Islam's Reformers .pdf

not before doing something but after doing it. The twentysecondâyat of the sûrat al-Hadîd says, “Everything thatwould happen in the world was written in Lawh al-mahfûzand predestined in eternity before the world was created.We tell this to you so that you would not be sorry for theopportunities you have missed, nor should you feelarrogant for your good deeds and for the blessings Allâhuta’âlâ has given you. Allâhu ta’âlâ dislikes the arrogant.”This âyat shows that a person who believes in qadâ and qadarwill never fall into despair, hopelessness or self-esteem. Beliefin qadâ’ and qadar does not prevent man from working. Itencourages him to work. The hadîth, “Work! Everybody willfind himself attracted to what has been predestined fromhim,” tells that man’s work will show how qadâ’ and qadar willhappen, that there is a strong relation between work and qadâ’and qadar. A man’s working for goodness shows that goodnesshas been predestined in eternity for him, since everybody isattracted towards doing the actions which have beenpredestined for him in eternity.As it is an obligation for Muslims to believe in qadâ’ andqadar and to know that all the good and evils are from Allâhuta’âlâ, so it is their duty to do good and strive to abstain frombad behaviour. That Allâhu ta’âlâ knows how something willhappen before it happens or that He destines and decreesaccording to this knowledge of His is not a compulsion overman. Because He knew in eternity also how man would use hiswill and option. This knowledge or predestination is not contraryto the wish and will of men. Allah’s knowing in eternity does notinfluence the happening or not happening of actions.“Knowledge is dependent upon the known,” has been saidin order to show that knowledge would not affect actions.A person does some good or bad thing, and Allâhu ta’âlâknew in eternity that that thing would be done, and predestinedit according to His knowledge. Allâhu ta’âlâ’s predestining willcome true and His knowledge, which caused thispredestination, will not prove wrong. It is seen that man is notcompelled to do this work. Allâhu ta’âlâ knew in eternity that thisperson would do that work with his own will and wish. Man’soption or will is the cause of qadâ’ and qadar in eternity. That is,man will wish to do that work not because Allâhu ta’âlâ knewand predestined in eternity that work to be done so. Allâhu- 47 -