The issue in this section is the question of free will versus predestination. Qais Ali tells us:
Sura 97:3,4 says, "The night of power is better than a thousand months.
The angels and spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees."
Sura 44:3 also says, "Lo! We revealed it on a blessed night."
Katz States :
To Muslims, the "Night of Power" is a blessed night on which fates are settled and on
which everything relating to life, death, etc., which occurs throughout the year is decreed.
It is said to be the night on which Allah's decrees for the year are brought down to the earthly
plane. In other words, matters of creation are decreed a year at a time.
I assume that you have no problem with this.
Supposedly this is Contradicted by this :
Sura 57:22 says, "No affliction befalls in the earth or in your selves, but it is in a Book
before we create it." This means it is written in the Preserved Tablet, being totally fixed
in Allah's knowledge before anyone was created.
The Christians seem to think that the Quran is like the bible, it is not. Your arguments are
unfounded that they are not supported by history or any theological view.
I do not know any Christian who believes that the Qur'an is, in any way, like the Bible!
To make a long story short, Qais Ali informs us:
Instead of commenting on this verse also, I would like to make
clear that there is no contradiction here between these two quotations and the others provided
by those who have alleged it. Just a miscalculated mistake by overzealous Christian missionaries.
In the two quotations I have provided above we find that Allah is not talking about deciding
the fates of people on the night of destiny, there is no evidence of this in the entire Quran.
Our fate depends on what we do.
"And every man's works have We fastened to his neck; and on the Day of Resurrection We
shall bring out for him for him a book which he will find wide open" (Al-Quran chapter 17 verse 14)
So, you believe in free will?
What about :
Sura 7:178-179 : He whom Allah leadeth, he indeed is led aright, while he whom Allah sendeth astray - they indeed are losers. Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.
That sounds like predestination to me! Also, Bukhari tells us (Narrated 'Imran) :
I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Why should a doer (people) try to do good deeds?' The Prophet said, "Everybody will find easy to do such deeds as will lead him to his destined place for which he has been created.' (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 641)
Another Hadith narrated by Ali tells us:
"We were accompanying a funeral procession in Baqi-I-Gharqad. The Prophet came to us and sat and we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand then he bent his head and started scraping the ground with it. He then said, "There is none among you, and not a created soul, but has place either in Paradise or in Hell assigned for him and it is also determined for him whether he will be among the blessed or wretched." A man said, "O Allah's Apostle! Should we not depend on what has been written for us and leave the deeds as whoever amongst us is blessed will do the deeds of a blessed person and whoever amongst us will be wretched, will do the deeds of a wretched person?" The Prophet said, "The good deeds are made easy for the blessed, and bad deeds are made easy for the wretched." Then he recited the Verses:-- "As for him who gives (in charity) and is Allah-fearing And believes in the Best reward from Allah." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 444)
So which is it Mr. Ali, do we have free will or are we predestined? That is the contradiction!
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