Pre-Destination and The Responsibility of Man (2/3)
Suhaib Hasan
If we were to agree with the first group mentioned earlier (those who give Man no free will whatsoever), we would be distorting the facts. We would not be able to praise someone for his good actions or castigate someone who voluntarily does wrong, because we would have attributed all their actions to the will of Allah. Another dangerous implication of this argument is that the Almighty behaves unjustly if he punishes the disobedient and rewards the good, as He alone is the source of all these actions. Not only is such reasoning nonsensical, but contradictory to the Qur’an as well:
“And his companion (angel) will say: “Here is (this Record) ready with me!” (And it will be said): “Both of you throw (Order from Allah to the two angels) into Hell, every stubborn disbeliever (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messengers, etc.).” “Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter. Who set up another ilah (god) with Allah, then (both of you) cast him in the severe torment.” His companion (Satan — devil) will say: “Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds) but he was himself in error far astray.” Allah will say: “Dispute not in front of Me, I had already, in advance, sent you the threat. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves.” (Surah Qaf, 50:23-29)
Almighty Allah clearly states that the punishments He inflicts are not cruel but just, since He has already warned His creatures and sent them guidance. He has clearly defined the two paths of piety and disobedience, just as He has defined the consequences of following each path. Man thus has total freedom to choose either path, remembering that if he opts for the path of disobedience, he will not have the excuse of ignorance to offer Allah on the Day of Judgement. The Qur’an says in this regard:
“Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers.” (Surah An-Nisa’, 4:165)
The Qur’an and reality also refute those who go to the other extreme of giving Man complete freedom of action, leaving no role for Allah. We are told that the will of Man follows the will of Allah:
“To whomsoever among you who wills to go straight. But you shall not will, except as Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, wills.” (Surah At-Takwir, 8l: 28, 29)
“And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses.” (Surah Al-Qasas, 28:68)
“But Allah calls to the home of peace and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path.” (Surah Yunus, 10:25)
Those who hold this view are thus rejecting Allah’s Omniscience, one of His essential attributes, by effectively claiming that in His Kingdom, there are many things which He does not wish or does not create. But Allah the Magnificent wills everything, creates everything and predestines for everything! It is impossible to conceive of anything happening that He does not wish to happen. This poses problems for us, such as what is the fate of someone whom Allah wishes to misguide? It surely cannot be his fault that he did not receive the message of truth. The answer is that Allah guides those who want to be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. We read this in the Qur’an:
“Then when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path).” (Surah As-Saff, 61:5)
“But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard: they change the words from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them.” (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:13)
In other words, the wish to be pious emanates from the individual himself, and Allah guides him because of this. The issue can be further explained by comparing it to the acquisition of knowledge or to the earning of a living. Allah has decreed the amount of understanding or wealth a person will be able to acquire in his life. This does not mean that the individual can thus sit at home and wait for the wealth or learning to come walking into his arms: only when he goes out searching for it and works hard for it will he get it. The amount of wealth or learning he receives will be proportional to the effort put in, and this is just as true for guidance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said in this regard:
“Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s belly for forty days in the form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath of life into him and who is commanded about four matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether happy or unhappy.” (It was related by Bukhari and Muslim.)
Just as we make all conceivable sacrifices for the nourishment of the stomach, so should we work hard for the sustenance of the soul. When ill, we are prepared to travel the world in search of a doctor who can cure us, but when our souls are diseased, we leave them to rot, waiting for Allah to send down guidance on a plate!
The correct opinion is thus that there are many routes open to the discretion of Man, and it is up to him to choose the one he wishes to follow. He is like a merchant with many commodities in front of him, and it is his choice which one to trade in. He will obviously pick the one which he thinks will be most profitable. The difference is that the merchant is uncertain and has no guarantee of success; his commodity may have a market and he may make a profit, but he could just as easily lose all his capital.
The believer, on the other hands, is completely sure that if he follows the path of guidance, there will undoubtedly be success and reward waiting for him at the other end because Allah has promised so, for Allah never breaks His word. Similarly, the disbeliever can be sure that only pain and punishment await him at the end of his path.
(Continued)