Is there free will of faith according to Islam?

Sources

• ✓ 2:256 · Al-Baqara

  2:256 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

  There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

• ✓ 49:14 · Al-Hujuraat

  49:14 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  ۞ قَالَتِ ٱلْأَعْرَابُ ءَامَنَّا ۖ قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَلَٰكِن قُولُوٓا۟ أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ ٱلْإِيمَٰنُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَٰلِكُمْ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ

  The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 49:14

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 49:14

  Allah Almighty here denies and reproaches the Bedouins who, when they first embraced Islam, claimed a status of full faith for themselves while true faith had not yet taken deep root in their hearts. They said, “We have believed,” but Allah commands the Prophet to say to them, “You have not yet truly believed; rather say, ‘We have submitted,’” since true iman (faith) has not yet entered their hearts. This verse teaches that iman (faith) is more specific and detailed than Islam, which is the outward submission. This understanding is affirmed by the hadith of Gabriel who inquired sequentially about Islam, iman, and ihsan—moving from the more general to the more specific and refined. Imam Ahmad narrated from a chain reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ that once some men were given gifts while others received nothing. One man, Sa’d, questioned why a certain man, who was a believer, was left out. The Prophet replied, “Or a Muslim,” repeating this thrice. He explained that he purposely withheld gifts even from those more beloved to him to prevent them from being cast face-down into the Fire. This hadith clearly differentiates between a Muslim and a mu’min (one of faith), indicating that iman is more particular and deeper than mere Islam. This distinction helps explain the verse: the specific individuals addressed were not hypocrites but Muslims whose faith had not fully matured in their hearts. Their claim to full faith was an overreach, and they were admonished and corrected for this. The esteemed scholars Ibn Abbas, Ibrahim al-Nakha’i, and Qatada, followed by Ibn Jarir, support this interpretation. Some, like Imam al-Bukhari, inclined to consider these people as hypocrites who only pretended faith, while scholars such as Sa’id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, and Ibn Zayd understood the command to say “We have submitted” as an expression of surrender or submission out of fear of death or enslavement. The correct understanding is the first: they were Muslims who falsely claimed to be fully faithful. They were reprimanded to teach them that they had not yet reached the reality of iman. If they were hypocrites, harsher condemnation and public exposure would have been stated, as is the case elsewhere in the Qur’an. The verse continues, “If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not decrease your deeds at all,” meaning that your reward remains intact and will not be diminished. This agrees with other Quranic affirmations that Allah never lessens the reward of righteous deeds. The phrase “Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” comes as reassurance to those who repent and return to Allah sincerely. Next is the description of the true believers as those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, never harbor doubt or wavering, but remain firm in pure conviction. They strive in Allah’s cause with their wealth and lives, giving their best to please Him and seek His acceptance. These are the truthful ones in their faith, distinguished from some Bedouins whose grasp of religion is only by outward word. Imam Ahmad narrates a hadith from Abu Sa‘id that the Prophet ﷺ described believers in this world as existing in three groups: those who believe without doubting and strive with their wealth and selves; those whom people trust with their wealth and lives; and those who abandon worldly desires for Allah’s sake. The verse, “Say, do you inform Allah of your religion while Allah knows what is in the heavens and the earth?” rebukes the claim of directing or instructing Allah about what is in their hearts. Allah knows all unseen things in the heavens and earth, nothing small or great is hidden from Him, and He is fully aware of all that is done. The Bedouins arrogantly impose upon the Prophet their submission and allegiance, expecting acknowledgment and honor for it. Allah commands the Prophet to reply firmly: “Do not be proud of your Islam over me, rather Allah has bestowed favor upon you by guiding you to faith, if indeed you are truthful.” The true benefit belongs to them, and Allah’s grace is the ultimate favor, not their own deeds. This is similar to the Prophet’s words to the Ansar on the day of Hunayn: he reminded them how they were once lost and scattered, then Allah united and enriched them through him, and whenever he spoke, they affirmed Allah and His Messenger are the best benefactors. The memorizers and transmitters record from Ibn Abbas that when the tribe of Banu Asad approached the Prophet, asserting they had truly submitted and fought alongside the Arabs, while others had not, the Prophet remarked on their shallow understanding and that Satan spoke through their tongues. This verse was revealed concerning them. No other notable variant narration or alternate reporting is known beyond this. The passage ends with Allah’s reminder that He alone knows all hidden matters of the heavens and the earth and that He sees all actions of His creation. Thus concludes the commentary on Surah Al-Hujurat, praise and thanks be to Allah.

• ✓ Sahih Muslim 46:11

  Sunni SAHIH

  Sahih Muslim · Book 46, Hadith 11 · Narrated by Ali

  One day the Messenger of Allah was sitting holding a stick with which he was poking, then he raised his head and said, 'There is no soul among you except that its place in Paradise or Hell has already been known.' They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if we are not to work then should we just rely on predestination?' He said, 'No! Act, for every soul is facilitated toward what it was created for.' Then he recited: "As for he who gives and guards against evil and believes in the best, We will ease him toward ease." (Qur'an 92:5-7)