Sometime we work very hard to achieve something but even
though we give our honest effort we sometimes are not able to achieve the
results we desire. In turn we look down upon our self and question out fate and
destiny. We ask ourselves, “Is everything, all the events in this world are governed
by an invisible but immensely powerful force called fate and destiny? If the
affairs of this world are going on in accordance with a pre-arranged and
inevitable program? If yes, then are we solely responsible for whatever
decisions we take in the course of our life which has led to our misfortune? Don’t
we have any liberty to choose anything? And can we change our destiny?”
Allah says in Quran:
“Your Lord does no injustice to His slaves”. (Surah
Fussilat, 41:46)
Which clearly means that Allah will never do us wrong. Then
why sometimes we don’t achieve what we want even though we give our best
effort.
Allah further says in Quran:
“Allah did not do injustice to them, but they had wronged
themselves”. (Surah al-Ankabut, 29:40)
“We have shown man the right path. Now it is upto him to be
grateful or thankless”. (Surah al-Dahr, 76:3)
Which means that sometimes our own actions are responsible
for our misfortune. He gives us guidance and commands us not to do evil. But He does not
physically interfere and stop human beings from committing sins, If He
would do it He would effectively abolish our free will, and we would no longer be
human. We would be angels, or we’d be creatures of pure physicality like
trees and stars, worshiping Allah through conformity to the natural
laws of the universe. Allah shows us the
right path but based solely upon our Taqwa we choose to follow it and in turn we
should be thankful to Him that he counted us among those who are blessed with His
mercy.
Man’s choices are the outcome of his personality, his moral
and spiritual qualities, his previous training, his hereditary traits and his
intellectual capacity. His happy or unhappy future depends on these qualities
and the choice he makes consequently.
Man has been created free. That means that he has been
endowed with intellect, will and thinking power. As far as his intentional acts
are concerned, he is not like a stone which if dropped from above will
automatically fall on the ground under the pressure of the gravity of the
earth. Nor is he like a plant which has only a very limited course open to it
and is only subject to the laws of growth and decay. Similarly he is not like a
mere animal which works only instinctively. Man always finds himself at cross
roads, but is not in any way compelled to choose anyone of them. Other roads
are not closed to him. The choice depends upon his will and personal thinking.
It is entirely up to him to choose a particular way.
Allah necessitates the existence of a thing through its
particular causes only. That everything is decreed by Allah simply means that
the system of causation is subject to His Will and Knowledge (whatever Allah wills to happen happens, and
whatever Allah does not will does not happen). Nothing occurs in the heavens or
on earth without the Will of Allah, this does not mean that He forces things to happen the way they happen in the area of human beings' voluntary actions. The acceptance of
the principle of causation implies that the destiny of everything in existence
depended on the causes preceding it. It does not matter whether we believe that
the system of causation emanates from the Divine Will or presume that it exists
independently, for its independence or dependence does not in any way affect
human destiny.
In short, there is no way of denying the law of general
causation, and with its acceptance the problem of the non-inevitability of
destiny remains as it is, whether we believe or not in its divine aspect.
Briefly speaking the problem is that all events including human acts and deeds
are bound to acquire inevitability through their causes which determine their
specifications and characteristics. The system of causation itself means
inevitability and certainty. Hence the question of a change in destiny does not
arise.
The only question which we may take is that the events
taking place in the world may be looked at from three angles. Either we may say
that they have no past. In other words, an event which takes place at any time
is not related to anything preceding it, nor does its existence depend on
anything prior to it. Its temporal and spatial characteristics and its scope
and extent were not determined in the past.
If this hypothesis is accepted, there is no meaning of
destiny. According to this theory the destiny of a thing is not predetermined
at the stage of the existence of another thing preceding it, for there is no
existential link between the two. If we accept this view, we will have to deny
the principle of causation in totality and will have to explain
unscientifically all events as mere accidents.
Fire burns; water submerges; a plant grows and an animal
walks. They all work. The difference is that they do not choose, whereas man
chooses. He decides what he wants to do and which way he wants to go. His work
is subject to his own personal desire
That is why the theory of predestination, which means
compulsion by destiny, is not tenable. Having said that, destiny is the source
of all factors, but in itself it is not a factor to bring into play any other
factors. Hence, destiny cannot force man to do a thing. There is no doubt that
certain manifestation of destiny can be compelling, but that compulsion is
totally different from predestination which is supposed to influence human will
direct as a negative factor to deter man from doing a thing or as a positive
factor to force him to do it. In other words destiny is changeable because it
necessitates the existence of a thing through its natural causes, which are
manifold. The matter in this world is liable to be influenced by a number of
causes simultaneously.
It may look more surprising if we think of the divine aspect
of fate and destiny, for a change in this aspect implies a change in the
celestial world, in the angelic tablets and books and in the Divine Knowledge.
So can Allah’s Knowledge still undergo a change? The surprise reaches its
height when we admit that certain terrestrial affairs, especially human will
and actions cause changes in the celestial world and the angelic record.
“Allah creates whatever He wants (out of what was recorded previously) and records whatever He wants (that was not recorded previously) and with Him alone is the Mother Book”. (Surah al-Ra’d, 13:39)
Is it not a fact that the terrestrial and material system
emanates from the celestial system? Is it not a fact that the terrestrial world
is inferior and the celestial world is superior? Is it not a fact that the
human world is dominated by the angelic world? Is it still possible that a
lower system, or at least a part of it, viz. the human world should influence a
higher system and bring about changes in it, even if these changes also should
take place in accordance with an appointed destiny? Here several remarkable
questions crop up consecutively. Is the Knowledge of Allah changeable? Is a
divine decree revocable? Can an inferior influence a superior? The answer to
these questions is in the affirmative. Yes, the Knowledge of Allah is
changeable. In other words Allah has such knowledge also which is changeable. A
divine decree is revocable. In other words Allah has decrees which are
revocable. An inferior can influence a superior. A lower system, especially the
will, desire and human acts can shake the higher world and cause changes in it.
This is the highest form of man’s control of his destiny.
So our focus should be that we should improve our actions
and commit less grave sins. I would not say that we as humans can completely refrain
us from committing sins but ask for forgiveness from Allah for our sins as and
when we can. We should keep in our mind that Allah also has free-will and our supplications,
repentance and seeking forgiveness for our sins can also show up light in difficulties and misfortunes. Allah did not create us to be angels. He already
had uncounted angels to do His bidding. Creatures of light, they hear and obey,
perfect in their compliance because they lack free will.
But Allah wanted to bring something different into the
universe: a creature of free will, submitting to Allah out of choice. Worship
and faith freely given are infinitely more valuable than that which is done
without volition. The flip side is that a creature of free will can commit
sins; he can be destructive and rebellious. The sweet and the bitter are two
inseparable expressions of human nature. The hope is that righteousness and
obedience will predominate.
… it may be that you dislike a thing which is
good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allaah
knows but you do not know." [al-Baqarah 2:216]
