One of the most challenging principles of faith to understand and that continually arises in seeking to grasp the true nature of reality is the question of free will and predestination, and how these seemingly contradictory paradigms can be reconciled so that we can learn how to progress both in life and upon the spiritual path.
Free Will Versus Predestination
The last of the Six Pillars of Faith is Belief in Predestination and that all has been written and ordained by God the Creator prior to the emergence and precipitation of the physical and material world. Yet concurrently we are responsible for our choices, and will in fact be held to account for them on the Day of Judgement, the belief in which constitutes the second to last of the Six Pillars of Faith.
The fact that all has been predestined and that we have the capacity for choice through the power of free will appears contradictory and mutually exclusive only from the vantage point of the limited mind. Yet we must remember that with the power of God, even seemingly contradictory possibilities can simultaneously exist, and in reality do.
How Physics Points to the Truth
In seeking to understand the true nature of reality with regards to the contradictory possibilities of free will and predestination, modern physics can help us develop the capacity to comprehend the subtle truth.
Newtonian Physics ultimately gave rise to the theories of General Relativity, which can be used to explain the phenomena of the natural world as they can be observed on the macro scale, such as the movement and position of physical bodies in time and space.
Yet General Relativity cannot be applied in the micro scale, or in the dimension of atomic and sub-atomic particles. This then gave rise to the theory of Quantum Mechanics, which helps to describe the seemingly impossible behavior of reality in the quantum field.
At this level of reality, the laws of general relativity fail entirely to explain the nature of reality or to predict the behavior of subatomic particles, and an entirely different theory of physics must be used to understand the nature of quantum reality—quantum mechanics.
Just as these two theories of physics appear incompatible yet both are simultaneously true based on the vantage point of the observer, so too are both free will and predestination simultaneously true, again based on the position and perception of the observer.
Humility and Surrender Versus Pride and Arrogance
In this video post, I share two examples of primordial failure as a result of personal choice, and how only by embracing personal responsibility while being fully aware of the predestined will of God can the human being awaken to the greater consciousness required to advance upon the spiritual path and ultimately draw nearer unto the Divine Presence while growing in knowledge of the Creator.
Both Iblis and Adam (as) failed as a result of both free will and predestination, yet the difference between the two is that Adam (as) blamed himself and repented, while Iblis became cursed and rejected as a rebel in the Divine Presence because he blamed God and humanity for his choice and actions.
In seeking to reconcile free will and predestination, it is only by progressively surrendering the mind that human potential begins to be revealed as consciousness shifts from the mind, which is the seat of the ego, to the heart, which is the seat of the spirit, for it is spirit that is the key to the secret placed within the breast of man, who was created uniquely to be the honored servant and vicegerent of God.
The Meeting and Merging of the Two Seas
Just as in physics where there are two seemingly contradictory and mutually exclusive theories that describe the nature of reality, yet that are both true based upon the position of the observer, so too are both free will and predestination simultaneously true.
In seeking to understand and reconcile the apparent duality of both free will and predestination, we as human beings must take complete and total personal responsibility for our choices and actions, while at the same time knowing that everything has been destined.
To grow in spiritual capacity and to awaken human potential, we must continually seek balance upon the path by persistently seeking God’s forgiveness for our shortcomings and errors while concurrently thanking Him for our successes and victories.
In this way, we can balance between the faith principles of both free will and predestination, and so move towards the awakening of the human heart that is the key to human potential and to knowing our Lord and Creator.
Free Will Versus Predestination and the Surrender of the Self
The reconciliation of the seemingly contradictory principles of free will and predestination, both constituting the two last Pillars of Faith, the mind must be surrendered in stillness and submission, allowing the emergence of a greater capacity for consciousness that is rooted in the human heart.
Only through the awakening of the heart, which possesses the sacred ability to transcend both time and space, does human potential become actualized and mankind becomes truly human, connected to the Creator through the power of Spirit.
A meditative practice designed to deepen surrender through stillness and silence is invaluable upon the spiritual path so as to cultivate the capacity for the submission of the self in a state that is most conducive to connection with the Creator.
Islamic Meditation
For those who would like to learn more and develop in this regard, the Islamic Meditation Program is an invaluable six week course and comprehensive treatment of the subject that teaches the fundamentals of meditative spiritual practice within a faith-based paradigm that seeks to deepen surrender and submission so as to draw nearer unto the Divine Presence of God.
To learn more, please see the Islamic Meditation Program.
