 رب الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم رب شرح لي صدري ويسر لي أمر وحل العقدة من لساني يفقه قولي الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على سيدنا وحبيبنا وشفيع نفوسنا أب القاسم محمد وعلى آل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين المعصومي لاسي ما بقية الله روح وأرواح العالمين لتراب مقدمه الفداء أم أبعد رسبكتد سكولرين أولادين وخبارين السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته إن شاء الله the topic for tonight will revolve around a theological argument the topic for tonight will be a topic that is very detailed that has been spoken about throughout history even prior to Islam one that occupies a large proportion of the Islamic library and is still till today discussed within schools of Islamic theology and that is the concept of free will versus predestination the concept of free will versus predestination is one that needs a lot of focus and needs a lot of time to comprehend إن شاء الله with the limited time that we have for tonight we can decipher some points in which will allow us to comprehend it in depth إن شاء الله the first and foremost the first point I'd like to look at is the two extremes one side being predestination and the other side being free will what are their meanings and what are their extents and at the final account I'd like to look at the school of Ahl al-Bait and what it has to say about such issues إن شاء الله to conclude we'd like to look at an example to let us with our limited intellect understand how Allah سبحانه وتعالى tries to test us with the idea of predestination versus free will إن شاء الله to start off tonight please help me in reciting Allah's Salawat على محمد وآل محمد predestination in its essence means that we believe in the idea that everything Allah سبحانه وتعالى has predetermined every move that we make Allah has predetermined everything that we think of and go towards Allah has already predetermined that's one side of the scale and on the flip side of the scale we have free will all together in which the concept and the thought process is that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given us the authority to do everything in our own accord and the idea that Allah has created the earth the cycles within it and He has left it for us to do whatever that we wish in that particular earth that He has created within those cycles that He has created for us so we find these two particular extremes and then we have one school of thought that's in between the two now one school of thought known as the Ash'arites these are the people that believe in predestination then we have the Mu'tazilites believing in total free will now let's look at why is it that someone may like to think about predestination what kind of government does it help out what kind of authorities does it aid now if we think about it in the idea of predestination we said that the idea is that everything that happens Allah سبحانه وتعالى has already predestined therefore if we look at the government that happened in accordance or in the same timeline as the prophet of Islam the same timeline as the imams of Ahl al-Bayt we find such as the Umayyad Khalifas such as the Abbasid Khalifas what did we remember them saying time and time again when people would start to question them saying that is this chair that you sit on or is this throne that you sit on for the Ahl al-Bayt or isn't it their reply is the same thing that we discussed tonight the idea of predestination because they say that do not talk to me that I have taken the Khilafat don't talk to me that I have taken this particular seat it's not my fault that Allah has predestined for me to take it therefore this accounts for their actions if in actual fact we believe in an idea an theological idea of predestination therefore we see that it served the purpose of the Khilafat it served the purpose of the Umayyad of the Abbasids whenever someone would come forth and tell them you have taken a right which is not yours their reply is what is that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given that to us Allah سبحانه وتعالى has already determined this therefore your problem is not with me your problem is with Allah that's how they try to push it away on the flip side the second point that we want to raise in the idea of predestination does Allah سبحانه وتعالى if he's already predestined everything need prophets as in if Allah is already predestined that you do right or you do wrong Allah سبحانه وتعالى has already predestined that you go towards hell or towards heaven do we actually need prophets as in a prophet has come to mankind to guide them either they listen to him and go towards heaven either they listen to him and they are in salvation or they go against him and they go towards the hellfire therefore if we believe in an idea of predestination it does not need anymore prophets and imams to carry on the message to guide people and Allah in accordance to them has already predetermined where you will go therefore the school of Ahl al-Bayt does not agree with this first one on the second level let's look at the idea of free will Allah سبحانه وتعالى as they say in the idea of free will has created the earth has created the cycles and allowed us to do whatever we want inside it now let's look at the contradictions here Allah سبحانه وتعالى doesn't he have a hell doesn't he have a heaven allow us or doesn't he account for every action doesn't he give us guidelines of Quran how to live our life therefore the second is also disproved therefore we find what does the school of Ahl al-Bayt say about this because we know what the opposition says we know what the schools of thought outside the Ahl al-Bayt say in which Abu Hanif goes to the house of Imam Al-Sadaq عليه أفضل الصلاة والسلام Imam Al-Sadaq inside موسى الكافم comes out 5 years of age he comes to Abu Hanif he says what is it that we can help you with he says is your father home is your father he says my father is busy however is there anything you'd like to ask me that I can help you with 5 years of age he says I have a jurisprudential question he says go ahead if I can answer it I'll answer it I can't answer it I'll take it towards my father so Abu Hanif is thinking to himself if he doesn't he's obviously not going to answer me at 5 years of age because me at my great and me at my old age can't answer this particular question this 5 year old won't be able to answer it he'll take this question he'll go towards his father and his father will answer you when we meet so he says what's the question of Abu Hanif he says he says to him I have a question in regard to predestination he says what's the question he says predestination I don't know is the sin when committed going to be on my shoulder only is it a joint relation between me and Allah only Allah in charge of that particular sin which I commit so in essence he's saying that who is in charge of this particular sin the 5 year old look how beautiful he replies he says well obviously it cannot have any relation with Allah Abu Hanif pauses he says why is it he says well obviously on the first instance we can't say that Allah will be punished for a sin that we commit otherwise there wouldn't be a hell and then heaven he says on the second occasion we can't be half us half Allah because it's unfair that we are punished and will be Allah is not therefore the only conclusion is what the only conclusion is that Allah has nothing to do with our sin and we are solely in charge of the sins in which we commit Abu Hanif is thinking to himself 5 years of age and he's just answered the question that I've been it's been revolving in my head for so long he goes away going back into the topic إن شاء الله predestination versus free will what does it have to say about predestination versus free will إمام صاديق asks this question he says to the man that asks him the difference between predestination and free will he says lift your leg so the man lifts one of his legs he says at the same time I want you to lift the other leg the man says it's impossible I'll fall over he says that's the balance he says Allah is in charge and does not give you any will over some aspects of your life other aspects Allah has given you the freedom of choice examples we are not given the choice of where we are born when we are born when we shall die whom our parents are we don't have a say in that do we if we go ask that to the people that believe in free will go and tell them did you have a choice in which you were raised whom you were born to when you shall die they'll obviously ask and tell you that we have no say in this if I'm on my mam صاديق response to this is saying that in essence Allah has some aspects of your life covered he gives you the free will in other parts when Abu Hanifa has three particular ideologies within his jurisprudence number one he says that Iblis will not be burnt in hellfire why because he is made of hellfire so he says it will not be hurt by hellfire number two anything that exists must be seen and you find that ideology is still within other schools of thought so number one Iblis will not burn in hellfire because he is made of hellfire number two he says that everything that exists has to be seen and number three he says everything is predestined that is his ideas that is his theology that is his conclusion therefore we find a particular person this story is attributed to many people but famously its average attributed to Bahloul in which he picks up clay and a hard clay and he throws it at Abu Hanifa Abu Hanifa is angry because he is in pain takes Bahloul towards the court he takes him in front of the judge and he says I want you to prosecute Bahloul the judge is thinking to himself he is a madman or so it seems that he is a madman how can I prosecute a madman he says you have to prosecute him because I am in pain he throws a rock at me and he deserves punishment then they go to Bahloul they say why is it that you threw this rock he says I have no guilt in the matter he says but you threw this rock he says it wasn't me that threw it he says Abu Hanifa has the idea that everything is predestined therefore it wasn't me that threw the rock الله made me throw the rock if it's in accordance with Abu Hanifa he says secondly the rock shouldn't hurt Abu Hanifa they said why Abu Hanifa says that Iblis won't burn in Hellfire because it's made of Hellfire I've taken rock or clay I've thrown it at clay we're made from clay aren't we he says I've taken clay thrown it at clay and clay got hurt Abu Hanifa says technically he shouldn't get hurt and on the third instance Abu Hanifa says what he says that everything that exists has to be seen he says he says that he feels pain can he show me pain therefore the judge is left speechless and he lets Bahloul go the idea he's trying to paint to us is that not everything is predestined the Iblis teach us this and they teach us furthermore that our actions may change something that's predestined I'll give you an example Allah has written for us a particular date in which we die let's say for example Allah has written for this person by the name of Ahmed to die in 30 years in the narrations of our prophet of our Imams it says that is one of the actions that you or not do that may increase or decrease your lifespan Allah has written that you die in a specific date however if you enjoin relations with your family the Imams tell us that Allah may expand your life as much as 30 years and on the reverse angle if you break relations with your family Allah may decrease your life by as much as 30 years therefore something that is in free will may have a direct effect with something that's already predestined that's the effect that the Imams try to teach us that everything is in your hands therefore what can we learn or what example can we give to ourselves to analyze or to make us think of it in a more simplified version an easier way to go about thinking about predestination versus free will now the example I want to give to you is a very very significant one and the more you think about it the more it applies the example I want to give you is the example of the tree the example of the tree if you want to think about it number 1 imagine the root of that tree is the foundation the foundation doesn't begin to branch out until a particular time until a particular height now imagine the life of the person in his younger years building the foundation to his future building his iman building his strength in his religion before he reaches in which he begins to be in a state where he begins to choose his path when he begins to branch out now this is the idea of predestination versus free will Allah knows it's not that Allah doesn't know Allah knows where you are capable to go imagine that tree and every leaf on that tree is an end destination that you have every branch every tweak every turn that you make in that tree maybe the parameter in which Allah SWT has gifted you has given you that space in which you can travel your end destination cannot proceed those leaves in the tree but they're the end destination but you cannot go outside that shell which is what's predestined for you but you have the freedom of choice to choose which branch to take which tweak to go to which leaf to end up at and Imam Ali SA has a beautiful narration in reference to trees he says Allah does not send the wind to the trees to make the leaves dance it's to test the root of that tree take it into this example the foundation that you build yourself in before you reach that level of puberty in which you will be your actions will be entitled to either a reward or a sin and Allah SWT says in the Quran in which we read in the غفيلة and Salat al-Gufaila there is not a leaf that falls from a tree except that Allah SWT has the knowledge of take that example into perspective take that idea into perspective to make us learn and to make us analyze the concept of predestination in a more simplified manner and Insha'Allah I end with a question for tonight and that question is as follows because we can act upon our particular rewards or sin progress however when we are gifted do we know that it's because of our sins or because of our rewards of our good actions that we are given paradise is it because of our عمال that we are given paradise is it because that I've done good is it because that I've read the Quran that I've prayed that I've given zakat is this the reason why Allah SWT gives us paradise or is it because of his mercy or Allah's mercy now the jurists have all come together unanimously and advised that it's not because of our actions it's because of Allah's mercy that he allows us to go into his heaven why because Allah SWT if it was not for Allah would we have the brain to think to do that particular act if Allah SWT didn't give us the legs or the hands or the will to go and work and earn a living would we be able to give that charity would we be able to help the people in need will we be able to enjoin relations if Allah hasn't given us the opportunity to therefore every single act that we do Allah has the grounds or has given us the pulpit to do that action that's why a sin is so severe because Allah has gifted us with everything to do that particular good however we use that same tool that Allah has given us to do evil or to do bad and that's why we have to learn especially in Ramadan when we are given this pulpit in which Allah says I have my mercy that's abundant in this month your breathing is in this month your sleeping is worship Allah gives us this let's take it on to ourselves to be the best that we can be let's take it upon ourselves to grasp these rewards let's not let Ramadan go past until we take it to its full extent utilize it to its full extent and keep that ongoing until next Ramadan and I end on this brothers and sisters Insha'Allah we had a slight image of what predestination versus free will but Insha'Allah we have that in the back of our minds and we pray to Allah on that note that He allows us to utilize the mercy or His mercy and His bounties in this holy month of Ramadan ببركة الصورة الفاتحة صبقها الصلاة على محمد وآل محمد