Praise be to Allaah.
One must believe in two things:
1 – That Allaah, may He be exalted, is the Creator of all
things, and nothing happens in the universe except by His will. He knows
what is to come and He decreed all of that and wrote it in a Book fifty
thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, as is stated in
a saheeh report from our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). He is Just and does not wrong anyone in the slightest, because He is
independent of His creation and has no need of them. He is Kind and Gracious
to them constantly, so how could He wrong them?
This principle is indicated by a great deal of evidence in
the Qur’aan and Sunnah, such as the verses in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine
Preordainments of all things before their creation as written in the Book of
Decrees ___
Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz)”
[al-Qamar 54:49]
“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it
is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz) before We bring it
into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah”
[al-Hadeed 57:22].
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Allaah decided the decrees of creation fifty thousand years
before He created the heavens and the earth. He said: And His Throne is
above the water.” Narrated by Muslim (2653).
2 – Man has free will and choice by means of which he does
some things and refrains from others, and he believes or disbelieves, and he
obeys or disobeys, for which he will be brought to account and rewarded or
punished, although Allaah knows what he will do, what he will choose and
what his ultimate destiny will be. But Allaah does not compel him to do
evil, or to choose kufr, rather He clearly shows him the path and He has
sent Messengers and revealed Books, and shown him the right way. Whoever
goes astray does so to his own loss,.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever
wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve”
[al-Kahf 18:29]
“Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or
ungrateful”
[al-Insaan 76:3]
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or
a small ant) shall see it.
8. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom
(or a small ant) shall see it”
[al-Zalzalah 99:7,8]
“And it will be cried out to them: ‘This is the Paradise
which you have inherited for what you used to do’”
[al-A’raaf 7:43]
“so taste you the abiding torment for what you used to do”
[al-Sajdah 32:14]
Allaah tells us that man believes and does righteous deeds by
his own choice and free will, then he enters Paradise, or he disbelieves and
does evil deeds by his own choice and free will, then he enters Hell.
Every person knows in his own heart and by looking at those
around him, that our deeds – good and evil, obedient and sinful – are done
by our own choice, and we do not feel that there is any force compelling us
to do them. You can curse, swear, lie and backbite, just as you can praise
Allaah, glorify Him, pray for forgiveness, speak the truth and give sincere
advice. You can walk to places of idle entertainment, falsehood and evil,
just as you can walk to the mosques or places of goodness and obedience. A
man can strike with his hand, steal, speak falsehood and betray, or he can
help the needy, do good and do favours with his hands. Everyone does some of
these deeds and he does not feel that he is compelled or forced, rather he
does them by his own free will and then he will be called to account for
them; if they were good, then the consequences will be good, and if they
were bad then the consequences will be bad.
What Allaah has decreed is something that man cannot know and
he cannot base his deeds on it or use it as an excuse. It is also not valid
for him to object to his Lord by questioning why He has caused someone to be
among the doomed or the blessed. Allaah has not wronged the one who is
doomed, rather He gave him time and ability and freedom of choice, and He
sent to him Messengers and revealed Books to them, and He reminded him and
warned him with all kinds of reminders, such as calamities and tests, so
that he would repent to Him and turn to Him. If he chose the path of
misguidance, and followed the way of criminals, he only harmed himself, and
he is the one who has caused his own doom, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys
and performs all that Allaah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic
Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds).
10. And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e.
disobeys what Allaah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic
Monotheism or by following polytheism, or by doing every kind of evil wicked
deeds)”
[al-Shams 91:9, 10]
“Allaah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:117]
“Has not the story reached them of those before them? —
The people of Nooh (Noah), ‘Aad, and Thamood, the people of Ibraaheem
(Abraham), the dwellers of Madyan (Midian) and the cities overthrown [i.e.
the people to whom Loot (Lot) preached]; to them came their Messengers with
clear proofs. So it was not Allaah Who wronged them, but they used to wrong
themselves”
[al-Tawbah 9:70]
To sum up: the belief that Allaah is the Creator Who has
decreed all things and has distinguished those who are blessed from those
who are doomed, does not mean that Allaah forces His slaves to obey or
disobey. Rather He has given them the ability to choose and free will, which
is what they act upon, and for which they will be brought to account. Your
Lord does not wrong His slaves
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