Human Intellect and the Free Will 30th June 2019

The manifestation of enjoying free will. 

God announced to the Angels when He created Adam and Eve: Qur'an (2:30): "When your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing on the earth one that shall rule as My deputy,’ they replied: ‘Will You put there one that will do evil and shed blood when we have for so long sung Your praises and sanctified Your name”. God shared with Adam the names of the people to come who shall fare, as the Qur'an (4:69) puts it: “...prophets, the truthful, the ones who testify the truth and the righteous men” exercising their will freely without coercion.

The 'free will' that we enjoy has been coupled with the definitive sense of morality from what is wrong from right: Qur’an (91:7-8): “We created the souls and we proportioned it. Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him”. Through these facets which constitute this species as a homosapien, literally meaning a wise man, God tests us to reach the Truth. It follows the only manner one is expected to reach the Truth is through the employment of one’s intellect.

For this world to be a testing place it only makes sense to reach some conclusions based on employing our intellect. Human beings when deciphering and treading on the path of discovering the realities of the universe as a 'Traveller in the Quest for Truth' in effect do so one’s level of intellect! Religion or seeking God or seeking the 'Truth' shall remain replete with differences of opinions.

What an exhilarating ride then!

Here again, the Qur’an (7:42) gives a fair account of this 'quest for truth': "But those who believed and did righteous deeds - We charge no soul except [within] its capacity. Those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally". This 'testing place' becomes a great glorious journey of life! One needs to employ one's intellect and faculties to see what is beyond. That is when God appears in His full glory and majesty.

Let there be differences of opinion in this quest for truth. Let the quest be sincere, without prejudice, rising above an arrogant demeanour, revisiting our tenets of faith based on intellect at a conscious level. This is EXACTLY what was meant by God when He declared He intends each human being to have a FREE WILL.

The question then arises: How do we see the importance of God granting each of us this FREE WILL within OUR lives?

Aamir Yazdani