Thursday, November 5, 2020

Human actions are predetermined?

The Quranic concept of attributing to Allah the consequence of a man's actions, even for the most insignificant things like the clothes man wears, reminds man that the laws of the universe are caused then allowed by Him, He is the only Independent Cause 
11:56"there is no creature except that He is holding its forelock". 
He "causes" the spiritual senses to be sealed, as one often reads. In Quran terminology this means He has established and allowed a process in which willful, repeated transgression leads to a progressive dimming of the innate spiritual receptivity 
91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it". 

This higher reality in terms of causality is similar to Allah "causing" physical death as a result of repeated auto-mutilation. God could, against their freewill, prevent people from sinning 18:65-82,6:107,112,137, force them to believe 2:253,5:48,6:35,149,11:118, let them live their sinful life 111:1-5 or interrupt the system of freedom of choice at anytime 11:36, and all is done according to His Knowledge, Wisdom and Justice.

 Even a person's sins can be said to be ultimately from Allah, but without precluding moral responsibility. Sins come in result of a chain of causality established, allowed and sustained at all times by Allah; Neglect and disobedience to one's innate virtuous potential leads to heedlessness of the external signs until transgression occurs. Allah "caused" the person to sin by allowing the process which fully integrates moral responsibility. 

Therefore nothing happens, good or bad, unless Allah wills it/allows it, and it is as a clear reminder of this supreme reality that in some instances speaking of human will, Allah's will immidiately follows 
81:28-29,76:29-30"Surely this is a reminder, so whoever pleases takes to his Lord a way, And you do not please except that Allah please, surely Allah is Knowing, Wise". 
This basically is one of the pillars of Quranic teachings, striking a balance between divine will and human effort. The sequence in the verses of sura takwir above make it clear, in the system of causality established, allowed and sustained at each instant by God, and which intricately integrates moral responsibility, humans need to be resolved upon an action, then God either allows or not that intent to be executed. Similarily it states in the HB in 
Prov16:9"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord prepares his step". 
God has decreed that man shall earn in this world and/or the next the consequences of his freechoices, while remaining ultimately subservient to His will, which is predicated upon justice, wisdom and mercy 
10:44"Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves". 
As similarily put by the prophet Elihu in the Hebrew Bible
 Job34:10-11"far be it for God [to commit] wickedness or for the Almighty to [commit] injustice. For He recompenses man for his deed, and according to man's way He causes him to find". 
Some reports depict the prophet as encapsulating that notion. When people came asking him whether it is right to inflict punishment in the hereafter when one acts upon a preordained evil deed 
"Thereupon, he said: Of course, it happens as it is decreed by destiny and preordained for them, and this view is confirmed by this verse of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.." 
And the prophet went on quoting the main verse that epitomizes the Quranic concept of freewill and ingrained cognizance of God 
91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it". 
The "wickedness" is the ability to do evil and the "virtue" is the opposite. Both potentials are within human power and will, as stated in the second part of the verse. Another hadith illustrates that point 
"Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others". 
One is ingrained with the ability for evil, right in the womb. This is the very essence of freewill. Once born, the person then either chooses to do good by "taking lessons" or refuses to do so by developing his evil potential instead. God has thus preordained that one should strive to purify one's soul, with the strength of one's inner positive potential.

God's foreknowledge of a volitional act includes that the act must be done freely; God knows that I will do a certain thing by my own free will. Since the knowledge of God does not fail, my action has to be a free action caused by my free will. Should my action prove to be a product of compulsion, the knowledge of God would fail.

In another hadith, the prophet reportedly says 
"Allah has written for the son of Adam his inevitable share of adultery whether he is aware of it or not: The adultery of the eye is the looking (at something which is sinful to look at), and the adultery of the tongue is to utter (what it is unlawful to utter), and the innerself wishes and longs for (adultery) and the private parts turn that into reality or refrain from submitting to the temptation". 
We see again, that God's foreknowledge of these different types of adultery includes man's freedom of choice. He either turns temptation into reality or refrains from it.

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