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God And Time
Posted by ahmad arif on May 30, 2025 at 3:24 pmGod is all knowing, He sees future.
But does he exist in present or not?
Ahsan replied 1 day, 5 hours ago 2 Members · 7 Replies -
7 Replies
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Ahsan
Moderator May 31, 2025 at 2:12 amTime is a concept within this universe. Outside Universe time is not a dimension.
So for us, yes he exist in past, present and future simultaneously.
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ahmad arif
Member May 31, 2025 at 4:18 amSo he burnt people in hell first and then created them or he did the opposite?
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Ahsan
Moderator May 31, 2025 at 4:55 amAs I said, “for us, yes he exist in past, present and future simultaneously.”
Think of it this way: If you saw a man eating on Mars, you’d actually be seeing what happened several minutes ago—because light takes time to travel. So from Earth, we always see other planets in the past, not the present.
Now, we can’t see the future of Mars because light hasn’t reached us from the future—unless we break the laws of physics, which we haven’t figured out how to do.
If we are able to do so, we can see Past, present and Future at same time from earth.
Now thats the key: We’re applying our universe’s time and space rules to something that might exist beyond those rules. If God exists outside of time, then asking what came “first” is like asking what’s north of the North Pole.
So from our perspective inside time, yes—He created humans first.
How it appears to God, we can never know
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ahmad arif
Member May 31, 2025 at 6:12 amso from.our perspective he exist in the present
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Ahsan
Moderator May 31, 2025 at 7:45 amyes, you can say that too
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ahmad arif
Member May 31, 2025 at 4:57 pmso if God has free will and he knows what he will do on the day of judgement? can he change his mind? or is it even possible for him to change his mind? if he can’t change his mind and is bound to do what he knows then is he free? and if he can change his mind then does that mean his knowledge is not absolute?
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Ahsan
Moderator June 1, 2025 at 12:48 amOne of the core challenges we face is not realizing the limits of our own knowledge. We’re trying to use human logic—bound by time, change, and cause-effect—to analyze a Being who exists beyond all of that.
So when we ask if God can change His mind, we’re applying a human framework to a reality that transcends it. From our point of view, changing one’s mind implies a new realization or updated knowledge—but God, by definition, doesn’t learn or reconsider.
But here its get more complicated. In Quran verse 3:54. God says that
“[This is what happened] and the Israelites started to devise covert schemes [against him] [857] and [in response] God also devised a hidden scheme and in such scheming God is the best.[858]” Translation from Albayan
At first glance, this sounds like a real-time strategic response—as if God is reacting. But is that the correct interpretation?
But my Speculative response is :
- The Qur’an speaks in language familiar to humans, to make abstract truths more comprehensible. That doesn’t mean God’s essence is bound by human constraints like time or changing thoughts.
- Or I can imagine it as a master chess player watching a other player. The other player is “planning” moves, but the master already sees all possible outcomes and has planned accordingly. The master may respond to moves, but is not surprised or learning anything new—it’s all within his strategic foresight.
Any answer we give beyond what He’s revealed is ultimately speculation. What we do know is enough for our purpose: to live responsibly, choose the right path, and trust in God’s perfect justice and wisdom.
He has revealed to us that humans have free will. We are responsible for our choices, and He will judge us accordingly and no injustice will be done (41:46, 21:47, 39:69, 3:182). Moreover, He also intervenes in history as He sees fit—but how that fits into His eternal knowledge and will is not something He’s explained to us.
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