In continuation of the topic titled “Free Will and Fatalism in Shia and Sunni Views”, we shall examine the Shia viewpoint on the concept of destiny.
THE SHIA AND THE QUESTION OF DESTINY
Now, concerning the Shia’s opinion on Free Will and Fatalism: Dr. al-Tijani has met with the Great Scholars of the Twelver Shi’ite in Iraq. Among those he talked to are: The Martyr Muhammad Baqr al-Sadr, al- Khoie, Muhammad Ali al-Tabatabai, al-Hakim, and many others (May Allah have mercy on those that have passed away, and on those that remain).
Dr. al-Tijani narrates what these great scholars explained to him: When al-Imam Ali (PBUH) was asked about Free Will and Fatalism, he (PBUH) said: (NOTE: This is a VERY hard quote to translate; thus, this translation is ROUGH at best, but it does convey the point): “Woe to you! Did you think that it was a mandatory destiny and a final will? If it was as such, then reward and punishment would have no value, and admonition and exhortation would totally fail! Allah has ordered His servants to obey Him voluntarily and asked them to cease doing evil as a warning to them (from punishment), and He has ordained easy (simple) things in religion, and He has not ordained difficult (hard) duties.
He has given for the small amount of good deeds you do, a great reward; and He is never disobeyed as a sign of His defeat (or lack of power and ability), and He is not obeyed [or worshipped] through coercion and force, but rather voluntarily. He has not sent Prophets and Messengers as part of a game He is playing; nor did He send down the Books (revealed scripture) for no reason. And He did not create the Heavens and the Earths as a falsehood (triviality); That, indeed, is the belief of the nonbelievers: Woe to the nonbelievers from the hellfire…”.
NOTE: The latter part of the speech: “That, indeed, is the belief of the nonbelievers: Woe to the nonbelievers from the hellfire……” is a verse from the Quran that al-Imam Ali (PBUH) concluded with. Dr. al-Tijani, when he first heard this, was filled with joy to know that it is HE who controls his actions, and it is HE who is responsible for doing good deeds to enter heaven. And it is not, as the Sunni scholars claim, the Will of Allah for him to enter hell.
Dr. al-Tijani says: al-Imam Ali (PBUH) struck the nail on the head when he (PBUH) said: “…and He is never disobeyed as a sign of His defeat (or lack of power and ability);…” If Allah wanted to force ANYBODY into doing something, NOTHING could stop Him. Rather it is corroboration by al-Imam Ali (PBUH) to what Allah said: “Say, `The Truth is from your Lord` Let him who will believe (it), and let him who will reject (it)…”(1)
Then al-Imam Ali (PBUH) strikes the inner workings of the mind and consciousness by asserting that if EVERYTHING was the Will of Allah, then the function of the Prophets and Messengers would be a total waste of time. Again, if EVERYTHING was the Will of Allah, Revealed Scripture would have no value either; this would clearly violate the verses of the Quran: “Verily this Quran doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the glad tidings to the believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward.” (2)
So the Quran IS a book that guides people (which means that It was revealed for the purpose of guiding mankind), and the believers are AT LIBERTY to”…work deeds of righteousness…” The contention is that if EVERYTHING was the Will of Allah, why would Allah send Messengers to warn us when He has already judged us? What good is it to do any kind of deeds (good or bad), when the judgment for these deeds has already been rendered, regardless of what you do?
We have seen many sects in Islam that have either said: EVERYTHING is the Will of Allah –This is Jabriyyah; or those who said: EVERYTHING is Free Will –This is Qadariyyah. Both views are wrong because they are not realistic. Can you control to which parents you are born to, for example? Or is it realistic to believe that Allah FORCES you to drink alcohol, and then punishes you for it? The answer to both questions is: OBVIOUSLY NOT! The Shia, however, have struck it right: al-Imam Ja’far al- Sadiq (PBUH) said: “It is not TOTAL Free Will, nor is it TOTAL Fatalism; rather, it is a matter between [those] two matters.”
When a man asked Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) what he (PBUH) meant by the above quote, Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) answered: “To walk on the ground is not the same as to fall on it!” What a response!!! (My comment Here’s what it means: You walk on the ground voluntarily, but it may happen to you that you fall because something unexpected happened to you (for instance, somebody hit you from the back).
Who among you wants to fall on the ground on purpose? Such is the wisdom of the Imams, the progeny of the Seal of Prophecy (PBUH&HP). So Qada Wa Qadar is a matter between two matters: Some things we can control, and others we can’t; it is a mixture of Free Will and Allah’s Will. This belief is closer to reason than what all the other schools say.
Moreover, a human being is ONLY liable for that which he has a will [and control] over; and Allah will judge him on those deeds that he voluntarily committed, NOT the ones that he has no control over. Allah says: “By the soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its inspiration as to its wrong and its right;– Truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it.”(3)
Indeed, he who purifies his soul is destined to succeed, and he who corrupts it is destined to failure. That is where your choice comes in. Again, things like the operation of the Universe, the movement of the planets, ones own sex at birth, one’s colour of skin, one’s parents, and so on, we have no will or control over, and we will NOT be held responsible for; but whether or not to be believers, killers, hypocrites, commit adultery, feed our children, and so on, we do have control over, and we WILL be held accountable for them.
As a conclusion to the matter and a final display of the superior knowledge of the Imams, I quote the following: al-Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Rida (PBUH), the Eighth Imam, was 14 years old when he (PBUH) was asked about what al-Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) meant by “a matter between [those] two matters?” At 14 years of age, al-Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Rida (PBUH) said: “He who says that Allah FORCES us to do our actions, subscribes to the school of Fatalism (Jabriyyah). He who says that Allah has left the matter of birth, creation, and wealth to the Hujjahs, subscribes to the school of Free Will (Qadariyyah).”
[NOTE: Hujjah means “Proof.” It includes Prophets, Messengers, and the Imams. The significance of the word is that the Prophets, Messengers, and Imams command what Allah wants, and serve as proof against the people they have been sent to; as such, they are Allah’s “Proofs” on Earth.] Then Imam (PBUH) continues… “He who subscribes to Fatalism (Jabriyyah) is a Kafir (Nonbeliever), and he who subscribes to Free Will (Qadariyyah) is a Mushrik (Polytheist).
As for the matter between two matters, it is the seeking of the path that leads to the fulfilment of Allah’s orders. Allah has given man the ability and freedom to do good (deeds) or not to do good (deeds); and, Allah has given man the ability and freedom to do evil (deeds) or not to do evil (deeds), then He ordered him to do good (deeds), and prohibited him from doing evil (deeds).
Such is the great knowledge of the Imams, may Allah bless them all. It is no surprise that even at the age of 14, they are so knowledgeable; for it only confirms what the Prophet (PBUHH) said about them: “Don’t get too far ahead of them, or you’ll be destroyed. Nor stay far behind them, or you’ll also be destroyed. And don’t try to teach them, for they are far more knowledgeable than you are.” (4)
To be continued!
NOTES:
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1. Qur’an 18:29.
2. Qur’an 17:9.
3. Qur’an 91:7-10.
4. This tradition is mentioned in: Usd al-Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, v3, p137; al- Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah by Ibn Hajar, p148; Majma’ al-Zawa’id, v9, p163; Yanabee’ al-Mawada, p41; al-Durr al-Manthoor by al-Suyuti, v2, p60; Kanz al- ‘Umal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v1, p168; and `Aqabat al-Anwar, v1, p184.
