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Questions:
Muslims believe that the life of this world is a trial and a human being is responsible for his actions good or bad. However, The Holy Qur’an also says that whatever happens, happens because of the will of Allah. In such a case, how can a person be responsible and rewarded, or punished, for any action that would be the will of the Almighty.
The Holy Qur’an says that Allah gives to whom He wills, but it also says that a person earns what he/she strives for. How are both things possible at the same time?
Also I would like to know how can it be that sometimes we get things for which we do not put any effort and sometimes we do not achieve the things for which we put our heart and soul.
How much is it feasible in the present world scenario, to spread the word of Islam, when people of other religions have a very negative attitude and sometimes violent approach to the education of the religion.
Also, sadly in many democratic countries of the world people - ironically only Muslims - are being discouraged to wear any sign of religious significance. Muslims living for centuries in those countries, are being acted toward as strangers.
Are there any international laws to protect the basic rights of these people? If so, why are they not enforced?
Answer:
As for your question regarding the will of Allah, each human being has been given the ability to choose his/her own path in this life and to follow either what is right or to follow what is wrong. If a person chooses to do something good and is able to follow through and perform that deed, then it is only because Allah has allowed it. The same is true if a person has chosen to perform a bad deed. He/she is only able to perform that deed if Allah allows it to happen.
If Allah allows an event to occur, whether it is an evil action or a good one, it does not mean that He has forced us to do it. We have chosen it and Allah has allowed it to come to pass for reasons, which He Alone fully understands. As Muslims, we expect only goodness and justice from Allah and it would be wrong for us to judge, with our limited understanding.
The One who possesses unlimited knowledge and understanding of all things is only Allah Almighty. I suggest you read the part of Surah 18 (al-Kahf; The Cave) of the Holy Qur’an that relates the story of Prophet Moses (pbuh). It is narrating his story when he accompanied one of God’s wise servants, in the hopes of learning from him. This servant performed many deeds that seemed wrong and unjust to Moses but, as Moses learned later, there was great wisdom behind each action.
As Muslims, we do not challenge God’s infinite wisdom with our own limited perceptions of events. By God’s mercy and justice, we are only punished for deeds that we knew were wrong beforehand, but insisted on committing them anyway. Allah will not hold someone to account for something they did out of ignorance or unintentionally. If, however, we know an act to be forbidden, yet insist on performing it, then we will be held accountable for it. Allah will either punish us for that or forgive us.
As for your question regarding striving and achieving, because Allah gives whom He wills, we only achieve what is allowed by Allah. He has the power to enforce His will whenever or however He wants. We, on the other hand, have very little power to enforce our will or to ensure our plans come to fruition. We cannot control everything that happens around us.
So, sometimes what we struggle to achieve does not come to pass. At other times, good things come to us with little or no effort on our part. This should teach us that, ultimately, we are in control of very little and depend heavily on God’s mercy for everything we have. We need to give constant thanks to Allah for the many bounties He provides us. The world around us is not the result of our handiwork, nor did we create our own selves. It is only through His infinite mercy that we exist and are able to do so many things.
It is important to remember that just because we wish something to be and struggle long and hard to make it happen, doesn’t mean that it is a good thing. Also, there are many things which we dislike, yet they are very beneficial to us. As Muslims, we need to expect only good from Allah, so if something we strive hard for does not come to pass, we should be patient and try again until it does. If, in the end, it still does not happen, it might be that it is not good for us and Allah, out of His mercy, has prevented us from achieving it.
As for your question regarding spreading the word of Islam, we can look at it simply as a doctor, trying to treat an uncooperative child. The child does not understand that the doctor has good intentions and is trying his best to ease the child’s suffering. The child puts up a fight and sometimes hits the doctor, who is only trying to help.
The doctor, however, has sworn to ease the suffering of people, no matter what difficulties he or she may face in dealing with hostile patients. The doctor knows the problem and is working hard to solve it and because of his dedication to his work, must continue to do his best to help.
A Muslim is very often in the same position; trying to help, but finding it very difficult to do so. Hardships will always be a part of spreading the word of God, but if we persevere and are patient, it will benefit humanity and there will be a great reward for us in this life and the hereafter, insh’Allah.
There are many international laws aimed at protecting human rights, but Muslims need to be their own defenders with the help of Allah. We should not expect non-Muslims to rush to our aid or to be more concerned about our rights than we are. The unity of Muslims is the best way to defend our rights and freedoms. So, we should work hard to promote unity among Muslims, in order to protect them.
source:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...AskAboutIslamE
The question of fate and free will is one of the most intriguing topics in metaphysics and religion.
Man feels absolutely powerless, regarding many of the circumstances in which he/she finds him/herself. One might feel that there are so many givens, which one has to take for granted, and nothing can be done about them. On the other hand, there are many areas where one feels free to act. Look at the marvelous progress of humanity through the centuries. If humans were mere puppets, could we have managed all these wonderful achievements, which have made us so proud of human potential?
Indeed the question of pre-destination and free will has haunted Man for so long; but it has been adequately dealt with in the Holy Qur’an.
From the Qur’anic point of view, Man is not completely a master of his fate; nor is he a puppet subject to the hazards of destiny. It is true that God’s sovereignty is all pervading and nothing falls outside its purview. This means that God knows everything and it is according to His will, things happen here. The universe is completely subject to the overriding power of God, and nothing happens without God willing it to be so.
However, God not only created everything, but He determined its nature and scope. In His infinite wisdom and mercy, He gave Man limited power and great freedoms, including the freedom of choice. It is because of this autonomy, enjoyed by Man, that he/she is held accountable for the individual deeds.
The Holy Qur’an says:
That man can have nothing but what he strives for;
Surah 53 Verse 39
... Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). ...
Surah 13 Verse 11
Say: "With God is the argument that reaches home: if it had been His will, He could indeed have guided you all."
Surah 6 Verse 149
Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it!
And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.
Surah 99 Verses 7 - 8
In fact the concept of qadar (destiny), used in the Qur'an often, means a measure or the latent possibilities with which God created Man and all things of Nature. For example, God says:
... it is He who created all things, and ordered (qadara) them in due proportions.
Surah 25 Verse 2
In this verse, destiny implies the scope and potential of things. This means their latent capabilities.
There is a hadith, which says that God wrote down the decrees regarding the created world, fifty thousand years, before He created the heavens and the earth. The point to be noted here is that this does not, in any way, mean that God created a universe, finished off and complete, bound to the iron rules of Nature. The idea behind qadar is that the creation of this universe was in accordance with the grand design of the Creator. This means that there is no element of chance in the creation of this universe. Everything is well arranged and well planned.
So this is not a kind of clockwork universe where God simply winds up the clock and then lets it run. The Holy Qur’an clearly says that God is constantly active in Creation:
God! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
Surah 2 Verse 255
This verse indicates that God does not feel tired or sleepy in spite of the fact that He is constantly active.
Muhammad Iqbal, the renowned Islamic poet, has written: ‘Divine knowledge must be conceived as a living creative activity, to which the objects that appear to exist in their own right are organically related. By conceiving God's knowledge as a kind of reflecting mirror, we no doubt save His foreknowledge of future events. But, it is obvious that we do so at the expense of His freedom. The future certainly pre-exists in the organic whole of God's creative life, but it pre-exists as an open possibility, not as a fixed order of events with definite outlines.’
Time as an abstract concept- encompassing the past, present and future- is very much relative. It is, however, a great ‘present’ for the All-Seeing God. The whole continuum of time lies before Him in the shape of now. Knowledge is an act of creative activity and not the mere reflection of it. When He decrees a thing it happens and He sees it before it happens. God in Islam is therefore a free Creator with foreknowledge.
God's knowledge, however, is not like our knowledge. God's knowledge covers everything created, its past and its future.
... With God is the Decision, in the past and in the Future...
Surah 30 Verse 4
But God is the creator and we are the created. Our knowledge is limited in ways that God's knowledge is not. It is our very lack of knowledge which gives us free will. We cannot know our future and to a large extent we cannot control it. Our decisions are based on our understanding of the way the world works. Are these decisions free from God's command? Not really, but for all practical purposes we inevitably see them as free choices, we cannot do otherwise – that is our nature. We are held accountable only for things we understand. Our deeds are judged by their intentions.
So just as someone who punches his fist into a brick wall cannot claim injustice when it hurts, nor can we claim any injustice if we disobey God's moral laws, when we know them, and get punished. We "know" that the wall exists and that it is hard and that is the reality we deal with. The ultimate reality is however, that God could make that wall disappear just before your fist reached it.
The concept of qadar, therefore, indicates that we must seek harmony with God’s rules of human nature and nature at large, and consciously submit to His will. Destiny as conceived by Islam, therefore, does not take away our freedom of choice and action. It is our willful choice of those actions from our inherent possibilities that are in harmony with God’s will that earns us our reward from God. Thus, qadar can be a source of inspiration and encouragement for us, and it really opens up vast fields of human activity. It need not make us utterly powerless or helpless; on the contrary it can be a source of inspiration and encouragement.
Indeed, when God has set certain rules in his decree as to how things evolve, even these things can be changed through prayers. The prophet stressed that only sincere prayers can change the way events unfold, and that true worship and sincere submission to God can raise the believer above the normal ways of nature: Prayers can and do result in "personal miracles" - events or experiences which we consider almost impossible and certainly highly improbable.
From an Islamic point of view, Man is free for all practical purposes. He/she has no excuse for making the wrong choice and then blaming qadar or fate, any more than a man punching his fist into a wall can blame the laws of nature. He knew the consequences of his actions for all practical purposes and he shouldn't expect a miracle!
The foregoing means, that we should not worry about what God has written for us, since we can never know it; but our duty, here and now, is to strive for the best in this world and the next. Then, good results will follow, insha’Allah.
And Allah knows best.
source:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...AskAboutIslamE
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