Why Does Allah Test Us If He Already Knows the Outcome?

Allah said: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Meaning: I only created them to command them to worship Me, not because I needed them. And Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas: “Except to worship Me” means: Except that they acknowledge My worship willingly or unwillingly. This is the view preferred by Ibn Jarir.

There is often confusion among many between the purpose desired from the servants (i.e., the religious commands that Allah loves from them and has ordered them to follow), and the purpose desired for the servants (i.e., rewarding the obedient and punishing the disobedient). This latter is from His predestined decree which does not change or alter.

As for the truth that is the purpose of their creation the heavens, the earth, and everything between them there is a purpose desired from the servants and a purpose desired for the servants.

The purpose from them: is that they come to know Allah and His attributes of perfection, and that they worship Him without associating any partners with Him, so He alone becomes their God, their object of worship, and their object of obedience and love.

“It is Allah who created seven heavens and of the earth the like of them. His command descends among them so that you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.”

He informed us that He created the universe so that His servants may know His perfect power and comprehensive knowledge. This requires knowing Him, His Names and Attributes, and singling Him out in worship.

And He said: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

This is the purpose from the servants: that they know their Lord and worship Him alone. As for the purpose for them: it is the reward with justice, favor, and punishment.

Allah said: “And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth that He may recompense those who do evil with what they have done and recompense those who do good with the best [reward].”

He also said: “Indeed, the Hour is coming I almost conceal it so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives.”

“Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne, arranging the matter [of His creation]. There is no intercessor except after His permission. That is Allah, your Lord, so worship Him. Then will you not remember? To Him is your return all together. [It is] the promise of Allah [which is] truth. Indeed, He begins creation and then repeats it that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for what they used to deny.”

(Bada’i’ al-Fawa’id, 4/971)

“[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.”

In this noble verse, Allah made it clear that every argument will be cut off by sending messengers bringing good news to those who obey and warning those who disobey.

This argument, whose refutation is clarified here through sending messengers as bringers of glad tidings and warners, is also mentioned at the end of Surah Taha:

“And if We had destroyed them with a punishment before him, they would have said, ‘Our Lord, why did You not send to us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses before we were humiliated and disgraced?’”

“And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands have put forth and they would say, ‘Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?’”

“And never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother a messenger reciting Our verses to them. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.”

And He said: “O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger to make clear to you [the religion] after a period [of suspension] of messengers, lest you say, ‘There came not to us any bringer of good tidings or a warner.’ But there has come to you a bringer of good tidings and a warner.”

“And this [Qur’an] is a blessed Book which We have revealed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy. [We revealed it] lest you say, ‘The Scripture was only sent down to two groups before us, but we were unaware of their learning,’ Or lest you say, ‘If only the Scripture had been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they.’ So there has [now] come to you a clear evidence from your Lord and a guidance and mercy.”

This and other verses show that Allah does not punish anyone until He has sent messengers to them and they are warned. He clearly states in many verses that He does not admit anyone into Hell except after proof has been established through the messengers. Among them is His statement:

“Every time a group is thrown into it, its keepers will ask them, ‘Did there not come to you a warner?’ They will say, ‘Yes, a warner had come to us, but we denied and said: Allah has not sent down anything.’”

It is known that “Every time” indicates all times and all those who are thrown in i.e., all people of Hell.

And from His words: “And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, ‘Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?’ They will say, ‘Yes, but the word of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers.’”

All of this shows that all those in Hell had been warned by messengers but disobeyed their Lord. (Adwa’ al-Bayan, 3/66–67) Our belief is that understanding the purpose of creation, and knowing that Allah does not punish based on His knowledge alone, but on actual deeds, and that this nullifies people's excuses this constitutes the answer to the problem raised in the question.

“And We have made some of you as a trial for others will you have patience?”

This means Allah has made people trials for one another rich tested through the poor, healthy through the sick, the knowledgeable through the ignorant, and so on. The goal of the test is to see who is patient and obedient to Allah in those circumstances, and who fails and disobeys. This portion of the verse shows that people are made as a test for each other. That is, wealth and poverty, health and illness, knowledge and ignorance all are means of testing by which Allah distinguishes the sincere from the corrupt.