God's Desire, God's Will, Fate & Decree

Without a doubt, one of the most debated topics in metaphysics is the topic of free will.  This topic has been debated for millenia. If God has created the world and knows everything in the world, are we still free in making decisions and choosing our own paths and actions in life?  And if we do have free will, then does that mean God is not aware of our decisions?

Of course, this issue is not necessarily a religious issue.  Amongst various philosophical circles, the notion of free will has been examined.  There are generally three groups in these discussions.  First, those who completely accept that all of our actions and decisions has been determined, whether by God, or by physical and natural laws.  Second, on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those who believe that are actions and decisions are not caused by any external causal agents, and we are the unmoved movers.  Third, there is the path in between, those believe that we can someone manage to have free will, even if the physical and the natural laws are determined, and even if God knows all.

There are multiple traditions on this topic.  According to Tashayyu, the middle path is the right path.  I have chosen an interesting authentic tradition for this topic, which doesn't necessarily clarify anything, but it does provide more food for thoughts. 

Arabic Text:

 

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مَرَّارٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ قَالَ لِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع يَا يُونُسُ لَا تَقُلْ بِقَوْلِ الْقَدَرِيَّةِ فَإِنَّ الْقَدَرِيَّةَ لَمْ يَقُولُوا بِقَوْلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَ لَا بِقَوْلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ وَ لَا بِقَوْلِ إِبْلِيسَ فَإِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ قَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدانا لِهذا وَ ما كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْ لا أَنْ هَدانَا اللَّهُ (الأعراف:43) وَ قَالَ أَهْلُ النَّارِ رَبَّنا غَلَبَتْ عَلَيْنا شِقْوَتُنا وَ كُنَّا قَوْماً ضالِّينَ (المؤمنون:106) وَ قَالَ إِبْلِيسُ رَبِّ بِما أَغْوَيْتَنِي (الحجر:39) فَقُلْتُ وَ اللَّهِ مَا أَقُولُ بِقَوْلِهِمْ وَ لَكِنِّي أَقُولُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَ أَرَادَ وَ قَدَّرَ وَ قَضَى فَقَالَ يَا يُونُسُ لَيْسَ هَكَذَا لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَ أَرَادَ وَ قَدَّرَ وَ قَضَى يَا يُونُسُ تَعْلَمُ مَا الْمَشِيئَةُ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ هِيَ الذِّكْرُ الْأَوَّلُ فَتَعْلَمُ مَا الْإِرَادَةُ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ هِيَ الْعَزِيمَةُ عَلَى مَا يَشَاءُ فَتَعْلَمُ مَا الْقَدَرُ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ هِيَ الْهَنْدَسَةُ وَ وَضْعُ الْحُدُودِ مِنَ الْبَقَاءِ وَ الْفَنَاءِ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَ الْقَضَاءُ هُوَ الْإِبْرَامُ وَ إِقَامَةُ الْعَيْنِ قَالَ فَاسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ أَنْ أُقَبِّلَ رَأْسَهُ وَ قُلْتُ فَتَحْتَ لِي شَيْئاً كُنْتُ عَنْهُ فِي غَفْلَةٍ  

Farsi Translation:

يونس بن عبد الرحمن گويد: حضرت رضا عليه السلام بمن فرمود: بگفتار قدريه (اهل تفويض) قائل مباش زيرا قدريه نه بگفتار اهل بهشت قائل شدند و نه بگفتار اهل دوزخ و نه بگفتار شيطان براى اينكه اهل بهشت گفتند (سوره 7- 43) «سپاس خداى راست كه ما را باين بهشت هدايت فرمود و اگر خدا ما را هدايت نميكرد، ما هدايت نميشديم» و اهل دوزخ گفتند (سوره 23- 106) «پروردگارا، شقاوت خود ما بر ما غلبه كرد و ما گروهى گمراه بوديم» و شيطان گفت: «پروردگارا بسبب آنكه تو مرا گمراه كردى» (پس اين هر سه طايفه نيكى و بدى را بخدا ارجاع ميدهند ولى قدريه بخودشان برميگردانند) عرضكردم بخدا سوگند من بگفتار ايشان قائل نيستم بلكه ميگويم چيزى نباشد مگر بوسيله آنچه خدا خواهد و اراده كند و تقدير نمايد و حكم فرمايد، فرمود: اى يونس چنين نيست، چيزى نباشد مگر آنچه خدا خواهد و اراده كند و تقدير نمايد و حكم فرمايد ميدانى مشيت (خواست خدا) چيست! گفتم: نه: فرمود: ذكر اولست (ياد نخستين) ميدانى اراده چيست؟ گفتم: نه فرمود: آن تصميم است بر آنچه ميخواهد، ميدانى قدر چيست؟ گفتم: نه فرمود آن اندازه‏گيرى و مرزبندى است مانند مقدار بقا و زمان فناء سپس فرمود و قضا (حكم) محكم ساختن و وجود خارجى دادنست، يونس گويد: از آن حضرت اجازه خواستم كه سرش را ببوسم و عرضكردم: گرهى برايم گشودى كه از آن بى‏خبر بودم.

English Translation:

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Isma‘il ibn Marrar from Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman who has said that abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) said to me the following.
"O Yunus, do not say what [metaphysical] Libertarians say. The [metaphysical] Libertarians do not say what people of paradise say nor what people of hell say or what Satan says. The people of paradise say, "All praise is due to Allah for His guiding us. We would have never been guided without Allah’s guiding us." [7:43] The people of hell say, "Lord, our misfortune overwhelmed us and we became lost" [23:106] Satan said, "My Lord for your making me to rebel . . ." [15:39] 
So I [Yunus] said, By Allah, I am not going by what they have said, but I say, nothing will be without the will of Allah and what he desires, determines, and decrees.
So he said, 
"Oh Yunus, it is not like this, that there is nothing except what Allah wills, wants, destines and decrees. O Yunus, do you know what [God] desiring is?" 
I said, no. 
He said, "it is the first remembrance. Do you know what [God] willing is?" 
I said no. 
He said, "It is the determination to do what He wants. Do you know what fate is?" 
I said no. 
He said, "it is the engineering and development of boundaries of lasting and vanishing." 
Then he said, "And [God] decreeing is the concluding and giving external existence." 
He [Yunus] said, "I took permission from him to kiss his forehead and said you have opened my eyes to things I was not aware of." 

It seems to me that even understanding this tradition is a time-consuming task in itself, but for those who are interested in this topic, the time spent to understand it will be quite rewarding.

Source: 

Al-Kafi, Chapter on Free Will, Fate and the Middle road in between, Tradition #4