The Letter by Al-Hasan Al-Basri and the Ibn Qudama Creed - Religion Essay Example

Predestination among the Islam faithful is the belief that God controls the actions of human beings whether good or bad. Readings have been drawn from the Quran to describe the predestination of events as planned by God. Ibn Quandama in his creed talks of how it is hard to explain Gods doings because He is beyond human comprehension. Quandama is an advocate of predestination; he does not believe that humanity has choices in their lives rather their destiny has already been determined by God even before they were born. He believes that God controls every action that a human being takes. In 6.2 on the creed by Ibn Qudama, it is evident that human being has no control over their actions. God has already predetermined the actions and even passed a judgment of the actions. Human action is not a human choice rather they are God controlled action s that are shown through the human.

Free will is the belief among faithful that God created man and gave him the knowledge to determine what is good and what is bad. Therefore every man has the free will to choose what is right and what is good. Al Hasan Al Basri, an ancient theology scholar, was considered a third generation Muslim due to his views on free will. He argued against predestination and believed that God was only responsible for the good actions of mankind but did not control the bad actions taken by man. In his letter (risala) Al Hasan presented a strong argument against predestination, he even quoted the Quran to give evidence that every man was given to make their own choices as they choose by God. No event is predetermined rather things happen as a result of human free will. Al Hasan is one of the celebrated Muslim scholars who had a great on the development and growth of Muslim faith in the world. His views, however, are considered personal and not those of the other Muslim faithful.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri Arguments

Al-Basri in his letter to Abda al-Malik Ibn Marwan he argues that human error is what drives them away from God. According to Al Basri judgment and punishment is not as a result of predetermination but the actions of human beings which go against the teachings of Quran. According to him, the Quran teaches on the required actions that mankind should follow; this action should conform to the teachings of God. However, when human beings deviate from the right actions and embrace evil, they have driven away from the face of Allah which is not predetermined. These actions are as a result of free will; they are not predetermined by God. According to him, God requires following what is right. Al Basri quotes the Quran and his arguments and argues in a strong point of view that any consequences that occur humankind are not as a result of deliberate actions rather they are as a result of one's actions. Anyone who chooses to follow a dark path should be ready for the consequences of their actions. God did not provide an avenue for humankind to practice evil instead he gave them the authority to t=make their own choices which they would judge against.

He argues that God could not have predestined the immoral actions of mankind that He did not like. He quotes Quran 39; 7 to prove how God does not acknowledge the bad acts practiced by mankind. This confirms that mankind is responsible for one's actions. People act out of own free will to so what is evil. God would not destine mankind to do evil, something that would drive them apart. Allah requires that all humankind do what is good on this earth through his Quran teachings. Al Hasan had a clear description of human free will from the Gods predestination. No one is destined to evil but to do well, so when one goes astray they are doing it out of free will. Allah is a God of good and not a God of evil-doing. He also gives a Quranic evidence to support his arguments on the recognition of the human obligation to always do well and give thanks to Allah always.

Ibn Qudama Views

Ibn Qudama in his creed suggests that God is beyond human understanding therefore only the Quran and Hadith should be used to describe Him.ibn says that God has predetermined live for every person and there is no need to question what happens to them. He makes it clear that he is the human description of God since it is beyond their understanding. Trying to understand Allah is futile therefore everyone needs to stick to the Quran and Hadith readings.

Ibn Qudama believes that the bad actions that people chose to do are not their doing preferably it is the path that had been selected by their creator. He says that they should not be blamed for what is beyond their control. Trying to understand why people behave the way they do is against his religious principles. Ibn Qudama believes that there is no need to try and interpret the Quran; people can believe what is written without trying to understand it beyond the written words. In his creed, he says that there is no obligation delegated to anyone on the need to understand the Quran more than what it is. Ibn in his contribution to theology believes that God is above human being comprehension that is why He has premeditated every move that man intends to take. He is against free will and believes that all human actions are controlled by Allah.

Contrasting Views between Al-Basri and Ibn Qudama

Al-Basri believes in interpreting the Quran, that is why he uses the verses in the Quran to argue his points of human free will as required by Allah. On the other hand, Ibn Qudama says that trying to understand. Gods actions should not be the role of mankind. He believes that that one can believe what they don't understand. Ibn Quadama's argument says that Allah is beyond human understanding and should be left at that. Al-Basri on his part believes that God requires humankind to do well and He has given them the free will to choose their actions. The human actions are the ones determining the consequences they get. However, Ibn disagrees with Al-Basri since he believes that humanity should not be blamed for their actions since they are already premeditated by God himself.

Conclusion

The letter by Al-Hasan Al-Basri and the Ibn Qudama creed are perfect examples of contradicting ideas in the religious teachings. Their views on the free will and predestination are evident in each person's understanding. However, they are both scholars in the Islam religion that have left a mark in their arguments. Each person has their views, but they are all meant to grow the faith of Islam and broaden the understanding of God.

References

Nasr, S. H., Burckhardt, T., & Smith, H. (1975). Ideals and realities of Islam. London: Allen and Unwin.

Rippin, A., & Knappert, J. (Eds.). (1986). Textual sources for the study of Islam. University of Chicago Press.

Schwarz, M. (1967). The Letter of al-Hasan al-Bari. Oriens, 15-30.