Introduction to Problems of Islamic Faith Between Determinism and Free Will

Since the first Hijri century, one of the issues that has preoccupied the minds of theologians and some Islamic sects is whether human actions are voluntary or involuntary. Despite the diversity and conflict of opinions and ideas among them, they all agreed and defended the issue of monotheism, the fundamental belief of Muslims. The context of the debate on this issue resulted from the intellectual and philosophical blending of the Arab Islamic mind with Eastern and Western civilizations and cultures that preceded Islam, such as Greece and India

Section 1: Jahmīyah

Theologians who advocated the idea of determinism viewed human will as powerless, as God created actions and choices from eternity. According to the leader of the determinists, Jahm ibn Safwan (78-126 H/696-745 CE), he said that: "Man is like a feather in the wind, without power or strength. He is deprived of will, power, and choice. He moves as trees and other natural phenomena move, for "there is no doer but God." If we make man the creator of his actions, we have associated a god with God, and said that there are two creators in the universe, God forbid

As for the Qur'anic texts that indicate choice, according to Jahm, they must be interpreted. According to him also, faith is only knowledge of God, and disbelief is ignorance of Him, and Paradise and Hell will perish after the Day of Judgment, and God alone remains. These concepts led Jahm to deny the attributes of God, in order to avoid any similarity between man and God in hearing, sight, and speech

Section 2: Response to Jahmīyah

Naturally, a large number of scholars and theologians were against Jahm's deterministic views, including the Salafis, the Hadith scholars, and the Sunnis, as well as the Ikhwan al-Safa and Khullan al-Wafa, and the Qadarites. Among the pillars of the Qadariyah sect were Ma'bad al-Juhani (80 H/702 CE), Ghaylan al-Dimashqi (106 H/724 CE), and Wasil ibn Ata (71-131 H/699-749 CE). They all agreed to deny predestination, and to prove that man has the ability and freedom to choose to do good or evil, and that God has given him free will so that he can be rewarded or punished on the Day of Judgment. If man's actions were fully determined by God, then why should he punish man on the Day of Judgment? God is wise and just, and it is not permissible for evil or injustice to be attributed to him

Section 3: The Mu'tazilite View

Mu'tazilite thought gradually absorbed Qadariyyah ideas, as Wasil ibn Ata affirmed the negation of predestination as a fundamental principle of justice in the Mu'tazilite concept. Indeed, human freedom was the most crucial issue for the Mu'tazila. In their view, God granted humans the ability to do as they please, whether good or evil, and this freedom is one of the requisites of reason, without which we would have no understanding. Therefore, nothing happens except by the will of God, but evil does not come from Him, rather it stems from human free will.

Thus, the human being is "capable and creator of his actions, both good and evil," and he deserves reward or punishment in the afterlife for what he does. The Almighty Lord is far from being associated with evil and injustice, and an act that is kufr (disbelief) and sin, for if He had created injustice, He would have been unjust, just as if He had created justice, He would have been just.

This raises the following question: If "the Almighty Lord is far from being associated with evil," then where did evil and corruption come from in this world? The Mu'tazilite answer in the above text is: The human being is capable and creator of his actions, both good and evil, and deserves reward or punishment for what he does. God did not create human actions, but He instilled in them the ability (power).

The Mu'tazila called themselves "the People of Justice" because they emphasized that humans have the ability to act and the freedom of choice as part of divine justice in this earthly world. The reason that led them to deny predestination was to negate injustice and ugliness from God. They also relied on many Qur'anic verses to support their views, including:

"Every soul is held in pledge for what it has earned." (38:74)

"Whoever does good does so for his own soul, and whoever does evil does so against it." (46:41)

"And say, 'The truth is from your Lord.' So whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve." (29:18)

"Indeed, We have guided him to the way; whether he will be grateful or ungrateful." (3:76)

Section 4: The Ash'arite View

The Ash'arites sought to reconcile between determinism and free will, so they came up with the theory of "acquisition" (al-kasb). This theory does not negate the servant's ability or choice, but rather negates the effect of his ability on anything in his actions. They were led to say this by the many texts in the Qur'an and Sunnah that explicitly state that God alone creates everything, and that there is no effective agent in the universe except God

Conclusion

Overall, the Mu'tazila were more profound in their discussion of the issue of human freedom, but they were criticized for considering all human actions to be created by himself, which is why al-Ghazali strongly attacked them and asserted that the human being is nothing more than a created being that God disposes of as He wills, and that freedom should be viewed as nothing more than a psychological suggestion, which any human being can enjoy, as long as he does not possess a negative will, regardless of changes in life circumstances