A question that is often asked is: ‘is our life governed by destiny or free will’? Maulana Wahiduddin’s answer to the question was that matter is a case of 50-50. Destiny plays a 50 percent role, as man cannot change the infrastructure provided to him. Free will plays the remaining 50 percent role, as man is completely free to respond to situations the way he likes. The fact of the matter is that God has provided the infrastructure to man in the form of a life support system and the different situations that present themselves to man. This is the destiny part of the matter. Man is, however, free to respond to all these different situations, as he likes. That is his free will or his freedom of choice. In this aspect, he is completely free.
This freedom has opened doors of two kinds for man, one leading to success and the other to failure. If on receiving freedom an individual becomes arrogant and insolent, it will mean that he has failed to pass the test. But if on the other hand, he remains modest and humble, bowing to his Lord’s will on all occasions, he will have made the right use of this God-given freedom: he will, without any compulsion, have bound himself by divine principles. One who chooses this course will succeed in the test of freedom. He will be handsomely rewarded by God as no other creature. Held to be the chosen servant of God, he will remain in an everlasting state of blissfulness and blessedness in the eternal world of paradise.
Another question that he was often asked is “If God cannot control man’s action, then how is He All-Powerful”? Maulana explained that there is no doubt that God is All-Powerful. However, since He has decided to put man to the test, He has given man freedom of choice to do what he likes. As if there was no free will, there would be no test. So, in order to test man during the pre-death period, God has withheld His power when it comes to man and given him the freedom to respond in any way that he wants. God is however getting a record maintained of man’s thoughts, speech, and deeds. Based on this record, God will hold him accountable for them on the Day of Judgment, on which day, all of mankind will see the power of God.
Featured Articles
Featured Videos
FAQs
All the things in this world are God’s subjects. The stars and satellites rotate in space entirely at their Lord’s bidding. Trees, rivers, mountains, and all other such natural phenomena function according to the unchangeable ways God laid down for them in advance. Similarly, the animals follow precisely those instincts instilled in their species as a matter of Divine Will.
Unlike all these creatures in the Universe, man is free in this world. God has not placed any curbs on him. As such, the critical aspect of this creation plan is that man has been created with total freedom. But this freedom is to test man and not encourage him to lead a life of permissiveness. The purpose of freedom is that man should lead a morally good life of his own free will, thus demonstrating that he is of the highest moral character.
One who conducts himself in this manner will be reckoned as God’s special servant who, without any apparent compulsion, chose to be a man of principle, who submitted to God’s Will despite having freedom not to do so. This liberty accorded to man allows him to gain credit for being the most superior of all God’s creatures.
The decision regarding a person's eternal future will hinge on his use of freedom—whether he used his freedom correctly or misused it. For those who use their freedom correctly, Paradise is their reward. Those who misused their freedom will live in eternal deprivation.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
There is no doubt that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. However, since He has decided to put human beings to the test, He has given them the freedom to do as whatever they wish. If there were no free will, there would have been no test. So, in order to test people, God has withheld His power when it comes to man and given him freedom to respond in any way that he wants. In granting freedom to man, God has chosen to not enforce His Power on him.
God is all knowing, but He has not fixed people’s destinies. Justice is meted out on the basis of evidence, which in this case would be the record of use or misuse of freedom that a person is building up. On the Day of Judgement, God shall hold a person accountable for his thoughts, speech and deeds and on that day, all of mankind will see God’s justice.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
When man was granted freedom, it was implicit that there would be misuse. The Quran says:
When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am putting a successor on earth,’ they said, ‘Will You place someone there who will cause corruption on it and shed blood?’ (Quran 2:30)
But God also placed a check in human nature which was a guarantee that man would not take to 100% evil and would take a U-turn to make a situation positive. This check is the conscience, which is the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Another question I am often asked is, “If God cannot control man’s action, then how is He All-Powerful”? There is no doubt that God is All-Powerful. However, since He has decided to put man to the test, He has given man freedom of choice to do what he likes. As if there was no free will, there would be no test. So, to test man, God has withheld His power when it comes to man and given him the freedom to respond in any way that he wants. God, however, is getting a record of all of man’s thoughts, speech, and deeds maintained, and will hold him accountable for them on the Day of Judgment. On that Day all of humanity will see the power of God.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
