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Predestination, Free Will, and the Cycles of Time

 Question:

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared in an exalted tradition that the Pen has written and dried. From this, one might infer that whatever was destined to happen, or whatever is currently unfolding, has already been preordained. When we are living in a state of predetermined circumstance, why then is human free will brought under scrutiny?

Answer:

"The Pen has written and dried" signifies that whatever existed in the Divine Consciousness prior to pre-eternity (Azal), Allah Almighty manifested into appearance by the decree of Kun ("Be"). In modern terms, we may express this as follows: whatever resided within the Divine Mind crystallized into a film, and this cosmic film is being projected continuously, perpetually, and without interruption. In other words, the very same reel is being repeatedly displayed. It is for this reason that every species journeys within a fixed circle regarding its form, temperament, emotions, and perceptions. For instance, the form of a cow is predetermined; its physical shape, characteristics, and life instincts thousands of years ago remain precisely identical today. The human form thousands of years ago remains the same today. The fundamental demands of living hundreds and thousands of years ago remain unchanged today; millennia ago, man felt hunger, experienced thirst, and harbored the innate urge to procreate, and all these imperatives exist in the exact same manner today. In practice, everything is unfolding as it always has. The only distinction lies in the fluctuating pace of human emotions, which at times surge with intensity and at other times recede into sluggishness.

We may articulate this phenomenon by stating that "the past is repeating itself." From a civilizational and cultural standpoint, thoughtful contemplation yields the very same truth: history repeats in cycles. Ten thousand years ago was the Stone Age; progressing beyond the Stone Age, mankind has now entered the Atomic Age. Yet, after another ten thousand years, humanity will cycle back into the Stone Age. It resembles a chain wherein man begins in the infancy of his perceptual senses, after which his consciousness matures into adulthood. Once consciousness reaches the zenith of its maturity, man brings death upon it through his own intellectual excesses, and the chain reverses once more.

The purpose of this brief exposition is to illustrate that the entire universe is being freshly created at every instant, while simultaneously traversing through death at every passing moment. When death overtakes the initial moment, the subsequent moment is born. What is meant by this perpetual regeneration is that whatever exists in the Divine Consciousness is continually returning unto Allah Almighty. The Holy Quran articulates this truth by stating that all things originate from Allah and unto Him shall they return. This realization in no way implies that man is stripped of choice. Within the grand program that Allah Almighty has ordained for human existence—which continually plays out its manifestation—a vital constituent is the boundary of freewill granted to man.

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Roohani Daak Part 02 [ENG] View

Roohani Daak Part 02 [ENG]