Belief in al-Qadar rests on four levels which together complete the article: (1) al-''Ilm — that Allah knew all things before they came to be, in their totality and detail. (2) al-Kitabah — that He wrote all of that in the Preserved Tablet fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. (3) al-Mashi''ah — that nothing happens in His dominion except by His will; what He wills is, and what He does not will is not. (4) al-Khalq — that He alone is the Creator of every existing thing, including the actions of His servants. Whoever affirms these four has believed in al-Qadar correctly. Yet this does not negate the servant''s will or responsibility: the servant truly chooses and acts, and Allah is the Creator of his choosing. The Qadariyyah denied Allah''s prior knowledge and decree; the Jabriyyah denied the servant''s will. Ahl us-Sunnah affirm both — and this is the path of the Salaf.