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By Selman Yazdani: Concept of God in Islam

1) Islam teaches that God has given humans free will to make choices in life, but that God alone has foreknowledge and control over our ultimate destiny. 2) According to Islamic teachings, humans strive and make efforts, but God decrees the final outcomes. Belief in divine destiny prevents both arrogance in success and despair in failure, instead promoting gratitude and patience. 3) Having faith that all is by God's will gives believers courage to live righteously, as nothing can touch them without God's permission and their time of death is predetermined.

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88 views

By Selman Yazdani: Concept of God in Islam

1) Islam teaches that God has given humans free will to make choices in life, but that God alone has foreknowledge and control over our ultimate destiny. 2) According to Islamic teachings, humans strive and make efforts, but God decrees the final outcomes. Belief in divine destiny prevents both arrogance in success and despair in failure, instead promoting gratitude and patience. 3) Having faith that all is by God's will gives believers courage to live righteously, as nothing can touch them without God's permission and their time of death is predetermined.

Uploaded by

Christopher P Ugwu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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By Selman Yazdani

February 1, 2003 – Shortly before the scheduled end of its 28th


mission, space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and
Louisiana as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew
members. It was indeed an unexpected, abrupt and horrible end of a
momentous journey.

Can anyone believe that NASA, by any stretch of imagination,


expected this catastrophic end to Columbia? And, were they so
careless as to neglect preparing themselves to the minutest details to
avoid such disasters? Your answer to both these questions would
most probably be ‘No.’ Then, why did it happen?

Of course, it was the choice of those seven crew members to travel in


the space shuttle, but they didn’t opt for that tragic end. And, herein
lies the difference between the Islamic concept of destiny and the free
will we human beings possess – we’re free to choose our actions but
God has ultimate control over the outcome of those actions.
According to teachings of Islam, God (Allah in Arabic) has given
humans free will to make choices in their lives but only God has
foreknowledge of our destiny, and He has total control over it. (Read
more: Concept of God in Islam)

Is every event of our lives predetermined? Is our entire course laid


out for us and no matter what we do or how we try to avoid it, our
lives will unfold in some predetermined way? Is there such a thing as
fate or destiny? If so, what about free will? Aren’t we supposed to
have the freedom to choose our actions? Isn’t free will negated if fate
exists?

Predestination: An Islamic Perspective

To understand the Islamic perspective on destiny and free will, we


first need to know a few basic facts which form the foundation of faith
for Muslims:

1- God is the Only Sustainer of the whole universe and He is the


Most Merciful. The Quran begins with, “Praise belongs to God, Lord
of the Worlds, the Lord of Mercy, and the Giver of Mercy…” (1:1-2)
2- God has created humans in the finest state. God mentions in the
Quran: “We have certainly created man in the best of stature.” (95:4)

3- The primary objective of human life is to worship God. “And I


did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship me.” (Quran,
51:56). It must be noted that the Islamic concept of worship
encompasses all human endeavors that are pursued for just ends,
and in accordance with God’s commandments.

4- Our life is a test and we’ll be judged for our actions in the
hereafter. God says in the Quran, “Blessed be He in Whose hands is
Dominion; and He over all things hath Power; He Who created Death
and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the
Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” (67:1-2).

5- He’s all Wise, and He tests us according to our strength. The


Quran cites: “God does not burden any soul with more than it can
bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its
bad.” (2:286)

6- God is Omniscient and omnipresent – i.e., he is fully aware of


His creation and is always present. He is also All Powerful, so
whatever He decrees takes place, and whatever He does not will does
not happen. God – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the
Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him or
sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on
the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His
permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will
be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge
except for what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and
the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most
High, the Most Great. (2:255)

In other words, humans are God’s best creation who have a special
purpose in life, i.e., to worship Him. Islam teaches that in order for us
to freely perform in the test of life, He has given us free will to lead
our lives as we wish, but the outcome of each of our actions is
governed by the will of God. If God does not will for something to take
place, it will not happen no matter how hard we try. And if He wills for
something to occur, it will transpire no matter what we do to stop it.
One may say then, “What’s the use of striving in this life if we will get
what is already decreed by God?” This seems logical, but it is, of
course, a misconception. In fact, Islam places great emphasis on
making efforts towards a desired end. In the Quran, God says, “And
that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives And
that his effort is going to be seen – Then he will be recompensed for it
with the fullest recompense And that to your Lord is the
finality”(53:39-42).

Again, making an effort is part of the power we have in the form of


free will – if we waste it away with a complacent attitude, then we’re
being ungrateful for the blessing we have. We must do everything
within our power to optimize our lives – at the same time; we must
recognize that God’s power and domain are far greater. He is not
thinking only about us, but for the entire humanity, the whole world,
nay, the universe itself! He is the One who, through destiny, balances
the lives of humans, animals, plants, while at the same time
harmonizing planets and other celestial bodies.
Many people protest that if God controls everything, why does He
allow massacres of innocent people, torture, disease and the worst
forms of evil to exist? Indeed, Islam does not ascribe evil to God. God
allows tragedy and misery to take place in this world for reasons
which often escape humans; it could be a test for those people, a
form of purification, or warning for the rest of us to rehabilitate our
lives. The Ultimate Truth is known only to God and our conviction is
that God is Just and Good, even in those matters where we do not
understand His Will. The Quran gives us a glimpse of this in the
interaction between Moses and a learned man in Chapter 18, verses
60 through 82. (See it here.)

In addition, God has ordained accountability for humans on the Day


of Judgment, when He will reward us for obeying Him and acting
righteously in this world or punish us for transgressing His limits and
living a whimsical existence. This further proves the importance of
free will in our lives. God will judge us according to the choices we
make in this life, not based on the destiny He has decreed for us. The
Quran confirms this as: “Whoever does righteousness – it is for his
[own] soul; and whoever does evil [does so] against it. And your Lord
is not ever unjust to [His] servants.” (41:46).
The Impact of Belief in Divine Destiny

Truly, when we accept the Divine Destiny we lead a more satisfying


and productive life. When we don’t get what we wish or strive for, our
belief in divine destiny prevents us from becoming despondent or
frustrated. We accept the tragedy as a test from God and submit to
His will with patience and dignity.

And if our plans work successfully or something good happens to us,


belief in divine destiny will prevent us from becoming too boastful or
arrogant. Many successful people feel that their wealth and status are
because they are smarter, wiser, stronger, or just more deserving of
success than others. But the truth is, they may have made certain
choices, it is God who made those choices work out well for them.

God says in the Quran, “No misfortune can happen, either in the earth
or in yourselves, that was not set down in writing before we brought it
into being––that is easy for God–– so you need not grieve for what
you miss or gloat over what you gain. God does not love the
conceited, the boastful” (57:22-24). This mindset helps us live a
fulfilling and happy life. We become more thankful and learn to give
empowering meanings to our experiences, whether good or bad.
The belief in divine destiny is also a great source of courage. When
we know that no calamity or harm can touch us without the will of
God and the time of our death is prefixed, we lead a righteous and
valiant life. Quran mentions:

“Say, ‘Only what God has decreed will happen to us. He is our Master:
let the believers put their trust in God.’” (9:51)

“Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be
within towers of lofty construction…” (4:78)

In conclusion, Destiny is one of the articles of faith in Islam. It teaches


Muslims to make the most out of their resources and leave the results
to God.

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