Is man constrained to do in accordance with Taqdeer?

  Is man constrained to do in accordance with Taqdeer?

More Than a Stone: 

The Gift of Free Will

Allah Almighty created human beings and gave them ears, eyes, hands, legs, and a tongue. He also taught them how to use each of these gifts. Above all, He gave them common sense and wisdom, which raise humankind above every other creature.

Guidance Beyond Our Own Reach

Allah did not leave us with intellect alone. He sent Prophets and Holy Books to help us understand what we could never have grasped by ourselves. In doing so, He made everything clear and left no room for excuses.

Saahib-e-Iradah, Saahib-e-Ikhteyaar

Allah also blessed us with will and choice. In Urdu these are Iraadah and Ikhteyaar, and human beings are Saahib-e-Iradah and Saahib-e-Ikhteyaar: possessors of a particular free will and the power of choice. We are not helpless or powerless beings.

The Difference Between a Human and a Stone

Ask yourself: what separates a human being from a stone?

A stone is lifeless. It has no Iraadah and no Ikhteyaar. It cannot choose, intend, or act. Allah has honored the human being with exactly these qualities.

A Paradox Worth Pondering

It is a strange irony, then, that the very quality that sets us apart from a stone is sometimes used to argue that we are as lifeless and inanimate as any other inorganic matter. The gift that lifts us above the lifeless is treated as if it were the proof of our helplessness.

Allah gave us will, choice, wisdom, and guidance. May He help us use them well.