A person of no need for introduction, and is man compelled or given choice?
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Question:
There is a question with two parts. The first part asks: What is your opinion on the phrase "no need for introduction" when presenting a lecturer? The second part asks: Is man compelled or given choice?
Answer:
The matter of "no need for introduction" is easy. It means you know him; you do not need me to introduce him to you because you are ignorant of him. "No need for introduction" means he is famous and well-known to you, so there is no harm in that. As for whether man is compelled or given choice?
This requires a distinction. From the perspective of Allah's actions, he is compelled. Allah decrees for him illness and health, wealth and poverty, death and life, tallness and shortness, beauty and ugliness. These are Allah's actions that He performs in him; he is compelled in them and has no choice. But from the perspective of his own actions, man is given choice in his own actions. He has the ability to obey Allah; he can obey, he can disobey, he can pray, he can steal, he can abandon prayer. He is given choice in his own actions; he has the power and ability to do them or leave them.
This is the distinction regarding actions. He is given choice in them; if he wills, he does it, and if he wills, he leaves it. He is only held accountable, punished, or rewarded for his own actions, not for the actions of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. He is not punished because he is short, because he is tall, because he is sick, because he is rich, or because he is poor. He is not held accountable for that. He is held accountable for his own actions: because he stole, because he committed zina (unlawful sexual intercourse).
He is rewarded because he drank khamr (intoxicants), because he prayed, because he performed Hajj (the major pilgrimage), because he performed 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), because he gave charity. It is for his own actions. So in his own actions, he is given choice, while in Allah's actions, he is compelled. That is, he is forced into them; he has no way to change them. Yes. We must know this, so do not say he is absolutely compelled, and do not say he is absolutely given choice. Yes.
There is a question with two parts. The first part asks: What is your opinion on the phrase "no need for introduction" when presenting a lecturer? The second part asks: Is man compelled or given choice?
Answer:
The matter of "no need for introduction" is easy. It means you know him; you do not need me to introduce him to you because you are ignorant of him. "No need for introduction" means he is famous and well-known to you, so there is no harm in that. As for whether man is compelled or given choice?
This requires a distinction. From the perspective of Allah's actions, he is compelled. Allah decrees for him illness and health, wealth and poverty, death and life, tallness and shortness, beauty and ugliness. These are Allah's actions that He performs in him; he is compelled in them and has no choice. But from the perspective of his own actions, man is given choice in his own actions. He has the ability to obey Allah; he can obey, he can disobey, he can pray, he can steal, he can abandon prayer. He is given choice in his own actions; he has the power and ability to do them or leave them.
This is the distinction regarding actions. He is given choice in them; if he wills, he does it, and if he wills, he leaves it. He is only held accountable, punished, or rewarded for his own actions, not for the actions of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. He is not punished because he is short, because he is tall, because he is sick, because he is rich, or because he is poor. He is not held accountable for that. He is held accountable for his own actions: because he stole, because he committed zina (unlawful sexual intercourse).
He is rewarded because he drank khamr (intoxicants), because he prayed, because he performed Hajj (the major pilgrimage), because he performed 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), because he gave charity. It is for his own actions. So in his own actions, he is given choice, while in Allah's actions, he is compelled. That is, he is forced into them; he has no way to change them. Yes. We must know this, so do not say he is absolutely compelled, and do not say he is absolutely given choice. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-38-قضايا فقهية - 02|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (28:44)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.