This division is for the sake of study...

This division is for the sake of study, for in reality the latter aspect logically follows from the former. As pointed out above with reference to Iqbal, the urge for freedom is inherent in man being nature. It may be called a Divine gift or spark. However, I would prefer to refer to the dictum of Ibn Arabi in this context, who said “nothing was imposed upon man from without: what one’s ayn (essence) demanded from God was given to him”.

Thus, freedom was bestowed upon man, not as a gift, but he received it through his own capacity. To borrow a contemporary philosophical phrase, freedom is man’s essence and his existence is grounded in freedom. This view can be interpreted as being in conformity with the Qur’an, in which a number of verses refer to human freedom in both willing and acting.

The Qur’an also admits the existence of various grades of freedom in human beings; that is, all men are not equally capable of possessing or exercising freedom. It means that every man is given freedom in proportion to his ability to receive it. Mulla Hadi Sabzawari’s doctrine of graded being can be interpreted in the following manner. Every grade of being has its corresponding ability to freedom. Men differ from one another with regard to their ability for freedom.

The weaker beings have a weaker urge for freedom, while the stronger ones have a greater urge for it. It is because of this difference that what is obligatory for higher individuals such as the Prophets, Imams, and the Saints is not expected from ordinary men. “Allah does not task any soul beyond its capacity…” (2:286) This principle is applied to different individuals in different degrees. Obligation (taklif) implies the ability to fulfil it, provided a man is willing to shoulder it.

All Divine commands and prohibitions presume that men have the ability to follow them and that some of them might obey, while others might not. The possibility of obedience and disobedience arises out of human freedom. As everyone acts according to his own will without any compulsion from outside, he is liable to reward and punishment according to his deeds.

We have to accept that God never imposed a fixed, predetermined nature upon any individual, and it is man himself who chooses and moulds his own character and accordingly his destiny in full freedom. The Qur’an is quite explicit in this regard.