Kitab-ul-Taqdeer (Book of Destiny) I

by G. A. Parwez

translated by Khalid M. Sayyed

THE BACKDROP

Man was born into a hostile environment - awesome forests full of terrifying wild killer-beasts and other fearsome gigantic animals; towering mountains with their looming rocks; limitless seas with their shocking storms; tumultous rivers and streams with their destructive floods; endless rains, snowfalls with petrifying thunder and lightning; awesome volcanoes with their fiery produce; earthquakes. All these destructive forces surrounded a vulnerable mankind who did not understand, and could not defend itself against, all these forces. Man was still unaware of the natural law of cause and effect and was ignorant of the possibility of harnessing these forces. Therefore, every destructive event was seen as an accident, happening by chance. That was the limit of human thought. Logically, a helpless, vulnerable, ignorant and poor creature in such environment saw itself as a captive of destiny. That, then, is Man’s first ever view of himself. 

A weak, defenseless and vulnerable man has only one way to react to an awesome and dangerous element -- to submit & plead to it for mercy. This is what the early Man did. He bowed in submission to that huge fiery ball rising from the east every morning. He cowered down in front of thunder and lightning. Terrified by the overflowing river waters, he pleaded to it for respite. The lion, the snake and fire and rain became his idols. This gave birth to another belief, i.e. he must request a powerful force for help against dangers. Anthropologists refer it to as the Age of Worship. 

Clearly, this human belief could not affect Nature which was bound by laws. Occasionally though, when their prayers were answered -- purely by chance -- they would grow firmer in their beliefs. Otherwise believing in their own helplessness, they would accept the situation as a matter of course. 

The relatively more intelligent ones among them began exploiting this sense of helplessness by suggesting particular procedures of worship. This was the birth of the Age of Magic -- the practices of magic, sorcery, charming, occultism etc. Incidentally, this gave Man a little sense of his own power, i.e. he can, to some extent, control the forces of Nature. Still, his basic concept of his helplessness did not change. Man of this age did not possess the divine guidance of ‘Wahi’ and consequently, formulated his own ideas and concepts about his own self and the universe around him. Such concepts were later on referred to as RELIGION, and are commonly found in all religions, old and new alike. The basis of religion is the same all over the world. 

Contrary to this, ‘Wahi’ (1) handed down its version of the concepts of universe, man and super-nature. They are: 

1. The universe is not a result of, neither operates by, chance. It has been planned and purposefully created by an intelligent Being, and operates according to firm and permanent laws of Nature formulated by Him. The Being is refereed to as ‘Allah’. His laws are applicable to the physical universe as well as Man’s social life, both individual and collective. Nothing is outside the sphere of these laws.

2. Everything in the universe, with the exception of Man, must  -- and does -- obey the laws of Nature. This is known as the ‘nature of things’. This ‘nature’ can not be altered. Therefore, every event in the universe takes place within the bounds of these laws. It is known as the ‘the Law of Cause and Effect’ in general, and ‘the Law of Result of Actions’ in particular reference to the human world, i.e., each and every act by Man -- even his thoughts -- produces a result.

3. Man has been created with the potentiality of discovering the laws of Nature, which enables him to harness the natural forces. Thus, the whole universe is bound but Man is not. He should not be scared of the universe. On the contrary, the universe should be ‘scared’ of Man. The universe is conquerable and controllable by Man.

   Laws of Nature can be discovered by observation, study and experience. In today’s lexicon, it is known as ‘the Sciences’. But, knowledge of the laws for Man’s own life (the human side of it, not the physical) has been given to him through ‘Wahi’, preserved for ever in the Quran. These ‘human’ laws are also permanent and firm just like the rest of the laws of Nature.

4. The basic difference between Man and the rest of creation is that the universe is forced and bound to follow the laws of Nature while Man is not. He is free to choose --- either to live by these or any others laws.

Man is free to choose the laws he wishes to live by. But he must bear the consequences of his choice. For instance, one is free to consume poison as well as sugar, but the natural effect of one cannot be replaced by that of the other. That is beyond Man. This state of the Laws of Nature is applicable to Man’s earthly life as well as the Hereafter. 

Allah is the Absolute Power that formulated, and now exercises perfect control over, these laws. Any law --- the formula of ‘if this happens, that will happen’ --- is next to nothing without the enforcing authority behind it. Permanence of a law as a living reality requires the implementing authority to be living and permanent ( Hayyei (حي) and Qayyoum (قيوم) in the Quran’s words). 

The concepts just mentioned form the basis of a code of life known as ‘Ad-Deen’. This stands in obvious contrast as a challenge  to Religion. The Quran elaborates these concepts in great detail. This, then, is the subject of this book which aims at explaining clearly the question of Destiny (Fate) which Religion has rendered so complicated.

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 (1)       ‘Wahi’ is the Quranic term for divine messages from God (Allah) to His Messengers. Literally, it means a sharp, quiet and subtle signal.

Kitab-ul-Taqdeer (Book of Destiny) II

THE CONCEPT OF ALLAH

Allah has always been and will always be. He was Allah even before this Universe was created, He will  be Allah even when this Universe exists no more. Therefore, ‘Allah’s domain’ is not only the created universe but also beyond. This is what the Quran refers to as the two worlds of Allah - Amr and Khalq. Khalq is the created universe while Amr is whatever is beyond. (7/54) 

Law pertains to the world of Khalq. Two examples are, the universal truths of ‘Cause & Effect’, and any creation being dependent on its constituent material. Amr relates to creation from nothingness. His determination to create from nothingness and His actions thereof run contrary to natural laws like cause and effect, creation within the universe, procreation, etc. Amr is based upon ‘Allah’s will’. (22/14, 11/107, 5/1, 22/18, 21/31). See 2/117 (below), also 6/14 and 30/11. 

Takhleeq - ‘Khalaqun’ literally means to measure, to assess the balance and ratio of things. Thus ‘Khalaq’ means to make something with the right balance and ratio of elements according to a specific measure. The domain of ‘Amr’ (creating from nothingness) is exclusive to Allah and Allah alone. Material resulting from ‘Amr’ may be, and is, used in various proportions to create by Nature as well as Man. Allah is the best creator in this particular sense (Khalq - 23/14, 37/125). He also improvises (35/1), either by creating something for the first time (‘Abdaa’) or varying an existing formula. GHALIB put it aptly .... (1)  Also, IQBAL:  (2) 

Characteristics of the Domain of Amr: This is the initial stage of creation. The chemistry of it all is beyond human comprehension and consequently, unquestionable. Allah used His exclusive power and privileges to create things (from nothingness) giving them their particular characteristics (24/45). He simply exercised His ‘will’. Man is told that the universe was created ‘rightfully’ (16/30) not wrongfully (3/19). It is upto Man to delve into the mechanics of it all to arrive at the ‘rightness’ of the universe around him. Suffice to say that the reality and function of the Domain of Amr lies outside the extents of human comprehension and its concept of ‘cause & effect’.

Having created the universe according to His own will, Allah introduced a great change in this cosmic program. Now, He bound His Amr in LAWS. This demands intense ponderance. 

TAQDEER 

The Arabic word ‘QANOON (قانون) (3) has not been used in the Quran in the meaning of LAW. It seldom appears even in contemporary Arabic literature. Instead, the Quran has employed a root more comprehensive than QANOON. It is Q-D-R with the basic meaning of a measure. (قدرت الشيء) means: I measured that thing; estimated. (قدرت الشيء بالشيء) means: I measured the (one) thing against the (other) thing. (قدرت عليه الثوب) means: I made clothes for him according to measurements. Therefore, ‘taqdeer’ has the sense of something being fit to measurements. (مقدار) is a model standard or measure. (على قدر) means: He/It proved true to measure (expected standard). (قدار) is a person of reasonable average of height. (المقدر) is a person who forecasts the yield possible from a particular corn field.  

It follows, therefore, that (قدر) ‘Qadrun’ or (تقدير) ‘Taqdeer’ means a measure or a standard; also, of something to be of the right measurements, standard and estimate. 

Since absolute control is required to make something according to a particular standard, (قدرت على شيء) means: I had control (and power) to make that thing according to my standard/measure. 

Allah’s ‘AMR’ Bound to Laws

It has been stated that the ‘Domain

of ‘Amr’ functions under the absolute power and will of Allah. There are no binding laws. In the ‘Domain of ‘Khalq’, however, Allah’s will is bound by laws (33/38: Allah’s ‘amr’ was bound by standards & measures) and thus ‘Allah set a standard to everything’ (65/3) 

This needs illustration. Liquid water is transformed to solid at freezing point and reverses at a particular temperature. It flows downhill and adapts its form to the container it is in. High temperature evaporates water into vapor which, being lighter than air, rise up as clouds. At a set temperature, clouds liquefy back into water, which, being heavier than air, falls down as rain. These facts are the ‘measures / standards of water’. Another example of the ‘standards of water’ is that in the right quantity, it is a thirst-quenching and life-giving commodity whereas in larger quantities it can even kill (e.g., drowning). A date tree yields fruit in years but banana takes only a few months. A cactus seed breeds a thorny, fruitless plant whereas a mango seed yields an exotic fruit. 

Laws of Nature

It is not difficult to see, then,  that (قدر) ‘Qadr’ of the

Quran is nothing but the Laws of Nature. Therefore, 65/3 means: Allah has set standards / measures to everything in the universe. These laws govern the creation, growth and death (or transformation) of all things. Consider the following from the Quran: 

1.         Regarding the birth of a human child, it says that it starts with the semen being deposited in a safe place (the female ovum) and  in (77/21, 22) it stays there for a known measure. Obviously, this refers to the period a fetus stays in the mother’s womb. (according to Nature’s law). The Quran goes on to say in 77/23 “ these measures have been set by Us and We are the best of standard setters”. Incidentally, this verse illustrates the meaning of (قادر ) i.e., the one who sets standards. A variation of this word (قادر) has been used as (قدير) in (25/54).

           About the fetus it says elsewhere (13/8) that occasionally a fetus cannot achieve its full and complete growth and that Gad has set standards to all things. 

2.         About rain the Quran says (in 43/11, 23/18): “and We bring down rain from clouds according to a measure”. Elsewhere (13/17), it says: “after rains, streams flow according to their standards.” 

3.         Produce from the Earth is mentioned in (42/27): “Its produce is according to a measure set by Allah’s will. (ما يشاء  is explained a little further on in this book). The four seasons for harvesting & farming are mentioned in (41/10): “Allah has set standards for four harvests (of the Earth).” 

4.         Summing up, it says about all universe in (25/2)  “He created all things and set a measure to them.”. More precisely in (54/49): “Surely, We created everything according to a measure.”  Special attention should be paid to two verses from Sura ‘Al-Aala’: “Allah initiated all creation, then gave everything a suitable proportion, set standards to them and programmed them for growth according to those measures.” 

5.         Let us now look at references where (قدر) is even more clearly used in today’s sense of ‘Laws of Nature’. Even a school child knows about the Earth’s rotation causing day and night according to set laws. This enables us to forecast, with certain precision, sunrise and sunset. The Quran says in (73/20): “Allah has set standards to day & night.” Also, about the moon (10/5): “Allah has set stages for it.” 

            The meaning of (تقدير) may be very clear by the following: “The sun is traveling towards its station. This is the measure set by the all-knowing and almighty (Allah).” Elsewhere (41/12), it talks about the heavenly bodies in general, and about stars in particular, and then says, “These are the standards set by the all-powerful and all-knowing (Allah)”. 

            This illustrates then, that (تقدير) means Laws of Nature and NOT Man’s destiny. 

One may ponder here on the point that the above mentioned verses say ‘Allah’s taqdeer’ (standards set by Allah). Therefore, it will be factually erroneous to say ‘Man’s taqdeer’ because Man has not (and cannot) set standards to the universe.  

The truth of the matter is that so many of our problems arise because of our misuse of words and their meanings. The only way to comprehending the Quran is to ascertain the correct meanings of its vocabulary, terminology and concepts. 

These taqadeer (standards, measures - law of Nature) of Allah’s are pre-determined (it was done in the domain of ‘Amr’) and they are ‘written’ in the ‘book of Nature / Universe’. This is referred to as ‘the clearly set book’. It says in Sura An’aam: “Allah knows what is in the seas and on land. He knows every leaf that falls off a tree. He also knows even a grain in the darkness of the Earth. The truth is that each and every thing (in detail) is there in the clearly-set book.” (6/59) That is to say that standards have been set to all things in the universe and are there. (17/58) ((for anyone to read if they so wish)). This is physics (science). That is why these laws are called (بقدر معلوم) in (15/21) and (15/24) i.e., laws which can be discovered. Adam (mankind) is said to have been given ‘the knowledge of names’. This is nothing but the knowledge of the universe. 

Laws of Nature are Permanent 

Law is defined as: If.......... then ............ always 

A ‘law’ is different from an ‘order’:  ‘Law’ is based upon its consistency (if you do this, that will ALWAYS happen). ‘Order’ is a decision. A master issues a variety of orders to his servants. One order may differ in kind from the previous one. Therefore, ‘orders’ are decisions which are subject to change. But when an order (decision) becomes consistent (with no possibility of change), it becomes law (unchangeable decision). Allah’s decisions about the universe (standards and measures) are unchangeable. The permanence of laws of Nature provides the foundation for the sciences. This ever-reliable foundation of permanent laws enables (‘tawakkal’ in the Quranic terminology) the earthlings to take successful trips to the Moon. In fact, the entire structure of our wonderful universe stands on the permanence, consistency and reliability of the laws of Nature.  

Allah’s Word (كلمة الله) and Allah’s Way (سنة الله):

Both of these

expressions in the Quran have been used  to mean Allah’s law. ‘Kalima’ is the formula (theory) while ‘SunnatAllah’ is the practical form the ‘Kalimatullah’ takes. Both of these are permanent: (6/34, 6/116, 18/27 and also 10/64) for ‘Kalimatullah’ and (33/62, 40/85, 48/23) for ‘SunnatAllah’. Not only are these laws permanent but they don’t even change course (17/77, 35/43)! It has been mentioned above that Allah’s ‘Amr (will) becomes (قدرا مقدورا) ‘set standards & measures’ in the created universe. This is referred to as ‘SunnatAllah’ in (33/38), i.e., it becomes unchangeable law.  

HAQ	We have also said earlier that according to the Quran Allah has

created the universe with ‘Haq’ (productive, beneficial and realizable results). This purpose of the universe is mentioned in (10/82): ‘Allah proves the validity of ‘Haq’ through His laws’, and also in (42/24): ‘Allah, through His laws, removes ‘Baatel’ (the wrong) and establishes ‘Haq’ (the right).” This phenomenon (realization of beneficial & productive results through His laws) naturally requires eons (33/5, 70/4). But their pace can be wondrously quickened if Man joins in the action by studying the physical laws of Nature and adopting Allah’s laws for human society - (see ‘Islam Kya Hai?’ (What is Islam?) or ‘Islam: A challenge to Religion’ by the same author for a detailed treatment of this point) The Quran says in (65/3): ‘Surely, Allah sees to it that His Amr (Will) is realized. That was the purpose of establishing standards & measures for all things. 

The created universe has no freedom of choice: Since Laws of Nature are permanent, the universe has to follow them anyway. All things in the universe do that faithfully (please see: 16/49, 2/116 and 57/1). 

Let me give you a summary of what has been said so far: 

1.         Allah has formulated and established laws for all things in the universe, exercising absolute control. 

2.       The universe is bound to follow the laws of Nature. 

3.       These laws are discoverable (قدر معلوم) by Man (2/34). The Quran summarizes this in (45/13): “Allah has made the entire universe conquerable (you can harness it). There are clear signs in this for those who care to think”. 

Allah bound Himself!

We have seen a great change in Allah’s great

design of things; i.e., His ‘Amr - absolute power and choice - transformed to building permanent Law of Nature. In other words, Allah bound Himself! Shocking, isn’t it? But, it IS true. We witness it routinely. For example, see (6/12 & 6/54) where He says: ‘He has made Rahma compulsory for Himself. (4) Also, see (10/103): ‘We have the obligation to protect the convinced. (5) This has also been termed as ‘Allahs Promise’ in (16/38, 31/9, 31/33, 35/5, 40/55 & 40/77). Also to be noted is the declaration that He always does, and will, keep His promise (30/6, 3/193).  

Allah’s Promises

His promises are nothing but His laws and ‘keeping

promises’ means the laws are permanent and consistent. The Quran contains a significant example of Allah’s voluntary adherence to His own Laws. One of nature’s Laws is procreation of animals and humans through the mating of a male and a female. The Quran rejects the Christian belief of the virgin birth (Christ being son of Allah) with a wonderfully logical argument. It says that despite  being the absolutely free and all-powerful initiator and originator of the universe, He bound it and Himself in laws. The law requires a male and female for procreation. How can anyone be Allah’s son when He has no wife? (6/102). In other words, He would have broken His own law by getting Himself a son, but He did not! 

A criticism Answered

This gives rise to the argument that a ‘law

abiding Allah’ ceases to be the ‘all-powerful Allah’. But this is misleading. One does not cease to have power if one submits to a law voluntarily. For instance, if you are made to, against your will, have a daily 3- mile early morning walk, you are forced. But if you decide to do it, on your own accord, you are free. One who keeps promises and adopts certain principles in life, is not powerless. On the contrary, such a person is termed a man of honor, upholder of principles and reliable. Therefore, Allah doesn’t lose any power by binding himself in His own Laws. In fact, such a Allah is worthy of being Allah. He is a Allah who can be trusted because His laws are reliable. Despite having the power to do so, He doesn’t break laws. This concept of Allah comes from ‘Din’. 

Religion’s Concept of Allah

The  religionists  cannot  or  will  not

accept this. The Allah of Religion as mentioned earlier, is a remnant of the early days of  Man’s intellectual growth. Now, Man has come of age and the Allah of ‘Din’ can be appreciated. But, sadly, the religionists don’t want this concept to get popular as it threatens their privileged position of ‘mediators’ between Man and Allah. This allows them to exercise authority over people. For this very purpose, the clergy propagated the concept of autocracy and hereditary monarchy. They likened kings to Allah where both are bound by no law. People under the influence of such clergy and monarchy can only follow instructions, not observe any laws. Such is the religion’s grip on the human mind that even mutineers and freedom fighters like to see Allah as an absolute ruler, much in the mold of an earthly king! This dualism (to have a law-abiding human society and a lawless Allah) is the hallmark of religion. ‘Ad-Din’ wants to replace it with the monotheism of a law-abiding Allah and an equally law-abiding Man!. 

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1. Ghalib: Using the simile of a veiled lady who is using a mirror to make her face up, Ghalib refers to the Creator who goes on to beautify the universe. 

2. Iqbal: The same idea is presented using a different simile of a hitherto not fully untapped plant of wine-bearing juice.

3. The Arabic word (قانون ) ‘Qanoon’ is commonly understood and translated into Urdu as ‘law’. Note that this work was originally intended for an Urdu readership.

4. The Arabic work ‘Kataba’ literally means to write (here ‘has written or wrote). Since writing makes something permanent, it is used to refer to a permanent decision (law). This is supported by the well known verse about fasting 2/183.

5. The Arabic word (مؤمن) “mo’min” is popularly translated into English as ‘believer’ which, to the  author, is not a true representation. Even ‘faithful’ does not carry over the meaning of mo’min. This very important word springs from the root a-m-n having the basic concept of peace of mind and heart resulting from being totally convinced of something because of rational knowledge. Hence the translation of mo’mineen as ‘the convinced’.

 

Kitab-ul-Taqdeer (Book of Destiny) III

Man

It has been stated that, in the second phase of Allah’s creation schedule, His Amr became Law and the universe was created bound to follow it. Also, Allah Himself vowed to keep the LAW constant. This was a big leap in the creation schedule. Now, even a bigger leap came, That was creation of Man. Laws were established for Man, too, but he was not bound to follow them. He was given the freedom of ignoring them. Thus: 

            i)          An omnipotent Creator bounds Himself to His own laws,

            ii)         The Universe is bound to follow His laws

                        but,

            iii)        Man is NOT bound to follow His laws. 

Man’s Will and Choice: 

Man has the freedom of choice - as opposed to the rest of the Universe which is bound and forced to obey Nature’s laws. The Quran says in (90/10): “ And We showed him two paths”. Also, (in 76/3): “We have guided him to the right path. It is upto him now to accept or reject it.” It is further elaborated in 18/29: “Tell that Right (has arrived) from your Preserver. It is upto you now to accept or reject it”. In Sura An.Najm, it says (53/39): Man can only get what he strives for.” Endeavor springs from Man’s will. Therefore, this point has been made several times in the

Quran. In Sura Bani Israel (17/18-20), it says: “Whoever endeavors to achieve the short-term benefits, get them, and We give the bounties of  Future to whoever decides and strives for them. This is a universe of endeavor and We have not sealed our bounties closed.” Also, in 4/134: “Whoever decides to get short-term benefits (should know that) Allah has both short-term and long-term benefits. You’ll get whatever you work for” (Also in 25/62). 

Man’s Responsibility 

As shall be elaborated in the next chapter, ‘Return of Deeds’, Man is created responsible for all his actions which consequently bear results. The entire system of Reward & Punishment rests on Man’s being responsible for his actions. Responsibility has to come from freedom of choice. No freedom of choice, no responsibility. That’s why the Quran says (in 16/75-76) “The subjugated and the free can never be equal. Subsequently, one will be answerable only for actions committed out of free will (16/106). Also (in 33/5): “you won’t be held answerable for (an unintentional) mistake - only for one which you make with your heart’s intention”. The same principle lies under the normal judicial law which distinguishes between intentional (cold-blooded) and unintentional (warm-blooded or accidental) murder, proposing  different punishments for them (4/92-93).

Story of Man - Free Will and Enforcement 

The Quran has resolved the problem of Freedom & Compulsion through the figurative story of Man. Both Man and Iblis (Devil) were given a command each. Both sinned (disobeyed the command). When Adam (Man) was  asked to explain; he responded with a regretful “O our Allah, we have done ourselves harm” (7/23). That is, Adam, by regreting and confessing to the disobedience, admitted the responsibility for the action. This gave him a chance of redemption.  He was told not to worry (in 2/38): “ I will be giving guidance to you. Whoever follows it will become free of fear and grief”. This is the potential of regaining the lost Paradise. The Quran calls it ‘repentance to reform after having erred’ (16/119). 

On the contrary, Iblis responded by blaming Allah for his action, citing his own lack of free will (7/16 and 15/39). Because he did not assume responsibility, Iblis had no chances of reform (15/34) and was reviled (7/18). He was ‘destined’ to eternal frustration (Iblis literally means frustrated). One who considers himself bound cannot improve his lot and remains frustrated for ever. 

The Way of Infidels and Polytheists 

The Quran says that the Devilish (Iblis) attitude of “I would not have sinned if You (Allah) had not wished so” is the line always taken by infidels and polytheists. They attribute their way of life to Allah’s will -- ‘we are what we are because Allah wills so’. As it is said in Sura An’aam: “When you question their (erroneous) way of life, the polytheists will say - ‘It is Allah’s will that we are, and our ancestors were, polytheists” (6/149). Allah rebuts that statement with: “Whatever you say (and follow) is nothing but pure conjecture (and ignorance)”. In Sura Zakhraf, it says that when you (the Prophet) question them, they say: ‘We would never have prayed to these idols if God did not will it”. Allah said, “this is just ignorance. They are nothing but conjectures.” (43/20). Sura Yaseen reports that when the rich are asked to let their wealth flown down to the poor, the infidels reply: ‘How can we enrich those who are poor by Allah’s will?”. The Quran’s response to that is : “surely, you are in grave ignorance!” (36/47). 

Allah’s Will 

Please pause here for a moment and think about our routine utterances like: ‘This is what Allah wanted’, or ‘It would never have happened if He didn’t want it’, or ‘Whatever takes place in this world is according to Allah’s will. Man cannot intervene in it. In fact, one who recites phrases like ‘Allah’s will is paramount’ and poetry like ‘Please don’t pray for my well-being as it may be against Allah’s will (by Hasrat Mohaany)’ is considered to be most Allah-loving. Please think what the Quran says about this attitude. I am confident of the powers of my reader’s intellect. Therefore, I leave it to you to ponder over. 

Man’s Will in Man’s World 

The Quran states that the infidels and polytheists (following Iblis) say that God’s will controls all events in Man’s world. But Allah says to men: “Do whatever you will” (41/40). 

Restricted in choice  But this (41/40) goes further. It says: “Do whatever you wish. Surely, whatever you do (will bear a result, as it) is watched by Him”. That is: your are free to do whatever you wish but not free to alter the natural result of that action. You can’t follow path A and expect to end up at the other end of path B. (or you can’t swallow a pinch of poison and expect it to behave like a lump of sugar. Every action has a set reaction. You can initiate and trigger a law which then follows its natural course. 

Actions and Results   

This is illustrated in the Quran at various places - Sura Bani Israel says: “When they disgraced, Allah (‘s Law of Return of Deeds) twisted their hearts,” (61/5). They (the children of Israel) were told that if they followed the last messenger of Allah, they would be absolved of their miserable life, but: ‘ If you return (to your previous attitude), We will (also) return (to giving you the same miserable life once again) (17/8). Allah’s law is: “Whoever turns away (from Him), is turned  away” (51/9). Sura Tauba reports: “When they turned away, Allah turned their hearts away” (9/127). Sura An-Nisa reports that whoever chooses to turn to other than the Prophet & the convinced, “We group them together”. (4/115). Contrarily, you remember Me, I remember you” (2/152), and “You help Me, I help you” (47/7). 

This has so beautifully represented by Iqbal as:

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State of Nations 

The Quran also tells us that the Law affecting individuals is also applicable to nations (groups of people) to bring about a change in their ‘destiny’. That means that a nation can alter its state according to the change it brings about in its psyche (13/11 and 8/53). In other words, just like individuals, nations are also bound by Allah’s laws of their rise and fall, revival and extinction i.e., whatever a nation does, it produces a result pre-determined by the eternal laws of Nature. This point shall be elaborated in chapter six dealing with rise and fall of nations. 

Further explanation of the term ‘Taqdeer’ 

Please recall what has been said so far about the meaning of the term ‘taqdeer’. As reminder, Sura An’aam reports: “Allah made night for rest and the sun and the moon for calculation (of time). This the taqdeer (destiny) of the Powerful and Knowledgeable Allah,” 6/97). In other words, this is Allah’s law. Similarly, Sura Yaseen reports: “And the sun is on course to its station. This the Powerful and Knowledgeable Allah’s taqdeer,” (36/38). Elsewhere, it says: “And We decorated the world’s sky with bright lamps (stars), and provided you protection through them. This the Powerful and Knowledgeable Allah’s taqdeer,” (41/12). Sura Furqaan reports: “He created all things and then determined taqdeer for them,” (25/2). Obviously, taqdeer means Nature’s laws. Again, Sura AdDahr reports: These goblets will be made of (brilliant) silver and made to special taqdeer (measures),” (76/16). 

It should be evident by now that the term ‘taqdeer’  means measures, standards, or laws of Nature running the Universe. Clearly, this is in stark contradiction to the interpretation of the term (under use in Urdu) in the sub-continent of India & Pakistan, viz-a-viz Man’s taqdeer (destiny). Taqdeer, in the Quranic sense, is nothing but Allah’s laws. Therefore, as far as Man is concerned, we say that:

            Taqdeer (destiny) is Nature’s law which becomes functional according to the action taken by Man. 

For instance, the ‘taqdeer’ of a person who puts a hand in fire is burning. When that burn is treated with a balm, soothing becomes its taqdeer. Iqbal represented it thus: 

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Omar Farooq’s Illustration 

This point is illustrated by a story about Omar (the Second Caliph). When plague broke out, he suggested moving out of the town to a nearby forest. Abu Obaida commented, “You are trying to escape Allah’s law?”. “Yes”, Omar replied, “I am escaping from His (one) law to His (other) law,”. If one stays in a plague-infected area, death comes according to God’s taqdeer (law). But, if one leaves the epidemic-affected environment for cleaner, safer ground, death is avoided according to Allah’s ‘taqdeer’ (law). The choice between the two ‘taqdeers (laws) is entirely Man’s own. Iqbal says:

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Therefore, the strong-willed choose their actions in the light of their ‘taqdeer’ (pre-determined results) but the weak become subject to changes in their situation - they are just like vegetation. That, then, is the Quranic meaning of taqdeer.  

How did this all change?

A little further in the book, I shall deal with the problem of this shift in view when I shall elaborate upon the causes of the Quranic System (Din) obliterating into Religion (Mazhab). This shift changed the law-enforcing Allah into an absolute dictator and the free-willed Man became a prisoner of ‘taqdeer’. The religious leaders (priests) assumed the guardianship of the jail!. 

Belief of Enforcement 

The supporters of ‘Mazhab’ (as against ‘Din’) seek to substantiate their views of Enforcement (a bound Man as against free-willed) with certain Quranic verses. Before I deal with it at length later on in the book, I shall now briefly present the argument in principle. They present verses like: “Not a person knows what he (or she) will do tomorrow...” (31/34), and “No one knows the location of one’s death”... (18/24); also, Allah says about Himself: “He knows about their (of people) present and future” (2/255). The conclusion drawn from all this is: If Man is free-willed, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to determine what he will do tomorrow. This verse can hold good only if Man is bound. 

This argument has a basic flaw. Man is surely free-willed. But, his freedom is not limitless. It is dependent on various factors beyond his control and/or knowledge. He does not have complete control over his environment and, more importantly so, neither over his fellow men’s actions. Man can be more certain about the physical universe around him when and if his knowledge of it progresses, but he cannot be certain of other (free-willed) men’s actions. In toady’s world, the political change in a super-power (country like the US), affects the entire globe. Therefore, Man, unlike the Sun or the Moon, cannot foretell with certainty the actions he will take in future. Man can only decide his actions in the light of his situation, considering the various factors in play, only upto a point within the boundaries of human capabilities. 

Another part of the argument is Allah’s  knowledge of people’s future as well as present. It is erroneously concluded that Allah can know Man’s future only if the future is pre-determined - future of a free-willed creation cannot be predicted.  

This conclusion has a basic flaw. The question of Allah’s knowledge is linked with the problem of TIME (a very complex philosophic question likes of which I have not set myself to deal with, as mentioned in the preface). Simply, put there is a basic difference between Allah’s knowledge and that of Man. The Quran cites the division of ‘Earth time’ into ‘day and night’ as among His great signs; also mentions the Sun and the Moon as instruments of calculation of time. This ‘time’ splits, for us earthly beings, into past, present and future. In the absolute sense, however these divisions of time do not exist. We lose all sense of time in sleep. As Bergson says: past, present and future are simply knots of human convenience on the thread of time. Time to Allah is an indivisible whole and, in Iqbal’s word, an ‘eternal now’. Since we humans are incapable of perceiving this as an indivisible whole, no example may explain it. However, one may try to explain it, to a limited extent, with reference to SPACE. Sitting inside a house we have no knowledge of the events outside (invisible). But, for someone on the roof of the building, those events are visible. Allah is, in the Quranic words, “Knower of the visible as well as the invisible, i.e., what is invisible to Man is visible to Allah. 

As mentioned above, humans cannot rise above the ‘divisible time’. We can only become unaware of it during loss of conscious (sleep or coma). As Ghalib puts it wonderfully:

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Allah, however, undergoes no loss of consciousness. He is above all this. Therefore, TIME for Him is one continuous Present.  

In simpler words, then, Man is capable of exercising his free will to change his decisions. Allah knows what decisions Man is going to take. Therefore, Man does not know his own future actions whereas Allah does (know man’s future actions). 

Predictions and Prophecies are Pure Conjecture 

Therefore, it is erroneous to believe that anyone’s future may be predictable. One can’t predict the next spot a common fly is going to settle at, let alone the actions of a free-willed man. Iqbal says: 

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Fortune- Tellers & Astrologers 

The Quran tells us that, during Man’s early (ignorant) days, astrologers and fortune-tellers used to hoodwink people into believing that the future was predictable. But, at the time of the Quran’s revelation - when Man was becoming of age - such people will be ‘flogged with lightening hunters” (72/8-9). 

‘Din’ Transformed into Religion 

That was when Islam was still ‘Din’. After its transformation into a religion, the Muslim world also saw the emergence of these prophets, fortune-tellers and astrologers. The free-willed Man, who was expected to carve his own destiny, sunk to having his future read by palmists. Iqbal put it thus:

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Belief in Taqdeer and tawakkul in ALLAH (other point of view)