In our previous articles, we gave you some information about qadar (predestination) and man’s ability to choose, which is called partial choice; we also gave detailed explanations about time and Allah’s pre-eternal knowledge along with examples. The answers to all questions related to belief in qadar actually depend on the understanding of those concepts, which we tried to explain in the previous months. All the answers we will give beginning from this month will be based on the issues we mentioned. Now we move on to the answer to our question:
Man has been sent to this world guesthouse for a test. He will be rewarded or punished according to his deeds. Man definitely must be free in his deeds for such a reward and punishment to occur. Our Lord, who is just, showed man the way of good and evil, but left him free to choose one of the two ways. Let us confirm that statement with two verses from the Quran:
“Say: ‘O ye men! Now Truth hath reached you from your Lord! Those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss: and I am not (set) over you to arrange your affairs.’” (Yunus: 108)
“Say, ‘The truth is from your Lord”: Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it).’” (al-Kahf: 29)
As it is seen, man is not forced by God Almighty to go to any of the paths of good or evil; he is shown both ways and is left free to follow the path he wants.
After all, everybody knows that they are free in their deeds. Man himself is a witness that he can do whatever he wants without being under any pressure or influence. For example, when he wants to raise his hand, he raises it; when he wants to walk, he walks... Those who want to go to the mosque, and those who want to go to the casino can go to the mosque or the casino. The feet of neither a person who goes to the mosque nor the one who goes to the casino say, “I do not want to go there.” Therefore, there is no excuse for a person who uses his body, which is entrusted to him, and who is strictly instructed to use it for legitimate (halal) things, for illegitimate (haram) things. He cannot escape from responsibility since he abuses his own will.
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Does a person who claims to have committed a haram deed because he is a prisoner of qadar ever think of qadar when someone else commits the same crime?
For example, if a thief enters the house of a person who says he steals because he is a prisoner of qadar (another thief) and starts to collect his valuables and when he asks him what he is doing if he says, “It is written in my qadar to steal. I am a prisoner of qadar. I will commit theft unwillingly”, will he let the thief collect his belongings and take them away?
Think of a man who claims to be a murderer because he is a prisoner of qadar. If someone wanted to kill his child and said that it was because he was destined to do so, what would his attitude be toward that person?
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A person who accepts that he is a prisoner of qadar attributes cruelty to Allah - God forbid.
Besides, thinking that man is a prisoner of qadar will lead us to many deadlocks: If man were a prisoner of qadar, a thief would steal because he was destined to steal, and a murderer would kill because he was destined to do so. It would eliminate responsibility; thus, Allah would wrong His slaves. However, man is not a being who is thrown into the sea after a stone tied to his foot and who is asked to save himself after that.
A person who tries to blame qadar for the sin he has committed by saying, “I am a prisoner of qadar” actually commits a major crime with that word and attributes oppression to Allah, who is just in all His deeds. However, Allah is Absolutely Just and is free from oppression.
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Besides, if man were a prisoner of qadar, it would be meaningless to enjoin what is good, to forbid what is evil, to reward those who obey, and to punish those who rebel.
Everybody would follow the path drawn by their qadar; those who prayed would pray because they were destined to do so and those who sinned would sin because they were destined to do so. In that case, it would be meaningless to send people prophets and books to guide them because there would be no point in sending prophets and books to those who believed because they were destined to do so and to those who unbelieved because they were destined to do so.
Besides, Allah invites His slaves to repent in many verses of the Quran. If man sinned because he was a prisoner of his qadar, would there be any point in inviting him to repent? A sinner who commits a sin involuntarily is not regarded as a sinner and cannot be invited to repent.
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Another explanation that man is not a prisoner of qadar is that he is not demanded to worship due to things beyond his control and his responsibility is removed in that case.
For instance, insanity, dementia, forgetfulness, compulsion, disability, error and mistake. In such cases, the responsibility for the obligations that are regarded as the rights of Allah is removed. If man did not have will and if he were a prisoner of qadar, such a distinction would not be made. Everyone would be responsible for every deed of worship.
In conclusion, the deeds that are done or not done in such cases are not the things that people choose. For example, a person who forgets performing prayers due to dementia is not held responsible... Since he cannot use his will, the responsibility of such a person is removed. If man were a prisoner of qadar, there would be no need for those cases to be excluded from responsibility. All people would be held responsible, regardless of being insane, sane, forgetful, sleeping or mistaken.
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God Almighty forgives a slave who commits an illegitimate deed under the threat and pressure of others; is it not a reason to be deprived of mercy to accuse such a merciful being by saying to Him, “You determined my qadar; why are You punishing me then?”
Next month, we will inshallah try to answer the question, “If the end of man is definite, why is he sent to the world?” See you in May! I entrust you to Allah.
