*In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful *
**
*Destiny – in Islamic Perspective *
**
*Is every event in a human being's life – from the time he is born, till he
dies – pre-determined? Has that person no ability to influence any of those
events? Is that person just like any animal – or like a robot – programmed
to perform certain fixed actions? Are human beings just puppets, with unseen
strings controlled by unseen hands? Is the entire human world just a
puppet-show then? *
**
*These are not the questions that arise in an atheist's mind. Atheists are a
class apart. This write-up does not deal with their thought processes. These
questions are those that arise in a human mind that believes in Creation,
and not in the theory of evolution as propounded by Darwin. *
**
*I am not sure whether these questions are likely to arise in the mind of
any believer in Creation, other than those who believe in Islam. But the
Qur'aan categorically informs us that Allah, the One and Only Creator of the
entire universe, knows the past, the present and the future of every
creature, He has created (see Verses 2.255 & 20.110).***
**
*Many a Muslim mind therefore is bothered by those questions, mentioned
above. Those Muslims, who are not well-versed in the Qur'aan and have not
come to believe totally in what is stated therein, are likely to be those
who are so bothered. Such Muslims think, when Allah knows that a certain
person is going to be a thief, is He not responsible then for making him a
thief? Why does He not prevent that person from thus going astray?*
**
*Yes, Allah could prevent that person from going astray, if He would. But He
wouldn't, because, in that case, He would Himself be acting against His
purpose of creating mankind as His representative ( khalifah) on earth (see
Verse 2.30). The representative had of course to be given some of the
creative and decision-making powers of the absolute Sovereign, to make him
worthy of his title. And so was mankind - the representative - given those
powers, to a limited extent. And to enable him to exercise those powers, he
had to be given the freedom of choice. And so was that freedom also given
him. *
**
*And in exercise of that freedom, our thief (in the example taken above)
chose to be a thief. But before that, Allah had so conditioned his mind as
to make him fully aware of Allah's existence as his Creator and Sustainer
(see Verse 7.172). So our thief took a conscious decision against the
dictate of his conscience, that what he was doing was wrong. In the thief's
case, and in all cases of real life, Allah tries His utmost to bring the
recalcitrant human to the right path. The Qur'aan says that Allah is the
Gracious, the Merciful (Verse **1.3). It repeatedly asserts that Allah's
creatures would not be wronged ( 2.272, 4.49, 4.77, 45.22, **46.10). In
Verses 9.70, 29.40 and 30.9, the Qur'aan further explains that it is not
Allah Who wrongs people, but they wrong themselves. In Verse 9.115 we
are informed that Allah will never lead a people astray until they are told
what to do and what not to do.*
**
*So, although Allah knew in advance what the thief would do, He had not
scripted his (the thief's) wayward future. Today's educated Muslim youth
find it difficult to understand this apparent dichotomy. But it's not a
dichotomy at all. They think it is a dichotomy, because they look at it from
a human angle. But Allah is not human. He is Superhuman. He can do and undo
anything. We cannot measure His immense Capacity by our limited means of
measurement. The sooner our youth realises this Truth, the better it is for
them. Would any of them like to be a Salman Rushdie? *
**
*Allah has another purpose in giving mankind the freedom of choice. He wants
to test every human being whether he ('he' includes 'she' in this write-up,
unless the context suggests otherwise) **recognises His existence without He
being physically seen, and abides by His instructions. If he passes the
test, he is rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter, and if he fails, the
Hell shall be his abode. *
**
*In such Islamic perspective then, 'destiny' has the following connotations.
*
· *It is Allah who determines all aspects of the birth of a human
being. *
· *Allah knows every thing about his future. *
· *Some of the human beings are caused by Allah to die young, before
reaching adulthood. They are not subjected to the divine test; for, it would
be unjust to do so before their minds are fully developed. And Allah is not
unjust. But they (those who die young) themselves serve as tests for their
parents and other concerned human beings. *
· *The others are subject to the test. Every such human being is
guided to tread the right path. But he is also given the freedom not to
choose that right path. And the responsibility for the consequences of his
conscious choice rests with him himself. To this extent, he is the maker of
his destiny. Allah does not make him choose the wrong path. But He knows he
would choose the wrong path. He (Allah) accordingly determines all other
circumstances of his life, including his death. *
* *
*Mohammad Shafi*
*Author of*
*Why Do I Believe In Islam <http://www.lulu.com/content/973580>*
--
Keep us on the Right Path, Allah!
