I write as a deep-thinking person who has only imperfect knowledge but who is devoted to God and loves Truth. I hope the thoughts below are helpful.
In a Universe where God is in sovereign control of the unfolding of all events down to the smallest detail, there can be no free will. Why, then, does God send Scriptures warning of His plan for judgement? If there is no free will (because all will is God’s will) how are we to make sense of the Day of Reckoning and the reward and punishment of human beings which God has assured us is coming?
Whatever deeds I do, it is God doing them through me. So if my sinful deeds are part of the will of God and directed by Him, why will He hold me to account for them and potentially punish me for them on Judgement Day?
In my understanding, the entirety of creation is from God, of God, and for God. He has total freedom to do whatever He will. The Universe is His playground and He manoeuvres the chess pieces around the board as He pleases. If God says in the Qur’an that the judgement is His binding promise and that good deeds are the means by which we will enter paradise, then we would be wise to take heed.
However, I think it’s interesting to consider whether we can ever have assurance that we are bound for paradise and not hell. You see, any action of a human being can be interpreted in countless different ways, morally speaking. Take, for example, the action of picking up some litter from the ground. It could be interpreted as a good deed because one is looking after the environment. But if the litter is dirty, it could soil one’s hands, potentially making one unclean in a way which could cause a hazard to others (because of the risk of infection and such). In clearing the ground of litter with one’s bare hands, is one doing a good deed or being reckless? I suppose you could say it would just be a matter of washing one’s hands afterwards. But is that not a waste of precious water?
I hope you can see the point I am attempting to make. It seems to me that just as important as our actions is the way God interprets those actions. It’s true that God knows the intentions of our hearts (indeed, He is the cause of our intentions) and this is surely part of the picture. But we have to acknowledge the freedom of God to judge in any way He chooses; goodness and evil are determined by the subjective will of God. One may spend their whole life thinking they are doing good deeds, but can we ever be sure that God will not interpret our deeds as evil on Judgment Day? I don’t think we can, and I suppose we have to accept and live with this uncertainty.
It all comes back to the absolute freedom and sovereignty of God. As puppets of His will we never really have any power; God has all power at all times. The best we can do is study His revelations and prayerfully try to follow His guidance. But we will only wish to do so, and we will only be successful, if He wills. This is the stark reality we must accept. My hope is that God will ultimately be merciful to all sentient beings, because the prospect of hell is frightening beyond words.
Perfect Chaos 