ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Shi'ite Encyclopedia (chapter 11) Responses To Sunni Brothers First, a Sunni brother made the comment that I am accusing ALL Sunni scholars of being fatalists, when in reality, this is NOT the case. My response was: First, I did not say that "ALL" the Sunni scholars are fatalists; rather, the MAJORITY.

Moreover, most of the scholars preaching in the Mosques share the view of fatalism, and, as such, have contributed to the corruption of the youths, who are the seeds of the future. It is a betrayal of the scholarly trust when a SCHOLAR BLINDLY accepts tradition and what others say. (NOTE: I emphasize the word "scholar" because I am NOT talking about the layman who CANNOT interpret complex philosophical issues and sophisticated matters of jurisprudence.

But for a scholar, who is in a position to give "Fatwas -- Religious Opinions," to blindly become fatalistic is unacceptable in its entirety.) Indeed, Allah (SWT) challenged the Jews and the Christians by saying: ".....Bring forth your argument (proof) if ye are telling the truth! [27:64]" As such, it is MANDATORY for such scholars to provide proof to support their view of fatalism.

Keep in mind that in Islam, the theory of proofs is as follows: If two proofs are presented, and each proof is strong enough to equal the other proof, they cancel each other out, and new proofs will be sought. However, if one of the proofs is stronger than the other, then the stronger proof prevails and becomes dominant. As far as Free Will vs. Fatalism is concerned, clearly Free Will, as I presented it, wins hands down.

📌Note also that this article depicts what the MAINSTREAM Sunnis and what the MAINSTREAM Shia believe. Undoubtedly, there are Sunni scholars and individuals who are NOT blind fatalists, and there are Shi'i scholars and individuals who ARE blind fatalists. Neither group represents MAINSTREAM thought within either faction. Second, another Sunni brother stated that I neglected the following verses in my analysis: surah 74 Nay this surely is an admonition: Let any who will keep it in remembrance!

But none will keep it in remembrance except as Allah wills: He is the Lord of Righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness. surah 76 This is an admonition: whosoever will let him take a (straight) Path to his Lord. But ye will not except as Allah wills; for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

✦ ✦ ✦