Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Opening

Beloved friends whom Allah has blessed, have you ever heard someone trapped in sin casually say, “What else can I do? This is Allah’s decree. I’m being forced into this”?This fatalistic view—Jabariyyah, or forced destiny—is a grave misconception that corrupts the logic of faith. How could Allah, the Most Just, force a servant to disbelieve or sin, then punish him in Hell? That is a false accusation that implies Allah commits injustice. This resigned, effortless mindset actually resembles the belief of the polytheists of old, who were sternly rebuked in the Qur’an:

سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَا آبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ

“Those who associate others with Allah will say, ‘If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything with Him], nor would our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything.’[QS. Al-An‘ām: 148]

In reality, Allah SWT did not create us as robots or puppets on strings. Allah equipped humans with the most special endowment: Free Will (Ikhtiyār) to choose their own path—whether to be a grateful servant or a defiant one.إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا

“Indeed, We guided him to the way—be he grateful or be he ungrateful.”

[QS. Al-Insān: 3]

وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِنْ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ

“And say, ‘The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills—let him believe; and whoever wills—let him disbelieve.’”QS. Al-Kahf: 29]

Therefore, both scientifically and according to Shariah, every calamity, sin, and moral collapse on this earth is not Allah’s injustice. It is purely the result of man’s own free choices and deeds

2. Lessons and Messages

The freedom to choose is the honor Allah gave us. To acknowledge ikhtiyār means we are ready to take full responsibility for our lives. Never use “destiny” as a scapegoat for the laziness or sins we consciously choose.Imagine the feelings of a father who works himself to the bone to buy his son a new laptop so he can study well in college. Yet behind his father’s back, the son uses that laptop to gamble online and watch things that ruin his morals until his future collapses. When caught, the son cries and blames his father: “This is your fault! Why did you give me this laptop?” How heartbreaking. The father gave the device out of love and trust, but the son abused it to destroy himself. That is our analogy with Allah: He gives us the capital of life, health, and intellect for good, yet humans often choose the path of sin and then blame divine decree.

There’s a witty, wisdom-filled story about a sandal thief on a mosque porch who was caught red-handed by the caretaker. When interrogated and about to be struck, the thief defended himself with a theological argument: “Wait, Mr. Caretaker! Don’t hit me! Please respect destiny. My stealing this sandal was already written in the Lauḥ al-Maḥfūẓ. This is pure forced decree from Allah—I had no choice!” The caretaker smiled faintly, then without hesitation swung his wooden stick at the thief’s shin: Thwack! The thief screamed in pain, “Ouch! Why did you hit me?!” The caretaker replied calmly, “Don’t blame me. My striking your leg was also already written in the Lauḥ al-Maḥfūẓ. This is forced decree from Allah. I’m just carrying out destiny!

”The lesson: We always know how to use the logic of “free choice” in worldly matters. When we’re hungry, we choose to find food—we don’t just surrender and wait for rice to fall from the sky in the name of destiny. So use that same smart logic to choose obedience and avoid sin!

3. Conclusion and Closing

Blessed brothers and sisters, Allah is Most Just and free from the trait of wronging His creation. The Paradise or Hell we will inhabit later is the result of the series of small decisions we consciously choose in this world through the steering wheel called ikhtiyār. Allah has laid out His guidance; now the decision is in our hands.Let us stop blaming circumstances and destiny for our sins and life’s failures. Reach for your best destiny by choosing the right steps today. All good comes from Allah SWT, and all error stems from the weakness of our own choices

. والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie