It allows him to express this freedom and to practice it...

It allows him to express this freedom and to practice it within the limits of commitment and responsibility and self-control. Man has an obligation to choose the path of righteousness, and to safeguard his freedom and that of others. Because Islam grants free will, it is expected that man will use it to further his knowledge in all areas which help in the improvement of the human lot on this earth. Otherwise, freedom may become a tool of destruction, annihilation and doctrinal deviation.

Man is urged, by Islam, to consider the physical and spiritual welfare of others in all his endeavors. This prevents freedom from being turned into a dictatorship, exploiting other’s inalienable rights to share in nature’s natural resources. Political freedom in Islam is a means of leading mankind to justice, goodness and peace. It guarantees and protects the political rights of all.

Art and literature should reflect the values of the Holy Qur’an, and emphasize love, goodness and human relations in an aesthetic way. Irresponsible freedom in these areas leads to pornography, debauchery, and disrespectful for all moral values. Man should therefore, practice his personal freedom without encroaching on the rights of others and deviating from a correct moral conduct. In an atmosphere which respects the rights and freedoms of others, mankind can grow and prosper.

Life is filled with knowledge and good deeds. Freed from lusts and the control of tyrants, man can find his way to true happiness. Freedom is “the power to choose and determine one’s position” . As such, man should choose and decide carefully on a course of action which would best benefit himself and others. Freedom does not mean satisfying all his instincts. Nor does it mean to give into the pressure of lusts and desires.

Behaviour should be guided always by our inane sense of what is right and should not be motivated by our desire for pleasure or immediate gratification. The collapse of civilization and man’s fall into misery and helplessness are direct consequences of permissiveness and the frenzied pursuit of pleasure. The Qur’an presents us with lessons drawn from history.

It tells us of nations and communities that destroyed themselves by ignoring the way of Allah and following only the way of the flesh, being ruled by their unnatural desires.