BADA' AND DIVINE KNOWLEDE

[Taqavi]

Does Accepting Badāʾ Imply Attributing Ignorance to Allah (SWT)?

 

The concept of Badāʾ and its relationship with the Divine Essence has been a core subject of extensive theological and doctrinal discussions for centuries. The emergence of this topic in religious discourse stems from certain historical-religious events and specific verses of the Holy Qur'an, such as:

* The disobedience of the people of Yunus (Jonah).[1]

* Prophet Abraham's mission to sacrifice his son Ishmael. [2]

* Prophet Moses's journey to the appointed time (Miqat). [3]

* And the verse: "Allah erases whatever He wills and affirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitāb)", [4] which is one of the most significant verses debated regarding Badāʾ.

 

The Shi'i Understanding of Badāʾ

It must first be emphasized that Badāʾ in Shi'i terminology means the manifestation of an affair by Allah that was previously hidden from the creation, not a change in Allah's knowledge. This concept expresses the interaction between human will and Divine decree, demonstrating that some predestinations are subject to change based on human deeds and conduct.

Badāʾ is never understood as Allah's ignorance or regret. Rather, it is a manifestation of His absolute wisdom and power, where, through the Divine will, some matters are made conditional upon the actions of His servants. This doctrine calls man toward prayer, self-improvement, and greater reliance on Allah, playing a vital role in deepening faith and accountability. [5]

 

Shaykh Tūsi's View on Allah's Knowledge and Badāʾ

Shaykh Tūsi categorically rejects any interpretation that attributes ignorance or a change in knowledge to Allah through Badāʾ.

Based on the principles of Tawhid (Monotheism) and 'Adl (Justice), Shaykh Tūsi understands Badāʾ not as a change in Allah's knowledge, but as a change in the conditional predestination (recorded in the Tablet of Erasing and Affirming) and the manifestation of a new expediency (maṣlaḥah) that comes about based on the free-willed actions of humans (such as maintaining kinship ties or committing oppression).

This change, he argues, appears as a "manifestation" only to the creatures (who were unaware of the conditions of the decree), while Allah is knowledgeable of both matters (the condition and the conditioned outcome) from eternity. [6]

 

Allamah Majlisi's View on Allah's Knowledge and Badāʾ

Allamah Majlisi explains the Divine knowledge and the concept of Badāʾ by establishing the existence of two Tablets (Books of recorded deeds) based on verses and traditions, which record all that occurs in the universe:

1.  The Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Maḥfūẓ): This Tablet is immune to any change.

Its content conforms to the intrinsic and pre-eternal knowledge of the Almighty Allah. Allah knows from the very beginning what the final destiny of a person or event will be. For example, it is recorded in the Preserved Tablet that a person (e.g., Zayd) will maintain kinship ties, and as a result, his lifespan will be sixty years.

2.  The Tablet of Erasing and Affirming (Lawḥ al-Maḥw wa al-Ithbāt) (Conditional Predestination): This Tablet is the place where recording and erasing occur, and these changes are based on various Divine wisdoms.

What is initially written in this Tablet is not a definitive decree, but the initial requirement of wisdom, provided no other factor (such as a good or bad deed) intervenes. For example, it is written: "Zayd's life span is fifty years." (This means, if he does nothing, his life span will be fifty years).

Badāʾ takes place in this Tablet. If he maintains kinship ties, fifty years are erased and sixty years are written in its place. If he severs kinship ties, fifty years are erased, and forty years are written in its place.

Therefore, this change in the Tablet of Erasing and Affirming in no way means that new knowledge has been acquired by Allah or that Allah was previously ignorant (since the absolute and final knowledge of Allah is fixed in the Preserved Tablet). [7]

Some other prominent Shi'i scholars have adopted this same perspective, suggesting that the verse "Allah erases whatever He wills and affirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitāb)"[8] may allude to these two types of destiny. [9]

 

Conclusion

Based on the points discussed, there is no contradiction between Allah's knowledge and the concept of Badāʾ because Allah's knowledge is fixed and unchangeable, recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Badāʾ occurs in the Tablet of Erasing and Affirming, which possesses the capacity for the erasure and affirmation of matters.

In other words, Badāʾ truly expresses a change in the conditions for the realization of events, rather than implying a flaw or change in the essence of Divine knowledge. This concept is fully consistent with Qur'anic verses that emphasize Allah's will in encouraging servants toward repentance and correcting deeds, and the possibility of changing a Divine decree based on human behavior. Therefore, Badāʾ is not only not a negation of Divine knowledge, but rather a demonstration of the interaction between Allah's absolute will and human actions—interactions that are themselves a sign of the Almighty's boundless power and wisdom. This approach reveals the majesty and flexibility in Divine Decree and Destiny (Qaḍāʾ and Qadar), without compromising the attributes of Allah's Glory (Jalālah) or the perfection of His knowledge.

 

 

 

 

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[1] . Yūnus: 98 «فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ آمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيمَانُهَا إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّا آمَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ»

For further study, see: al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, al-‘Allāmah al-Ṭabāṭabā’ī, vol. 17, p. 166 / Tafsīr al-Namūnah, Nāsir Makārim Shīrāzī, vol. 10, p. 247.

[2] . Ṣāffāt: 102 «فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ»

Ṣāffāt: 105  «قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا ۚ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ»

[3] . A‘rāf: 142 «وَوَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَاثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيقَاتُ رَبِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً»

For further study, see: Tafsīr al-Namūnah, Nāsir Makārim Shīrāzī, vol. 10, p. 248 / al-Badā’ ‘alā Ḍaw’ al-Kitāb wa al-Sunnah, Shaykh Ja‘far al-Subḥānī, p. 134.

[4] . Ra‘d: 39 «یَمْحُواللّهُ ما یَشاءُ وَ یُثْبِتُ وَ عِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْکِتابُ»

[5] . For further study, see: What is the Concept and Nature of Bada’?

[6] . Al-Ghaybah, Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, pp. 429–432.

[7] . Biḥār al-Anwār, al-‘Allāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 4, p. 130.

[8] . Ra‘d: 39 «یَمْحُواللّهُ ما یَشاءُ وَ یُثْبِتُ وَ عِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْکِتابُ»

[9] . Āmūzish ‘Aqā’id, Muḥammad Taqī Miṣbāḥ Yazdī, p. 152.