Bismillahi rahmani Raheem, assalamu alaikum

​Imam Ali (ra) asked the prophet (saws) is everything fate or is everything freewill, the prophet (saws) replied, it is half and half.

Allah created the universe like a sandbox for man to “play” in, He made His will take a back seat to ours running the universe and its daily affairs, while our will plays with the environment He created. Our freedom comes from the fact we choose our own life and our fate comes from the fact the universe runs by laws that predetermine and destine everything in our environment.

​Fate is the laws that the universe runs by and what we do with our life in this sandbox is our freedom. Allah also set up the balance in the universe therefore our actions have consequences on the world around us, corruption in society leads to imbalance in the environment, and different evil acts by society will result in different things manifesting in the world, from new diseases to famine to drought.

The Common fate people think of were Allah controls their lives happens at a distance from us, by simile what we do down on earth is our freewill while that kind of fate affects us from the atmosphere down, like the weather changing our behaviour as we are forced to make changes to what we are doing because of it.

It is more common that the Mala’ikah get involved in your life every day than Allah’s direct input against everything that is happening. Allah’s hand is with us every second and moment of every day supporting us and the universe but from a distance, like the cycles of the sun dictate conditions on earth, this is so we don’t feel closed in and pressured and our freedom remains intact.

From this freedom comes the Trust/Amanah/Responsibility Allah placed on mankind.

“Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due; …” (Noble Qur’an, 4:58)

“We did indeed offered the trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it; he was indeed unjust and foolish;” (Noble Qur’an, 33:72)

“Those who are faithfully true to their trusts and to their covenants; and those who strictly guard their prayers.  These are indeed the inheritors who shall inherit Paradise.”  (Noble Qur’an, 23:8-11)

Shaykh Rami Al Rifai.