Did the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) use predestination to excuse his sin?

Everything in life happens according to Allah’s divine decree and determination.

However, no one has the right to reproach another person for a sin they have committed, since all people are servants of Allah.

Reproach relating to sin can be understood only in the context that Allah has forbidden an act, yet a person has gone ahead and committed it.

To answer the question, “Did the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) appeal to divine predestination to justify his sin?”, we need to understand that he did not use predestination as a justification for sin, but rather as an argument concerning the misfortune that befell him.

This is the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah: divine predestination may be invoked when facing misfortune, but it cannot be used as an excuse to justify sin and wrongdoing.

In this connection, there is a hadith about a debate between the Prophet Adam and the Prophet Moses. This hadith is among the proofs most often cited by people who invoke predestination to justify their negligence and disobedience.

The hadith was narrated by Abu Hurairah, who said that the Messenger of Allah said:

“Adam and Moses debated. Moses said to Adam, ‘O Adam, you are our father. You have disappointed us and brought us out of Paradise.’ Adam replied, ‘O Moses, Allah chose you by speaking to you and wrote for you with His hand. Do you reproach me for something Allah had decreed for me forty years before He created me?’ Thus Adam prevailed over Moses in the debate.” (The hadith is narrated with the repetition of this exchange three times.)