Question
In one of your responses it is said that in our choice between good and evil, we are bound neither by our knowledge of right and wrong nor by external or internal forces. We may be bound by external forces in whether or not we are able to carry out our choice. Yet we are not bound by any forces in making the choice between good and evil. When a person looses the conscious ability to make a choice between good and evil he is not held accountable except a person actually opts for evil. I would be very happy if you could give some examples in life to clarify the above statement.
Hope you will answer this question.
Thank you.
Answer
I apologize for not understanding what the connection between the link and your question. Nonetheless, I agree with the statement regarding “choice” and “accountability”. I shall provide some quick examples, if anything remains unclear, feel free to write back to us.
If a mentally disturbed person takes something from a shop without paying for it then before his Maker he is guiltless as he is unaware of it.
If a doctor fights to save the life of a patient yet despite his best effort fails then this is an example of the external forces hindering him from carrying out his choice but not from making a choice (i.e. to save the patient). In such an instance God will reward him for his efforts and for the noble choice he made despite the fact that he was unable to carry it out.
If I am on my way to pray and do not make it because I get hit by a car then an external force hindered me from carrying out my choice but not from making it. Again, Almighty God would reward me for my efforts and intention.
During Ramadan, I may desire to abstain from eating and drinking, yet I forget that I’m fasting and have a glass of water. At this moment my forgetting hinders me from carrying out my intention yet it is but natural that we humans forget things and therefore God would once again accept our intention and overlook our shortcomings.
If a person wants to go to Hajj but is so poor and ill that he is unable to do so, then God would again take his intention and also his situation into consideration and reward him for the sincere intention while forgiving what was never his fault.
I hope this helps,
Views: 510