While these beings possess conditional knowledge about events...

While these beings possess conditional knowledge about events, such as the lifespan of an individual, they do not have access to God’s final decisions. For example, the Angel of Death may know that a person has a predetermined lifespan, but this lifespan can change based on the individual’s actions, like maintaining relationships.

Ultimately, God knows the final outcomes of all situations from the beginning, while the knowledge of angels remains conditional and subject to change based on divine wisdom. Therefore, whenever the command of God goes against the prior knowledge of angels and special ones of God, it is called Bada in the technical terminology of Shias. Since the meaning of Bada is reappearance, and an order appears against the expectation of the people [7] .

This refined theological explanation sets Bada’ in Shia theology apart from simplistic interpretations. It also explains why the Imams frequently emphasized Bada’ as a way to highlight God’s sovereignty over all causes and to encourage moral responsibility among believers. Qur’anic Basis for the Concept of Bada’ The concept of Bada’ is not an invention of later theological speculation; rather, it is rooted in the Qur’anic worldview that presents divine knowledge as layered and interactive.

Several verses in the Qur’an illustrate the possibility of divine alteration in decrees, thereby supporting the foundation of Bada’ as a principle grounded in revelation. A central verse often cited in this context is: “Allah effaces and confirms whatever He wishes and with Him is the Mother Book.” (Qur’an 13:39) The Qur’anic sentence presents a universal law which has been alluded to in the various Islamic texts.

It states that the actualization of the various beings and events in the world follows two stages: The stage of decisiveness, within which no changes may occur (and it has been referred to in the verse as ‘the Mother of the Book’). The other stage, or the second stage, within which changes may occur, is referred to here as the effacement and confirmation stage [8] .

Within the framework of Bada’, this verse illustrates that while God’s ultimate knowledge remains unchanged, the way that knowledge unfolds in worldly reality may appear to change, depending on divine wisdom and human interaction. Another verse often referenced in discussions of Bada’ is: “…and there will appear to them from Allah what they had never reckoned.