Is Determinism Concomitant of Divine Decree?

Is Determinism Concomitant of Divine Decree? This is, anyhow, a complicated case accompanied with vagueness and ambiguity wherever it was discussed. The main difficulty in this respect is that to accept fate and divine decree inseparably requires accepting determinism. Some thinkers could not distinct between fate and decree, on one hand, and man's free will, on the other. They could not solve the problem so as not to necessitate determinism, and keep man's free will intact.

Some even denied free will and said: "Fate and divine decree are inevitable, and we do not accept free will". Even among some scholars who belong to Islam such opinions can be heard - a notion which requires serious consideration, because it is unbelievable to be a Muslim, accepting the Qur'an, and still consider man to be completely compelled. As a matter of fact, accepting the religion cannot be in harmony with admitting determinism in its strict sense.

Any how, it had been related that there were persons who did have such a belief, named: "al-mujabbirah" or "al-jabriyyah", i.e. those who believed in determinism, as referred to in theology. Even the ash'aris, who are a great section of the Sunni theologians, are said to believe in determinism. On the other side, those who believed in free will denied fate and divine decree, or interpreted it in such a way so as not to contradict free will. In this direction there were diverse inclinations.

Some said that fate and divine decree are true, but they do not cover man's free will acts. That is, they defined particular limits for them covering only the involuntary acts of man. They actually, agree that determinism is concomitant with fate and divine decree, with the difference that fate and decree are applicable only to the compulsory acts. They assign a particular circle for free will, too, excluding it from the effect of fate and decree.

They attain to this by making a combination between the evidences proving free will and the evidences proving fate and decree, saying that the proofs of fate and decree cover a series of affairs and phenomena which are involuntary, while the evidences of free will cover another series.

Some others define fate and divine decree in such a way so as not to contradict free will, thinking that they have joined fate and decree in respect of all things, and free will in respect of the voluntary acts of man.