Can someone help me out on this one..A lot of my friends/acquaintances/relatives( muslim & Non muslim), say that if God already knows whats in store for us or knows what we’re gonna do,or, put simply, our life has already been written along with its fate, then what the use of creating us (just to be punished )if its already been decided whats gonig to happen..Are our lives, destinies & actions predetermined or do we have a freewill to go about our business & be judged on that basis.
Re: Predetermination or freewil.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by doc2000: *
Can someone help me out on this one..A lot of my friends/acquaintances/relatives( muslim & Non muslim), say that if God already knows whats in store for us or knows what we're gonna do,or, put simply, our life has already been written along with its fate, then what the use of creating us (just to be punished )if its already been decided whats gonig to happen..Are our lives, destinies & actions predetermined or do we have a freewill to go about our business & be judged on that basis.
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I maintain that the Determinism and Free Will 'problem', which many thinkers have declared intractable, is a pseudo-problem, engendered by raising first a theological dogma and then a scientific hypothesis to the status of a first principle. This error is closely linked to the prevailing Empiricist outlook, which sees 'reality' in the phenomenal world and not in the mind. The pseudo-problem is further confounded by the identification of freedom with choice. On top of that, the proper understanding of the metaphysical problem of free will is hindered by the common static conception of reality, which fails to recognize creativity as an ultimate principle. To me, creativity is the essence of free will.
Re: Predetermination or freewil.
We ought to regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its antecedent state and as the cause of the state that is to follow. An intelligence knowing all the forces acting in nature at a given instant, as well as the momentary positions of all things in the universe, would be able to comprehend in one single formula the motions of the largest bodies as well as the lightest atoms in the world, provided that its intellect were sufficiently powerful to subject all data to analysis; to it nothing would be uncertain, the future as well as the past would be present to its eyes. The perfection that the human mind has been able to give to astronomy affords but a feeble outline of such an intelligence.
Sher sahib..your very impressive vocabalary has not made me any more the wiser re this topic..
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by doc2000: *
Sher sahib..your very impressive vocabalary has not made me any more the wiser re this topic..
[/QUOTE]
Well dear,,,, it is the free will,,, free will, mate that determines your destiny. I hope this one will.
Sounds like they're might follow Calvinism which among other things believes in predestination of man.
Good..now can u please explain to me in simple terms why u think that is the case , is it yr thinking or from quran, hadith etc..i need evidence or an argument buddy so that i may be able to answer my critics.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by doc2000: *
Good..now can u please explain to me in simple terms why u think that is the case , is it yr thinking or from quran, hadith etc..i need evidence or an argument buddy so that i may be able to answer my critics.
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Although I dont personally like to accept it as an argument but I thought you probabally will beleive only Quranic refference so, from the Islamic point of view, faith and belief in God is equivalent to man's freedom and freewill. Freedom in the real sense is the essence of man. Although the Noble Qur'an introduces God as very great and His will as all- pervasive, it also strongly defends human freedom.
There has certainly come on man a period of time when he was nothing worthy of mention. We created man of a mingled sperm so as to try him; and We made him hearing and seeing. Surely We guided him upon the way, whether he be thankful or unthankful. (76:1-3)
This implies that man is free, and he may choose the right path or the path of ingratitude (kufran) of his own will.
The Qur'an further states:
Whosoever desires this present world, We hasten for him therein what We will unto whomsoever We desire; then We appoint for him the hell wherein he shall roast, condemned and rejected. And whosoever desires the world to come and strives after it as he should, being a believer, those, their striving shall be thanked. Each We succour, these and those, from thy Lord's gift; and thy Lords gift is not confined. (17:18-20).
Yes, this is the Qur'anic logic. The Qur'an does not see any incompatibility between God's general qada and man's freedom and freewill.
You can still stand if you take one foot off the ground but cannot if you take off both.
Your control over your life is similar to that. You have as much control of it as you have of your body while standing on one foot. Taking off one foot off the ground is completely your own choice and will.
That's why they have sayings like, "God helps those who help themselves" and many similar.
Basically, we are asked to desire, wish, plan for things we want and work hard and do our best to achieve them in lawful ways. If we happen to achieve them, they were meant for us (or in other words, was our fate/destiny whatever you like to call it). If one does not then either he/she did not try good enough or it was not meant for him/her. Or in other words, God had something else in store for him/her which he/she would get at the right time even though he/she did not work hard to achieve it (but bcz the efforts were made anyway and hardwork never goes to waste)
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Taken from: An Introduction to 'Ilm al-Kalam
Good Reading: Islamic Philosophy Online http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/
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(iii) Free Will and Freedom:
The Shi’ah doctrine of free will is to some extent similar to that of Mu’tazilah. But the two differ with regard to its meaning. Human freedom or free will for the Mu’tazilah is equivalent to Divine resignation (tafwid), i.e. leaving man to himself and suspension of the Divine Will from any effective role. Of course, this, as proved in its proper place, is impossible.
Freedom and free will, as believed by the Shi’ah, mean that men are created as free beings. But they, like any other creature, are entirely dependent on the Divine Essence for their existence and all its multifarious modes, including the mode of action, all of which are derived from and are dependent on God’s merciful care, and seek help from His Will.
Accordingly, free will and freedom in Shi’ism occupy an intermediate position between the Ash’arite (absolute) predestination (jabr) and the Mu’tazilite doctrine of freedom (tafwid). This is the meaning of the famous dictum of the Infallible Imams (A:): ***“la jabra wa la tafwida bal 'amrun bayna 'amrayn”: ***
Neither Jabr nor tafwid; but something intermediate between the two (extreme) alternatives.
The doctrine of free will is a corollary to the doctrine of Divine Justice.
The Belief In Predestination and Decree is very important in Islam. I am just cutting and pasting from the following link. It is really very difficult to explain it in one’s own words.
http://groups.msn.com/IslamicSouls/yourwebpage31.msnw
A Muslim believes in Allah’s predestination of all things and events (Qada), His decree (Qadar), His wisdom in His actions, and His will. Nothing in the universe can occur, even the voluntary actions of His slaves, except after Allah’s knowledge, and His decree of that event. A Muslim further believes that Allah is Just in His predestination and His decree, Wise in all of His actions. His wisdom follows His will: Whatever He wills is, and whatever He does not will is not. There is no power or any movement except by Allah. This is substantiated by the textual and logical proofs which follow:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
- Allah informed us of this in the Qur’an:
[Verily, we have created everything in (predetermined) measure.] Qur’an 54/49
[And there is nothing whatsoever but that its reserves are with us, and we do not send it down except in known measure.] Qur’an 15/21
[No calamity strikes in the earth nor in your selves but that was in a book since before We created it (i.e. the event). That is easy for Allah.] Qur’an 57/22
[No calamity strikes except with the permission of Allah.] Qur’an 64/11
[Say: Nothing will befall us except what Allah had decreed for us, He is our protecting Ally, and upon Allah let the believers depend.] Qur’an 9/51
[And with Him are the keys of the unseen, no one knows them except Him. He knows all that is in the ocean and on the land. No leaf falls without His knowledge, nor any particle in the dark recesses of the earth, nor anything green and fresh or dry and withered but that it is in a clear book.] Qur’an 6/59
[This is nothing less than a reminder to all the worlds. * For whoever among you has an intention to go straight. * But you will never have this intention unless Allah so wills, Lord of the worlds.] Qur’an 81/27-29
[Those for whom good has already been decreed by us will be far removed from it (i.e. hell).] Qur’an 21/101
[If only, when you entered your garden, you had said: (This is only) by the will of Allah. There is no power except from Allah.] Qur’an 18/39
[Praise be to Allah who guided us to this, and we would never have attained guidance if Allah had not guided us.] Qur’an 7/43
- The Prophet (sas), too, has informed us about the reality of Allah’s predestination and decree in many hadith:
"Verily, each one of you is formed in his mother’s womb forty days as a drop, then he is something suspended for a similar period, then he is a piece of flesh like a chewed piece of meat for another period of forty days, then the angel is sent to insert the soul. This angel is ordered to record four things: the sustenance which he will receive during his lifetime, the length of his life, all actions that he will do, and whether he will end up miserable (in hell) or joyous (in paradise).
I swear by the One other than whom there is no deity, one of you may do the works of the people of paradise right up until there is only an arm’s length between him and paradise, but his destiny overtakes him, so he does the actions of the poeple of the fire and enters it. And, verily, one of you may do the works of the people of hell until there is nothing between them and hell except for one arm’s length, but his destiny overtakes him, and so he does the works of the people of paradise, and enters it." (Muslim)
“Young man, I will teach you some words: Preserve (your obligations toward) Allah and He will preserve you. Guard (your obligations toward) Allah, and you will find Him on your side. When you ask, ask Allah. When you seek aid and succour, seek it from Allah. And know, that if the entire nation got together to benefit you in some way, they could never benefit you at all except for that which Allah had already decreed for you. And, if they all got together to harm you in some way, they could do you no harm except for that which Allah had already decreed for you. The pens have been lifted, and the tablets have dried.” (At-Tirmidhi, and he rated it Sahih.)
“The first thing which Allah created was the pen. Then, He said to it: Write. It asked: My Lord, what should I write? He said: Write the proportions of all things up until the Hour.” (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, and it is hassan.)
"Adam disputed with Musa. Musa said to Adam: “O, Adam, you are the father of the human race, Allah created you with His hand, and blew into you of His spirit, and made His angels prostrate to you, why did you expel yourself and us from the garden?” Adam said to him: "You are Musa whom Allah favored with His speech, and wrote for you the Taurah with His hand, so (tell me) by how many years before my creation did you find it written about me: … then Adam disobeyed his Lord and got lost.] (Qur’an 20:121)? Musa said: “By forty years.” Then, Adam said: “So how do you blame me for something which Allah had decreed for me before my creation by forty years?” The Prophet said: “And so, Adam defeated Musa in the dispute.”
“Iman (faith) is to believe in Allah, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the last day, and the predestination of all things both (those which appear) good and (those which appear) bad.” (Muslim)
“Act, for each of you will find easy that for which he was created.” (Muslim)
“Verily, oaths do not change destiny.” (Sahih)
“O, Abdullah ibn Qais, should I not teach you a word which is one of the treasures of paradise? (It is to say): There is no movement nor any power except from Allah.”
“Someone said: That which Allah wants and you want. To which the Prophet (sas) replied: That which Allah alone wants.” (An-Nasaa’i, and he rated it sahih)
- Millions of people from the nation of Muhammad (sas) have believed in Allah’s predestination and decree of all things and events including its scholars, righteous ones and others. They all believed too in His wisdom and His will and that everything is known to Allah in advance of its occurrence, and only takes place by His decree. Nothing can take place anywhere in His kingdom except for that which He wills. What He wills is, and what He does not will is not. The pen has already recorded the destinies of all things up to the establishment of the hour.
EVIDENCE OF REASON
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Reason does not reject the idea of predestination and decree and of Allah’s wisdom and His will. Just the opposite, reason demands that this is the case without doubt because of the clear evidences of it in the universe around us.
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Belief in Allah and in his perfect might and power demands the belief in His predestination and His decree, His wisdom and His will.
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An architect is able to make drawings for a huge building on a piece of paper. He determines the time in which it will be built, and then works at the execution of his plan, bringing the reality of the building from the paper to reality in the time set for its accomplishment, and in accordance with what he drew on the paper, neither more nor less. This being the case for a human, how could anyone reject the fact that Allah has set the proportions of all things from now until the hour? And then, due to the perfection of His knowledge and His power, He brings about those assigned proportions just as He had pre-set them in terms of quantity, nature, time, and place. There is no reason to reject these facts once we know that Allah is capable of all things!
The following link has very detailed information with all the evidences from Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). It is 9 pages long. Redirecting...
Please the following site as well http://muttaqun.com/qadar.html
Additional info could be got from this link: http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=101638
Re: Re: Predetermination or freewil.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Sher: *
I maintain that the Determinism and Free Will 'problem', which many thinkers have declared intractable, is a pseudo-problem, engendered by raising first a theological dogma and then a scientific hypothesis to the status of a first principle. This error is closely linked to the prevailing Empiricist outlook, which sees 'reality' in the phenomenal world and not in the mind. The pseudo-problem is further confounded by the identification of freedom with choice. On top of that, the proper understanding of the metaphysical problem of free will is hindered by the common static conception of reality, which fails to recognize creativity as an ultimate principle. To me, creativity is the essence of free will.
[/QUOTE]
kakh pata nai laga ki kiha.
sir peeRh wadhoo di.
Re: Re: Re: Predetermination or freewil.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ChannMahi: *
kakh pata nai laga ki kiha.
sir peeRh wadhoo di.
[/QUOTE]
Chann mahi Try again, I sure you will get. Bye the way I know some Panjabi,, cos my parents are from Lahore. Any way, like I said give it another try.
In reply of Brother Ibn Sadique
Aslam-o-Alakum,
There are two conditions or two thoughts
(1) Predestination or Determinism - No man’s freedom - **Ash’arites ** sect belief.
(2) The one which talks about man’s freedom
I want to share with you the following discussion: If you have anyother question better if you check the site first then ask. I will try my best. InshaAllah
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Taken from:
http://www.al-islam.org/inquiries/9.html
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Islam, as you know, informs us that God has revealed certain commandments; that He will reward the obedient of His commandments; and that He will punish the disobedient who do not comply with these commandments. A religion which preaches this can be consistent only if it advocates man’s freedom, unless such a religion denies the concept of justice of God.
There are certain conditions not caused by man’s own will, such as sickness, blindness, and death. In this area the absence of man’s freedom is obvious. No one should claim that man has freedom in having such conditions, because these things do not come by man’s choice. Our discussion includes only the area of man’s work and action where man seems to be acting by his own choice and will.
A religion that advocates both God’s justice and predestination would clearly contradict itself when it states that God will reward the obedient of His commands and penalize the disobedient. When man’s actions or inactions are pre-arranged by God, man will be unable to change his course. He will not be able to do one thing when he is predestined to do something else. Man would be like a machine. A machine is not able, by itself, to change its course, and it would be ridiculous to tell a machine to comply with a certain order or to reward a machine or penalize it.
Remove man’s freedom, and the whole concept of religion is destroyed. As a matter of fact, if we deny man’s freedom, there will be no need for any heavenly revelation. It would be futile to send prophets to teach and lead mankind. When a person is predestined to be an atheist, he shall not be a believer, and no prophet will be able to change his heart. A predestined criminal is not going to be a good citizen, regardless of any teaching he may receive.
Man’s freedom, in fact, underlies the whole concept of religion, and Islam clearly advocates man’s freedom not the predestination
The Holy Qur’an has indicated, in more than one way, that man is a free agent. It declares that man is capable of changing his condition.
“Surely the Almighty changes not the condition of a people unless they change that which is in themselves.” 13:11
Were man predestined to take a certain course, he would not be able to change that course. Whatever he does or avoids will be done or avoided, not by choice, but by necessity.
The Holy Qur’an has, also, declared that God does not ask the individual to do the impossible, nor does He place hardship on His servants:
“The Almighty imposes not on a soul a duty but to the extent of its ability.” 2:286
“The Almighty desires not to place a hardship on you but He desires to purify you and to complete His favor upon you, so that you may be thankful.” 5:8
For example, if man were predestined not to pray or to commit a murder and God tells him not to kill or to pray, He will be placing the greatest hardship on him, and He will be asking him to do what is impossible for him. He will not be asking him to do what is within his ability because he was predestined, before he was born, to kill and not to pray. Thus, He would not be able to comply with the order of God. The very fact that he is commanded to pray and prohibited from killing indicates that God views His human servant as a free creature, and that whatever he is commanded to do or not to do is within his ability.
The Holy Qur’an has, also, indicated man’s freedom by stating and stressing the responsibility of every individual for what he does:
“Whoever goes aright, for his own soul he goes aright; and whoever goes astray, to his own detriment he goes astray.” 39:41
"And no bearer of a burden bears another’s burden … " 53:38
"Say: O people, the truth has come to you from your Lord; So whoever goes aright, goes aright only for the good of his own soul: and whoever errs, he errs only against it. " 10:108
The very concept of responsibility of the individual indicates clearly that the individual is a free agent. Otherwise, he cannot be held responsible for anything that may be produced by him. Responsibility is inseparable from freedom.
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and at the end of this discussion you can also read
“The Evil Effects of the Doctrine of Predestination”
at the following link.
http://al-islam.org/mananddestiny/4.htm
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Thanks, Wasalam;
inuit
So do we believe that God has created Man free. He has given us FREE WILL, and we have options to do what we may do. If not so, why should He punish a sinner who is supposed to be compelled to do so.?
To make it short, rational good and bad as mentioned above, and independent wisdom are bases for the acceptance of divine Religion, Scriptures, and the prophets, but not enough, because we have a limited wisdom, by which we can not grasp all that we need. So we have to have divine guidance for improving our WISDOM and understanding.
want to share the following article:
Man and Free Will
The action which man performs is one of the phenomena of the world of creation and its appearance depends, completely, like other phenomena in the world, upon its cause. And since man in a part of the world of creation and has an ontological relation with other parts of the cosmos, we cannot accept the premise that other parts should not have an effect upon his actions.
For example, when a man takes a bite of bread he needs not only the instruments of his hands, feet, mouth as well as knowledge, power and will, but also the existence of the bread in the external world, its availability, the lack of obstacles and other temporal and spatial conditions. If any of these causes were not actualized, the action would not be possible. Conversely, with the actualization of all of them (the complete cause) the occurrence of the action becomes completely necessary. The necessity of the action in relation to all of the parts of the complete cause is not contradictory to the possibility of the relation of the action with respect to man, who is one of the parts of the complete cause. Man has the possibility or free will (ikhtiyar) to perform the act. The necessity existing in the relation between the action and all of the parts of the cause does not mean that the relation of the action to some of the parts of the cause, of which man is one, should also be that of necessity and determination.
Man's simple and untainted comprehension also confirms this point of view, for we see that people through their God-given nature and intelligence distinguish between such things as eating, drinking, coming and going on the one hand, and on the other, such things as health and illness, age and youth or the height of the body. The first group, which is directly related to man's will, is considered to be performed according to the free choice of the individual so that people command and prohibit them and blame or condemn them. But concerning the second group man has no duty and is not under any Divine command because he cannot exercise a free choice over them.
At the beginning of Islam among the Sunnis there were two schools that were concerned with the theological aspects of human action. One group, holding the view that human action is the result of the unbreakable will of God, considered man to be determined in his actions and held human free will to be devoid of any value and sense. The other group believed man to be independent in his actions, which did not depend upon the Divine will and were outside of the command of Providence (qadar).
But according to the instruction of the Household of the Prophet, which is also in conformity with the literal instructions of the Quran, man is free (mukhtar) in his actions but not independent (mustaqill). Rather, God the Almighty through free will has willed the act. According to our previous analysis, God the Exalted has willed and made necessary the act through all of the parts of the complete cause, of which one is the will and free choice of man. As a result of this kind of Divine will, the action is necessary but in it man has also free will, that is, the action is necessary with respect to all the parts of its cause, and possible and free in choice with respect to one of those parts which is man. The sixth Imam - upon whom be peace - has said, "It is neither determination nor free will but something between the two."
The fifth and sixth Imams said that "God loves His creation so much that He will not force it to commit sin and then punish it. And God is so powerful that whatever He commands comes to be." Also the sixth Imam has said, "God is so generous that He does not make it a duty for men to do what is not in their power. He is so powerful that nothing comes into being in His kingdom which He does not will." (This is an allusion to the two schools of predestination and free will.) (Bihar al-anwar, vol. III, pp. 5, 6, 15)
Bro/Sis? Inuit Wa ‘Alaykum Salaam
[QUOTE]
There are two conditions or two thoughts
(1) Predestination or Determinism - No man's freedom - Ash’arites sect belief.
(2) The one which talks about man's freedom
[/QUOTE]
I think you are confusing Ash’ariyahs (Ash’arites ) with the Jabriyah (i.e., people who believed in blind compulsion ( no free will)).
Ahlul Sunnah believe that Allah’s (swt) Will is Absolute and prevails over all other wills. Nothing occurs without Allah’s Will. Even man’s will is subjective and subordinate to Allah’s will.
Let me just quote the following ayahs for you.
*Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper and Protector)." And in Allah let the believers put their trust. 9:51 *
*To whomsoever among you who wills to walk straight, And you will not, unless (it be) that Allâh wills, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists). 81:28-29 *
When whither go ye?
Verily this is no less than a Message to (all) the Worlds:
(With profit) to whoever among you wills to go straight:
But ye shall not will except as Allah wills,- the Cherisher of the Worlds 81:26 - 29
Since this matter is very delicate, I am pasting a nice article to explain the stance of Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama’a
Qadar (Destiny) - the Sixth Pillar of Faith
How many times have we looked at our lives, and wished that things were different? Or hoped for one thing or another, but then soon resigned ourselves to the fact that what will be, will be? Qadar or Allah's predetermined decree, is the sixth pillar of Faith, and is something that should concern every Muslim. It has been reported by Imam Ahmad that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam - SAWS, one day came to his companions and found them arguing about Qadar. He rebuked them for that and informed them that what destroyed the nations before them was nothing but that kind of argument. Nonetheless, Allah has blessed some of his believing servants, namely the righteous predecessors, with the true understanding of the issue of Qadar.
The subject of Qadar is as old as man himself. From the time man became aware of his sins and mistakes, he thought of ways to clean himself from them and make excuses for them. Qadar has been a subject of discussion by philosophers, scientists and scholars, believers and non-believers throughout history.
Man's understanding of Qadar took many directions, but only main opinions prevailed - the Jabr (Blind Compulsion) and the Qadar (Predestination) - until Islam brought the correct understanding through the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Unfortunately, these two understandings were adopted by some Muslims and exist among them, until today.
The first group, called the Jabriyah (i.e., people who believed in blind compulsion), over-considers Qadar, striping away from man all capability or will. They say that man is Musayyar (driven, fully governed) and not Mukhayyar (with free will). There is no difference, they further argue, between man's actions committed out of his will and his actions happening without his will. Undoubtedly, the upholders of this creed have strayed from the right path. For it is known, through the Islamic teachings, sound reasoning, and people's practices, that man does differentiate between acts about which he has choice and acts which are imposed on him.
The second group, called the Qadariyah (predestinationism), exaggerates man's power and will, restricting the Will of Allah altogether. They believe that man cannot be the slave of Allah's unalterable predestination, but rather creates his own actions, and thus is totally independent, with an autonomous will. Consequently, some advocates of this sect want so far as to claim that Allah, Most High does not know about people's actions until they occur. Undoubtedly, the sect has fallen into exaggeration and extremism in determining man's power and will.
These same ideas have, in the modern times, taken new forms. Those who adopt the Jabr philosophy to justify man's behaviour, say that genetics, environment and natural instincts control him and that he has no power against them. To them, man has no control of his sexual orientation and that desire is the motive behind what he does.
On the other hand, those who are Qadari believe that man has full control over everything that happens to him, and that he can direct and shape his future in any way he chooses. These people spend a lot of time and money on learning the so-called ancient methods of using "energy" and "power," using the stars to forecast the future, and even magic.
Those who follow the understanding of the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) reject both of these extreme, deviant views and uphold the belief substantiated by the Qur'an and Sunnah. They do not see man as deprived of free-will, that Allah coerces him into making specific decisions; nor do they see man as absolutely independent, free to do as he chooses, and that Allah has no power over his actions and choices.
Conversely, they believe man has free will, which is dependent upon Allah's Will. This is the correct definition of Qadar. We will mention the belief of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah in this article. But first, let's analyse the views of the Jabriyah and Qadariyah.
** Refuting the views of the Jabriyah **
If we, for the sake of argument, take the position of the first sect, the Jabriyah, it will amount to considering all of Islamic laws useless. Indeed, if man has no free will whatsoever, then he is not to be praised for any virtuous deed nor is he to be blamed for any wrongdoing. More dangerous, this means that Allah is unjust if He punishes the one who disobeys Him.
Allah says that He sent "Messengers who gave good news, as well as warnings, that mankind, after (the coming) of messengers, should have no plea against Allah." [4:165]. Were Qadar a valid justification for the Jabriyah, it would remain so even after the advent of the messengers. Yet, the verse just cited unequivocally states that, after the coming of the messengers, no one can raise a case before Allah, more specifically; no one can say he or she had no free-will in his/her decision.
continued........
** Refuting the views of Qadariyah **
Like the Jabriyah, the Qadariyah, who stress self-determination and complete independence of man, are also in total defiance of the Qur’anic verses and the ahadith dealing with the Qadar. Indeed, all verses and ahadith clearly stipulate that man’s will, is governed by Allah’s Will.
Allah says,“To whomsoever among you who wills to go straight: But you cannot will unless (it be) that Allah Wills - the Cherisher of the Worlds.” [81:28-29]. “And Your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses. No choices have they (in the matter): Glory to Allah! And far is He above the partners they ascribe to (Him)!” [28:68].
Furthermore, by advocating this self-deterministic view, the Qadariyah are, explicitly or implicitly, advancing three gross blasphemies:
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They are rejecting some aspects of Allah’s Lordship, namely His Power to create whatever He wills, and the uniqueness of His creations.
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They are claiming that there exist in Allah’s Dominion things that He neither created nor willed.
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They are also claiming that Allah owns only part of His Dominion. That is, He owns His creatures but does not own their characteristics or their actions.
Needless to say, these blasphemies are clearly refuted in Allah’s Book. The verses already mentioned and others to follow clearly indicate that Allah creates whatever He wills; He is the Only One Who creates; He willed and created all existing creatures, including their related characteristics and actions. Last but not least, everything in the universe belongs to Him: creatures and actions, bodies and spirits.
Of course, one might ask; what can a man do, if Allah has already decreed for him to go astray with no possibility of guidance? The answer to this question is that Allah guides whoever deserves guidance and leads astray whoever deserves miss-guidance. Allah says, “Then when they went wrong, Allah let their hearts go wrong. For Allah guides not those who are rebellious transgressors.” [61:5].
Allah, Most High, misleads only those among mankind who persist in evil deeds. Man, as we mentioned earlier, does not know what is prescribed for him until it happens. That is, he does not know at any time, especially at time of death, whether he was destined to guidance or misguidance. One cannot thus justify his rebellion or wickedness by the fact that Allah has already prescribed for him misguidance.
Indeed, why wouldn’t he seek guidance and then say “Allah has guided me to the right path?” Interestingly, you may find that whenever the same person acts righteously, he counts his righteous act as favour on Allah, but does not mention Allah as the One Who guided him to do right. Allah does not accept such dual, paradoxical behaviour. One must be careful not to be a Qadirite when obeying Allah, and Jabrite when sinning.
The question of guidance versus misguidance is parallel to that of sustenance versus poverty as well as knowledge versus ignorance. In other words, if one uses Qadar to blame his wickedness and disobedience on Allah, he should also abandon any effort to seek food, any steps to seek knowledge and all means of livelihood altogether. However, we have yet to find people staying in their homes, with no jobs or food, blaming their hunger and poverty on Allah’s decree or saying, “if Allah wills, he will provide us a job and send us food.” After all, Allah has also determined everyone’s due sustenance before one’s coming to this world.
**How do Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah understand Qadar? **
Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah, in perfect agreement with the Qur’an and Sunnah, believe that Allah in His infinite Mercy gave man a certain measure of free will. Man therefore freely makes his decisions and acts the way he wills. However, his choice and will submit to Allah’s Will. In other words, he cannot will anything, let alone accomplish it, until Allah Himself wills it.
Therefore, Allah, in His infinite Wisdom, wills guidance to the one He knows is seeking the truth and striving to be upright. On the other hand, Allah prescribes misguidance to the one He knows is not seeking the truth or is willing to be upright. Allah, Most High, will not guide such a person until the latter changes his status and readjusts his intention. Though, as we said earlier, Allah created both causes and their corresponding effects. Thus, in a nutshell, is the belief of Ahlus Sunnah in Qadar.
- Translated and adapted from Shaikh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen’s Belief in Qadhaa and Qadar - by Habib Bouslah and Sumayyah bint Joan
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Originally posted by Ibn Sadique: *
Bro/Sis? **Inuit* Wa ‘Alaykum Salaam
I think you are confusing Ash’ariyahs (Ash’arites ) with the Jabriyah (i.e., people who believed in blind compulsion ( no free will)).
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Jabriyah itself is not a sect. Its a thought. and Ash'ariyahs are its representators. Ash'ariyah is a sect. People who are the followers of Abu Musa Ashari in Aqaaed.
Brother! So now you changed your views? right
Before
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Originally posted by Ibn Sadique: *
The Belief In Predestination and Decree is very important in Islam.
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**After*
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*Originally posted by Ibn Sadique: *
The second group, called the Qadariyah (predestinationism), exaggerates man's power and will, restricting the Will of Allah altogether.
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Congratulations!
The following is the best description of the issue; and clear solution. As I wrote in one of my old post.
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This is the meaning of the famous dictum of the Infallible Imams (A:): "la jabra wa la tafwida bal 'amrun bayna 'amrayn":
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Wasalam,