things changes as things change with time.
Thinking along this line still opposes concept of predestination. In fact this line of reasoning shows Allah interactive with universe and creation.
As for does Allah know what anyone is going to do in every possible detail?
This question is not discussed in the quran because it makes no sense.
1)Infinite cannot know the infinite. This question is like asking, does Allah know the greatest number? Because numbers keep going for ever and ever therefore the sense of ultimate number itself is nonsense. This is why such questions are senseless.
2)Infinite can only know anything that has a limit.
3)Even limited can have an aspect that is infinite. If any aspect become unlimited then against the infinite cannot know it. Therefore such a question again becomes senseless and serves no real purpose.
In the light of above explanation one can see what Allah can know and what he cannot and whether knowing something or not makes any difference in person or being of god or the creation.
Another way of looking at this is that all attributes of Allah are zaati personal and ever lasting however some of his attributes are indicative of his capabilities for his actions. So although divine attributes are everlasting divine actions are not ie actions of god are time bound.
For example, the universe was not there till Allah created it. This raises another question if universe was not there before Allah created it, did Allah know about it always or to put it in another way, was this universe in the knowledge of Allah always?
In the quran Allah repeatedly tells us that he has the ability to choose to do certain things or not to do them. This negates Allah knowing all things in all respects always. Ability to choose one action instead of another takes away idea of prior knowledge of things in all their detail.
From this it would seem that Allah also thinks things through this is why he talks of planing things and executing the plan. The being with ability to choose is bound to have ability to know as well.
Both acts of free will and act of knowing would therefore be actions of Allah and actions cannot be everlasting even if they are actions of god.
For example, actions are known as past, present and future. The while the quran was not yet revealed Allah knew it that it has not been revealed. When he revealed it from then on he knew that he has done this act already so it would appear that Allah knows things in sense of events as time bound. This shows that knowledge of Allah about things changes as things change with time.
Thinking along this line still opposes concept of predestination. In fact this line of reasoning shows Allah interactive with universe and creation.
Last edited: