Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother Assalaamu alaikum,

My question is, for a human being allah knows whether he goes in a right path, if he is in a wrong path, for abu lahab and pharaoh , abu lahab (our prophets big father guardian), for him our prophet conveyed the message like prophet moses had conveyed to pharaoh, allah will be able to know whether abu lahab accepts or not, he knows had he accept what would happen had accept not what happen, my question is when our prophet was conveying the message to abu lahab ,will allah able to know whether accept or reject, please explain me this...........

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Answer:

Does Allah know if message accepted or rejected

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 13 Surah Raad verse 40: Whether We shall show thee (within thy lifetime O Prophet (saws)) part of what We promised them, or take to Ourselves thy soul (before it is all accomplished): thy duty (O Prophet (saws)) is to (only make the Message) reach them: it is Our part to call them to account.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 42 Surah As-Shura verse 48: If then they turn away We have not sent thee (O Mohamed (saws)) as a guard over them. Thy duty is but to convey (the Message).

The very term messenger means that one takes or is given a message from one and delivers it to those he is supposed to deliver it to!

The mission of all of Allah’s Messengers is no more than to deliver the Message of their Lord that they receive by inspiration to mankind in the clearest and best possible manner; to accept or reject the Message is the responsibility of the people themselves. But being chosen and appointed as the Noble Messengers, these noble souls go a step further, and they bring it upon themselves to implement the Dictates of the Message of their Lord upon themselves and upon those who believe in their mission.

Allah swt in His infinite wisdom knows everything, past, present and future because it is He who has decreed everything that will become reality till the end of time.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 22 Surah Hajj verse 70:

70      Knowest thou not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is all in a Record, and that is easy for Allah.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 94 Narrated by Ubadah ibn as-Samit

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The (absolute) first thing which Allah created was the Pen.  He commanded it to write.  It (the pen) asked: ‘What should I write?’ He said: ‘Write the ‘Al-Qadr’ (Decree, Fate, Destiny).’  So it wrote what had happened and what was going to happen up to eternity!’

One of the attributes of Allah is that He is the All-Knowing.   He has full knowledge of everything that exists, and knows even the inner secrets of our hearts.  A leaf does not fall from a tree, but He has full knowledge of it!   He knows absolutely everything there is to know, from its beginning to its end!  That is Allah, the All-Knowing, and nothing is beyond his grasp and Knowledge.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 67 Surah Al-Mulk verse 2: (among several verses in the Quran): He (Allah) it is who Created death and life, that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.

The fact is that because of His Perfect Knowledge, He knows the results of our test:  whether we go to Paradise or whether we are to go to the eternal torture of Hell Fire.  He Knows it, and no one should have any doubts about that in the least.

Among His attributes is that He is also the All-Just, and Allah will base his Judgements on Justice.  And He will judge us on our deeds, as stated clearly in the above aayah of SurahAl-Mulk and at several other places in the Quran.  This is a promise from the Creator, and who is there to make a better promise than the Lord of the Worlds Himself.

Allah in His Divine Wisdom and Justice, has promised us that the results of our test is not going to be based on His Knowledge, but rather on our deeds.   It would be unjust of Allah (and I seek refuge in Allah from saying this), if He were to grant us Paradise or Hell, based on His Knowledge alone.

Now the natural question to arise would be, why does Allah allow some people to do evil or reject His message, and thus fail the test in the hereafter?    

Had Allah forced everyone to be His obedient believing slaves, there would have been no test at all.  He has given only man the faculty to study, learn and think for himself.   He has not given this faculty of reasoning to any of his other creations.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 72-73: We (Allah) offered this trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they all refused to bear it, and were afraid of it.  But man undertook to bear this trust.  Indeed, he is unjust and ignorant!  The inevitable result of bearing the burden of the trust is that Allah should punish the hypocrite men and women, and the mushrik (one who invokes others with Allah) men and women, and accept the repentance of the believing men and women.   Allah is indeed Forgiving and Merciful.

Allah has sent down the syllabus of the Holy Quran for mankind to read, understand, ponder and study its aayahs, for he will be held accountable for it on the Day of Judgement.  Allah made it clearly known through his Books and His Messengers, what is good and what is bad.  Then Allah left man free to do as he wills.  He can either believe in the Message and prepare for the examination, or treat this life like sport and play, and neglect the coming of the examination.  Whatever man chooses to do, Allah makes the path easy for him.

When man believes in the Message and does good, Allah is pleased with him.  When man acts arrogant and rejects his Message, Allah allows him to, but is displeased with his actions. But He, in His Divine Wisdom and sense of Justice, does not stop man from doing either, and allows them to carry on the test.  The Day of Results is not in this world, but on the Day of Judgment.

Again, to understand the concept better, lets take the example of the Professor and his students in today’s university. During the actual examinations, the Professor looks into the answers being written by his students.   If he sees the student writing the right answers, he is pleased.   And if he sees the student writing the wrong answers, he is displeased, but does not hold the student’s hand and stop him.   He allows all of them to complete the examination.

Thus, in conclusion, I would like to repeat again, that Allah definitely knows who amongst His slaves are going to make it to Paradise, and who is to go to Hell Fire.   He is indeed the All Wise, the All Knowing.  He has sent man on this earth for a limited time for a test, to see who amongst them believes, fears Allah and the Last Day, and does good deeds.  For these He has Promised a reward that will never end.  And bear in mind that whoever fails this test on the Day of Judgment, will have no one to blame, but himself, and have nothing for himself but eternal regret.

May Allah guide us to read and understand the Holy Quran, which is the syllabus for our test.   May Allah guide us to believe in Him, worship Him Alone, and recognize the importance of this test of ours.   May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam.  Ameen.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is only ones. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

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