Taqdeer

Q: I have a hard time being convinced that the notion of predestination in Islam makes logical sense. This is my current understanding of the situation: According to the islamic faith, Allah knows everything- what will occur and all that which has not yet occurred. He knew everything about His creation before He created it. He knows in His eternal knowledge about His creation, their provisions, life spans, sayings, moves, deeds, secrets all of their obedient and disobedient acts, who among them will be people of Jannah or who will be from the people of An Naar. Allah has written everything in `law7 el ma7fouz`and there is no escape from Qadr. Examples from the Quran and the Hadith (ex: Book of destiny in sahih muslim and Divine Will in sahih bukhari) supports such understanding of pre-destination. So if human beings are essentially following a `script,` how does it make sense to punish or reward them for their actions? In other words, the notion of pre-destination seems to undermine the notion of free will. If God knows everything in advance and decided for us in advance, it doesn't seem fair to punish or reward us for our actions, since we aren`t the ultimate cause of these actions (Add to that the fact that, according to the islamic faith, nothing happens in the universe except if Allah allows it to happen, which further reinforces the fact that we are not the ultimate cause of our behaviour). But if we have free will, then God cannot be All-Knowing (which is how Islam describes God, thus there is a contradiction). Some sheiks say that no, we have free will, regardless. The say for example, `if I want to stand up I can`, and then they stand up as a proof of free will. They add to that the fact that `nobody forced them to do it`. From their own will, they chose to stand up. However, it can be argued that just because you have the subjective impression that no one is forcing you to do something doesn`t mean that, objectively, that`s what`s actually happening. For example, someone with a brain tumor can exhibit pedophilic behaviours but he/she would never know that it was the brain tumor causing such behaviours (for more, see http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-07-28-pedophile-tumor_x…). Also, God already knew that you were going to stand up as an example, since he already knows everything in advance, thus this is an illusion of free will, it's not actual free will. So to summarise, either we have free will and God is not All-Knowing (therefore contradicting how Islam describes God) or God is All-knowing and we don't have free will (therefore the system of reward-and-punishment is unfair). What is your opinion on that? I would love to know.

Q: I was in a discussion recently about does Allah know our intentions and choices before we make them? I believe Allah knows all things before present and after his knowledge is compelled by time. But I don't know how to explain to my brother the issue of free will. Like he says if Allah knows our choices before we make them then he knows from birth if heaven or hell will be our abode then why put us on earth to test us when Allah knows our outcome already? So if Allah knows then its almost like programming. Please help me to explain or to make Allah knows all our choices even before our creation or birth or am I wrong?

Q: I am facing a lot of problems and troubles. Kindly suggest me a proper stone to wear.

Q: I would like to ask if sins change one's destiny?

Q: I really love reading your lectures and I am a recent convert. Allah has made me and gave me various talents and I thank him for his gifts. Few of the talents are painting, singing and writing. In short, I love arts. Why will Allah give me such talents and then tell me not to exercise them since all the three things I mentioned above is Haram. By music, I mean classical music and not the modern music. Please clear my doubt.

Q: It it the belief of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamah that Allah knows all what has happened, all that is happening, and all what will happen - it does not
befit His Majesty to not know. So could you kindly explain the meaning of this Hadith which the guest Mawlana mentioned in a Jumuah bayan but did not elaborate upon and which caused some confusion: "Nothing can change the Divine decree except du'aa".

Q: At times we get positive thoughts for example to give in charity / or visit a sick person but due to whatever reason (most probably due to tricks from shaitaan) we do not put it into action and later we regret having not carried out that act. Does this situation come under Taqdeer (predestination)?

Q: Allah Ta'ala says in the holy quran "In order that you may not grieve at the things that you fail to get, nor rejoice over that which has been given to you. And Allah like not prideful boasters" Sura hadeed ayah 23

My question is that sometimes we lose or fail to get something because of our wrong choices or decisions (we make these wrong choices by mistake, carelessness, not judging the matter judiciously or out of arrogance or ignorance). We turn out to be loser (ok this was written in our destiny) but should we not grieve if we made a wrong choice? Are we not responsible for what is written in our destiny? Allah is just so how can he make one's destiny good and other's bad. It is also said that everything happens for good. Is it applicable in the case we made a wrong choice? So should we not grieve for our bad choices in life?

Q: What's the link between laylat ul qadr and our taqdeer? i.e.: on the one hand, the pen's ink is already dried, and on the other hand, laylat ul qadr means the night of destiny. So would that mean that each year when laylat ul qadr happens, Allah can change our taqdeer?

Q: If our taqdeer is written, then why are we punised for the sins we commit?