Preordained/ Predestined:-
In orthodox Muhammadan theology, Man - as well as everything else in the
Universe - is PREDESTINED and its fate is sealed by the Allah even before his birth. In at least fifty Quranic verses, Allah boasts that the guidance of human beings depends entirely on his will and caprice.
The conclusion from reading the following verses is that Allah, the alleged Creator of the Universe, the Most Merciful and Compassionate, does not desire to guide ALL human beings on the path of righteousness and then - adding insult to injury - he inflicts upon them painful and eternal damnation:
3:154 "Say: 'Even if you had remained in your houses, those ordained to be slaughtered would have gone forth to the places where they were to be slain."
6: 25 Of them there are some who (pretend to) listen to thee; but We have thrown veils on their hearts so they understand it not and deafness in their ears; if they saw every one of the Signs not they will believe in them; in so much that when they come to thee they (but) dispute with thee; the unbelievers say: "These are nothing but tales of the ancients."
6: 59 With Him are the keys of the Unseen the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge:
there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered) but is (inscribed) in a Record Clear (to those who can read).
10: 99 If it had been the Lord's Will, they would all have believed. All who are on earth! Wilt thou compel mankind, against their will, to believe?100 No soul can believe except by the will of Allah. And He will place doubt on those who will not understand.
*** Muhammad begged the above question and did exactly that:
Having lost the dialogue and theological arguments with his own tribe of Quraysh as well as with the Judaized and Christian Arabs, he went on a blood letting rampage to force humanity to believe in Allah and in himself as his messenger.
What he could not achieve by peaceful means of persuasion, he did by war, deception, death, destrusion, conquest, enslavement and humiliation of all so called 'Un- believers' as well as to the People of the Book.
The greatest absurdities in the Quran are the verses which condemn any human being for not believing in the One and Only Allah, the same who made them UNBELIEVERS in the first place ***
10: 96 Those against whom the Word of thy Lord hath been verified, would not believe 97 Even if every Sign was brought unto them- until they see the grievous penalty
13: 27 The Unbelievers say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?"
Say: "Truly Allah leadeth to stray whom He will [youthilloo man yashaa]; but He guideth to Himself [yahdi ilayhi] those who turn to Him in penitence
*** It is crystal clear that Allah is the one who either leads people into error or guides them to righteousness ***
18: 57 And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord but turns away from them forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this and over their ears deafness. If thou callest them to guidance even then will they never accept guidance.
28: 56 It is true thou wilt not be able to guide everyone whom thou lovest: but Allah guides [yahhdi] those whom He will and He knows best those who receive guidance.
32: 13 If We had so willed We could certainly have brought every soul its true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true. "I will fill Hell with Jinns and men all together."
39: 23 Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful message in the form of a Book consistent with itself (Yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects): the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's praises. Such is the guidance of Allah: He guides [yahdi] therewith whom He pleases but such as Allah leads to stray [youthlili] can have none to guide.
40: 74 In derogation of Allah?" They will reply: "They have left us in the lurch: nay we invoked not of old anything (that had real existence)." Thus does Allah leaves [youthillou] the Unbelievers to stray.
*** The ending of this verse is deliberately mistranslated to eliminate the fact that Allah wilfully MISLEADS his own creation, depriving them of FREE WILL and yet unjustly and unmercifully condemning them to Hell Fire.
It should read "..Thus does Allah lead [NOT leave] the Unbelievers astray.. ***
42:44 For any whom Allah leaves [leads] astray [Youthilloo] there is no protector thereafter and thou wilt see the wrongdoers when in sight of the Penalty Say: "Is there any way (to effect) a return?
48: 25 They are the ones who denied revelation and hindered you from the Sacred Mosque and the sacrificial animals detained from reaching their place of sacrifice. Had there not been believing men and believing women whom ye did not know that ye were trampling down and on whose account a crime would have accrued to you without (your) knowledge. (Allah would have allowed you to force your way but He held back your hands) that He may admit to His mercy whom He will [man yashaa]. If they had been apart We should certainly have punished the Unbelievers among them with a grievous punishment
The concept of FREE WILL, in the Quran, is unthinkable. The Muhammadans believe that Man cannot change the will of Allah which has already decided for him his fate. This total abdication from taking responsibility for one's own actions reduces the individual to a status similar to that of an animal in a herd at the mecy of its human master.
This doctrine of fatalism is morally degrading and is in reality the accumulated detritus of ideas invented by the Ulamaa who were and are men of very limited intellect and with even less grasp of philosophical and theological truth. (Bukhari 2:444; 4:549; 9:606; Sura 10:100,108).
In fact, this concept is by itself Blasphemous, since it makes the Almighty guilty of Injustice, Immorality, Mercilessness and total lack of Compassion because He would be punishing His creatures for crimes that He Himself destined them to commit. Is it not blasphemy to believe, that the Merciful and Compassionate Allah would pre-destine a Man to murder and then condemns him to Hell Fire? Should not the murderer be praised instead, for having fulfilled Allah's command?
In fact the Quran - as is its wont in many other instances - contradicts itself in
Surah 18:29 "Say "The Truth is from your Lord": let him who will believe and let him who will reject (it): for the wrongdoers We have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames) like the wall and roof of a tent will hem them in: if they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass that will scald their faces. How dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!" which implies CHOICE or FREE WILL.
This view of the life of humanity is totally in apposition to the theology of the Jews where in Mankind has been given numerous options, directives, rules and regulations by the Almighty to choose from.
It is up to the individual to determine - within the natural order of things - which course he/she is willing to take whether for good or evil or both. It is left to the conscience of the individual to choose the path in life that he/she walks on. The individual is then fully responsible for its actions - towards both other humans as well as the Almighty - and hence must accept the consequences thereof.
In Ginsberg's 'Legends' Vol. I, p: 56 it relates that the Hebrew tradition believes that the Almighty 'decides' the shape, sex, looks, wealth etc of the individual EXCEPT its FREEWILL to choose between Good or Evil and hence is totally responsible for its actions.
Deuteronomy 30: 19" I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live".
The Almighty makes His position crystal clear in that He leaves it to humanity to choose its path to Redemption or to Perdition.
The concept of Free Will, enunciated about three thousand five hundred years ago by the Hebrews, was unique in a world whose religions believed that the gods were at all times, interfering and 'playing' games with them. A world view that humanity and the individual had no control over their actions but were at the mercy of the caprice and unpredictable 'behaviour' of their gods. This concept/doctrine was and still is a gigantic leap, in fact a Quantum leap in human thinking.
The Hebrew doctrine of Free Will is the pillar of the Torah and the Divine Commandments. This doctrine allows every individual to rise to the exalted position of Moses or to fall to the abyss and the wickedness of Jeroboam.
The Almighty, contrary to the foolish assertions of astrologers, does not predetermine human affairs. The Creator of the universe has fore knowledge of everything but does not predestine Man's fate or actions.
Among the Muhammadan sects who did not accept this doctrine were the Qadarites who maintained that Man had the power to determine and choose his acts.
Another sect who followed them was the Mut'azila who felt very keenly the absurdity and moral difficulty inherent in the assertion that Allah would misleed sinners, decree their evil deeds and then punish them in Hell fire for the same. It is unthinkable that the Most Compassionate and Merciful Allah would punish Man for what He Himself had commanded.
From the psychological point of view, the belief in pre-destination is usually comforting and sustains people who suffer terrible hardships since it can give them fortitude in adversity by accepting the Divine Will that ordained their condition. Unfortunately, it at the same time, deprives them from the will to overcome their miserable situation by exerting themselves harder to escape their condition.
Sunan of Abu-DawoodHadith 2926 Narrated byAisha, Ummul Mu'minin
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) said: When Allah has a good purpose for a ruler, He appoints for him a sincere minister who reminds him if he forgets and helps him if he remembers; but when Allah has a different purpose from that for him. He appoints for him an evil minister who does not remind him if he forgets and does not help him if he remembers.
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 4.430 Narrated byAbdullah bin Musud
Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(The matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four things.
He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature's) deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into him. So, a man amongst you may do (good deeds till there is only a cubit between him and Paradise and then what has been written for him decides his behavior and he starts doing (evil) deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire. And similarly a man amongst you may do (evil) deeds till there is only a cubit between him and the (Hell) Fire, and then what has been written for him decides his behavior, and he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise."
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 6.260 Narrated byAbu Huraira
Allah's Apostle said, "Adam and Moses met, and Moses said to Adam,'You are the one who made people miserable and turned them out of Paradise.' Adam said to him, 'You are the one whom Allah selected for His message and whom He selected for Himself and upon whom He revealed the Torah.' Moses said, 'Yes.' Adam said, 'Did you find that written in my fate before my creation?' Moses said, 'Yes.' So Adam overcame Moses with this argument."
*** What Muhammad is trying to make clear to his ignorant and gullible followers, is that Adam's destiny was already pre ordained by Allah BEFORE the Creation***
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 6.473 Narrated byAli
While we were in a funeral procession in Baqi Al-Gharqad, Allah's Apostle came and sat down, and we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand and he bent his head and started scraping the ground with it. He then said, "There is none among you, and no created soul but has his place written for him either in Paradise or in the Hell-Fire, and also has his happy or miserable fate (in the Hereafter) written for him."
A man said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we depend upon what is written for us and give up doing (good) deeds? For whoever among us is destined to be fortunate (in the Hereafter), will join the fortunate peoples and whoever among us is destined to be miserable will do such deeds as are characteristic of the people who are destined to misery."
Prophet said, "Those who are destined to be happy (in the Hereafter) will find it easy and pleasant to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to happiness, while those who are to be among the miserable (in the Hereafter), will find it easy to do the deeds characteristic of those destined to misery." Then he recited: "As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and believes in the Best reward from Allah, We will make smooth for him the path of ease. But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, and gives the lie to the Best reward from Allah we will make smooth for him the path for evil." (92.5-10)
*** This Hadith is among the very few which is PREGNANT with meaning and logic. Even the most gullible, unlearned and illiterate companions of Muhammad realised the ABSURDITY, IMMORALITY, STUPIDITY, ILLOGIC and INJUSTICE of the doctrine of PRE-DESTINATION that Muhammad was so cavalier in declaring ***
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 8.594 Narrated byAnas bin Malik
The Prophet said, "Allah puts an angel in charge of the uterus and the angel says, 'O Lord, (it is) semen! O Lord, (it is now ) a clot! O Lord, (it is now) a piece of flesh.' And then, if Allah wishes to complete its creation, the angel asks, 'O Lord, (will it be) a male or a female? A wretched (an evil doer) or a blessed (doer of good)? How much will his provisions be? What will his age be?' So all that is written while the creature is still in the mother's womb."
Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 8.611 Narrated byAbu Huraira
The Prophet said, "Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam, 'O Adam! You are our father who disappointed us and turned us out of Paradise.' Then Adam said to him, 'O Moses! Allah favored you with His talk (talked to you directly) and He wrote (the Torah) for you with His Own Hand. Do you blame me for action which Allah had written in my fate forty years before my creation?' So Adam confuted Moses, Adam confuted Moses," the Prophet added, repeating the statement three times.
*** This verse contains two very important points:
1. There is no such encounter in the Bible and hence this Hadith - like thousands of others - was created by Muhammad or his followers as an allegory.
2. Allah WROTE the Torah and hence it is obviously MORE authentic than the Quran's second hand 'revelations' to Muhammad through the angel
Gabriel ***
Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 38 Narrated byAbuHurayrah
The Messenger of Allah said to his uncle (at the time of his death): Make a profession of it that there is no god but Allah and I will bear testimony (of your being a Muslim) on the Day of Judgment. He (AbuTalib) said: Were it not the fear of the Quraysh blaming me (and ) saying that it was the fear of (approaching death) that induced me to do so, I would have certainly delighted your eyes.
It was then that Allah revealed: Verily thou can not guide to the right path whom thou lovest. And it is Allah Who guideth whom He will and He knoweth best who are the guided (28.56).
*** Repeatedly and unambiguously, the Quran asserts that it is Allah who pre destines all his creations and that there is NO FREE WILL.
This concept is totally alien and in opposition to that of the followers of Moses.
It is not impossible to conjecture that Muhammad inserted this concept for his followers because it is the OPPOSITE to that of the Jews, a policy that he repeatedly followed as mentioned in the Ahadith***
Sahih Muslim HadithHadith 6406 Narrated byImran ibn Husayn
AbulAswad reported that Imran asked me: What is your view what the people do today in the world, and strive for, is it something decreed for them or preordained for them or will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teaching which they did not act upon?
I said: Of course, it is something which is predetermined for them and preordained for them.
He (further) said: Then, would it not be an injustice (to punish them)?
I felt greatly disturbed about that, and said: Everything is created by Allah and lies in His Power. He will not be questioned as to what He does, but they will be questioned. Thereupon he said to me: May Allah have mercy upon you, I only meant to ask you in order to test your intelligence.
Two men of the tribe of Muzaynah came to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Apostle, what is your opinion? That which the people do in the world and strive for,
is something decreed for them, something preordained for them? And will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teachings which they did not act upon and thus they deserve of punishment? Thereupon, he said: Of course, it happens as it is decreed by Destiny and preordained for them, and this view is confirmed by this verse of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious: "Consider the soul and Him Who made it perfect, then breathed into it its sin and its piety." (91:8).
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 62 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Abbas
Once I was riding (on an animal) behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said: Boy, I would like to teach you something. Be careful and follow Allah's commands perseveringly. Allah will protect you. You should safeguard His rights, and you will always find Him with you; if you need something, ask Allah, and when you need help, solicit Allah alone for the same.
Bear it in mind that if all the people combined together to grant you some benefit, they would not be able to do so except that which Allah has determined for you and that if all of them were combined together to do you harm, they would not be able to do so except that which Allah has determined for you.
The pens have been set aside and the writings of the book of fate have become dry.
Transmitted by Tirmidhi.
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 96 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went out and he had in his hand two books. He said: Do you know what these two books are? We said: Allah's Messenger, we do not know but only that you inform us. Thereupon he said: This one which my right hand possesses is a Book from the Lord of the worlds. It contains the names of the inmates of Paradise and the name of their forefathers and those of their tribes. It is most exhaustive and nothing will be added to it nor anything eliminated from it up to eternity.
He then said: This one in my left hand is a Book from the Lord of the worlds. It contains the names of the denizens of Hell and the names of their forefathers and their tribes. It is also exhaustive to the end and nothing will be added to it nor anything will be eliminated from it.
The Companions said: Allah's Messenger, (if this is the case) then where lies the use of doing a deed if the affair is already decided?
Thereupon he said: Stick to the right course and remain as close to it as possible for one who is to be inmate of Paradise would end his life by an act befitting the inmates of Paradise, no matter what he may have done and for one who is the denizen of Hell, his deed would end on that which is a deed of the denizens of Hell, no matter what he may have done (before). Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) then threw the books and making a gesture with his hand said: Allah has made a decision about His servants (a section will be in Paradise and a section in the blaze). Transmitted by Tirmidhi.
*** This story, as well as the others, are extremely revealing on two counts:
First, even his generally illiterate and gullible followers questioned Muhammad about pre-destiny as they realised that this concept is unjust, unacceptable, irrational, immoral and questionable as of course it is.
Second, the most important item in the story is that it compromises the assertions by his later followers that he was illiterate since the only way possible for Muhammad to have known the extensive contents of the two books so as to differentiate between them, was if he could READ, especially since the they were not 'revealed' to him by either Gabriel or Allah.
This was not a case of 'inspiration' but of definite reading and evaluating the information within ***
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2138 Narrated byAli ibn AbuTalib
Al-Harith al-A'war said: While passing through the mosque I found the people engrossed in (prohibited) talk, so I went to Ali and told him. He asked if that was really so, and when I assured him that it was, he said: I heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "Dissension will certainly come." I asked him what is the way out of it, to which he replied,
"Allah's Book is the way (out), for it contains information of what has happened before you, news of what will happen after you, and a decision regarding matters which occur among you. It is the distinguisher and is not jesting. If any overweening person abandons it Allah will break him, and if anyone seeks guidance elsewhere Allah will lead him astray.
It is Allah's strong cord, it is the wise reminder, it is the straight path, it is that by which the desires do not swerve nor the tongues become confused, and the learned cannot grasp it completely. It does not become worn out by repetition and its wonders do not come to an end. It is that of which the jinn did not hesitate to say when they heard it, 'We have heard a wonderful recital which guides to what is right, and we believe in it.' He who utters it speaks the truth, he who acts according to it is rewarded, he who pronounces judgment according to it is just, and he who invites people to it guides to a straight path."
Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a tradition whose isnad is unknown, and al-Harith is adversely criticised.
*** How could it be possible that Allah, the Compassionate and Merciful, predestines any of His people to go to hell?
Since they have no free will in doing their pre-destined deeds, how then can Allah find them guilty of deliberately breaking his ordinances?
How could He, the Mighty and Just Allah be also the Merciful by intentionally consigning these poor creatures to the damnation and tortures of Hell, through no fault of their own?
This 'concept', 'idea' or 'dogma' is devoid of logic, of morality, of justice, of mercy and of compassion and hence could not have been nor can it have emanated from Allah - if Allah is the same as the God of Israel and Jesus - but from the perverted sense of 'justice' of those who put it in the Quran but attributed it to Allah.
The Companions asked the logical questions but none the less accepted Muhammad's totally illogical answers.
Using Muhammad's concept of PRE-DESTINATION totally negates the need for RELIGION.
Without Religion, then there is no need for PROPHETHOOD or SATAN.
Without Prophethood, then there is no need for PROPHETS including Muhammad.
All the above show the total inability of the prophets to change mankind radically and make pure nonsense of the attempts by theologians to prove the necessity of prophethood.
In conclusion, if people's future has already been pre ordained by Allah, then one must logically ask what useful purpose can be served by Allah's appointment of any prophet attempting to guide the already misguided?
Since not even Muhammad or SATAN can change a pagan into a believer against the will of Allah, therefore, there is no useful purpose in Muhammad declaring himself a prophet or a messenger of Allah nor can there be any need for Satan to MISLEAD those who have already been Pre-Destined by Allah to Believe.
By accepting and insisting upon the dogma and doctrine of Pre-Destination, Muhammad, inadvertently, put himself out of the job of prophethood and made his Quran redundant and useless***
