Guidance to Islam and free will.

[Variable]

Often times I’ve heard the term ‘Allah guides whom he will’ to Islam, and that our destiny’s are already written. If that’s the case, then what would be the point of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of dawah? (I remember IbnM had a good explanation of this, I just can’t remember what it was)


Also, if Allah created humans in order to worship him – that being the main reason we exist… why would he create others who will never believe in the message of Islam?

[UmarOMC]

Variable said

Often times I’ve heard the term ‘Allah guides whom he will’ to Islam, and that our destiny’s are already written. If that’s the case, then what would be the point of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of dawah? (I remember IbnM had a good explanation of this, I just can’t remember what it was)


Also, if Allah created humans in order to worship him – that being the main reason we exist… why would he create others who will never believe in the message of Islam?

Would you feel more comfortable having waited until death to find out the answers to your questions?

(Muhammad Asad) 62:8 Say: "Behold, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you - and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were doing [in life].

'aalaykum assalaam

[Blue_Phoenix]

UmarOMC said

Would you feel more comfortable having waited until death to find out the answers to your questions?

(Muhammad Asad) 62:8 Say: "Behold, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you - and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were doing [in life].

'aalaykum assalaam

And would you like to ANSWER his question? Which is basically "Why would you follow Islam if it's already written - and can't be changed no matter what - that you will go to hell?"

[UmarOMC]

Blue_Phoenix said

And would you like to ANSWER his question? Which is basically "Why would you follow Islam if it's already written - and can't be changed no matter what - that you will go to hell?"

That is not the correct answer for the truth of the matter will be made clear when each meets his Lord God. The non-believer today could be upon the most righteous path tomorrow... all is within the command of Allah Alone. Perhaps your answer would be correct were we already in a state of death to which I might ponder... "How is it I am able to use Islamica...?"

Qur'an is for those whom give thought.

'aalaykum assalaam

[Haramoobobi]

Variable said

Often times I’ve heard the term ‘Allah guides whom he will’ to Islam, and that our destiny’s are already written. If that’s the case, then what would be the point of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of dawah? (I remember IbnM had a good explanation of this, I just can’t remember what it was)


Also, if Allah created humans in order to worship him – that being the main reason we exist… why would he create others who will never believe in the message of Islam?

We have free will because we don't know what we're going to do. Allah (swt) does. Allah (swt)'s knowledge is limitless and incomprehensible it is not bound by any of Allah (swt)'s creations, including past, present, future (ie time), space, etc.
Therefore on the Day of Judgment, we will be informed about what we did, and this life is proof what what we did and what we did with this chance.


"To deny the freedom of the will is to make morality impossible."--James A. Froude.

umm.. inshAllah the question was answered?

[Zam]

Take the time to read this, the Islamic understanding of destiny is in between determinism and absolute free-will.
From: Moral Responsibility and Divine Will. Re: Blaming Destiny?

Question:
If Allah wills everything, then can we say that Allah willed me to do x and y sins, and Allah is responsible for my not repenting, and Allah willed that I am a bad Muslim

Answer:
Walaikum assalam

Yes, we can say that Allah Willed me to do x, y, and also z. Nothing moves or is brought to rest, except by the Power of Allah, in accordance with that which His Will specified and what He knew with His Knowledge.

Realizing this is key to the perfection of ones faith.

This is why the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) asked one of the Companions, Shall I not guide you to words that are a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? He said, Indeed, O Messenger of Allah!

The Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, There is no ability or power except through Allah (la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah). [Bukhari (3883); Muslim (4873), and others]

Allah tells us this clearly in the Quran:

Allah hath created you and what you do. [Quran, 37.96]

And:

Lo! this is an Admonishment, that whosoever will may choose a way unto his Lord. Yet you will not, unless Allah wills. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise. He makes whom He will to enter His mercy, and for evil-doers hath prepared a painful doom. [Quran, 76.29-31]

Moral Responsibility

However, it is at the same time true that Allah has made us morally responsible for our acts and it is we who shall be questioned about the choices we made.

Allah tells us that,

We shall question, every one, of what they used to do. [Quran, 15.92-93]

And:

He will not be questioned as to that which He does, but they will be questioned. [Quran, 21.23]

Great Islamic theologians said: Allah has willed that you act based on choice.

As for how this works, it is beyond the understanding of the intellect. Shaykh Butis explanation of this, ably translated by Sidi Gibril Haddad, is attached

It is important to understand, too, that Allah is as unconditioned by time as He is unconditioned by space: both are His creation, and He is beyond both. As such, Allahs Knowledge, Will, and Power relate to things beyond time. He knows the result from before the match ever happened.

As such, Allahs Knowledge relates to all things necessary, possible, and impossible from pre-eternality. Allahs Will specified some of that which is possible with particulars in pre-eternality, in accordance with His Knowledge. His Power brings things into temporal existence, in accordance to that which His Will specified

The way to understand this is to enlighten ones heart, mind, and soul with remembrance of Allah and recital of His Book with contemplation. Allah tells us,

Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believe to submit to Allahs reminder and to the truth which is revealed, that they become not as those who received the scripture of old but the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened, and many of them are evil-livers. Know that Allah quickens the earth after its death. We have made clear Our revelations for you, that haply you may understand. Lo! those who give alms, both men and women, and lend unto Allah a goodly loan, it will be doubled for them, and theirs will be a rich reward.

And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are the loyal, and the martyrs are with their Lord; they have their reward and their light; while as for those who disbelieve and deny Our revelations, they are owners of hell-fire. [Quran, 57.16-19]

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,

Faraz Rabbani

[Hanbali]

Haramoobobi said

umm.. inshAllah the question was answered?

No, I don't think so.

Variable said

Often times I’ve heard the term ‘Allah guides whom he will’ to Islam, and that our destiny’s are already written. If that’s the case, then what would be the point of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of dawah? (I remember IbnM had a good explanation of this, I just can’t remember what it was)


Also, if Allah created humans in order to worship him – that being the main reason we exist… why would he create others who will never believe in the message of Islam?

Variable, this is a question that I think can't be answered. I've seen a lot of people try to answer it, but never satisfactorily in my opinion. The debate about Free Will and Predetermination is one that Muslim theologians have spent a great deal of time on throughout Islamic history...yet like Christians, I don't think there is any simple answer that makes 100% sense to our limited brains.

Yes, we affirm that God ordains everything.
Yes, we affirm that God has given man free will.

Sounds contradictory and beyond comprehension? Well, I think this is one of those things that we just look at this verse in the Quran in which God says wa huwa al-Lateefu which means: "And He is the One Beyond Comprehension! " (Quran, 6:103)

[Haramoobobi]

Hanbali said

No, I don't think so.

...Why not?

[Hanbali]

Haramoobobi said

...Why not?

I don't think it answered the question, dear sister. But don't take it too harshly. I don't think Sh. Faraz Rabbani's answer does either, nor any other Islamic scholar's response I've heard. Just my personal opinion, shrug. I've found the answer to be irreconcilable with our limited intellect.

[Haramoobobi]

Hanbali said

I don't think it answered the question, dear sister. But don't take it too harshly. I don't think Sh. Faraz Rabbani's answer does either, nor any other Islamic scholar's response I've heard. Just my personal opinion, shrug. I've found the answer to be irreconcilable with our limited intellect.

Oh indeed not dear brother, I was simply inquiring. I concur our intellect is limited however to what has been said addressing the meaning of our life, does it not appeal to your logic and strengthen your Iman? What do you find does not add up? Or is this beyond your intellect as well?

[Zam]

Hanbali said

I don't think it answered the question, dear sister. But don't take it too harshly. I don't think Sh. Faraz Rabbani's answer does either, nor any other Islamic scholar's response I've heard. Just my personal opinion, shrug. I've found the answer to be irreconcilable with our limited intellect.

I agree, even Imam Abu Hanifa is reported to have said that the answer to this question is locked away and no one possesses the key.

I liked Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson's explanation which I heard in a lecture, in which he explains that human beings have no power to effect the physical reality. Even our own movements are done by electrical signals sent from the brain to the nerves, and for those to happen Allah must cause it. If Allah decides, he can paralyze us and we will lose the ability to move. Free will exists in our minds by which we decide things, but in terms of what happens in the physical world this is entirely up to Allah and we have no power at all. This is a good answer but still not a perfect answer.

Everyone should keep in mind that the knowledge of qadr that we have was revealed to benefit us and not to confuse us. Allah has told us about it so that we do not have grief over what happens that is bad and so that we do not become boashut upl over the good that comes to us, but at the same time He has told us that our place in the Hereafter is decided by what we do so that we work hard for Jannah. When people start to use qadr as an excuse for their misguidance and their unwillingness to work for the Hereafter they have misused that concept from its proper place.

No evil befalls on the earth nor in your own souls, but it is in a book before We bring it into existence; surely that is easy to Allah:
So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you; and Allah does not love any arrogant boaster. [Surah Al Hadid: 22-23]

[Haramoobobi]

Zam said

I agree, even Imam Abu Hanifa is reported to have said that the answer to this question is locked away and no one possesses the key.

I liked Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson's explanation which I heard in a lecture, in which he explains that human beings have no power to effect the physical reality. Even our own movements are done by electrical signals sent from the brain to the nerves, and for those to happen Allah must cause it. If Allah decides, he can paralyze us and we will lose the ability to move. Free will exists in our minds by which we decide things, but in terms of what happens in the physical world this is entirely up to Allah and we have no power at all. This is a good answer but still not a perfect answer.

Everyone should keep in mind that the knowledge of qadr that we have was revealed to benefit us and not to confuse us. Allah has told us about it so that we do not have grief over what happens that is bad and so that we do not become boashut upl over the good that comes to us, but at the same time He has told us that our place in the Hereafter is decided by what we do so that we work hard for Jannah. When people start to use qadr as an excuse for their misguidance and their unwillingness to work for the Hereafter they have misused that concept from its proper place.

No evil befalls on the earth nor in your own souls, but it is in a book before We bring it into existence; surely that is easy to Allah:
So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you; and Allah does not love any arrogant boaster. [Surah Al Hadid: 22-23]

MashAllah. Good post.

[Variable]

UmarOMC said

Would you feel more comfortable having waited until death to find out the answers to your questions?

(Muhammad Asad) 62:8 Say: "Behold, the death from which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you - and then you will be brought back unto Him who knows all that is beyond the reach of a created being's perception as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's senses or mind, whereupon He will make you truly understand all that you were doing [in life].

'aalaykum assalaam

I really never understand what you're saying, but thankyou for saving my question from the abyss!

Haramoobobi said

We have free will because we don't know what we're going to do. Allah (swt) does. Allah (swt)'s knowledge is limitless and incomprehensible it is not bound by any of Allah (swt)'s creations, including past, present, future (ie time), space, etc.
Therefore on the Day of Judgment, we will be informed about what we did, and this life is proof what what we did and what we did with this chance.


"To deny the freedom of the will is to make morality impossible."--James A. Froude.

umm.. inshAllah the question was answered?

You're saying that Allah knows what we're going to do... but doesn't guide us (or not guide us) to Islam?

Hanbali said

Variable, this is a question that I think can't be answered. I've seen a lot of people try to answer it, but never satisfactorily in my opinion. The debate about Free Will and Predetermination is one that Muslim theologians have spent a great deal of time on throughout Islamic history...yet like Christians, I don't think there is any simple answer that makes 100% sense to our limited brains.

Yes, we affirm that God ordains everything.
Yes, we affirm that God has given man free will.

Sounds contradictory and beyond comprehension? Well, I think this is one of those things that we just look at this verse in the Quran in which God says wa huwa al-Lateefu which means: "And He is the One Beyond Comprehension! " (Quran, 6:103)

Maybe the easier question would be the second part... why did Allah create non-believers (i.e. people whom he didn't guide to Islam) when they're only going to burn in hell-fire for not worshiping him, or worshiping others?

[Jetmir]

Expalanation of Al Qadar(Predestination) - by Shaikh Salem Al Amry

[Jetmir]

Variable said

Often times I’ve heard the term ‘Allah guides whom he will’ to Islam, and that our destiny’s are already written. If that’s the case, then what would be the point of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of dawah? (I remember IbnM had a good explanation of this, I just can’t remember what it was)

One needs to understand that one needs to act regardless of Allah knowing our final situation and results. Even though Allah knows it, we don't and it is the ultimate establishment of proof against us on the day of judgment. We chose to live our lives the way we did. One also needs to keep in mind that Allahs guidance is of two types that which is of dalaalah and irshaad (indication and direction) and that which is tawfeeq (that which grants success) as human beings we are only able to do the first, we can only direct and indicate the right path, Allah is the one who eventually grants that person the will and desire to accept and die upon it.

Also, if Allah created humans in order to worship him – that being the main reason we exist… why would he create others who will never believe in the message of Islam?

Firstly it is not up to us to ask Allah why he does this and why he does that. Allah is above being questioned by us, and we are the ones who shall be questioned. But possible reasons are that Allah created a balance in this world of good and bad. That bad is there to test the people of good. Likewise as was mentioned in the first question, it is the ultimate establishment of proof against the individual that he will see on the day of judgment how he lived his life and will have no one to blame but himself.



(These are not my answers, I asked a student of knowledge, and this was his reply.)