SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY

[SultanOrder]

I hope not, they where virtually wiped out, and their philosophy took a lot from greek philosophy. They believed in such thing as absolute freewill, that the Qur'an was created, and that Allah could only do what was best for someone. At their height, one of their most brilliant prodigies, turn against them, and joined the Aqida of Ahlul Sunnah Wa'l Jama'. After that he devoted most of his energy into refuting their beliefs, and through his efforts of articulating the beliefs of Ahlul Sunnah Wa'l Jama in opposition to them, a madhab of Aqida was named after him, Asha'ri aqida. Now don't think he started new believes but he was the most prominent to deal with them and so sunni's became ashari's in opposition to Mu'tizzalites. That is why we are Asha'ris in doctrine.

[DisplacedDiraac]

This reminds me of my philosophy classes back in the days.. good times!!

I know for sure that 'Dua' can change our destiny *if accepted by Allah*

[Hyperactive]

it's great question and almost every class i take we discuss and all agree and disagree cause every one explains in different ways with different understanding.

the way i understood is human exercise free will but our destiny is also known by Allah. it's like Allah and His infinity wisdom and knowledge knows what we end up but at the same time it's up to us to choose what choice and each choices leads consequences that Allah already knows.

[Goljano Lion]

it's great question and almost every class i take we discuss and all agree and disagree cause every one explains in different ways with different understanding.

the way i understood is human exercise free will but our destiny is also known by Allah. it's like Allah and His infinity wisdom and knowledge knows what we end up but at the same time it's up to us to choose what choice and each choices leads consequences that Allah already knows.

so your point is that free will is part of the predestined program , kolkaa the choices you make are predestined, even though we do have the free will to decide our lives from moment to moment

[shidow1]

[GacanSareeye]

The only thing i want to add is a direct hadith that is not mentioned when this topic is discussed. this has helped me a lot in this regard. i can narrate the hadith from a google search, but it is easier for me to paraphrase. the saxaaba came to the prophet and asked why they should pray and do good if allah already knows who goes to jannah and jahannam, and the nabi calayhi salam said, allah made it easy for each to do where he is destined, so if your destiny is jannah you will be doing the camal associated with it and vice verse.

Waryaa, thanks for condensing this complicated issue into a dvr

[FAH1223]

There is no such thing as free "will". Everything happens with the will of Allah, the term free choice is more applicable

So yes, while Allah SWT has written and pre-destined everything, you must remember a couple basic things. One is, that Allah SWT trancends time and space because he is the one that created all of it. Let that sink in for a moment.

Secondly, as human beings we do not know our future. We have no knowledge of the outcome of our lives the next second, minute, day, whatever. With this limited knowledge, there comes in the free choice. With our ignorance of the future, it creates the environment for us to be able to decide what to do with ourselves. Of course Allah knows what we will do or not do... cause he created time and the sequences thereof.

The Day of Judgment isn't for Allah SWT, its for mankind. Its like your test scores already have been counted and kept, but as a student you have no idea how well you did. You studied, hoped for the best, and then that day when you get your results is when you know your fate. Why wouldn't the Lord of the Worlds already know who will be in hell or heaven? He created the time line and it was set in the creation of all things.

So while we have pre-destination in Islam, the ignorance of humankind to the future creates a dimension in which we find ourselves to choose. We don't know who is going to heaven or hell (unless otherwise stated from Qur'an/Sunnah)... so we really shouldn't worry about that. Just worry about yourself.

Gacansareeye has a good explanation with the hadith.

[juzme123]

I couldn't be bothered to read all the psost before me but here's my personal understanding; not using any hadith or surah:

Its quite simple really:


1) There is al qadr, (khayrihi wa sharihi); everything that happens to you and around you is due to and known, even before it happens, Allah (the second bit means whether it be good or bad). I think this is what is reffered to as.

2) You have free choice and (hopefully) a sound mind to make decisions. You are not forced and your actions are not predetermined (not out of your control).~

3) Allah, being able to do all things, knows, even before it happens both, (1) what will happen to and around you (2) when you are presented with a choice, what your decision will be. It with this knowledge and power, anything and everything that was to ever happen to anyone and everyone, before the world was even created, was written in a book; it was also in that same way that Allah knows whether your own actions and reactions will take you to Heaven or Hell. This, perhaps, is what is reffered to by 'destiny'.

4) Therefore there is destiny which has 2 parts: (part a) this is #1 as described above and this element of your destiny you cannot control (part b) this is #2 as described above and you shape this part of your own destiny.

There you go.

[Hyperactive]

it's great question and almost every class i take we discuss and all agree and disagree cause every one explains in different ways with different understanding.

the way i understood is human exercise free will but our destiny is also known by Allah. it's like Allah and His infinity wisdom and knowledge knows what we end up but at the same time it's up to us to choose what choice and each choices leads consequences that Allah already knows.

so your point is that free will is part of the predestined program , kolkaa the choices you make are predestined, even though we do have the free will to decide our lives from moment to moment

exactly that's my understanding and my always argument about this well beaten topic in muslim society.