Divine Qaza means a Divine decree in respect of the
occurrences and events and the Divine Qadar means estimations of the phenomena
and the events. Divine Qaza requires that the world order should be based on
the system of cause and effect. Allah has decreed that man should have
intellect and will and within the limited sphere of his natural and social
conditions, should be able, to a great extent; take his destiny in his own
hands.
Man is born devoid of any qualities and faculties but is
capable of acquiring them and become master of his destiny. All causes are
manifestations of the divinely ordained fate and destiny.
Holy Qur’an surat
ad-Dahr verse 3 “We showed man the
way so that he may choose, of his own accord either the way we showed him and
be grateful or go the other way that is the way of ingratitude and disbelief”. Knowledge
enables him to make his future as he likes. Faith guides him to choose a way
which is beneficial to him self and the society. It gives directions to his
decisions and makes them embrace spiritualities in addition to material
advancement.
But man’s freedom of choice is limited by these factors;
heredity, natural and geographical environment, social atmosphere, history and
time factor.
From the above discussions it may be concluded that man is
neither completely independent nor completely dependent on his destiny in his
actions. Once a man enquired about it from Imam Ali, he ordered the enquirer to
lift his one leg and when lifted one leg, Imam Ali asked him to lift the other
leg. The man replied that he cannot do it, whereupon Imam Ali said that is your
limitation.
Some people have been misled by the Qur’anic verses in which
Allah proclaims about His knowledge of events in the world. They falsely
presume that man cannot do any thing without Allah’s approval. They disclaim
responsibility of their sins claiming that Allah wanted them to do certain
acts. The whole concept of rewards and punishment will collapse if Allah, God
forbid, forces a person to commit a sin and later send him to Hellfire.
The Thinker of
Pakistan, Allama Iqbal said in one of his poems:
Taghdeer
ke paband jamadat o nabatat Momin faqat Ahkaam e Ilahi ka hai paband
Stones and plants are the ones who are bound by destiny but
faithful is led by the orders of Allah.
Moreover, Imam Ali has warned his followers not to wander on
the path of ‘Qaza o Qadar’ as the chances of being misled are enormous. He said
“Our affairs are attached to the destiny decreed by Allah, even our best plans
may lead us to destruction” Giving instructions in a battlefield, Imam Ali had
advised his son: “My son! Remember that real help comes from Allah” Man is like
an electric bulb, which needs to remain connected with the powerhouse (Allah)
for remaining on. But he is free to light up either a mosque or a nightclub. Surat
al-Talaq verse 3, Allah says “If
someone trusts Allah, He will suffice him. He will surely bring about what He
decrees”
So the solution to this dilemma is to acquire knowledge,
work hard in all pursuits of life, let faith be our guiding light, think of benefiting
others and pray for your success in both lives – worldly and hereafter.
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