Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Israr Ahmad Khan and the Qur'an's Lack of Perspicuity on the Nature of Predestination

 

 

Proponents of predestination point to two particular verses of the Qur’an: (1) “Dost thou not know that God knows all that occurs in heaven as well as on earth? All this, behold, is in [God’s] record: verily, [to know] all this is easy for God” (22:70).

 

(2) No calamity can ever befall the earth, and neither your own selves, unless it be [laid down] in Our decree before We bring it into being: verily, all this is easy for God. [Know this,] so that you may not despair over whatever [good] has escaped you nor exult [unduly] over whatever [good] has come to you: for, God does not love any of those who, out of self-conceit, act in a boastful manner” (57:22-23).

 

However, āyah 22:70 simply shows that Allah knows all that exists in the heaven and on earth. His knowledge is preserved in the Book. It in no way conveys a message concerning predestination.

 

As for āyah 57:22-23 when understood and interpreted in the light of other ayāt which highlight man’s freedom to think, choose, and act, it will mean that Allah has outlined laws and principles for the universe, that are immutable and written in the Book. The Book does not contain precise information of each and every event related to man. For example, Mr A suffers burns from a fire on 29th July 2009 at 3pm at his house number…etc. Is this event written in the Book with such precise detail? Certainly not. What is written in the Book is that fire burns; whatever comes in contact with fire will get burnt; the fire will not cause anyone, anything, any place to feel cold. (Israr Ahmad Khan, Authentication of Hadith: Redefining the Criteria [London: The International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2010], 193 n. 28)