Man Chooses his Destiny: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyas views on predestination

Abstract

The Hanbalite scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751/1350) discussed predestination and free will in his book Shif # ' al-al I l f I mas # 'il al-qad # ' wa-al-qadar wa-al-hikma wa-al-ta l I l . Even though Ibn Qayyim was a traditionalist, he did not reject the teachings of the speculative theologians, but was willing to study their opinions and accept those that were in accordance with the Qur' # n and Sunna. Ibn Qayyim's open-mindedness illustrates his effort to exceed the boundaries of the schools and create doctrines for the whole Sunn I community. Regarding predestination, the correct Sunn I belief was neither determinism nor belief in free will. It was a compromise between these two extremes, a true middle road ( al-madhhab al-wasat ). This belief acknowledges God's omnipotence and the predestination of man's acts, but at the same time considers man as a responsible actor. Man exercises his choice ( ikhtiy # r ) and will ( ir # da ), and then carries out ( fa'ala ) his actions. The book Shif # ' is devoted to explaining how it is possible to combine these two apparently contradictory views.

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