Divine Will (المشيئة) in the Quran — Key Verses & Related Concepts

ConceptDivine Will in the QuranالمشيئةTheology158Verses46Surahs14Connections#22of 828

Also Known As

FrenchVolonté divine
Urduمشیت الہی
Bengaliঐশী ইচ্ছা
IndonesianKehendak ilahi

Profile

Revelation

Meccan 93Medinan 65

Domain Mix

Theology61%
Cosmology18%
Spirituality11%
Prophethood6%

Across The Qur’an

Every surah, shaded by how often this concept appears. Unshaded surahs never mention it.

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Where It Appears Most

Key Verses

Showing 12 of 158 verses that mention this concept.

  1. إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَيَأۡتِ بِـَٔاخَرِينَۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ قَدِيرٗا
    If He will, He can remove you, O people, and produce others (in your stead). Allah is Able to do that.
    In context

    If He wills He can destroy you, O people, and bring others besides you who will obey Him and not go against Him. Allah has full power to do that.

  2. وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا صُمّٞ وَبُكۡمٞ فِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِۗ مَن يَشَإِ ٱللَّهُ يُضۡلِلۡهُ وَمَن يَشَأۡ يَجۡعَلۡهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ
    Those who deny Our revelations are deaf and dumb in darkness. Whom Allah will sendeth astray, and whom He will He placeth on a straight path.
    In context

    Those who deny our verses are like those who are deaf and cannot hear, and like those who are dumb and cannot speak. Together with this they are in total darkness, in which they cannot see. So how can such a person be guided? Allah misguides whomever He wills from among people and guides whomever He wills by placing such a person on a straight path that has no crookedness.

  3. أَلَمۡ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ وَيَأۡتِ بِخَلۡقٖ جَدِيدٖ
    Hast thou not seen that Allah hath created the heavens and the earth with truth? If He will, He can remove you and bring (in) some new creation;
    In context

    Do you not know—and this language is directed to anyone it suits—that Allah created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He did not create them in vain? If He wishes to remove you, O people, and replace you with a different creation that will worship and obey Him in your place, He would have done so and produced a different creation that would worship and obey Him.

  4. رَّبُّكُمۡ أَعۡلَمُ بِكُمۡۖ إِن يَشَأۡ يَرۡحَمۡكُمۡ أَوۡ إِن يَشَأۡ يُعَذِّبۡكُمۡۚ وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَكِيلٗا
    Your Lord is Best Aware of you. If He will, He will have mercy on you, or if He will, He will punish you. We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) as a warden over them.
    In context

    Your Lord, O people, knows you best. Nothing of yours is hidden from Him. If He wishes to have mercy on you, He will have grace you with having faith and doing good deeds. And if He wishes to punish you, He can punish you by depriving you of faith, leaving you to die on disbelief.

  5. إِن يَشَأۡ يُذۡهِبۡكُمۡ وَيَأۡتِ بِخَلۡقٖ جَدِيدٖ
    If He will, He can be rid of you and bring (instead of you) some new creation.
    In context

    If He wants to remove you by destroying you, He can remove you and bring a new creation in your place who will worship Him and not associate any partner with Him.

  6. يَكَادُ ٱلۡبَرۡقُ يَخۡطَفُ أَبۡصَٰرَهُمۡۖ كُلَّمَآ أَضَآءَ لَهُم مَّشَوۡاْ فِيهِ وَإِذَآ أَظۡلَمَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ قَامُواْۚ وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمۡعِهِمۡ وَأَبۡصَٰرِهِمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ
    The lightning almost snatcheth away their sight from them. As often as it flasheth forth for them they walk therein, and when it darkeneth against them they stand still. If Allah willed, He could destroy their hearing and their sight. Lo! Allah is able to do all things.
    In context

    The brightness of the lightning almost blinds them. Whenever it flashes, lighting things up, they go forward and when there is no light they remain in darkness, unable to move. If God willed, He could take away their hearing and their sight, in His absolute power over all things; and not return it to them because they turn away from the truth.

  7. قَالُواْ ٱدۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ ٱلۡبَقَرَ تَشَٰبَهَ عَلَيۡنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَمُهۡتَدُونَ
    They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. Lo! cows are much alike to us; and Lo! if Allah wills, we may be led aright.
    In context

    They continued in their stubbornness, telling Moses to ask Allah to further clarify the nature of the cow. They said that there were many cows fitting the description, and they could not therefore identify it, insisting that they would then, if Allah willed, be guided to the right cow for sacrifice.

  8. بِئۡسَمَا ٱشۡتَرَوۡاْ بِهِۦٓ أَنفُسَهُمۡ أَن يَكۡفُرُواْ بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بَغۡيًا أَن يُنَزِّلَ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦۖ فَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ عَلَىٰ غَضَبٖۚ وَلِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ عَذَابٞ مُّهِينٞ
    Evil is that for which they sell their souls: that they should disbelieve in that which Allah hath revealed, grudging that Allah should reveal of His bounty unto whom He will of His slaves. They have incurred anger upon anger. For disbelievers is a shameful doom.
    In context

    How miserable is what they accepted in exchange for their portion of faith in Allah and His messengers. They disbelieved what Allah revealed, and unjustly and enviously rejected His prophets, because He gave prophethood and the Qur’ān to Muhammad (peace be upon him). For disbelieving in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and for distorting the Torah beforehand, they deserved anger upon anger from Allah.

  9. مَّا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَلَا ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّنۡ خَيۡرٖ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَخۡتَصُّ بِرَحۡمَتِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلۡفَضۡلِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ
    Neither those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture nor the idolaters love that there should be sent down unto you any good thing from your Lord. But Allah chooseth for His mercy whom He will, and Allah is of Infinite Bounty.
    In context

    The disbelievers, whether they are from the People of the Scripture or from among the idolaters, do not like that Allah should send down any good thing, big or small, to you. Through His mercy Allah favours whom He wills of His servants with prophethood, revelation and faith. Allah’s bounty is vast.

  10. ۞سَيَقُولُ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَا وَلَّىٰهُمۡ عَن قِبۡلَتِهِمُ ٱلَّتِي كَانُواْ عَلَيۡهَاۚ قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقُ وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبُۚ يَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٖ
    The foolish of the people will say: What hath turned them from the qiblah which they formerly observed? Say: Unto Allah belong the East and the West. He guideth whom He will unto a straight path.
    In context

    The foolish and weak-minded among the Jews, and those like them from among the hypocrites, will ask what turned the Muslims away from the prayer direction of Jerusalem, which was their direction of prayer before. Tell them, O Prophet, in reply, that to Allah belongs the east and the west and every direction, and He directs whomever He wills of His servants to whatever direction He wills.

  11. زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَيَسۡخَرُونَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْۘ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ فَوۡقَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَرۡزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٖ
    Beautified is the life of the world for those who disbelieve; they make a jest of the believers. But those who keep their duty to Allah will be above them on the Day of Resurrection. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will.
    In context

    For those who disbelieve in Allah, the worldly life and its temporary pleasures and enjoyments have been made to seem glamorous. They mock at those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day. Those who are mindful of Allah by fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions will be above such people in the Afterlife when Allah will make them live in the gardens of Paradise.

  12. كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةٗ وَٰحِدَةٗ فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِيَحۡكُمَ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِيمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِۚ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتُ بَغۡيَۢا بَيۡنَهُمۡۖ فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ
    Mankind were one community, and Allah sent (unto them) prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed therewith the Scripture with the truth that it might judge between mankind concerning that wherein they differed. And only those unto whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it, after clear proofs had come unto them, through hatred one of another. And Allah by His Will guided those who believe unto the truth of that concerning which they differed. Allah guideth whom He will unto a straight path.
    In context

    People were one community. All of them were in agreement and guided following the way of their father Adam, until the Satan misguided them. They were then split into believers and disbelievers. For this reason, God sent messengers bringing good news of the mercy of God for those who had faith in Him and followed Him and warning the disbelievers of the severe punishment of God.

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