Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Allah’s decree that a person will enter Hellfire does not mean that He forced him into disbelief and disobedience. This is not part of the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah. Rather, Allah knew from eternity what the servant would choose and do, and He recorded that in the Preserved Tablet, without the servant knowing what had been written for or against him.
The servant is obligated to believe and act, and Allah has explained to him the path of truth and the path of falsehood. He sent the messengers and established the proof. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“Messengers bearing good news and warning, so that people would have no argument against Allah after the messengers.”
[Al-Nisa’: 165]
Whoever believes and does righteous deeds will have Paradise, while whoever chooses disbelief and disobedience after the proof has been established against him deserves punishment. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And say: The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills—let him believe; and whoever wills—let him disbelieve.”
[Al-Kahf: 29]
Therefore, it is not valid for a person to use divine decree as an excuse for his disobedience. He does not know what Allah has written for him. Rather, he knows what he has chosen and done after Allah gave him the ability and made the truth clear to him, and he is held accountable for his actions.
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, divine decree has four levels: knowledge, writing, will, and creation. Allah knew everything, wrote the decrees of creation, whatever He wills comes to pass, and He is the Creator of His servants and their deeds. Nevertheless, the servant has a real will, ability, and choice, and all of these fall under the will of Allah, the Exalted.
The Muslim must not make the detailed discussion of divine decree a cause of obsessive doubts and objections. Rather, he should believe in it and act according to what Allah has commanded. Since a person does not know what has been written for him, he must do what Allah has commanded him to do, hope to be among the people of guidance and Paradise, think well of his Lord, and take the means that lead to goodness; for each person is facilitated toward that for which he was created.
In conclusion: Allah, the Exalted, did not force anyone into disbelief and then punish him for it. Rather, He decreed, based on His prior knowledge, what the servant would choose and do, established the proof against him, and then recompenses him for the actions that he chose and carried out. Divine decree is one of Allah’s secrets in His creation. Belief in it is obligatory, while attempting to comprehend its exact nature and details beyond what we have been commanded to know may lead to obsessive doubts and misguidance.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.