Man is endowed with free will; he is capable of exercising independent choice-this means that, when deciding whether or not to undertake a particular action, he takes account of its various dimensions in the light of his intellectual faculty. The Holy Qur'an states:
Verily, We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.(Sura al-Insan, 3)
Man is endowed with free will; he is capable of exercising independent choice-this means that, when deciding whether or not to undertake a particular action, he takes account of its various dimensions in the light of his intellectual faculty. The Holy Qur'an states: Verily, We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.(Sura al-Insan, 3)
It also says:
Say: [It is] the Truth from your Lord. Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosower will, let him disbelieve: (Suraal-Kahf, 29)
Insofar as an individual benefits from his wholesome, innate nature, from his capacity to discriminate between good and evil, and from his ability to exercise his free will-on these foundations his ethical and spiritual development becomes a real possibility, The gateway to the transcendent path of right guidance leading back to God is always open to man; it is only at the moment of death that it closes, that is, when repentance is no longer accepted.
Thus, the call of the Prophets is universal; it is to all peoples, even to those such as Pharaoh. Moses is told by God:
And say [to him], Hast thou [the will] to purify thyself [from sin], and that I guide thee to thy Lord, so that thou might fear him? ( Sura al¬Nazi'at,18-19)
Therefore, man must never despair of the mercy and forgiveness of God; as the Qur'an says:
Despair not of the mercy of God; truly, God forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful (Sura al-Zumar, 53)
The nature of human responsibility
Insofar as man benefits from the light of wisdom and the gift of his free will, he is a being endowed with responsibility. He has a responsibility towards God, His Messenger and towards divinely inspired guides. He also has a responsibility towards the substance of his own humanity, towards other human beings and towards the world.
Insofar as man benefits from the light of wisdom and the gift of his free will, he is a being endowed with responsibility. He has a responsibility towards God, His Messenger and towards divinely inspired guides. He also has a responsibility towards the substance of his own humanity, towards other human beings and towards the world.
The Qur'an has many verses clarifying the nature of human responsibility:
Lo! Of the covenant it will be asked. (Sura Bani Isra'il, 34)
Truly, the hearing and the sight and the heart-of each of these it will be asked.(Sura Bani Isra'il, 36)
Thinketh man that he is to be left aimlessl (Sura al-Qiyama, 36)
The Holy Prophet also SAID:
'Are not all of you shepherds [in respect of those over whom you have authority]? All of you are indeed responsible for your flocks. '1
1.Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad (Cairo, n.d.), vol. 2, p. 54; Muhammad al-Bukhari, Sahih, (Cairo, 1378/1957-58) vol. 2, Kitab al-jum'a, ch. 11, hadith no. 2, p. 284.
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