Freedom and Determinism

Freedom and Determinism Freedom and Determinism T he Quran sets forth the concept that God Almighty is the Lord of the Universe; He is the Sustainer and the Controller of the whole world. Man cannot do anything without God’s permission (76:30). These Quranic verses lay emphasis on the supremacy of God Almighty. But this does not mean that in this world everything is predetermined and man has no choice of his own. Everyone enjoys freedom and everyone is living with his or her freedom. The way one feels about what one does, or chooses not to do, is in itself testimony to there being no compulsion; everyone does as he or she pleases. In the light of one’s own experience, one feels oneself to be a free person. Human beings do, in fact, enjoy complete freedom, but this freedom is a matter of their own sense of free-will. It is everyone’s own feeling or experience that he or she is not living under any compulsion or constraints. Then what is the equation between man and God? In this world everything was created by God, and if man wants to do anything, he needs many or all of the components of the human life support system, such as sunlight, water, air, minerals, oxygen, etc. All these things are part of the earthly infrastructure and this infrastructure is under the total control of God. So, while freedom of choice is man’s privilege, the required infrastructure is provided by God. So, it is a fifty-fifty situation. Man has every right to think or plan but, when he tries to execute his planning, he has no other