لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Lesson Twenty-One
An
Improper Interpretation of Fate and Destiny
Some pseudo-intellectuals have erroneous ideas about fate and
destiny and imagine that this doctrine causes stagnation and inactivity, restraining man
from all forms of effort to improve his life. The source of this notion in the West is a of adequate understanding
of the concept, particularly as it is expounded in Islamic teachings. In the East, it has
gained influence because of decline and backwardness. It is fairly well-known that whenever individuals or historical
communities fail to reach its goals and ideals, for whatever reason, they console
themselves with words such as 'luck "accident," "destiny,"
"fate." The Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, expressed
himself eloquently on this matter An age will come for the people of my community when
they will commit sin and inequity, and in order to justify their corruption and pollution,
they will say: 'God's fate and destiny decreed that we act thus.' If you encounter such
people, tell them I disown them. Belief in fate and destiny does not prevent man from striving to
reach his goals in life. As those who have the necessary religious knowledge realize,
Islam calls on human beings to strive to the utmost in improving their lives, both morally
and materially. This is, in itself, a powerful factor in intensifying the efforts man
makes. One of the Western thinkers who has an inadequate understanding of
fate and destiny is Jean-Paul Sartre. He imagines it is impossible simultaneously to
believe in a fate and destiny determined by God and in the freedom of man, and that it is,
therefore, necessary to choose either belief in God or the freedom of man: Because I
believe in freedom, I cannot believe in God, because if I believe in God, I will have to
accept the concept of fate, and if I accept fate, I will have to renounce freedom. Since I
am attached to freedom, I do not believe in God. However, there is no contradiction between belief in fate, on the
one hand, and the freedom of man, on the other. While regarding God's will to be universal
in scope, the Noble Quran also ascribes a free and active role to man, describing him as
capable of consciously fashioning his own destiny with a knowledge of good and bad, ugly
and beautiful, and the capacity to choose between them. We have shown the path to man,
and he is free to choose the right path and be thankful or to choose the path of
ingratitude. (76:3) Whoever wishes for the eternal abode and strives for it as
needed will find his efforts rewarded. (17:19) Those who on the Day of Judgment seek refuge in determinism and say:
It God wished, we would not worship other than Him (16:35) are rebuked for
attributing their own sinfulness and error to divine will and fate. In none of the verses of the Quran are the corrupt and evil deeds of
individuals or societies attributed to fate and destiny. Equally, fate and destiny are not
depicted as obstacles to a corrupt and polluted society's reforming itself. Not a single
verse can be found in which God's will has supplanted man's will, or in which it is said
that men started to suffer because of fate and destiny. The Quran repeatedly mentions the wrath of God that will overtake
the tyrannical and corrupt, bringing painful punishment in its wake. Since God is extremely loving and merciful to His servants, having
bestowed countless bounties on them, and is, at the same time, clement and ready to accept
repentance, He always keeps open for the sinner the path of return to purity and
rectitude. God's acceptance of repentance is, in itself, a great instance of His
mercy. Although the scope of man's will is greater and more extensive than
that of all other known living creatures and plays a more creative role, his will has
effect only in areas delimited for his activity and deeds by God. He cannot, therefore,
accomplish everything he wants throughout his life. It often happens that man decides to do something but however hard
he tries, he is unable to accomplish it. The reason for this is not that God's will
opposes itself to man's will and prevents him from doing what he wishes. It is rather that
in such cases some unknown external factor which lies beyond the scope of man's knowledge
and control creates obstacles in his way and prevents him from attaining his goals. Both individuals and societies constantly encounter such obstacles.
Considering the fact that in the natural realm there is no cause without an effect and no
effect without a cause, and that our means of perception are limited to this world and to
the human realm, it should not be difficult for us to accept that our aspirations may not
be fulfilled as we desire. God has set billions of factors to work in the order
of being. Sometimes those factors are apparent to man, at other times they remain unknown
to him and cannot be incorporated in his calculations. This, too, relates to fate and
destiny, but not only does it not result in depriving man of free will or prevent him from
striving to attain satisfaction in life; it also guides him in both thought and activity
and imbues the very depths of his being with greater vitality. He seeks to augment his
knowledge and identify, as precisely as possible, the factors that pave the way for
attaining greater success in life. Belief in fate and destiny is then a potent factor in
advancing man toward his aims and ideals. ***** The question of the salvation or damnation of man is implicitly
solved in the preceding discussion, since salvation and damnation arise from the deeds and
acts of men, not from matters that lie beyond their will or from natural phenomena that
have been implanted in human existence by the Creator. Neither environmental and hereditary factors nor the natural
capacities present in man have any effect on man's salvation or damnation; they cannot
fashion his destiny. That which fixes man's future, is the axis on which his salvation or
damnation turns and the of his ascent or descent, is the degree to which man, as a being
endowed with choice, makes proper use of his intellect and knowledge and other
powers. Happiness and salvation do not depend on an abundance of natural
capacities. It is, however, true that the one who has greater capacities than others also
bears greater responsibilities. A slight error on his part is far more significant than a
similar error on the part of a weak and powerless individual. Everyone will be called to
account in accordance with the talents and capacities he possesses. It is entirely possible that a person whose innate capacities and
resources are slight should order his life in accordance with the duties and
responsibilities that have been imposed on him and reach that true happiness which alone
is worthy of the lofty station of man. What will enable him to achieve that result is the
intensity of his efforts he expends in order to make correct use of the limited capacities
he has been given. Conversely, one who has been given abundant inward resources and
capacities, not only may not use them to benefit himself, he may actually misuse them to
trample on his own human dignity; and cast himself into the swamp of corruption and sin.
Such a person is, without a doubt, a sinner destined to damnation and will never catch a
glimpse of salvation. The Quran says: Every soul will be held in pledge
for what it has acquired. (74:38) Hence, the salvation or damnation of a person is
dependent on the volitional acts, not on his natural or psychological make-up. This is the
clearest manifestation of God's justice. ***** One of the characteristic doctrines of Shi'ism is bada', a term
meaning that men's destinies change when the factors and causes regulating them change:
what appears to be eternal and immutable changes in accordance with a change in man's
conduct and acts. Just as material factors can reshape a man's destiny, non-material
factors may also elicit new phenomena. It is possible that such non-material factors may make apparent what
is hidden and contrary to the apparent course of affairs. In fact, through a change in
causes and circumstances, God will decree that a new phenomenon will appear, more
beneficial than the phenomenon it has replaced. This is comparable to the principle of
abrogation in revealed law. If an earlier law is abrogated in favor of another, this does
not indicate ignorance or regret on the part of the divine lawgiver, but only that the
validity of the abrogated law has expired. We cannot interpret the concept of bida'in the sense
of God changing His mind after the reality of something previously unknown to him becomes
known to Him. This would contradict the principle of the universality of God's knowledge
and so it cannot be accepted by any Muslim. ***** Petitionary prayer is another factor, the effectiveness of which
should not be belittled. It is obvious that God is aware of the innermost secrets of
everyone, but in man's relationship with God, petitionary prayer plays the same role as
man's efforts and acts in his relationship with nature. Quite apart from its psychological
effect, prayer exercises an independent effect. Every instant new phenomena appear in nature in the emergence of
which preceding causes play a role. Likewise, in one great sphere of existence,
petitionary prayer is profoundly effective in advancing man toward his goals. In just the
same way that God has assigned a role in the system of causality to each of the natural
elements, so, too, He has assigned an important role to petitionary prayer. When a person is besieged by difficulties, he must not fall into
hopelessness and despair. The doors of God's mercy are never closed to anyone. It maybe
that tomorrow a new situation emerges in no wise corresponding to what he had anticipated.
For, as the Quran says: Each day God is engaged in a different affair. (55:29)
One should, therefore, never relinquish one's efforts. A petitionary
prayer that is not joined to appropriate efforts is, as the Master of the God fearing,
Ali, peace be upon him, has said, Like a person who wishes to loose an arrow from a bow
without a string. While making continuous efforts, one should place one's desires
before God, in hope and sincerity, and seek aid with one's whole being from that source of
infinite power. God will then certainly take one by the hand and aid him. The Quran says: When
My servants ask you whether I am far from them, distant or near, let them know that I am
near to them. Whoever calls upon Me, I shall answer him and fulfill his prayer. Let them
hearken to My call and believe in Me in order to attain happiness. (2:186) Man's spirit will ascend toward God and immerse him in true
happiness when he avoids the pitfall of neediness by severing himself from all causes and
turning directly to God. He will then see himself linked directly to God's essence and
palpably feel His infinite favor and grace. Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, addresses God as follows in the
prayer known as the Prayer of Abu Hamza: O Creator! I see the paths of request and
petition leading to You open and smooth and the sources of hope in You abundant. I see it
permissible to request aid from Your favor and mercy, and I see the gates of prayer open
to all who call upon You and beg for Your aid . I am certain that You are prepared to
answer the prayer of those who call upon You and to grant refuge to those who seek it with
You. There is also a tradition concerning the effects of sin and good
deeds: Those who die on account of sin are more numerous than those who die
on account of natural death, and those who live on account of performing good deeds are
more numerous than those who live on account of their natural life span. It was the effect of prayer that enabled Zakariya, a true Prophet
who had despaired of having a child, to attain his desire; it was the effect of repentance
that saved the Prophet Yunus and his people from disaster and annihilation. The laws that the great Creator has implanted in the system of the
universe do not in any way limit His infinite power or lessen its scope. He has the same
absolute discretion in changing those laws, in confirming or abrogating their effects, as
He did in establishing them. That Unique Essence, Whose careful and comprehensive
supervision covers the whole system of being, can hardly be helplessly subject to laws and
phenomena He Himself has created, or lose the power and capacity to do whatsoever He
wills. When we say that God is able at any instant to change the phenomena
He has created in the world, we do not mean that He destroys the order of the world and
its fixed regulations or overturns the laws and principles of nature. The very process of
change takes place in accordance with certain unknown principles and criteria that escape
our limited perception and cognition. If man looks carefully and critically at the matter
and takes into consideration the wide range of possibilities with which he is confronted,
it will prevent him from ambitiously attempting to predict all things on the basis of
those few principles which he has been able to observe in the natural realm.
