Pre-ordainment and Judgement

It is believed by many that Allah manages everything in His creation with fate and predestination and that he has preordained our deeds. If this applies to me, for instance, in the sense that all my actions have been preordained by Him, why then should I be accountable before Him? Why should Allah force me to do a certain deed and then hold me responsible?

Further, are choices truly open before me? Have I had any choice in my birth, sex, height, build of body, colour, and country? Do I choose that the sun rise and the moon set? Is it by my choice that a blow of fate descends on me or that death surprises me?
Conversely, if it is assumed that I am free and that I have a 'will' besides that of Allah, wouldn't that be considered a kind of polytheism since one is led to admit the 'multiplicity of wills'? Is it then possible for someone to do something that Allah has not decreed?

Moreover, what can be said to counter the ideas of scientific determinism and historical materialism concerning the 'determinism' of environment and circumstances as well as the various forms of 'inevitabilities' that adherents of that philosophy advocate?
There is, indeed, a lot of confusion and conjecture regarding the concept of 'predestination' and most people who have pondered over the problem have been carried away by fanciful ideas.

Some, for example, think that men are completely determined in whatever they choose or do; others say that human actions have no concern with the Almighty. A third group takes the middle course, which is the correct opinion.
Allah has indeed imbued the chosen and enlightened with understanding of the secret of predestination and has concealed it from the uneducated folk lest they go astray. It is for this reason that the Prophet Muhammad (S) insisted that discussion and argument about the matter be eschewed by the unenlightened in view of the grave nature of this question which is, so easily, misunderstood.

How are we to understand the issue of fate and predestination in view of the multitudinous facets of the subject at hand?

The following is an attempt to put the issue of 'fate' and 'predestination' in its correct perspective by dealing with these various facets one at a time.

Contents of the Book:

- Introduction
- The Meaning of 'Taqdeer'
- Allah's Foreknowledge of Events
- Are Choices Truly Open before Me?
- Relative Freedom is Real
- Does Human Choice Transcend Divine Will?
- Is Taqdeer a Compelling of Man to that which is Contrary to His Nature?
- Compulsion is not part of Divine Law
- Does Allah Guide or Misguide anyone He so wishes to?
- Man is to Intend while Allah is to Enable
- Is Human Freedom a Fixed Sum?
- Is Man no more than a Product of his Environment?
- Is Allah's Knowledge not an Encumbering Interference?
- Freedom is Love
- The Pragmatism of Taqdeer
- Has Allah created people for Hell?
- Can Allah Take Away our Freedom?
- If Allah Knows, Why the Test?
- A Final Word

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