Someone once asked me, “What is a science that is profoundly useful for humanity but has no usefulness for God?” Before revealing the answer, consider that God knows everything.
[10:61] You do not get into any situation, nor do you recite any Quran, nor do you do anything, without us being witnesses thereof as you do it. Not even an atom’s weight is out of your Lord’s control, be it in the heavens or the earth. Nor is there anything smaller than an atom, or larger, that is not recorded in a profound record.
وَمَا تَكُونُ فِى شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُوا۟ مِنْهُ مِن قُرْءَانٍ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَآ أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَآ أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مُّبِينٍ
Not only does God know everything that happens, but He knows about it even before it happens.
[57:22] Anything that happens on earth, or to you, has already been recorded, even before the creation. This is easy for GOD to do.
مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَآ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
[16:1] GOD’s command has already been issued (and everything has already been written), so do not rush it. Be He glorified, the Most High, far above any idols they set up.
(١) أَتَىٰٓ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
Predestination vs. Free Will
Before going further, let’s discuss most people’s initial question when this is brought up: If God knows the outcome, are we truly free to choose? The answer lies in understanding that knowledge of the outcome does not negate freedom of choice. Just because the end is known doesn’t mean the process of arriving at that end is any less real or meaningful. In a fundamental sense, the purpose of this world is for us to see for ourselves why we made the choices we did to lead us to our final destiny.
Take the story of Satan and Adam as an example. God knew from the outset that both had inherent flaws, but He created the conditions in which those flaws would surface. Why? To provide each with the opportunity to confront their shortcomings and decide how to respond. Satan chose to double down on his rebellion, while Adam, by contrast, recognized his failure and sought redemption. Now, God already knew these choices, but He didn’t force them. Instead, out of His mercy, He allowed them to unfold—allowing Satan to entrench in his defiance and Adam to seek purification. Rather than condemning Satan immediately or forcing Adam into spiritual rehabilitation here on Earth, God let them see the underlying reasons for their decisions, giving them the freedom to choose their own path.
This dynamic between divine knowledge and human freedom is essential to understanding our place in the world. We’re not puppets of fate; rather, we are participants in a moral drama, where our choices matter deeply, even if the outcome is known to God.
The Answer
This brings us back to the answer to our original question: What science is profoundly useful to humanity but has no usefulness for God? The answer is statistics. Now, let’s think about this for a moment. Statistics is a tool we, as limited beings, rely on to make sense of uncertainty. It allows us to predict patterns, assess probabilities, and manage risk in an unpredictable world. We collect data, analyze trends, and try to quantify the unknown. But, here’s the key point—God doesn’t need to run the numbers. For God, there is no probability, no uncertainty. All outcomes are known, and all variables are accounted for.
Statistics is born out of human limitation. It’s a brilliant system for approximating truths in a chaotic, complex world where we don’t have perfect knowledge. We use it to figure out things like disease risk factors and economic trends or to determine the proper attire based on predicted weather. But God, in His omniscience, has no need for such tools. For God, the future is not an unfolding series of possible events; it’s a fully known reality.
Limitations in Statistical Models
Forecasts allow humans to peer into the future, but only through a foggy lens. The accuracy of these forecasts depends heavily on the quality of the input data and the reliability of the statistical models we use to make sense of that data. Theoretically, if we had perfect information—if we could know every variable, every factor influencing the system—and if we had flawless models to process that information, our predictions would be 100% accurate. But that’s not the reality we live in.
We are inherently limited by the imperfection of both our knowledge and our models. The world is far too complex, filled with uncertainties and unseen variables, for us to ever achieve perfect foresight. The best we can do is make informed guesses, leveraging the tools of science and statistics to manage uncertainty. But no matter how refined those tools become, our ability to peer into the future will always be constrained by the limitations of our models.
This limitation is exemplified in the three-body problem, a classic issue in physics that highlights the inherent unpredictability of certain systems. When trying to predict the motion of three celestial bodies, like stars or planets, interacting with one another through gravity, it quickly becomes clear that even slight changes in initial conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes. This isn’t due to a failure of mathematics or our models but rather how reality is so finely tuned to a razor’s edge that the slightest alteration can drastically change the outcomes. So, while we can predict the motion of two bodies interacting with relative ease, once a third is introduced, the system becomes so complex that the reliability of our models becomes so uncertain that they become virtually useless.
God and Time
Now, let’s tackle something our minds cannot fully grasp: the concept of God being outside of time. This is a difficult notion for us as human beings because we are deeply embedded within the flow of time—we experience life moment by moment, locked into a sequence of events. But the crucial point to understand here is that time itself is a created entity. Just as God created the physical universe, He also brought time into existence. Therefore, He is not bound by it. He is outside of it, and that has profound implications for how we understand God’s knowledge and relationship to the universe.
Think about it like this: If time is a linear continuum—a straight line stretching from the past through the present and into the future—then we, as finite beings, are moving along that line. We only ever experience one moment or slice at a time. We can’t see into the future, and we can only reflect on the past. But for God, the entire timeline is laid out before Him all at once. He sees every point in time simultaneously—past, present, and future. In other words, God’s knowledge is not sequential like ours. He doesn’t learn or discover new things as time progresses. He knows the entirety of time, all of human history, and every individual’s life as a complete and eternal reality.
Day of Judgement Written In the Past Tense
This explains why the Quran often uses the past tense when describing the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. This linguistic style is known as prophetic past tense and is often seen in religious or sacred texts. It refers to the use of past tense to describe future events, especially in contexts where the speaker is conveying divine or prophetic certainty. This linguistic technique is used for events that are yet to unfold are narrated as if they have already occurred.
This style conveys the assuredness and inevitability of divine promises or foretellings; from the perspective of God, these events are as certain as though they had already taken place. By using the past tense, the speaker not only reinforces the truth of the prophecy but also imparts a sense of immediacy and psychological impact, underscoring the belief that God’s word is unbreakable and that His will transcends time. In this way, the prophetic past tense serves as a literary and theological tool to affirm faith in the inevitability of divine plans, encouraging readers or listeners to trust in the fulfillment of these declarations.
Since translations typically adjust this to the future tense, I also included the word-by-word translation.
[15:47] We remove all jealousy from their hearts. Like one family, they will be on adjacent furnishings.
وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِى صُدُورِهِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ إِخْوَٰنًا عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍ مُّتَقَـٰبِلِينَ
| 1 | wanazaʿnā | وَنَزَعْنَا | And we removed |
| 2 | mā | مَا | what (is) |
| 3 | fī | فِى | in |
| 4 | ṣudūrihim | صُدُورِهِم | their hearts |
| 5 | min | مِّنْ | of |
| 6 | ghillin | غِلٍّ | bitterness / resentfulness / jealousy. |
| 7 | ikh’wānan | إِخْوَٰنًا | (As) brethren / family |
| 8 | ʿalā | عَلَىٰ | on |
| 9 | sururin | سُرُرٍ | thrones / furnishings |
| 10 | mutaqābilīna | مُّتَقَـٰبِلِينَ | [ones] facing each other / adjacent. |
[18:53] The guilty will see Hell, and will realize that they will fall into it. They will have no escape therefrom.
وَرَءَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ ٱلنَّارَ فَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمْ يَجِدُوا۟ عَنْهَا مَصْرِفًا
| 1 | waraā | وَرَءَا | And [he] saw |
| 2 | l-muj’rimūna | ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ | the guilty [ones] |
| 3 | l-nāra | ٱلنَّارَ | the Fire / Hell, |
| 4 | faẓannū | فَظَنُّوٓا۟ | then they realized |
| 5 | annahum | أَنَّهُم | that they (are) |
| 6 | muwāqiʿūhā | مُّوَاقِعُوهَا | ones to fall in it. |
| 7 | walam | وَلَمْ | And not |
| 8 | yajidū | يَجِدُوا۟ | they will find |
| 9 | ʿanhā | عَنْهَا | from it |
| 10 | maṣrifan | مَصْرِفًا | a refuge / escape. |
[50:21] Every soul comes with a herder and a witness.
وَجَآءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَآئِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ
| 1 | wajāat | وَجَآءَتْ | And [it] came |
| 2 | kullu | كُلُّ | every |
| 3 | nafsin | نَفْسٍ | soul, |
| 4 | maʿahā | مَّعَهَا | with it |
| 5 | sāiqun | سَآئِقٌ | a herder |
| 6 | washahīdun | وَشَهِيدٌ | and a witness. |
[78:19] The heaven will be opened like gates.
وَفُتِحَتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ أَبْوَٰبًا
| 1 | wafutiḥati | وَفُتِحَتِ | And [it] opened |
| 2 | l-samāu | ٱلسَّمَآءُ | the heaven |
| 3 | fakānat | فَكَانَتْ | and it became |
| 4 | abwāban | أَبْوَٰبًا | gateways. |
[78:20] The mountains will be removed, as if they were a mirage.
وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ فَكَانَتْ سَرَابًا
| 1 | wasuyyirati | وَسُيِّرَتِ | And [it] were moved away |
| 2 | l-jibālu | ٱلْجِبَالُ | the mountains |
| 3 | fakānat | فَكَانَتْ | and it became |
| 4 | sarāban | سَرَابًا | a mirage. |
See also: 10:28, 10:54, 11:98, 16:86-87, 17:104, 18:29, 18:98-99, 18:107, 23:99, 25:65, 36:29, 37:27, 38:47-48, 44:54, 44:56, 50:19, 50:21-22, 52:20-22, 52:25, 67:8, 67:27, 69:15-16, 72:15-16, 73:14, 75:28, 76:5, 76:12, 76:14-20, 78:19-21, 79:34, 80:22, 81:14, 82:5, 89:22
God Willing
Additionally, as believers, we are instructed to say “God willing” when we say we intend to do anything in the future.
[18:23] You shall not say that you will do anything in the future,
[18:24] without saying, “GOD willing.” If you forget to do this, you must immediately remember your Lord and say, “May my Lord guide me to do better next time.”
(٢٣) وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا
(٢٤) إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا
The Arabic expression for this is “in-sha-Allah” ( إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ), which literally translates to “If God willed.” This phrase signifies that God has already decreed the outcome. Therefore, we confirm that if our intended action for the future corresponds with what God has already willed, it will come to fruition. Otherwise, they will not.
[18:69] He said, “You will find me, GOD willing, patient. I will not disobey any command you give me.”
(٦٩) قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ صَابِرًا وَلَآ أَعْصِى لَكَ أَمْرًا
| 1 | qāla | قَالَ | He said, |
| 2 | satajidunī | سَتَجِدُنِىٓ | “You will find me, |
| 3 | in | إِن | if |
| 4 | shāa | شَآءَ | [He] willed |
| 5 | l-lahu | ٱللَّهُ | God |
| 6 | ṣābiran | صَابِرًا | patient, |
| 7 | walā | وَلَآ | and not |
| 8 | aʿṣī | أَعْصِى | I will disobey |
| 9 | laka | لَكَ | [to] your |
| 10 | amran | أَمْرًا | order / command.” |
Implications of God Being Outside of Time
This is a staggering concept because it radically changes how we think about things like divine foreknowledge and free will. When we say God knows the future, we often imagine it from our limited human perspective, as though God is looking forward in time and seeing what’s going to happen next. But that’s not quite right. God isn’t “foreseeing” anything in the way we might guess at tomorrow’s events. He’s simply seeing what is from His timeless vantage point. Past, present, and future are all equally accessible to Him because He is not bound by the constraints of time.
So, what does this mean for us? It means that God’s knowledge of our lives—our choices, our actions, our destiny—is already complete from His perspective. He knows our past and future because He exists outside of the timeline we’re moving through. This doesn’t mean we are robots or puppets with no agency; rather, it means that from God’s position, every choice we make has already been made. He has seen it all, but we are still free to make those choices because, within our experience of time, we still move forward and decide.
The challenge here is grasping the difference between our finite experience of time and God’s infinite, eternal perspective. It’s impossible to comprehend fully because we are so used to thinking in terms of time—we can’t escape it. But when we begin to understand that God operates outside of the time continuum, we start to see how He knows everything—everyone’s past, present, and future—without violating our free will.
Angels & Time
So, if God is outside of our three-dimensional time and space, what about other entities like angels? If angels are outside of space, are they less constrained by time? The verses of the Quran offer some clues to angels’ experience of time.
Example #1
When the devil duped Adam and his spouse, he told them the following:
[7:20] The devil whispered to them, in order to reveal their bodies, which were invisible to them. He said, “Your Lord did not forbid you from this tree, except to prevent you from becoming angels, and from attaining eternal existence.”
فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰلِدِينَ
While the word “l-khālidīna” ( ٱلْخَـٰلِدِينَ ) signifies not only immortality but also eternal existence, it hints that the angels may be in a state outside of time. This is extrapolated that something that is eternal signfies no beginning and no end.
Example #2
The next example shows that a day for the angel is equivalent to fifty thousand years in our worldly perspective, again showing that time for the humans here on earth and the angels may not be the same.
[70:4] The angels, with their reports, climb to Him in a day that equals fifty thousand years.
تَعْرُجُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
Example #3
The following example is from Sura 18 and the history depicted between Moses and his teacher. When Moses’ teacher explained why he did the three things that Moses objected to and could not comprehend; boring the hole in the ship, killing the child, and patching the wall without asking for a wage, he informed the reasons to Moses before they parted company.
Regarding boring the hole in the ship, Moses’ teacher indicated that he did this out of his own will because he foresaw something that would happen and wanted to make the ship defective.
[18:79] “As for the ship, it belonged to poor fishermen, and I wanted to render it defective. There was a king coming after them, who was confiscating every ship, forcibly.
أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَـٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا
As for the boy, the teacher informed him that “we feared” and “we willed,” indicating that they foresaw something and wanted to take corrective action. Again, this shows that they had insight into future events.
[18:80] “As for the boy, his parents were good believers, and we feared that he was going to burden them with his transgression and disbelief.
[18:81] “We willed that your Lord substitute in his place another son; one who is better in righteousness and kindness.
وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَـٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَـٰنًا وَكُفْرًا
فَأَرَدْنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُ زَكَوٰةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًا
As for the last incident, the teacher informs Moses that because God knew of the righteousness of the father God willed for the wall to be patched. This shows that while other entities may be able to plan accoridngly based on what they see forecoming in the future, that God’s comprehension reigns supereme.
[18:82] “As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city. Under it, there was a treasure that belonged to them. Because their father was a righteous man, your Lord wanted them to grow up and attain full strength, then extract their treasure. Such is mercy from your Lord. I did none of that of my own volition. This is the explanation of the things you could not stand.”
وَأَمَّا ٱلْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَـٰمَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُۥ كَنزٌ لَّهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَـٰلِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَآ أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُۥ عَنْ أَمْرِى ذَٰلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِع عَّلَيْهِ صَبْرًا
Example #4
The following example shows that while the angels have insights into future events, their knowledge of these events is limited. This is seen when God informed the angels that he was placing a ruler on earth. This example also shows that the angels have free will when they question God regarding the matter.
[2:30] Recall that your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a representative (a temporary god) on Earth.” They said, “Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein and shed blood, while we sing Your praises, glorify You, and uphold Your absolute authority?” He said, “I know what you do not know.”
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Final Thoughts
Viewing this world as a kind of halfway house between Hell and Paradise radically shifts our understanding of existence. We are not merely physical beings drifting through life, but rather, we are placed in a state of transition, bound by the limitations of this worldly dimension. The most significant of these limitations is time itself. Unlike God, who sees the full expanse of eternity, or even the angels who can perceive beyond our scope, we are constrained within a linear timeline. We can’t see the future in any meaningful way—only through the fog of uncertain predictions and models. The past, too, at best, is just a memory, fragile and subject to distortion, stored in our minds or captured imperfectly in records.
Our experience of reality, then, is fundamentally shaped by this imprisonment within time. We are constantly seeking to predict, to control, to gain some sense of certainty about what lies ahead. This is why we have developed sciences like forecasting and statistics, tools that help us reduce uncertainty in a world that is, at its core, unpredictable. But no matter how sophisticated these tools become, we remain in the present, unable to truly step beyond the moment we are living in. The future is an abyss, a place we cannot see into, no matter how much we may wish to. And this uncertainty, this inability to know what’s coming, breeds anxiety, fear, and doubt.
Yet, this is the purpose of divine revelation. It serves as a window into the unseen, offering us glimpses of realities beyond our immediate perception. As human beings, we are trapped in a world of material limitations constrained by time and our finite senses. We cannot see the full scope of existence—the consequences of our actions, the nature of our ultimate destination, or the spiritual realities that surround us. We are, in a sense, blind to the very things that matter most. This is where revelation steps in. It is not just a set of moral guidelines or historical narratives; it is a lifeline that allows us to peer into the unseen and gives us the tools to make decisions that are aligned with the ultimate truth.
Revelation provides the framework for understanding what our limited senses cannot grasp. It tells us about the existence of the Hereafter, the Day of Judgment, and the moral and spiritual consequences of our choices. Without this divine insight, we would be left to navigate life based only on our immediate, material experiences—limited to what we can observe and measure through trial and error. But revelation pulls back the veil just enough for us to see the larger picture, to understand that our actions here and now have profound implications that extend far beyond the boundaries of this world. It gives us access to a realm of knowledge that is essential for guiding our decisions and shaping our lives in a meaningful way.
Yet, the importance of revelation goes beyond just providing information. It gives us the moral and spiritual compass we need to orient ourselves in a world that is often chaotic and confusing. Revelation is, in essence, a gift of foresight. It allows us to plan and make decisions not just with the immediate moment in mind, but with eternity as our reference point. It reminds us that life is not a series of random, disconnected events, but part of a larger, divine plan. And when we make choices based on the guidance of revelation, we are aligning ourselves with that plan, preparing not just for tomorrow, but for the ultimate future that lies beyond this world.
When we step into the uncertainty of the future, revelation serves as our anchor. The world offers us predictions, forecasts, and theories, but none of these can give us the kind of certainty that divine guidance provides. Revelation teaches us how to live in harmony with the unseen realities that govern our destiny, providing us with the knowledge we need to thrive both in this world and the next. But true success—true peace—only comes when we fully submit to this guidance, when we rid ourselves of the false idols of self-reliance, materialism, or blind chance. These are the very idols that have led humanity astray, causing us to lose sight of our true purpose. Revelation calls us back to the essence of worship: submission to God alone, trusting in His guidance as the only sure way to navigate both the seen and the unseen. Only by following this divine path can we be at peace with the unknown future, secure in the knowledge that we are aligning our lives with the truth that transcends time and space.
Additional Reading:
Quran Talk Blog 