Free will and fate: steering a life within conditions we did not choose

Certain matters are subject to the free will of man, such as acting with justice and fairness, or injustice and iniquity -- in other words, the choice of good or evil actions. … But there are certain matters where man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, failing powers, misfortune, and material loss: These are not subject to the will of man and he is not accountable for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But he is free in the choice of good and evil actions, and it is of his own accord that he performs them.

… This condition can be likened to that of a ship that moves by the power of wind or steam. Should this power be cut off, the ship would become entirely unable to move. Nevertheless, in whatever direction the rudder is turned, the power of the steam propels the ship in that direction. If the rudder is turned to the east, the ship moves eastward, and if it is directed to the west, the ship moves west. This motion does not arise from the ship itself, but from the wind or steam.

In like manner, all the doings of man are sustained by the power of divine assistance, but the choice of good or evil belongs to him alone.

Question: When an action which someone will perform becomes the object of God's knowledge and is recorded in the "Guarded Tablet" of destiny, is it possible to resist it?

Answer: The knowledge of a thing is not the cause of its occurrence; for the essential knowledge of God encompasses the realities of all things both before and after they come to exist, but it is not the cause of their existence.

The governor sent here from Constantinople possesses full authority and power from the authority and power of the Sultan and the Sultan has employed him for the government of the city, having given him full authority and power to do justice here. But this man is capable of doing both justice and injustice by this power given him by the Sultan. If he exercises injustice and oppression in the city and the Sultan punishes him, can he answer that he had done these things through the power given him from the Sultan? The Sultan will tell him that he has given him power to use in a good way and not in oppression.

O servant of Truth! Neither compulsion nor complete free will, neither constraint nor dominion. "The truth lies between the two extremes" means that existence is bestowed by God but the performance of deeds comes from creation.

… This is the meaning of "between the two extremes."

Man's involvement in actions is through will, inclination, receptivity and capacity. Both man and tree are in motion, and God is the mover of both these motions. However, man's motion differs from the tree's motion, for the first is by choice, will and inclination, while the second is by compulsion and without choice, and the Mover is the Mighty, the Compelling One.

However, this does not mean there is compulsion involved. Rather, it means that if sustenance were cut off, all created things would cease to move. For example, if the sustenance of the spirit were cut off from the organs and parts of the human body, no organ would retain any movement. However, this movement is according to the satisfaction and desire of the self, not the spirit.

Thou hadst asked about fate, predestination and will. Fate and predestination consist in the necessary and indispensable relationships which exist in the realities of things. These relationships have been placed in the realities of existent beings through the power of creation and every incident is a consequence of the necessary relationship. For example, God hath created a relation between the sun and the terrestrial globe that the rays of the sun should shine and the soil should yield. These relationships constitute predestination, and the manifestation thereof in the plane of existence is fate. Will is that active force which controlleth these relationships and these incidents.

In fine, that inner faculty in man, unseen of the eye, wresteth the sword from the hands of nature, and giveth it a grievous blow. All other beings, however great, are bereft of such perfections. Man hath the powers of will and understanding, but nature hath them not. Nature is constrained, man is free. Nature is bereft of understanding, man understandeth.

It is therefore evident that the natural movements of all created things are compelled, and that nothing moves of its own will save animals and, in particular, man.

Man is able to resist and oppose nature inasmuch as he discovers the natures of things and, by virtue of this discovery, has mastery over nature itself. Indeed, all the crafts that man has devised proceed from this discovery.

Therefore, humans break nature's rules and laws, and command nature.

From what has humanity obtained this excellence? It has been obtained from knowledge. Thus it is clear that knowledge is the greatest of human virtues. Breaking habits and violating nature's laws is specific to knowledge.

When we look about us we see every other creature captive to his environment.

The bird is a captive in the air and the fish a captive in the sea. Man alone stands apart and says to the elements, I will make you my servants! I can govern you!

As regards free will. There are two kinds of affairs. The first controlled by man, the second beyond his control; the first voluntary; the second involuntary. I am a free man as far as walking is concerned, but I am not free to soar in the air, unless I build an aeroplane.

Man has free will in matters related to improving qualities and refining character, which lead to ascent to sublime and transcendent stations.

However, in universal matters and the law of power, humans cannot interfere and have no choice. For example, one cannot say "Why have I grown old?" and is not able to live forever and never die. In such matters, one is certainly compelled.

The incomparable Creator hath created all men from one same substance, and hath exalted their reality above the rest of His creatures. Success or failure, gain or loss, must, therefore, depend upon man's own exertions. The more he striveth, the greater will be his progress.

Know thou that every soul is fashioned after the nature of God, each being pure and holy at his birth. Afterwards, however, the individuals will vary according to what they acquire of virtues or vices in this world. Although all existent beings are in their very nature created in ranks or degrees, for capacities are various, nevertheless every individual is born holy and pure, and only thereafter may he become defiled.

As to what thou hast asked concerning the innate nature, know thou that all men have been created according to the nature of God, the Supreme, the Self-Subsisting. He hath ordained for every soul the measures of His decree as inscribed in the preserved tablets of glory. Yet all this manifesteth through your own volition, even as ye witness in your own deeds. … Say: No good thing proceedeth from any source except from God, while no evil originateth from any source except from yourselves. Do ye not comprehend?

As for what thou hast asked concerning deeds, know thou that God thy Lord is the Creator, and the servants are the doers. Thus hath the matter been decreed and the judgment come from the presence of the Mighty, the All-Knowing. He hath created His servants and acquainted them with the pathways of His guidance and the ways of His Cause, and He hath created in them the power whereby they might traverse the paths of truth. Whoso walketh in that which his Lord hath desired, he verily hath attained salvation and security, and whoso turneth away, he verily hath disbelieved in God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting....

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Therefore, it is evident that this substance is confirmed by the all-conquering might and the most powerful influence, but it all depends on the way in which this power and might is used; if it is spent in the path of God and in divine attraction, the resplendent reality of God's glorious sign will shine forth, but if it is used to promote satanic promptings, the truth of "that is indeed from your deception, your deception is verily great" will be manifested.

Some, let us suppose, know what action is good and what is bad, but at the time of action, self and desire prevail and they are overcome.

Real faithfulness is that kind which is volitional.

… Therefore this free-will in man which God has created in man's being is the cause of adornment.

O chosen one! All things are compelled and constrained to glorify and sanctify God with a heavenly tongue, while you have been given free choice in praising and extolling the Divine.

All souls have a free will to choose or refuse the Will of God.

Each soul has its station of individuality in which it may develop itself, but a soul cannot leave its own station for another station or individuality.

Spirit is universal. Man is created in a potential degree of Spirit. Growth is from the mental station into the Spiritual, something like the development from soldier to Commander. God Himself cannot compel the soul to become spiritual. The exercise of a free human will is necessary. We can point the way and furnish the example. We should do little things as well as great things for the Love of God. We should love people because they are God's creatures.

God has given us free will to choose or reject Him. If we reject Him, we lose the blessing for which we came.

Indeed, God has made His Cause clear and established, such that all souls may comprehend it. Then He, exalted be His mention, said: "There is no compulsion in religion," and "Let him who will, believe, and let him who will, disbelieve," and "Whoso disbelieves, God is independent of all creation." Though there is no doubt that had Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, wished to guide all through his irresistible will, God would have guided all mankind. But the guidance of all was not ordained, as decreed by thy Lord.

He Who is the Dayspring of Truth is, no doubt, fully capable of rescuing from such remoteness wayward souls and of causing them to draw nigh unto His court and attain His Presence. “If God had pleased He had surely made all men one people.” His purpose, however, is to enable the pure in spirit and the detached in heart to ascend, by virtue of their own innate powers, unto the shores of the Most Great Ocean, that thereby they who seek the Beauty of the All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward and perverse. Thus hath it been ordained by the all-glorious and resplendent Pen.

Say: If it be Our pleasure We shall render the Cause victorious through the power of a single word from Our presence. He is in truth the Omnipotent, the All-Compelling. Should it be God's intention, there would appear out of the forests of celestial might the lion of indomitable strength whose roaring is like unto the peals of thunder reverberating in the mountains. However, since Our loving providence surpasseth all things, We have ordained that complete victory should be achieved through speech and utterance, that Our servants throughout the earth may thereby become the recipients of divine good. This is but a token of God's bounty vouchsafed unto them.

For the matter resolves to one of four possibilities: either compelling all to obedience, or compelling all to disobedience, or compelling some to obedience and others to disobedience, or giving each its due according to the capacities of contingent beings.

… Were we to assume compulsion in either obedience or disobedience, free will would be eliminated, and with its elimination obligation would be nullified, and with its nullification reward and punishment would fall outside the circle of righteousness. It befits not the Just and Wise One to bestow paradise on one who has not performed what merits it, or hell on one who has not done what warrants it.

Therefore notice that the fact that rays are scattered from the sun to far and near does not mean that the sun has arranged some of them to be near and some of them to be distant but rather in bestowing existence it makes no distinction or augmentation with respect to any. It has manifested all with the same effulgence. But each, according to its own desire, has accepted a particular station and status.

In the perspective of Truth, it is neither predestination nor delegation. Rather, the Command of God transcends these two matters. … The secret of the Command is that God knows the volition of all things, and through the path of volition creates all things, and rewards them according to their volition. Were He to create anything contrary to its own degree of receptivity, He would have wronged it.

The servant, at the time of action, acts through the action of destiny from One All-Knowing and All-Wise, for God, glorified be He, has always known the choices of all and how they proceed therein, recompensing them according to their qualities and giving them their due.

This choice accompanies the existence of things, and nothing exists except through its choice, for at the time of the choice's existence when God the Exalted said "Am I not your Lord?", had there not been choice, the response "Yea" would not have been given.

Say: There is no volition except through God, and all act by His volition. Say: There is no will except through God; we stand through God. Say: If ye will what God loveth, then ye will through His will, and if ye will what God loveth not, then ye stand through His will.

What is meant by His exalted word "decree" is the fourth rank of the act wherein no alteration occurs afterwards.

When you understand the ruling of Decree in the fourth rank, you will be certain that no good or evil exists in contingent being except through God's Decree and Measure and the five ranks, and all that exists only through the servant's choice. For choice accompanies the existence of the thing, and the manifestations of the act are the existences of things which exist through God, glorified be He.

Consider thyself: thou performest an action of thine own free will, yet once done thou canst not reverse it. If thou shouldst act otherwise, would not the same hold true?

As for the wickedness of Shimr and the savagery and bloodthirstiness of Yazid, these were from their own impetuosity. Fate should not be blamed. Destiny is the capacity, worthiness and measure of things themselves, for the meaning of destiny is measure, and divine decree, which is an expression of the Lord's command in the realities of things, is manifested according to the capacity and measure of things....

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Say: Those who follow God's command - these are the guided ones. And those who follow their own desires - God will neither forgive them nor guide them.

The general opinion is that whatever proceeds from man springs from his own will and has nothing to do with God. Whatever man does is created by man himself and for this reason. This is the opinion of the philosophers. The philosophers of religion on the other hand, say thus: "it is not so. Man is powerless. Of himself, he can do nothing. All is from God.

Hear then, my children: the human soul is to be compared to a weaver, but human life to a woven fabric; the human body, and foremost the brain, is the implement, the organ, through which the weaving is done. God, the Lord, the taskmaster, covers the weaver's loom (the human milieu) with the warp of fate. … The human soul then weaves the weft of the fabric with the shuttle of the senses, the imagination and action until life's end, whereby - so we say -works of art of a human life appear. The material to be woven, be it hemp, yarn, wool or silk, or some other mixture, the soul cannot choose, nor the implement, but only the ways and means of weaving, insofar as they are not already predetermined to some extent by the material itself.

The chain of creation is interwoven in a natural law and divine order. Everything is interlinked. A link cannot be broken without affecting that natural order. Everything that happens is in conformity with this order and is based on consummate wisdom.

Therefore, what we call an accident is the effect of the connection of all the parts, and no events transpire in vain.

Calamities are of two kinds. One kind results from bad morals and misconduct such as falsehood, dishonesty, treachery, cruelty and the like.

The other kind is the result of the exigencies of the contingent world, of consummate divine law, and of universal relationships, and is that which is bound to happen, as, for instance, changes, alterations, life and death.

For example, a storm is a universal blessing. It is a prelude to cool and temperate weather. It is one of nature's features, an essential part of natural phenomena. However, if it strikes a ship which is incapable of resisting its force, this is not due to the ship's misfortune. The storm did not come to sink the ship but to follow its own natural course.

Question: Is fate, which is mentioned in the Holy Books, an irrevocable thing? If so, what use or benefit will come from seeking to avoid it?

Answer: Fate is of two kinds: one is irrevocable and the other is conditional, or, as it is said, impending. Irrevocable fate is that which cannot be changed or altered, while conditional fate is that which may or may not occur. Thus, the irrevocable fate for this lamp is that its oil will be burned and consumed.

… But conditional fate may be likened to this: while some oil yet remains, a strong wind blows and extinguishes the lamp. This fate is conditional. It is expedient to avoid this fate, to guard oneself against it, and to be cautious and prudent.

Consider the lamp that is lit. Its irrevocable term is the exhaustion of its oil and wick, for as long as these two remain, the lamp continues to burn and give light. When these are exhausted, its extinction is inevitable and it will surely be extinguished. … However, it will attain this inevitable end only if the contingent terms that are created within existence by the power of the All-Merciful do not seize it and extinguish it first.

He is the All-Hearing and the All-Seeing

O thou who art the fruit of My Tree and the leaf thereof! On thee be My glory and My mercy.

Let not thine heart grieve over what hath befallen thee. Wert thou to scan the pages of the Book of Life, thou wouldst, most certainly, discover that which would dissipate thy sorrows and dissolve thine anguish.

Know thou, O fruit of My Tree, that the decrees of the Sovereign Ordainer, as related to fate and predestination, are of two kinds. Both are to be obeyed and accepted. The one is irrevocable, the other is, as termed by men, impending. To the former all must unreservedly submit, inasmuch as it is fixed and settled. God, however, is able to alter or repeal it. As the harm that must result from such a change will be greater than if the decree had remained unaltered, all, therefore, should willingly acquiesce in what God hath willed and confidently abide by the same.

The decree that is impending, however, is such that prayer and entreaty can succeed in averting it.

God grant that thou who art the fruit of My Tree, and they that are associated with thee, may be shielded from its evil consequences.

Say: O God, my God! Thou hast committed into mine hands a trust from Thee, and hast now according to the good-pleasure of Thy Will called it back to Thyself. It is not for me, who am a handmaid of Thine, to say, whence is this to me or wherefore hath it happened, inasmuch as Thou art glorified in all Thine acts, and art to be obeyed in Thy decree.

Thine handmaid, O my Lord, hath set her hopes on Thy grace and bounty. Grant that she may obtain that which will draw her nigh unto Thee, and will profit her in every world of Thine. Thou art the Forgiving, the All-Bountiful. There is none other God but Thee, the Ordainer, the Ancient of Days.

Vouchsafe Thy blessings, O Lord, my God, unto them that have quaffed the wine of Thy love before the face of men, and, in spite of Thine enemies, have acknowledged Thy unity, testified to Thy oneness, and confessed their belief in that which hath made the limbs of the oppressors among Thy creatures to quake, and the flesh of the proud ones of the earth to tremble. I bear witness that Thy Sovereignty can never perish, not Thy Will be altered. Ordain for them that have set their faces towards Thee, and for Thine handmaids that have held fast by Thy Cord, that which beseemeth the Ocean of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy grace.

Thou art He, O God, Who hath proclaimed Himself as the Lord of Wealth, and characterized all that serve Him as poor and needy. Even as Thou hast written: "O ye that believe! Ye are but paupers in need of God; but God is the All-Possessing, the All-Praised." Having acknowledged my poverty, and recognized Thy wealth, suffer me not to be deprived of the glory of Thy riches. Thou art, verily, the Supreme Protector, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

For fate is of two kinds: suspended fate and irrevocable fate. Irrevocable fate cannot be changed or altered. … Rather, the purpose of seeking healing is to be protected from suspended fate and preserved from non-irrevocable destiny.

For example, consider that this lamp has a certain amount of oil, and when it burns and the oil is finished, it will certainly be extinguished - for this there is no change or alteration. However, benedictory prayers and seeking healing are like a glass that protects this lamp from opposing winds so that it is not extinguished by suspended fate.

There are two kinds of death. One is preordained, and the other is dependent upon many things. For example, a lamp is filled with oil, and it will burn as long as the oil will last. This is preordained. (If the lamp is filled with oil to burn five hours, it will not burn six hours.) Another lamp may be filled, but a strong wind arising may put out the light. This is the other kind of death--dependent upon circumstances.

It is certain that if a babe be thrown into the sea, it will die. This is not preordained death, for the child had just begun its life.

Can any of these circumstances be changed by prayer? Yes, prayer might prevent the strong wind from blowing out the light of the lamp--but it could never change the amount of oil in the lamp--that is preordained.

For every atom among the atoms of contingent beings a portion hath been ordained and a share hath been established in the Book of God.

And likewise He saith: "Have they not considered within themselves that God hath not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them but for a serious end, and for a fixed term?

Praised be to Him and Exalted is He above everything that they ascribe as partner unto Him" [Q39:67]. Thus is it that not a leaf stirs upon a tree nor does a fruit fall except by the will of Thy Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Even if all who are in the heavens and earth were to unite to prevent that which God hath willed, they would never be able, never have the power, and would find themselves utterly impotent.

This is My counsel unto thee and unto the beloved of God. Whosoever wisheth, let him turn thereunto; whosoever wisheth, let him turn away.

… For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit, oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can escape the snares He setteth, and no soul can find release except through submission to His will.

Thou must, in all conditions, gaze upon and hold fast to this blessed verse revealed in the Qur'an: "He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth what He pleaseth." In truth, this blessed verse hath been and continues to be the hosts of divine protection. Train the loved ones through this exalted word and preserve them from vain imaginings that neither nourish nor enrich. The word "He doeth what He willeth" is a mighty sign and an adorned and knowing teacher. Blessed is the soul that truly cleaveth thereunto; such a one is, in all conditions, protected and preserved.

Whoso tenaciously cleaveth unto this sublime word and drinketh deep from the living waters of utterance which are inherent therein, will be imbued with such a constancy that all the books of the world will be powerless to deter him from the Mother Book.

This is a station wherein the feet of the mystics have slipped and the steps of the eloquent have stumbled. When one of the holy ones was asked about this most manifest station and this greatest vista, he replied that it was a surging ocean not to be entered, and in another instance, a pitch-dark night not to be traversed. He further said that destiny is a mystery among God's mysteries and a safeguard among His safeguards, sealed with God's seal, concealed within God's knowledge.

They have described the station of Destiny as most great, as it is said: "Destiny is a secret among God's secrets, a command among His commands, and a protection among His protections, sealed with God's seal..." until He says "it is a surging ocean which you cannot enter, and a dark night which you cannot traverse, abundant with fish in its depths which extend between heaven and earth, and its width extends between east and west, and in its depths is a sun that gives light."

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And the Truthful One [Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq] hath said: "There is neither compulsion nor delegation, but rather a position between the two positions." Know thou that regarding this question, God hath veiled its knowledge from minds, souls and spirits, and the Imam hath withheld from the servants its understanding, for when he was asked about it, he said: "It is a deep ocean - enter it not." And when asked a second time, he said: "It is a dark path - traverse it not." And when asked a third time, he said: "It is God's secret - unveil it not."

In truth, the Prophet Muhammad knew well that the difficult theological problem of the relationship of divine foreknowledge and conferment of grace to human free will is veiled in obscurity, as are also the mystery of suffering and the mystery of evil, of wickedness. For that reason the Prophet realized that this problem could easily become a stumbling-block for foolish and unlearned souls, and it is understandable that Muhammad did not like to hear in His presence idle disputations on this subject. Let us remember how the Prophet gave the clear instruction in the Qur'an: 'Do not sit together with someone who contends (quarrels) with fate, and do not start a conversation with such a one!'

The meaninglessness which appears to you in natural law, the inner and outer difficulties of the creature, will not trouble you, the word accident (the concept of meaninglessness) will help you to overcome the most difficult questions by burying them. - But if there is meaning behind all that happens, beyond cause and effect, then, so teaches us logic, there must be a meaningful Cause behind it all! There you have, O my son, caught the Godhead in the net of your logic!

… The Blessed Perfection Baha'u'llah tells you about this in the Hidden Words (Arabic): 'Earthly calamity is My providence, My will, thy fate decreed by Me, in outward appearance it is purification, fire and punishment, in truth it is light and mercy, guidance and rescue. Why wilt thou flee from divine purification and guidance decreed for thee, as if it were meaninglessness (accident), aimlessness and purposelessness? Draw near to sorrow, accept suffering, embrace misery, so that thou mayest triumph as an eternal lamp and an immortal spirit.

Whatsoever may happen is for the best, because affliction is but the essence of bounty, and sorrow and toil are mercy unalloyed, and anguish is peace of mind, and to make a sacrifice is to receive a gift, and whatsoever may come to pass hath issued from God's grace.

Whatsoever hath come to pass is in conformity with wisdom, and all must needs be content therewith---nay rather, cherish hope in it. Yet in certain matters, when after the sweetness of reunion there cometh the bitterness of separation, and when after nearness and meeting the decree of remoteness is pronounced, it is for this reason that sighs of sorrow and grief are raised and the tears of the eyes are made to flow.

O handmaiden of God! Be thou resigned unto fate and be satisfied with whatever the operation of destiny causeth to occur. Moreover, do not believe that whatever man desireth is also best for man.

Therefore one must be content with fate and surrender to destiny, and be grateful and thankful for whatever has been ordained.

As for worldly affairs, in whatever age you live, dwell in the land with contentment and fear none but God, for the duration of this world compared to the life of the hereafter is less than a moment and shall pass. God has guaranteed the sustenance of His servants, and each shall receive what is destined.

Today it is incumbent upon everyone to move according to that which God has willed, meaning to submerge their own will and desire in the Will of God, to fix their gaze upon the will of the Friend, to turn toward His desire and to hold fast to His command.

Furthermore, no one's will hath ever been or shall ever be united with God's will, for the will of all hath been and shall ever be as nothingness before His will. The glory of existence is for one to make his own will fade away in God's will - that is, to have no will, thought or imagination of his own, but to move by God's will and act accordingly.

That is why Christ says "Thy will be done and not mine," because in the appearance of the will of the Father, all our hopes and longings are obtained.

A man asked another: "In what station are you?" He answered: "In the utmost happiness." "Where does this happiness come from?" He answered: "Because all the existing things move according to my wish; therefore I do not find anything contrary to my desire; thus I have no sorrow. There is no doubt that all the beings move by the will of God, and I have given up my own will, desiring the will of God. Thus my will becomes the will of God, for there is nothing of myself. All are moving by His will, yet they are moving by my will. In this case, I am very happy."

God's guidance is intended to release us from the unpredictability of our sensuality, the insane arbitrariness of our will, from the burden of our faint-hearted, worrying spirit, and to let us walk safely in the fetters of His almighty love and justice, so that we do not resist.

The Prophets of the Word could not sin. They possess the power and will to violate the Will of God, but the desire to do so is never present in them. Knowing the perfect fruit of Oneness, they have no inclination toward that which is imperfect.

The love shown by animals is instinctive and not dependent upon their own will--that is, they are endowed with their qualities and use them in a natural way, but not by their own will. As these qualities are instinctive and not voluntary, animals will not be rewarded. Their benefits are confined to this word only.

O Samandar! Most act according to their own will, but Jinab-i-Mihdi who was with him appeared very poor, therefore forbearance was shown and the light of grace accepted him. … Blessed are those souls who act according to His will.

Whoso willeth, let him believe in the signs of God, and whoso willeth, let him turn away. Verily, my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.

We counsel you for the sake of God - whoso wisheth, let him accept, and whoso wisheth, let him turn away.

This is the counsel of this servant. Whoso wishes, let him act upon it, and whoso wishes, let him turn away therefrom.

Should the wind cease to blow, that is, if the assistance of God be withheld, the ship would be unable to move. It would neither move to the right nor to the left. But when the wind lendeth its assistance, the ship is set into motion. The inmates of the ship, however, steer it in whatever direction they please. Therefore the ship's motion, whether to the right or to the left, is generated through the assistance of the wind, and yet the sailors set the course of its movement. It is neither unconditional liberty for the ship saileth not through its own power, nor is it predestination, for the sailors of the ship steer it in whatever direction they please.

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If the wind bloweth not, that is if divine assistance be withdrawn, the ship cannot move. It can neither sail to the east nor to the west. But with the aid of the wind, the ship can be carried in whichever direction the rudder turneth. Thus the motion of the ship, either to the east or to the west, dependeth on the wind's assistance, but its course will follow the direction of the rudder, however it may be inclined. The words 'no deference,' signify that the ship cannot move by its own power whereas 'no compulsion' implieth that by means of its rudder, it is free to move in any direction. This is the meaning of the Middle Way.

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And yet, 'to all--both to these and those--will we prolong the gifts of thy Lord; for not to any shall the gifts of thy Lord be denied' If the wind bloweth not, that is if divine assistance be withdrawn, the ship cannot move. It can neither sail to the east nor to the west. But with the aid of the wind, the ship can be carried in whichever direction the rudder turneth. Thus the motion of the ship, either to the east or to the west, dependeth on the wind's assistance, but its course will follow the direction of the rudder, however it may be inclined. The words 'no deference,' signify that the ship cannot move by its own power whereas 'no compulsion' implieth that by means of its rudder, it is free to move in any direction. This is the meaning of the Middle Way.

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Should the aid of God be withheld from the world of being, no created thing would be able to move. It is not meant, however, that everything hath been foreordained, but rather that if the assistance of God be severed from the world, the entire creation would be bereft of the capacity to move.

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The human being and the tree are both in motion and the mover for both is God. However, the movement of the human being is dissimilar from that of the tree for the movement of the former is based on choice, willpower and motivation and the movement of the latter is without volition or preference, and the mover is the Almighty, the All-Compelling. This is what is meant by 'neither by force, nor by deference, neither abhorrence, nor by command, but the middle way'.

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Man, in matters pertaining to praiseworthy attributes and the rectification of character, and to that which is the cause of his advancement to exalted spiritual stations, is free... but as to universal matters and laws the power of man hath no sway.

Catalogue reference: ABU1208 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

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All universal beings and particular beings are firmly bound by the chains and fetters of nature, unable to transgress by an atom's weight - save human beings. … Humans have free will, nature is compelled. Humans have consciousness, nature lacks consciousness. Humans are living, nature lacks life. Humans discover future matters, nature is heedless of them. Through known premises, humans discover unknown conclusions, while nature is powerless to do so.

Catalogue reference: ABU0255 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

As to shortness of life, fewness of children, and scarcity of means, these are a result of all encompassing wisdom, the source of which is divine fate -- and divine fate consists in the firm and binding relationships between the various parts of the universe. Every event is bound up with every other event, and every exigency, owing to these necessary relationships (ravabit-i-daruri), is related to every other.

Catalogue reference: AB05972 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Observe the candle which burns. Its inevitable destiny is attained when the tallow and the wick are consumed.... But this inevitability is granted to it if the decrees of creation inherent in every created thing and bestowed by the power of God are not removed and annihilated. These decrees are apparent in everything since God's divine power has not been cut off from them.

Catalogue reference: BH01018 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.

...there are two decrees (ajal) for everything: The first is the impending (conditional) decree and the second the irrevocable decree.

Catalogue reference: BH01018 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.

"Nothing cometh into existence in the heavens or on the earth save through Will, Purpose, predestination, fate, permission, fixed-time, and the book." Every soul who entereth this world entereth with innumerable means, which although invisible to outward vision are true and fact. Whatever is irrevocably decreed by fate cannot be changed, but whatever remaineth potential can be changed through means and actions. The first inclination that is created in man, before the appearance of means, is the stage of the Will; the first conception of means is the stage of Purpose; predestination is the stage of scheme and dimension, that is to say, the appearance of means in proper quantity. Fate is the composition of that which hath been decreed.

Catalogue reference: BH00634 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

In one sense all the events are decreed. The decree itself is a proof of their irrevocability. (But its explanation) will remain, at the present time, hidden in the heaven of Mashiyyat, until such time as it may come forth from the Jabarut-i-mashiyyat to the Malakut-i-bayan and be written down by the Pen of Providence. These limitations of degree and station are due to human conditions and worldly means which have been created from the will of contingent things (mashiyyat-i-imkaniyyih) and unto which they will return. All that is with God and His own Will are and will continue to be sanctified from any condition of limitation.

Catalogue reference: BH01018 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Whatsoever thou dost behold in the world, though to outward seeming it be contrary to the will of the Manifestations of God, yet inwardly it hath ever been and shall remain in accordance with the will of God.... If a soul should meditate upon this utterance he would observe that not a single atom moveth save by the Will of God, and that no one understandeth a single letter save by that same Will.

Catalogue reference: BH00066 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.

Well is He able to search what lieth concealed in the hearts of men, and powerful is He to subdue the world and all that is therein by a word of His mouth. But were He to manifest such tokens, every man would either willingly or unwillingly acknowledge the truth of His Cause. Since such an acknowledgment is of no worth, the revelations of Divine power are, at one time, made manifest, while at another, they are withheld and concealed.

Catalogue reference: BH00638 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Indeed, all who have endeavoured to explain the problem of Destiny have advocated either absolute divine determinism or human choice, and thus all the philosophers have confessed their powerlessness to explain the truth of this question. Indeed, this verily is the truth, inasmuch as the philosophers wanted to explain the divine truth, the Middle Path between absolute determinism and absolute freedom, by proofs of reason, which is, however, impossible.

Catalogue reference: BB00021 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Indeed, that free choice is bound to the existence of each thing, and naught is called into existence except through its free choice. Verily, at the primordial moment of choice, when God said unto the thing, "Am I not your Lord?" it would not have replied, "Yea," had it been deprived of freedom of choice.

Catalogue reference: BB00021 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

It is in the station of Destiny that pluralities appear, lights are distinguished from shadows, and essences are differentiated from attributes. It is by virtue of this station that the wicked becometh wicked on account of his free choice, and the just becometh just, through the grace of God, on account of his free choice. Thus Destiny is "the womb of the pure realm of contingency" and "the most great depth".... Verily, the reason for the manifestation of these distinctions in the station of Destiny is the very manifestation of freedom inasmuch as, verily, naught cometh into being in the world save through its own free choice....

Catalogue reference: BB00114 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.

Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.

Know that the qada is a decisive judgment (hukm, or decree) of God concerning the things. God's decisive judgment concerning things is given in strict accordance with His Knowledge of the latter themselves and their properties. And God's Knowledge about the things is based on what is given by the very essences of the things. And the qadar is the specification of the appointed time at which each of the things should actually occur in accordance with its archetypal state without any alteration. But the qada itself, when it decides upon the destiny of each thing, does so only in accordance with its archetype. And this is the mystery of the qadar....

Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified

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Chance, free will, and necessity--nowise incompatible--all interweavingly working together. The straight warp of necessity, not to be swerved from its ultimate course--its every alternating vibration, indeed, only tending to that; free will still free to ply her shuttle between given threads; and chance, though restrained in its play within the right lines of necessity, and sideways in its motions modified by free will, though thus prescribed to by both, chance by turns rules either, and has the last featuring blow at events. (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, XLVII, in "Great Treasury of Western Thought" 5.7.41)

Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified

Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth, let him chose the path to his Lord.

Catalogue reference: BH02022 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.