Choice: Right and Responsibility

One of the goals of Allah's message to humankind is the attainment of justice in our personal lives and society in general.  Justice, the foundation of Islam, cannot be achieved without securing the rights of every individual and group.  The most basic human right is the right to believe and the freedom to live with one's beliefs.

Freedom of choice cannot be separated from the right to think and believe.  The ability to think, to believe and to express one's beliefs is a special gift to humankind from Allah.... this is what separates us from His other creations.  One cannot restrict choice without restricting one's ability to think and believe.


Is it possible to have a belief without having the freedom to think? 
Is it possible to have the freedom to think without having the freedom to choose?

Thought is defined as:  the act or process of thinking; the power of reasoning; an idea, opinion, plan, etc.;  the ideas prevalent to a certain group, period, etc.; attention, consideration;  and intention or expectation. The process of thinking involves giving consideration to an idea or thought, to evaluate, to reason, to work out, to believe, to view from all possible angles before reaching a decision.


The initial revelation gives the command to 'read/recite'... I doubt if it meant to do so without comprehension, without understanding or thinking.  Comprehension requires reasoning, evaluating, and considering.  We cannot reason without the freedom to think and to draw conclusions from the process.  Freedom of choice is inherent in the repeated injunctions to 'think, consider, ponder.... ' in the Qur'ân. 


Freedom of thought and belief is repeatedly emphasized in the Qur'ân, but the underlying freedom of choice is overlooked.  Without the freedom to choose would there be a freedom of thought or belief?  Take away the freedom to choose and you take away the freedom of thought and belief.  The following ayaat make it quite clear that we can guide or direct another person, but we cannot and should not take it on ourselves to compel them to choose a certain way... this was not the role of the prophet (saaw) and it is definitely not our place either.  The fact that we cannot compel or coerce is enough to understand the significance of choice in Islam.


"And had your Lord so willed, all those who live on earth would have attained to faith - all of them, do you then think that you could compel people to believe?" (10:99)


"And so (O Prophet) exhort them; your task is only to exhort; you cannot compel" (88:21-22).


"There shall be no coercion in matters of faith" (2:256)


We can look at all the stories in the Qur'ân of the previous generations of people and the Prophets (aas), their trials and tribulations.... and we see a common thread emerge... choice... they were given the guidelines by Allah Ta'ala, and then they were allowed to make the choice, based on their understanding, level of faith, belief and desire to follow the right path.  None were compelled to make a choice.  


Coercion and force are used only when we are unable to convince with reasoning. Force is the method used by the uninformed as a tool for intimidation.  It is always a power play.  It is demeaning and insulting to humanity.  And it is definitely not Islamic. So what makes freedom of choice a responsibility, and not a frivolous liberty to abuse?

Islam expects us to educate ourselves.  Islam encourages the process of introspection and self-evaluation.... to look within and to continuously take steps  to improve ourselves.  Islam does not allow stagnant existence.  Islam teaches us  to strive for excellence in everything we do.  Passivity is not permitted in Islam.  We are accountable for our every action.... What are actions based on?  Our thoughts and the choices we make.  Since we are held accountable for our actions, the freedom to choose becomes a right, a duty and a responsibility.  (in the court  of Allah we will not be able to plead temporary insanity or ignorance and get away  with it  ;-)


Explore the profundity of the statement: 'We are accountable for our actions'... not our thoughts... why?  Because our actions are based on an active choice we make.  Our thoughts stray at times, but as long as we don't act on them we are not accountable for them.  The stress is on our choice of action.  Making right choices is learned through the process of thinking, evaluating, questioning and exploring.
 
We can make right choices only when we are fully aware and cognizant of the facts.
We cannot afford to squelch the freedom of thought and choice if we want Muslims to make progress and meet the challenges of life.  


Our problem today is two-fold...   
One: we are not educating ourselves about Islam.
Two:  we think that we are not allowed to use our brains when it comes to Islam; instead we are to obey and follow without questioning, studying or exploring.  Islam is not a religion to be followed blindly, this was never encouraged.  Ignorance is not an excuse we can employ to our benefit.


Can the blind and seeing be deemed equal? Will you not, then, take thought?  (6.50)


Our responsibility is to educate ourselves about Islam, to question, consider and to evaluate before we believe anything.  We need to understand the difference between Islam and man-made cultural traditions.  We need to recognize and separate Islam from the misinterpretations of Islam that are passed off as Islamic values in most countries.  We cannot afford to be complacent, nor can we expect Islam to flourish when Muslims remain uninformed about it.  We cannot divorce Islam from rational thinking and inquiry.

 
© 1999 published on www.crescentlife.com