THE TRUTH OF DESTINY

 

 

THE TRUTH OF DESTINY

But you will not will unless Allah wills. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Holy Qur'an, 76:30)

As a result of experiments he performed in 1973, Professor Benjamin Libet, a neurophysiologist at the University of California, revealed that all our decisions and choices are set out beforehand, and that consciousness only comes into play half a second after everything has been determined. This is interpreted by other neurophysiologists as meaning that we actually live in the past and that our consciousness is like a monitor which shows us everything half a second later.


Therefore, none of the experiences we perceive are in real time, but are delayed by up to half a second from the real events themselves. Libet carried out his research by making use of the fact that brain surgery can be performed without the use of narcosis, in other words while the subject is fully conscious. Libet stimulated the brains of his subjects with small electrical currents, and when they experienced a perception that their hands had been touched the subjects said that they had felt that "touch" almost half a second before. As a result of his measurements, Libet arrived at the following conclusion: All perceptions are normally transmitted to the brain. As these are subconsciously evaluated and interpreted, the ego is unaware of anything. The information that appears before our minds, in other words that we can be aware of, is transmitted to the cortex, the seat of consciousness, after a certain delay.


The conclusion from this may be summarised as follows: The decision to move a muscle takes place before that decision reaches the consciousness. There is always a delay between a neurological or perceptual process and our becoming aware of the thought, feeling, perception or movement it represents. To put it another way, we can only be aware of a decision after that decision has been taken.
In Professor Libet's experiments, this delay varies between 350 and 500 milliseconds, although the conclusion that emerges is in no way dependent upon those figures. Because, according to Libet, whatever the length of that delay-it makes no difference whether it is great or small, whether it lasts an hour or a microsecond-our material life is always in the past. This demonstrates that every thought, emotion, perception or movement happens before reaching our consciousness, and that proves that the future is entirely outside our control.


In other experiments, Professor Libet left the choice of when the subjects would move their fingers up to them. The brains of the subjects were monitored at the moment their fingers moved, and it was observed that the relevant brain cells went into action before the subjects actually took the decision. To put it another way, the command "do!" reaches the individual, and the brain is readied to perform the action; the individual only becomes aware of this half a second later. He or she does not take a decision to act and then performs that action, but rather performs an action predetermined for him or her. Yet, the brain makes an adjustment, removing any recognition that the individual is actually living in the past. For that reason, at the moment we refer to as "now," we are actually living something determined in the past. As already discussed, these studies manifest the fact that everything happens by the will of Allah (The One & Only God), as revealed in Chapter al-Insan 30 of the Holy Quran.

 

 

 

 

Whoever directs someone to a good, then he will have the reward equal to the doer of the action

On the authority of Abi Mas'ood 'Uqbah bin 'Amr al-Ansaaree al-Badaree -may Allah be pleased with him- he said: The Messenger of Allah -sallahu 'alayhi wasallam- said: Whoever directs someone to a good, then he will have the reward equal to the doer of the action. Muslim (1893)
Ash-Sheikh 'Abdullah bin 'Abdur Rahman Al-Bassaam -may Allah have mercy upon him- says: That which is extracted from this hadeeth:
[ Taken from: Towdeeh al-Ahkaam min Bulooghil Maraam by Ash-Sheikh 'Abdullah bin 'Abdur Rahman Al-Bassaam.
Compiled and Translated by: Abu Fouzaan Qaasim]


1- That the Believer is the one who is an example and a leader in doing righteousness and performing goodness, the Most High says: "And those who say: Our Lord! Bestow upon us from our wives and our offspring that which is pleasing to the eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaqoon." (25:74) And the Most High says: And We made them leaders guiding (mankind) by Our command.... (21:73)

It comes in Muslim (1017) from the hadeeth of Jarir bin 'Abdillah -may Allah be pleased with him- that the Prophet -sallahu 'alayhi wasallam- said: Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he will have the reward like the one who has done it, without their rewards being diminished in the least.*


2- The hadeeth in this chapter indicates that the person who directs someone to a good whether it be pertaining to the good of the Worldly Life or Hereafter: he will have a similar reward like the one who performed it without their being any decrease from the reward of the doer of the action (the one who is actually doing the act), rather it is a (full) reward because of him being a good model and exemplar in doing beneficence.


3- From the most excellent of righteous actions that are considered to be of benefit (to mankind) and the fruits of those actions remaining: Beneficial Knowledge; which is (knowledge) of the legislation of Allah the Most High from its fundelmentals and subdivisions and whatever assists one in attaining understanding of it (the legislation of Allah).

So whoever disseminates this knowledge then he has earnestly participated in being a good example, and a guide towards the straight path and he has removed people -by the permission of Allah the Most High- from the murkiness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, right guidance and integrity of conduct.

And he has attained by this a mighty reward from Allah the Most High, for indeed he -sallahu 'alayhi wasallam- has said: Verily if Allah guides by way of you one man it is better for you than the red camels. Bukhaari (3009) and Muslim (2406)
Taken from: Towdeeh al-Ahkaam min Bulooghil Maraam by Ash-Sheikh 'Abdullah bin 'Abdur Rahman Al-Bassaam.
Compiled and Translated by: Abu Fouzaan Qaasim


*Compilers note: Ash-Sheikh Muhammad Al-'Uthaymeen mentions in his explanation of this hadeeth as it comes in Riyaad as-Saaliheen: "The intent by 'introduces a good practice in Islaam' refers to the one who begins by acting upon a sunnah that has been forsaken and not the one who actually invents something into the religion. Because the one who invents something into the religion that is not from it then it is rejected and it is not considered as something good. However the intent by 'introducing something' means: He becomes the first to do it after it has been left off and abandoned by the people.


So breifly, whoever introduces into Islaam a good practice (whether it is the revitalization of an abandoned sunnah or just good practices in Islaam), and there is no such thing as a good practice in Islaam except that which the legislation has come with, he will have the reward of it and the reward of the one who does it after him."