In continuation of the topic titled “Free Will and Fatalism in Shia and Sunni Views”, we shall examine the issue of the Caliphate and the question of destiny from both the Sunni and Shia viewpoints.
THE CALIPHATE AND THE QUESTION OF QADA WA QADAR
The strange thing about the Sunni belief is that while they believe that EVERYTHING is the Will of Allah, they stubbornly attach themselves to the contention that the Prophet (PBUHH) left the matter of the Caliphate (Succession) for them to decide upon. The Shia believe the exact opposite of what the Sunnis believe with regard to this issue (i.e., succession).
While it is true that the Shia ardently support the concept of Half-Free Will, they will not apply it to the concept of the Caliphate (Succession). The Shia believe that the Successor to any Prophet or Messenger is a matter that only Allah decides upon, and they can have no say in the matter. As such, it is the belief of Twelver Shi’ite that al-Imam Ali (PBUH) was chosen by Allah to succeed the Prophet (PBUHH). Prima Facie (superficially), appears to be a contradiction on the part of both parties, but the truth is otherwise.
The Sunnis when they claim that everything is the Will of Allah, they make Allah the ACTUAL EXECUTOR of His Will; and they are left with an IMAGINARY WILL of their own. So it was the Companions (along with `Umar) that chose Abu-Bakr after the death of the Prophet (PBUHH); but, in actuality, they were only executing Allah’s Will (i.e., the companions were only instruments used by Allah to execute His Will.).
That is the Sunnis’ interpretation of the events. The Shia, however, when they assert that Allah has given His servants the freedom of choice, they do not contradict themselves by stating that only Allah chooses the Caliph (Successor). For Allah states in the Quran: “Thy Lord does create and choose as He pleases: no choice have they (in the matter)…” (1) “And We made them Imams, guiding (men) by Our command, and We inspired them to do good deeds, to establish regular prayers, and to give Zakat; and they constantly served Us (and Us only).” (2)
And We appointed from among them, Imams, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs.”(3)
[NOTE: In the above two verses, A.Yusuf Ali uses the term “Leaders” instead of “Imams;” however, the Arabic Quran uses the word IMAMS — Check for yourselves.] “And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He (Allah) said: I will make thee an Imam to the people. He (Abraham) pleaded: And also (Imams) from my offspring! He (Allah) answered: But My Promise is not within the reach of evil-doers.” (4)
So, as we see from the above verses, the matter of Succession (Caliphate) is just like that of Prophethood — People have NO SAY in it. Allah is the One who chose Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and the rest of the Prophets, Messengers, and Imams; and there’s NOTHING people can do about it. However, the Free Will component lies in the fact that you AT LIBERTY to believe in or reject ANY Prophet sent to you, as has happened throughout the history of mankind (i.e., some people believed, while others rejected the Prophets.).
A true believer will accept Allah’s orders, and attain felicity; while a nonbeliever will reject Allah’s Signs, and suffer the consequences. Indeed, Allah says: “…whosoever follows My guidance, will not lose his way, nor fall into misery. But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. He will say: O my Lord! Why hast thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)? (Allah) will say: Thus didst thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, forgot them: so wilt thou, this day, be forgotten.” (5)
Now, if we objectively analyze both viewpoints: that of the Sunnis, and that of the Shia, we will discover that the Sunnis’ viewpoint literally holds Allah responsible for EVERYTHING in the Universe, whether it be good or bad. Whereas, the Shia have clearly vindicated Allah from such impurities, and have proved that EACH Soul shall reap what it has sown. Which viewpoint is closer to reason? One that blames Allah, THE Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, or one that makes YOU responsible for your own actions? I leave the answer for the enlightened reader to provide.
RESPONSES TO SUNNI BROTHERS
First, a Sunni brother made the comment that I am accusing ALL Sunni scholars of being fatalists when in reality, this is NOT the case. My response was: First, I did not say that “ALL” the Sunni scholars are fatalists; rather, the MAJORITY. Moreover, most of the scholars preaching in the Mosques share the view of fatalism, and, as such, have contributed to the corruption of the youths, who are the seeds of the future. It is a betrayal of the scholarly trust when a SCHOLAR BLINDLY accepts tradition and what others say.
(NOTE: I emphasize the word “scholar” because I am NOT talking about the layman who cannot interpret complex philosophical issues and sophisticated matters of jurisprudence. But for a scholar, who is in a position to give “Fatwas — Religious Opinions,” to blindly become fatalistic is unacceptable in its entirety.) Indeed, Allah challenged the Jews and the Christians by saying: “…..Bring forth your argument (proof) if ye are telling the truth!” (6)
As such, it is mandatory for such scholars to provide proof to support their view of fatalism. Keep in mind that in Islam, the theory of proofs is as follows: If two proofs are presented, and each proof is strong enough to equal the other proof, they cancel each other out, and new proofs will be sought. However, if one of the proofs is stronger than the other, then the stronger proof prevails and becomes dominant. As far as Free Will vs. Fatalism is concerned, clearly, Free Will, as I presented it, wins hands down. Note also that this article depicts what the mainstream Sunnis and the mainstream Shia believe.
Undoubtedly, there are Sunni scholars and individuals who are not blind fatalists, and there are Shi’i scholars and individuals who are blind fatalists. Neither group represents mainstream thought within either faction.
Second, another Sunni brother stated that I neglected the following verses in my analysis:
>Surah 74:
>>54. Nay this surely is an admonition:
>>55. Let any who will keep it in remembrance!
>>56. But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is the Lord of Righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness.>>>Surah 76:
>>29. This is an admonition: whosoever will let him take a (straight) Path
to his Lord.
>>30. But ye will not except as Allah wills; for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
>>31. He will admit to His Mercy Whom He will; but the wrongdoers for them has He prepared a grievous Penalty.
My response was as follows: With regards to the above verses, and your claim that I am more in favour of Free Will than Fatalism, thereby neglecting the above verses, I offer the following: What Allah is saying in the above verses, among others, when He states: “But ye will not except as Allah wills….” is NOT as you understand it to be. Please remember the following very important sentence: SOME OF THE WILL OF ALLAH CHANGES BASED ON OUR ACTION. It is not fixed. This serves as Half-Free Will for the human. It is all the Will of Allah, but SOME of His Will are modified by Himself. (We do not modify it. He modifies it based on our actions).
The Quran gives evidence to this fact: “Allah removes what He wills, and confirms (what He wills), and with Him is the Essence of the Book.” (7) Also this: “Allah does not change the situation of any group of people unless they change what is in themselves.” (8) Also the following two verse in which Allah changed the decision in real-time, base on the weakness appeared to the companions: (9)
“O Prophet! Exhort the believers to fight. If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a hundred steadfast they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve because they (the disbelievers) are a folk without intelligence.”(10) “Now, has Allah lightened your (duty), for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there be of you a thousand (steadfast) they shall overcome two thousand by permission of Allah. Allah is with the steadfast.”(11)
Also, look at this: “But those who do ill deeds and afterwards repent and believe lo! for them, then after that, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (12) Note that Allah changes His decision after the action of humans (here is repentance). There are many more verses similar to the above (13) Allah has given you the freedom to act and do whatever you want WITHIN the CONFINES of your abilities.
Now Allah can interfere at any time to change a matter without any inhibition from anyone. As such, His Will to interfere and change a matter prevails over His creation’s will. So Allah Wills in the sense that He allows an event to occur, without Him stopping it from happening.
That is His Will, not that He forces you to do something, and then punishes you for it. (Exalted be Allah from such an inference Given that fact, Allah can, for example, intervene to return Palestine to the Muslims, but He doesn’t. That does not mean that Allah approves of having Palestine in the hands of the Jews, but rather Allah has more sublime wisdom in not interfering. Now, the obvious question is: Why doesn’t Allah interfere, for example, to help the Muslims that are being slaughtered in Bosnia, or elsewhere?
The answer is as follows: Going back to the Free Will argument, you are responsible for your acts. If Allah interferes to prevent evil from happening, then who will be held accountable? It is this “Accountability Principle” that precludes the interference of Allah in many (not all) situations. That DOES NOT mean, however, that Allah NEVER intervenes or that He approves of the matter, but rather Allah intervenes only when He, Himself, sees a reason to do so, as when He intervened and helped the Prophet Abraham (PBUH) from the fire of the nonbelievers, among other examples.
Why did Allah intervene then? That’s where your faith in Allah’s wisdom comes into play. Do you believe in Allah to the extent that you trust what He does, even if you don’t fully understand it? If yes, then you have answered the question for yourself. If not, then you have a weak faith which is in need of some strengthening.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I (myself, not Dr. al-Tijani) realize that many points presented in this article are not easy to comprehend, nor are they meant for the average person; however, I have deeply suffered from the problem of Free Will and Fatalism, and my agony throughout that ordeal is virtually beyond description. As such, I do not wish anybody to suffer as I have.
Let me also assert that my personal opinion is that Fatalism in Islamic societies is one of the most damaging ideologies around; it fosters a complete paralysis of intellectual and physical exertions and promotes decay from within the community. It is a great shame that we should profoundly suffer due to a false ideology. We have been deceived for all these years (1400 or so), while the Shia have always had the answer to this perplexing question. It is the irony of life that we mock those who possess knowledge, while we praise our own ignorance!
Given that, I leave you with the same questions: “Are you realistic when you claim that Allah forces you into committing evil, and then punishes you for it? If Allah has created me a Kafir, why then should I bother and rectify myself? What difference would it make — I have already been judged?”
NOTES:
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1. Qur’an 28:68
2. Qur’an 21:73
3. Qur’an 32:24
4. Qur’an 2:124
5. Qur’an 20:123-126
6. Qur’an 27:64
7. Qur’an 13:39
8. Qur’an 13:11
9. Qur’an 8:65
10. Qur’an 8:66
11. Qur’an 8:65-66
12. Qur’an 7:153
13. See Qur’an 16:110, 16:119, etc…
