Lesson video

Hi there, my young scholars of religion, my name is Miss.

Marx and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing all about Muslim beliefs to do with predestination.

We're going to get quite philosophical as we do this.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain what belief in predestination is and different perspectives on how this can relate to the idea of human freedom in Islam.

So let's start with our key terms. Decree, a command or order that must be followed.

Free will, being able to choose between different actions.

Omnipotent, Allah is all powerful.

Omniscient, Allah is all knowing.

Predestination, Allah has pre-decided everything that happens.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So today's lesson will have three sections.

What is a belief in predestination? The importance of beliefs about predestination and different perspectives on predestination.

So let's start with our first section.

What is a belief in predestination? If I could travel in time and see what you do tomorrow so I can see what you are gonna do tomorrow, would you be free to do something else? If I know what you're going to do tomorrow, are you free to choose to do that or could you choose to do something else, if I already know? Have a think about that.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, many Muslims believe that Allah is all knowing, which means that Allah already knows today what will happen tomorrow.

If God knows what I'll do tomorrow, am I free to choose to do something different? Muslims also believe that humans have free will.

So humans have the freedom to choose what they're going to do.

But many Muslims believe God already knows what that person is going to choose.

So are they really free? And this question around predestination and free will has puzzled philosophers and theologians for many, many centuries.

And in Islamic philosophy and theology we've had different answers that have come along and we'll explore those together today.

Well, here we've got Meyrem, Iqbal and Fatemeh and they're discussing how The 99 Names of Allah can help them understand what Allah is like.

So Meyrem says, well, "The name al-Qadir means that Allah is all-powerful.

Nothing happens that is not Allah's will." And Iqbal says, "The name al-Amin means that Allah is all-knowing.

Allah knows all that has and will happen." And Fatemeh says, "The name al-Adl means that Allah is just.

We are fairly judged on actions we freely choose to do." So all these three come from The 99 Names of Allah and help Muslims understand the nature of God.

So let's see how they can relate to beliefs about predestination then.

Well, a belief in predestination is part of the six articles of faith or six key beliefs in Sunni Islam.

It's also a belief that many Shi'a Muslims have.

But it is especially part of those six articles of faith that are found within Sunni Islam.

This belief is also known as al-Qadr.

So we had al-Qadir as all powerful God.

And so this belief is linked to that, al-Qadr.

So this idea of predestination links to ideas that we have about the universe then.

Well, for Muslims, Allah is outside and beyond our universe.

Sometimes the word transcendent is used.

Outside and beyond this, as a creation that Allah has created.

So Allah is not only within the universe but outside and beyond it.

And the universe isn't just about space and planets and stars and objects within the universe.

It's also about time.

So if Allah is outside of that and not constrained by, Allah could see potentially and know every single thing that's happening, will ever have and has ever happened, 'cause the whole of time is there.

And this is a big philosophical question that's been asked many, many, many times throughout religion and philosophy.

So if God can see all of time at once because God is outside and beyond the universe, does that mean God can know everything that has happened in the past, but also will happen in the future? But then, also if Allah is here in creation with us and knows us very well, so sometimes that's called the imminence of Allah, the idea that a God is here with us in creation and knows us very, very well within ourselves, then God will know the choices that humans make.

So this links to the idea of predestination.

And let's unpack the word pre and destination.

So `pre' is a prefix, which means before.

So we've got prevent, predict.

So these show it's before an event.

And destination means a place where something is going or where it will be sent.

So either, what's gonna happen, in terms of the actions people make, but also where that person may go as a final destination.

So predestination is the belief that Allah has already decided all that will happen.

Many Muslims believe that Allah has decreed what will happen and it's part of Allah's omnipotence and omniscience.

So it's the will of God that things happen because God is the one with all the power and nothing else can happen that's outside of the will of God.

Let's do a quick check.

Which term means that Allah is all knowing.

Is it omnibenevolent, omnipotent or omniscient? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done, it's omniscient and that word `scient' there is linked to science, which is to do with knowledge, isn't it? Well done.

Well, let's look to some sources of authority in Islam to understand this belief a little bit more then.

Well, we've got in the Qur'an a couple of verses here which can help us understand this.

So in Surah 33 it says, "The command of God is an absolute decree." So what God commands must be done.

Then we've got in Surah 76, "You cannot will unless God wills, God is Knowing and Wise." So here we have the idea of knowledge, but also that power and the will of God.

So let's have a think.

How could these quotes then support a belief in predestination? Pause the video and have a think.

And you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, well, we have this idea of the command and the decree, so God has commanded it and people will do what God has commanded.

And also, nothing can happen unless God wills it.

And then we've got that idea of God knowing.

So God's command is absolute and God knows all and wills all things that happen.

So God knows what will happen in the future, is one way of understanding that passage.

And so not only is the Koran an important source of authority for Muslims to understand different beliefs within Islam, but the Hadith is an important source of authority as the narration of the Prophet Muhammad and what he said and how he lived.

And here the Prophet Muhammad is saying what Allah has said to him.

And Allah is saying, "The vow, which is a promise, does not bring about for the son of Adam anything I have not decreed for him, but his vow may coincide with what has already been decided for him, and by this way, I cause a miser, someone who doesn't want to share, to spend of his wealth." So how could this link to the idea of predestination, this Hadith that the Prophet Mohamed is reported to have said? How could that link to a belief in predestination? Have another read of it and pause the video and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, here we have this idea of nothing will happen unless God has decreed it and decided it.

And nothing linking to that idea of God willing things to happen.

We've got, even if we choose to do something, we would not be doing it if it wasn't part of God's plan for us.

Even a promise I might make to do and I think I'm choosing to do it, it wouldn't happen if it went against God's plan.

And even things that I want to do I might not do.

So the miser who wants to kind of gather their wealth and not share it might be caused to spend it by Allah.

So Lucas and Laura are discussing how these sources of authority could support a belief in predestination then.

And Lucas says, "A Muslim might believe in predestination because in the Qur'an it says the command of Allah is an absolute decree.

This shows Allah has willed everything to happen and already knows it." And Laura says, "A Muslim might believe in predestination because in the Hadith the Prophet Muhammad said no matter what we vow, Allah decrees what happens.

Allah could cause `a miser to share his wealth,' meaning it happens because Allah has caused it." And what I really like about Lucas and Laura's answers is that they've stated the source where this came from.

Well done, Lucas and Laura.

Let's do a quick check.

In which Muslim source of authority was the example given that Allah could cause a "miser to share his wealth?" Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done, that was in the Hadith.

So let's do a practise task to see what we've learned.

You're going to explain two Muslim beliefs about predestination and refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief in teaching in your answer.

Your guidance is to give a point and develop it twice.

And in one of those developments you need to include the name of a source that links to your point, and what it says and what it teaches.

And it could be a quotation or a general belief or teaching.

So the pause the video and have a go.

You're going to refer to sacred writings when you explain two Muslim beliefs about predestination.

Pause the video, have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, so I you to explain two Muslim beliefs about predestination, referring to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief in teaching.

And your answer might look something like this.

"One Muslim belief about predestination is that Allah knows what choices we will make in everything that will happen in the future as Allah is omniscient.

This means God is knowing the past, present and future events." "Another Muslim belief about predestination is that Allah is omnipotent and nothing happens that is not the will of Allah.

Muslims read in the Qur'an, `You cannot will unless God wills,' which shows nothing happens that is not part of Allah's plan and decree." And I've stated my source there as the Qur'an and I did that in the second part of my answer.

Well done.

So onto the second section then.

The importance of beliefs about predestination.

Why do these beliefs matter? Well Lucas, Laura and Jacob are questioning how a belief in predestination could influence someone.

If someone has this belief in complete predestination, that everything is decided by Allah, could it influence them to think this? Lucas says, "Would that belief in predestination mean there's no point in being good if it's already decided?" Laura says, "Would it make you feel you don't have free will because it's not your will, but Allah's?" And Alex says, "Can Allah punish someone for doing bad actions that Allah had decided they would do?" So can you be punished for something that it wasn't really your decision to do because it was God's will? Hmm.

I wonder if you had any of those questions as we were thinking about predestination and what do you think a Muslim could say in response to these challenges then? Pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, many Muslims don't view predestination in exactly that way.

And we're going to hear from Iqbal now, who's a Sunni Muslim, and he's going to explain how he understands predestination.

Iqbal says, "I believe Allah's will is supreme and nothing happens without the will of Allah.

But I must still try to do the right thing and avoid bad actions.

Allah knows me so well, Allah knows what choices I'll make.

Allah is fair and just and will judge everyone depending on their actions and their intentions for the afterlife.

I cannot fully understand Allah as I'm only just a small part of Allah's entire creation." It's got lots of ideas in here for Iqbal as to how he understands predestination.

God knows Iqbal so well.

God knows what choices he'll make in the future.

And also, Iqbal's admitting that he can't fully understand God and never will he be able to because he's just a small part of an entire creation of God.

Let's do a quick check.

Is this true or false? A belief in predestination means it doesn't matter what choices a person makes in their life.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done, that is false, isn't it? Because Muslims who believe in predestination believe they should still make the right choices and avoid bad actions in life.

Allah knows them so well and Allah knows what choices they will make and will judge them fairly.

Well done.

So well, why is this belief in predestination important for many Muslims then? Well, predestination is linked to Allah's omnipotence because if I can choose what I'm doing, it could go against the will of God.

That means that God isn't all powerful because I have some power here that God hasn't got control over.

So believing that God is all powerful is linked to that idea of God willing everything that happens.

So predestination is linked to Allah's omniscience, that idea of God knowing.

So if God knows everything and is outside of creation and outside of time and space, then God must know everything that has happened in the past and in the future, 'cause God's knowledge is not limited.

And also predestination is linked to Allah's plan for the world.

So that kind of trust and knowledge that there is a plan, God has a plan with everything that's happening, whatever's happening in someone's life, God has a plan for this and it's part of that plan and it's not happening outside of what God is planning.

So it's a very important belief for many Muslims for that reason.

So why is that important then? Well, because an omnipotent God is worthy of worship.

Why would someone worship a God that's got limited power? People worship a God that has all the power and that's why they would pray to and worship and ask things of that God that has that power, rather than things with limited power.

So therefore an omniscient God can be trusted to have the revelations.

I'm going to read the revelations from an omniscient God who knows things about the future, things about the past, things about the afterlife.

I'm not going to have those revelations from a God that's limited in knowledge.

It's going to be a God that has unlimited knowledge, is omniscient.

Also humans can ask God for help through prayer.

So a God that knows everything, and a God that has all of the power, can then be asked to help humans and also for humans to help understand that plan or understand and trust in God's plan for them.

So Laura's gonna ask Iqbal now why this is important for him.

"Why is the belief in predestination important to you, Iqbal?" And Iqbal says, "Belief in predestination is important to me because it means I can trust in Allah.

If I'm worried about the future, then I know I can trust Allah's plan for me.

I often say insha'Allah when I talk about future plans.

It means God willing and reminds me that things only happen if Allah decrees them.

This reassures me and makes me feel more confident about the future." Thank you Iqbal.

And Lucas is gonna ask Meyrem now, "Why is the belief in predestination important to you, Meyrem?" And Meyrem says, "A belief in predestination is important to me as when I pray to Allah asking for help, I know Allah has the power to help me.

If Allah's power was limited, then why would I pray for help? I know Allah would want me to do the right actions when I have a choice and so I try to make good decisions in my life." Thank you, Meyrem.

So Meyrem and Iqbal there have shown us there's often more than one reason why beliefs are important to believers.

So we're going to give together one reason why belief in predestination is important to a Muslim.

Hmm, I think because it means they can pray to Allah for help and guidance to do the right thing.

So over to you.

Give another reason why a belief in predestination might be important to a Muslim.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

I've got here, "trusting in Allah's plan." Other responses could be, "saying insha'Allah after future plans, feeling reassured about the future." Well done.

So time for another practise task to see what we've learned then.

We're going to explain two reasons why belief in predestination is important to Muslims. For each of them we're going to give a point and develop it.

So your point can be one reason why a belief in predestination is important to a Muslim.

Then explain how and why this could impact their life.

And then a second reason why a belief in predestination is important to a Muslim.

And then explain how and why this could impact their life.

So pause the video and off you go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some great work there.

So I asked you to explain two reasons why a belief in predestination is important to Muslims and your response might be similar to this.

"A belief in predestination is important to Muslims to help them feel reassured and comforted about the future.

This is because they can trust that everything that happens is part of Allah's plan for the universe." And "a belief in predestination is also important to Muslims as they can say the words insha'Allah, which means God willing, after any plans made for the future.

This reminds them that everything happens because it's decreed and decided by Allah." And so for both of these I've given a point and then I've explained it.

Well done.

So onto our third section then.

Different perspectives on predestination.

So, human freedom or free will is an important belief in Islam.

So we've got beliefs about predestination, but we've also got beliefs about humans being free and having the free choice to what actions they do.

The purpose of life on earth is for humans to be tested.

So within Islam, the idea is that life is a test.

So if you pass the test you could go to paradise afterwards.

So everything we do is a test and then we see if we pass the test or not, to be able to go to paradise in the afterlife.

That's not a fair test is it? If God has already decided the actions that everybody makes, if it's already been decided that I will do something good or bad, no matter what I vow or promise to do, that I will do a certain action or not, it's already been decided by God that it fits with God's will whether I do or don't do those actions.

Is it fair to test me on that? Can I be punished for something that Allah chose for me to do? And can I be rewarded for something that Allah chose for me to do? Therefore, for Allah to be fair and we have the name al-Adl at the beginning of the lesson, and the idea of the justice of God, well then there must be free will because I must have freely chosen to do the action that I'm then judged on for that to be a fair judgement.

So, is a belief in predestination compatible with a belief in free will then? What do you think? Pause the video and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, this is something that has puzzled philosophers and theologians for centuries and there've been different discussions around this within Islamic philosophy too.

So let's look to the Qur'an, as a Muslim source of authority, around this idea of life being a test then.

In Surah 76 it says, "We created man from a liquid mixture to test him and We made him hearing and seeing.

We guided him to the way, be he appreciative or unappreciative." So how could this quote support a belief in free will? What can you find in there that supports a belief in free will? Pause the video and have a go, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, here we have this idea of man is created, with that specific aim to be tested, and also that man is being guided but not necessarily forced to do certain actions.

So this quote shows that the purpose of human life is a test.

And the quote also shows that God can guide humans but not force their actions.

Let's do a quick check.

Which name of Allah means "the just?" And we had this right at the beginning of the lesson.

Which name of Allah is that? Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, it's al-Adl.

So al-Adl is another important name for Allah.

Along with we've thought about omniscient and omnipotent, here we have the idea of the justice of God being important.

Adalat is one of the five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam.

And Hassan and Fatemeh are Shi'a Muslims. Hassan says, "The whole universe is governed by rules set by Allah, but we have free will to make choices in our lives.

Allah provided a guide for us but does not control us." So we could think of it like this.

The whole universe has certain rules which are set, no matter what I want, I can't change them.

I could throw this ball in the air and will, with my free will, as much as I want for it to stay up.

But is that gonna happen? Shall we try? No, it comes back down, following the law of gravity.

That's something I can't change with my own free will.

This is something that's been set by Allah for the universe to run.

But there are things that I do have control over in my own life, and the different choices that I make, and those are the things that I can then be judged on because I chose to do them with my own free will.

That would mean it's fair for me to be judged on that.

But there are still many things in the universe which are controlled by Allah.

Fatemeh says, "Allah has the power to intervene on earth, for example, when Jibril brought the revelations to the Qur'an.

But Allah does not intervene for our every action." So Allah has the power to intervene.

Allah is omnipotent, is all powerful, but not choosing to use that power in every single action that we have.

So how could these views relate to a belief in predestination then? Pause the video and have a think.

And you could talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, many Shi'a Muslims might take a position that there are certain things that are predestined and there are other things that are not.

And actually many Muslims take a middle ground between the idea of there being complete predestination or not.

Let's do a quick check.

Is this true or false? All Muslims agree on the relationship between predestination and human freedom.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

It is false, isn't it, but why? Well, it's false because, "there's a variety of views on the relationship between predestination and human freedom in Islam.

Most Muslims take a middle ground and accept both predestination and free will." So time for another practise task to see what we've learned then.

Iqbal and Hassan are discussing predestination and human freedom.

For each point they give, provide a source of authority that supports their view.

So these are views that we've seen in today's lesson, and you are now going to give a source of authority that could support that view.

So Hassan says, "There are some things that are predestined and Allah guides people and does not force them." And Iqbal says, "Predestination means that nothing happens on earth without it being the will of Allah." So for each point you're going to give a source of authority that supports it.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've come up with in a moment.

Well done, some great thinking there, very philosophical.

So for the points Hassan and Iqbal have given, you're going to provide a source of authority that supports their view.

And your response may look like this.

Hassan said, "There are some things that are predestined, but Allah guides people, doesn't force them." And you could have said, "In the Qur'an it says Allah has provided a guide for humans to follow." And Iqbal said, "Predestination means that nothing happens on earth without it being the will of Allah." And you could have said, "In the Qur'an it says you cannot will something to happen unless Allah has willed it." Well done.

So let's summarise what we've learned today then.

Predestination.

Muslims believe that Allah is all knowing, omniscient, and all powerful, omnipotent.

Allah knows what will happen in the future and many Muslims believe this means that Allah wills what happens.

This belief is known as predestination, that Allah decrees what will happen.

This can be seen to conflict with free will, but Muslims have different ways of resolving this.

Most Muslims believe in both predestination and human freedom.

So well done for your hard work today and I hope to see you again soon, bye-bye.