ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Discursive Theology Volume 1 Lesson 27: Misgivings of the Predeterminists In theological books, some misgivings on the issue of man’s free-will have been mentioned and by citing them some individuals have been inclined toward predeterminism ( jabr ). These misgivings have focused on some theological and ideological teachings and principles.

The theological principles cited by the predeterminists are as follows: The Divine decree and providence, or destiny; The eternal knowledge and will of God; The Divine Unity ( tawḥīd ) in Creatorship; The universality of God’s power; and The Divine ways of guidance and misguidance. Now, we shall scrutinize the predeterminists’ misgivings on the basis of the said principles.

The Divine Decree, Predestination and the Eternal Knowledge of God The common and deterministic interpretation of the Divine decree and providence is that the web of destiny as an unseen or hidden factor which puts under its sway every person, drawing him to whatever direction it desires from the moment of birth up to the point of death.

The proponents of this theory would also cite reason and revelation to support their views, saying thus: Since all happenings are inevitable and predetermined prior to the occurrence, their materialization is definite and unavoidable. The voluntary actions of man are also not an exception to this general rule and their materialization is definite and determined. The assumption of definiteness and fixedness is in conflict with free-will.

Sometimes, it takes the form of word ( qawl ) and in the form of action ( fi‘l ) at other times. It is used to refer to God as well as to the human being.