if God wills to hasten or delay something, or decrease something, He commands the angel to efface whatever He will, and, then, establish [in its place] what He will." I asked him, "Is everything recorded with God in a book?" He said, "Yes."Then I asked, "What thing will be there to occur after it?" He replied, "Glory be to God! Then God, the Blessed and Exalted, will create whatever He will."٧

٢. In the sameTajsfr, a tradition is quoted on the authority ofAbd Allah b. Muskan, who heard it from the Imams al-Baqir, al-Slidiq, and al-Ka:?im, in connection with the explanation of Gods saying, "Therein every wise bidding is determined as a bidding from Us" (Q. ٤٤:٤):

This means that God predetermines everything whether truthful or false, and all that will happen that year, and it is for Him to will it or change it. He hastens what He will and delays what He will in matters co.nnected with preordained time of death, sustenance, calamities, accidents, and illnesses, increasing them or decreasing them as He will....٨

٣. Al-Tabarsi, in his Kitab al-١/;ttijaj, relates a tradition on the authority of the Com‌
mander of the Faithful, Ali, who said:

But for one verse in the Quran, I would have related to you all that has occurred, is occurring, and is bound to occur until the Day of Judgment. And that verse is this: "God effaces ..." [Q. ١٣:٣٩].٩
A similar tradition has been related by al-Sadaq in hisAma/fand al-Taw/;tfd, with a chain of transmission going back to al-A bagh
b. Abi Talib.

٤. The Tajsfr of al-Ayyashi cites a tradition reported by•Zurara, who reported on the authority of the Imam al-Baqir:

He [Zurara] said, "Ali b. al-I:Iusayn [the fourth Imam] used to say, But for one verse in the Book of God, I would have informed you about what was going to happen until the Day of Judgment. I asked him, "Which verse is that?" He replied, "Gods saying,
God effllces ..."١٠

٥. [In] Qurb al-Isnad [al-I:ayari] relates a tradition from ai-Bizanti on the authority of the Imam al-Ri<;la, who, tracing the tradition through all the Imams to the Imam
Ali, said, "By God! But for a verse in the Book of God, we would have informed
you about all that was going to happen until the coming of the Hour. This verse is,
God effaces ..."١١
There are numerous other traditions that prove the occurrence of al- bada,in the conditional decree (al-qat;fa al-mawquf). To summarize what we have said: It is impossible for at- bada,to occur in the unalterable decree, which is referred to as the Preserved Tablet, or the Essence of the Book, or the Guarded Knowledge with God. How can one even imagine modification taking place in it? Indeed, God, the Exalted, is knowledgeable about things from eternity; nothing escapes from His knowledge, even an atoms weight, in the earth or in the heaven.
Al-Sadaq, in his book/kmal al-Dfn, relates a tradition he traces back to Abu Ba Ir and Samaa, who heard it from the Imam al- adiq.
asserts that for God, the Almighty, the Glorified, something appeared which He did uot know yesterday, then, keep away from him." ١٢