Two questions from non Muslim

[Tayoofa]

Assalamu Alaykoom

I have two questions from non Muslim and I need your help to answer him

Here are his questions :


In Quran the verse 16:90 saying:

"Verily, Allah enjoins justice and goodness, and giving (help) to kith and kin; and forbids all evil deeds, bad conduct and wrongdoing. He admonishes you, that you may take heed"

I was wondering though, from the Islamic point of view how does one make sure that they are doing things that are objectively good? when people read a verse such as 16:90 different people might interpret it in different ways, for example, ISIS might say that what they do doesn't count as "evil deeds" What way is there to determine if we are following this instruction properly? What can we use as criteria to measure ourselves against?

Also I wanted to discuss about the concept of Qadr. Islam says that Qadr and free will are compatible but it didnt really make sense to me...

as I understand it, everything in this universe has already been willed and written down on the Eternal Tablet 50,000 years before creation, how are we any different than the robot who just does what he's programmed to do thinking it's his own choice?

[.khayriyyah.]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

:wswrwb:

In Quran the verse 16:90 saying:

"Verily, Allah enjoins justice and goodness, and giving (help) to kith and kin; and forbids all evil deeds, bad conduct and wrongdoing. He admonishes you, that you may take heed"

I was wondering though, from the Islamic point of view how does one make sure that they are doing things that are objectively good? when people read a verse such as 16:90 different people might interpret it in different ways, for example, ISIS might say that what they do doesn't count as "evil deeds" What way is there to determine if we are following this instruction properly? What can we use as criteria to measure ourselves against?

We can prove whether something is good or bad by referring back to the Quran and Sunnah.

Also I wanted to discuss about the concept of Qadr. Islam says that Qadr and free will are compatible but it didnt really make sense to me...

as I understand it, everything in this universe has already been willed and written down on the Eternal Tablet 50,000 years before creation, how are we any different than the robot who just does what he's programmed to do thinking it's his own choice?

https://islamqa.info/en/20806

[Salaam786]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

:wswrwb:

basically we ask the Scholars of unsure things; thats how we know we will be rightly guided, for although we dont know, they do

qadr is ALlah already knowing how we will use our free-will so He pre-willed for us to use our will in the way He knows that we will

[muslim singafuri]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

Wa alaykum. With regards to the topic about Qadr, see this link below:

http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=629

Q: If everything is pre-ordained and already decreed, then where is the free choice and will?



A: As I already said, divine decree does not negate free will, you are not forced into doing something, you make that choice, however so we believe Allah is all knowing do we not? Off course, hence since he is all-knowing he knows everything, before and after, and since he already knew what we would do because of his infinite knowledge, he has recorded it down already; he does not need to wait for you to do something to be able to know what happens.

I hope you can understand this easily.

[Saif-Uddin]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

Assalamu Alaykoom

I have two questions from non Muslim and I need your help to answer him

Here are his questions :

In Quran the verse 16:90 saying:

"Verily, Allah enjoins justice and goodness, and giving (help) to kith and kin; and forbids all evil deeds, bad conduct and wrongdoing. He admonishes you, that you may take heed"

I was wondering though, from the Islamic point of view how does one make sure that they are doing things that are objectively good? when people read a verse such as 16:90 different people might interpret it in different ways, for example, ISIS might say that what they do doesn't count as "evil deeds" What way is there to determine if we are following this instruction properly? What can we use as criteria to measure ourselves against?

Also I wanted to discuss about the concept of Qadr. Islam says that Qadr and free will are compatible but it didnt really make sense to me...

as I understand it, everything in this universe has already been willed and written down on the Eternal Tablet 50,000 years before creation, how are we any different than the robot who just does what he's programmed to do thinking it's his own choice?

وعليكم السلام والرحمة الله وبركاته

Right and Wrong are not determined by individual interpretations,

Our Yardstick/Criterion is the Qur'an and Sunnah

What they Enjoin and permit is good,

What they Forbid is Evil,

Subjectivity is the realm of the Atheists, they have no non-subscriber criterion to distinguish right from wrong, it's all a matter of opinion for them, hence why they are in a schism,

As for Qadr is the decree of Allah عز و جل
Whatever Allah عز و جل decrees is with his knowledge, of the past, present, future,

The problem lies with certain dubious individuals who imply Allah عز و جل arbitrarily decides stuff regardless of what you do,

This is a devilish assumption from the Kuffar/Mushrikun.

Allah عز و جل tells us...

Surah Al-Baqara, Ayah 26:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ

Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it. And as for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as for those who disbelieve, they say: "What did Allah intend by this parable?" By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah, Perverted transgressors etc).

The blame always lies on the individual,

:jkk:

[abutarekh]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

Wa alaykum. With regards to the topic about Qadr, see this link below:

http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=629

Q: If everything is pre-ordained and already decreed, then where is the free choice and will?

A: As I already said, divine decree does not negate free will, you are not forced into doing something, you make that choice, however so we believe Allah is all knowing do we not? Off course, hence since he is all-knowing he knows everything, before and after, and since he already knew what we would do because of his infinite knowledge, he has recorded it down already; he does not need to wait for you to do something to be able to know what happens.

I hope you can understand this easily.

May I ask how free is our free will if we believe that everything in the universe happens, without exception, with the will and permission of Allah (swt) and guidance only comes from him?

Does that mean we are free to make choices without Allah's will and permission?

[Salaam786]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

May I ask how free is our free will if we believe that everything in the universe happens, without exception, with the will and permission of Allah (swt) and guidance only comes from him?

Does that mean we are free to make choices without Allah's will and permission?

hi abu

we dont have choice over a lot of things do we???; like the family were born into etc etc, 'circumstances' play a big part in Gods qadr ...

[abutarekh]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

hi abu

we dont have choice over a lot of things do we???; like the family were born into etc etc, 'circumstances' play a big part in Gods qadr ...

No we don't have choice where we are born, country, race, religion, sect, education and other circumstances etc. Allah has decided that for us and also the genetic diseases that we would inherit. All those factors shape our beliefs and behavior?

But my questions was, Can we make any choice without the will and permission of Allah? If we cannot, what is free will?

[Salaam786]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

No we don't have choice where we are born, country, race, religion, sect, education and other circumstances etc. Allah has decided that for us and also the genetic diseases that we would inherit. All those factors shape our beliefs and behavior?

But my questions was, Can we make any choice without the will and permission of Allah? If we cannot, what is free will?

yes circumstances play a big part in qadr, example, a person born to a pious family will likely become pious himself and visa versa

we cannot make any choice without permission and will of ALlah and to think so is kufr for nothing can happen without ALlah willing it, but it's still our free-will because ALlah just pre-willed for us to act/intend the way He knew we will!

[abcd1234]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

Hello. I will try to say in simple words. It becomes mind-boggling if we think of these ideas in a "time-bound" manner. We humans tend to put everything in the frame of time because we live in the ocean of time. We cannot escape it!

But, Allah is not bound by time, simply because "time" is His creation and He is totally free from all His creations.

There is one line in Ayatul-Kursi. "He knows (what appears to His creatures as) before, after, or behind them."

Think of yourself at the root of a tree with tons of branches - each branch being a possibility. You walk along only one branch. You are given the choices of all those branches by Allah but you can step along only one at a time. For example, if you take branch number-x on a given day, you will meet a beautiful lady and eventually marry her. But if you take branch-y, instead of branch-x, at the same time on that same day, you will probably face a totally different event and still be single.

So, you have free wills! Your taking actions is what leads you to a certain branch in life as I mentioned above. Finally, because Allah is not time-bound, He already knows which branch you will take! :)

I know it is hard because we are used to interpreting everything in terms of time. We can only understand that Allah is free from time, but we cannot feel it, because we are within the affects of time.

[Bismil]

Re: Two questions from non Muslim

[MENTION=143459]Tayoofa[/MENTION]

Allah swt has written down each and everything on the basis of his Perfect knowledge about past , present and future . Humans have free will will , and no way Allah swt forces them to make any choices. Otherwise what is the point of being judged for heaven and hell ?