Do you take the Qur'an literally?
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Salamun Alaikum.
Sorry for being a bit late on responding to specific questions addressed to me on this thread. I am answering below such items.
Question from Recluse
I appologize for picking a slightly older post to respond. I felt this post was not adequately discussed...
is theoretically possible for one to be atheist and Mu'min (faithful) and muslim at the same time. There are even Qur'anic examples of such people.
Peace Arman,
If you know some of those verses please share.
Peace Recluse. I actually discussed such an example in one of my earlier posts. Quoting the relevant section for your convenience
Is there any Quranic example of someone being mumin without believing? Let?s take 2249. Among the forces of Talut, those who believed/assumed that they would meet their master said certain things. It can be logically inferred that in that group there were others who did not really believe or assume that they would meet their master. But arguably they were among the faithful based on their act of fighting in the path of Allah. But clearly those who did believe in meeting Allah were on a stronger footing of faith.
Questions from Samira
- Pantheism
You seem to be having a pantheistic vision of God. I got this from Wikipedia
"As a religious position, some describe pantheism as the polar opposite of atheism. From this standpoint, pantheism is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing, immanent God. All forms of reality may then be considered either modes of that Being, or identical with it. Some hold that pantheism is a non-religious philosophical position. To them, pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical."
Hence all of the world and the Universe are at the end manifestations of God with God as the Source, and God's 'Holy Spirit' is present as well. The more one assimilates themselves with their inner consciousness, which is called the divine consciousness as well, the more the Holy Spirit can be a part of that person, and the person becomes more and more of an expression of God Itself in the outer world, and is more spiritual than fleshly/worldly.
That everything we see around us is a ?manifestation? of Allah/God is a very straight forward understanding derived from the following verse of Qur?an
2115 And for Allah is the East and the West. So wherever you turn, there is face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Accommodating, Knowledgeable.
(My personal translation, cross checking is recommended.)
Atheism / Pantheism / Monotheism etc. are human endeavors to put a workable framework around the concept of God ? which is in essence beyond Human comprehension. I can claim I understand God as a beginningless, endless continuity of consciousness/spirit (Rooh/ Purusha) that is so powerful that He can create fully quarantined subset of consciousness/spirit (Rooh/ Purusha) within His own singular consciousness/spirit and assign those subset of consciousness to individual souls (Nafs/ Prakriti) bound in 4-dimensional time and space that He imagined into existence out of the divine energy of His own eternal soul. But frankly, this is just a description that I came up with based on my knowledge of scriptures, in reality I am not even able to visualize how something can be ?beginningless?, let alone the rest of it. But perhaps a working understanding would suffice, while an accurate understanding is neither possible, nor necessary.
41 O! Mankind ? be conscious of your Master who created you from a single soul (Nafs/ Prakriti ?) and created from it - its mate (Rooh/ Purusha ?) and dispersed from two of them many fellows and women, and be conscious of Allah (by) whom you ask for it and the wombs. Indeed Allah happens to be Vigilant over you.
(My personal translation, cross checking is recommended.)
You can compare the above with the below?
Prakriti is My lower form of energy. My other higher energy is the Purusha by which this entire universe is sustained, O Arjuna. (7.05)
Know that all creatures have developed from this twofold energy, and Brahman is the origin as well as the end of the
entire universe. (See also 13.26) (7.06)There is nothing higher than Me, the Supreme Being, O Arjuna. Everything in the universe is linked with Me like
different jewels are linked with the thread in a necklace. (7.07)O Arjuna, I am the juiciness in the water, I am the glow in the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable OM in all the
Vedas, the sound in the space, and the manhood in men. (7.0I am the sweet scent in the earth. I am the heat in the fire, the life in all living beings, and the sense-purification (or
Tapa, austerity) in yogis. (7.09)O Arjuna, know Me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the brilliance of
the brilliant. (See also 9.18 and 10.39) (7.10)? ? ?
Know that Prakriti and Purusha are both beginningless and endless; and also know that all expansions and Gunas arise
from the Prakriti. (13.19)The Prakriti is said to be the cause of production of physical body and organs of perception and action. The Purusha
(or the consciousness) is said to be the cause of experiencing pleasures and pains. (13.20)The Purusha (Spirit) associates with Prakriti (or matter) and enjoys the Gunas of Prakriti. Attachment to the Gunas
(due to ignorance caused by previous Karma) is the cause of the birth of Jeevtm in good and evil wombs. (13.21)The Supreme Spirit inside the body is also called the witness, the guide, the supporter, the enjoyer, and the great
Lord or Ishvara. (13.22)They who fully understand Purusha and Prakriti with its Gunas are not born again regardless of their mode of life.
(13.23)Some perceive God in the heart by the intellect through meditation; others by the yoga of knowledge; and others by
the yoga of work (or Karma-yoga). (13.24)Some do not understand Brahman at all. But having heard of God from others, they perform deity worship with faith
and devotion. They also go beyond birth and death due to their devotion and firm faith to what they have heard. (13.25)(from Bhagavad Gita, translation by Gita Society @ http//www.gita-society.com/.)
- A?rsh/Throne(?)
This has got to be one of the rarest occasions where I could agree with the translation of a word that MoF has come up with. Actually, my personal choice ?English word? that resembles the concept of A?rsh closely is ?Dominion?.
do?min?ion
noun \d-mi-nyn
the power to rule control of a country, region, etc.
the land that a ruler or government controls
Dominion a country that was part of the British Empire but had its own government(from http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominion )
You seem to carry a firm understanding that classical dictionaries define ?A?rsh? as throne, right? Well, I humbly invite you to examine the entry on A?rsh in Lane?s Lexicon, here
http//www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=2C475FC9486D682DDB7325254567CA4C?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2002.02.0032%3Aroot%3DEr%24%3Aentry%3DEaro%24N
Too, lengthy for you? Let me quote some parts
?and it is said in the Mufrad?t of Er-R?ghib that the of God is one of the things which mankind know not in reality, but only by name; and it is not as the imaginations of the vulgar hold it to be; for were it so, it would be a support to Him; not supported; whereas God saith , ? Verily God holdeth the heavens and the earth, lest they should move from their place; and if they should move from their place, no one would hold them after Him ? or, as some say, it is the highest sphere; ?
Rather Qur?an?s use of the term A?rsh to indicate the Dominion of Allah is the antecedent of the meaning ?Throne? being associated with A?rsh ?
? -b8- Also The (S, A, O, Msb, K) of a king; (S, A, O, K the seat of a sult?n; because of its height. (Er-R?ghib.) the phrase means He reigned as king. ?
Quite an anti-climax of what you expected from a ?Classicial dictionary?, right?
I know your next challenge to me would be the same that you have thrown to MoF? to explain for you the verses 407, 6917, 117 etc. Please accept my honest apologies? as of today I cannot. I would still translate these verses with ?A?rsh = Dominion? but I am incapable of explaining and interpreting them. I am trying to figure out the Signs my Master is trying to show with these verses but as of now I do not have the answer. I am a humble student of Qur?an and if someday I could come-up with a satisfactory explanation and if we are still in touch, I?ll try to share with you.
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
Marry or marry off. It does still not make sense truthseeker.
I have worked on that 43 passage for some time. I begin to see a context relationship between 41 and the subsequent passages.
Most interpreters are totally oblivious of context when they try to render their interpretation.And arman, you should more than rarely agree with my translations if you were wise.
Salaam
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Salam. Yes I have some knowledge of quantum physics. Any way I was talking about illusion of human freewill. Its an illusion. Acording to latest research (don't ask me reference or where I read it) Freewill is conditioned. In a given situation the choice or freewill can be predicted or will be same for a specific person. It depends on that person's upbringing , overall education , knowledge , inteaction with others etc.
Alright. Well, if free will is thought of being as part of a person's upbringing, education, knowledge, interaction with others, etc, then obviously it is conditioned to an extent. But then the kind of free will description that FreedomStands had been talking about in his posts, that is the one that I clearly don't agree with.
Peace.
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The world is sustained and kept intact due to God, but it is running freely like a simulation, so within the illusion there is free will, UNLESS God decides to interfere in its affairs. God cannot be given the blame for anything that happens.
Animals are behaving according to their instincts which is "programmed" in them and they are not self-aware but run by the foundation (Holy Spirit). They have no soul as humans have. They only behave according to instincts even if with capacity of limited learning.
How much is actually free will when it comes to humans depends on how detached one is from his beast self. A jinn will be fairly predictable due to following the instinctive calls.
SalaamMakes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions.
Can you explain the definition of 'soul' to me? Because I can't understand the concept of animals having no souls. And what is the difference between life and death? Thanks.
Peace.
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Salam Samira
You are very welcome. All truth seekers using their God given faculties to sort out truth from conjectures are my friends. handshake
I am continuously learning from all great minds on this forum.
PeaceThank you Novice ) It's a pleasure to have met you on this forum )
Peace.
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Hello Armanaziz,
Thank you for your responses.
That everything we see around us is a ?manifestation? of Allah/God is a very straight forward understanding derived from the following verse of Qur?an
2115 And for Allah is the East and the West. So wherever you turn, there is face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Accommodating, Knowledgeable.
Your concept of pantheism or panentheism makes sense to me.
Armanaziz, that verse you quoted can also be considered in a metaphorical sense. This concept of metaphor usage is extremely confusing to me in the Quran. Which is what got me doubtful regarding the method people used to translate and interpret the Quran. There are numerous verses which points to God being an 'object God', where the pantheism concept is debunked. Not sure on panentheism though.
I know your next challenge to me would be the same that you have thrown to MoF? to explain for you the verses 407, 6917, 117 etc. Please accept my honest apologies? as of today I cannot. I would still translate these verses with ?A?rsh = Dominion? but I am incapable of explaining and interpreting them. I am trying to figure out the Signs my Master is trying to show with these verses but as of now I do not have the answer. I am a humble student of Qur?an and if someday I could come-up with a satisfactory explanation and if we are still in touch, I?ll try to share with you.
Lol, obviously I was going to ask you on that ) Because apart from one's separate study and opinions on a matter, if one is going to say even the Quran supports their idea, there needs to be stronger evidence for it. The four verses I had quoted earlier clearly points to 'Aarsh' being an object throne. Other verses could still be argued whether 'Aarsh' can be considered as 'throne' or 'dominion'.
All the best by the way on your research and receiving signs from God. Peace and blessings be upon you.
Peace.
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And that God is an image of something is Pagan belief.
It says quite frequently that humans have souls. But that depends on your interpretation of course. But a 'nafs' is usually regarded as a soul in general.
Why is it Pagan faith to regard a human as its own soul?
Without giving humans souls so you indirectly put the blame for atrocities on God, because then it is God's fault that people do wrong since they have no own selves. You see the inconsistency in your argument.
The Paganism is when you make an image out of God instead of seeing it as an integral part of existence. You accuse this perception of Paganism when the real Paganism is materialization of God(s).
Have faith and salaam
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Salaam Samira,
A soul is an entity with its own consciousness, i.e. it is self-aware and able to act independently by making its own decisions that are based on independent intelligence, which means they can think abstractly.
An animal has no such intelligence or insight. It is merely driven by instincts even if it can memorize sequential data and movement. It has no soul and is thus no individual in that regard. It is the soul that makes a separate individual. Animals are an integral part of the flesh and are run by the Holy Spirit according to a set "programming" (instincts).
Have faith
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FreedomStands had quoted this verse earlier
1679 Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God. In that are signs for a people who believe.
I would like to quote the answer of a member of this forum, 'Student of Allah', on this. Apparently he have become an atheist due to receiving unsatisfactory and inadequate responses to a number of his queries. He was chatting on it with another member previously, and on geology mentioned in the Quran such as mountains being held as pegs. Here it is
1679 Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God. In that are signs for a people who believe.
Science
Lift = Weight
http//web.mit.edu/16.00/www/aec/images/GIFS/bird.gifWe know that the lift generated by the wings of the bird = 0.5 * density of the fluid medium(air)speed squaredsurface area of the wing* the lift coefficient of the wing. As long as the value of the products of all that remains constant, the bird will not fall as the downward pull of gravity (weight) will be balanced by the upward pull created by the lift producing wings. Clearly, Qur'an fails there while trying to impress an illiterate audience about how God holds them up.
Before you respond or react. Please try to understand that I am not trying to disprove Qur'an. I am merely giving you an example of how trying to make the Qur'an sound scientific can backfire. I can not take a Qur'anic verse about mountains being pegs seriously while simultaneously ignore the verse about the flight of a bird. There is a reason why these religious claims about scriptures and science doesn't end up in reputable peer reviewed scientific journals.
P.S. The claim about the mountains and pegs is laughable, I just didn't bother to refute it when I could simply show you how I can pick and choose other parts of the book which makes claims about the REAL world and science that we may falsify.
I think Student of Allah had given a very good logical explanation regarding that verse, and how it can be debunked using modern science. Earlier people when they had limited knowledge of science used to think that a divine being used to 'hold up' such creatures. Anything unexplainable used to be explained used mystical theories and on divine powers. Now that we people know science better, the Muslims today turn these verses into metaphors, as in that God is the one who set up the atmosphere and the shape of the birds in such a way so they can fly. But then this part of the verse
"Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God."
debunks that claim, since it says it is God Himself who 'holds them up'. In a scientific lab if people can provide the same conditions for an atmosphere in a chamber, they can also create such objects following the laws of physics. Now don't tell me God meant that these conditions in atmosphere is possible due to the laws of physics that He had created, which is what the verse meant. Or that since God is present everywhere, He with his Being creates the conditions as such. It would just start sounding nonsensical from that point, sorry to say. People in the past definitely didn't interpret it that way. They most likely may even have opposed science from taking root which went against their clear-cut interpretations of the verses.
Peace,
Samira
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Salaam Samira,
A soul is an entity with its own consciousness, i.e. it is self-aware and able to act independently by making its own decisions that are based on independent intelligence, which means they can think abstractly.
An animal has no such intelligence or insight. It is merely driven by instincts even if it can memorize sequential data and movement. It has no soul and is thus no individual in that regard. It is the soul that makes a separate individual. Animals are an integral part of the flesh and are run by the Holy Spirit according to a set "programming" (instincts).
Have faith
Oh alright. So apparently the difference between life and death is the Holy Spirit acting as the 'life' for the person. Is that how you see it?
But there are intelligent animals as well, such as some types of dogs, etc, which seem to have empathy and it's own 'consciousness' in making more intelligent decisions, and not take just the easy and simple minded route. So we can't box them in the same way as just being 'driven by instincts'.
Peace.
Those animals like certain dogs and others may have lower IQ than normal human beings, but they certainly aren't simply driven by 'base instincts', but seem to have more of 'consciousness' I think. If their 'self' is put in a human body, they may start acting more like a human being. I am just saying, from my personal observance only.
Peace.
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And that God is an image of something is Pagan belief.
It says quite frequently that humans have souls. But that depends on your interpretation of course. But a 'nafs' is usually regarded as a soul in general.
Why is it Pagan faith to regard a human as its own soul?
Without giving humans souls so you indirectly put the blame for atrocities on God, because then it is God's fault that people do wrong since they have no own selves. You see the inconsistency in your argument.
The Paganism is when you make an image out of God instead of seeing it as an integral part of existence. You accuse this perception of Paganism when the real Paganism is materialization of God(s).
Have faith and salaam
Nafs is not Ruh which was the usual word for "soul", Nafs means "self" and may refer to the consciousness of a person.
To me "Ruh" means "animating force" and refers to "breath of life" which gives life to things as well as "inspiration" in the context of the "Holy Spirit", but anyway, generally, it means that which animates, force of animation, God is animating everything, all the creatures are like us, they are animated beings, and even the heavens and the earth are given dialogue in the Qur'an, God who animates all realities and existences and information.
If you are imagining some kind of a ghost that is just like you, then that isn't in the Qur'an really, but you have a life force, you are animated and have breath, and generally the concept is largely connected with breath and breathing in cultures across the world as well.
Otherwise though, you are empty, as empty as the animals, in the sense that you are no immortal nor is anything immortal, only Allah sustains and animates things, is the animating "spiritus" behind everything, moving it all and giving it life and existence.
The animals are conscious, they deal with circumstances, we deal with circumstances, they make decisions, we make decisions, etc, there is no great difference between humans and animals, they are experiencing information, we are experiencing information probably, and there is no way to know for sure anyone else is experiencing information at all, but we assume you are too.
All this is Allah doing it, and giving the information, and encompassing all the experiences as well.
1668
And consider how your Lord inspired the bee, "Build for yourself dwellings in hills and in trees, and in what people may build."6103
No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. -
Peace Samira,
FreedomStands had quoted this verse earlier
1679 Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God. In that are signs for a people who believe.
I would like to quote the answer of a member of this forum, 'Student of Allah', on this. Apparently he have become an atheist due to receiving unsatisfactory and inadequate responses to a number of his queries. He was chatting on it with another member previously, and on geology mentioned in the Quran such as mountains being held as pegs. Here it is
I think Student of Allah had given a very good logical explanation regarding that verse, and how it can be debunked using modern science. Earlier people when they had limited knowledge of science used to think that a divine being used to 'hold up' such creatures. Anything unexplainable used to be explained used mystical theories and on divine powers. Now that we people know science better, the Muslims today turn these verses into metaphors, as in that God is the one who set up the atmosphere and the shape of the birds in such a way so they can fly. But then this part of the verse
"Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God."
debunks that claim, since it says it is God Himself who 'holds them up'. In a scientific lab if people can provide the same conditions for an atmosphere in a chamber, they can also create such objects following the laws of physics. Now don't tell me God meant that these conditions in atmosphere is possible due to the laws of physics that He had created, which is what the verse meant. Or that since God is present everywhere, He with his Being creates the conditions as such. It would just start sounding nonsensical from that point, sorry to say. People in the past definitely didn't interpret it that way. They most likely may even have opposed science from taking root which went against their clear-cut interpretations of the verses.
Agreed that verse does not mean laws of physics, and does not mean that God's being creates the conditions as such.
Please ponder on the following
What is the air in actuality? What is it made of and what are they made of and so on ... ?
What is the gravitational force? What is it due to and what is that made of and so on ... ?Even quantum physics proposes that all sub atomic particles are made of quantum states of string of energy. Matter and energy are interconvertible. Where does that energy come from? What is that energy part of?
Is the infinite Creator infinite? What are the implications?
Is anything separate from the infinite Creator and not a part of it?
Where does the infinite Creator end and the bird begin?
Where does the infinite Creator end and the air begin?
Where does the infinite Creator end and the graviton begin?Then ponder and reflect on the following
1679 Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God. In that are signs for a people who believe.
Do you still think that statement is incorrect?
Peace and may the infinite Creator bless you and every one else.
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Peace Samira,
Those animals like certain dogs and others may have lower IQ than normal human beings, but they certainly aren't simply driven by 'base instincts', but seem to have more of 'consciousness' I think. If their 'self' is put in a human body, they may start acting more like a human being. I am just saying, from my personal observance only.
Agreed.
All readers, please discard whatever does not appeal to your mind, reason, or logic, from what I am going to state below.
Earth, air, water etc, are at 1st density state of existence; no consciousness, no free will.
Animals and plants are at 2nd density state of existence. They have consciousness but they don't have free will to choose between service to self (STS) or service to others (STO) path. Some animals such as cats and dogs are at a higher 2nd density state of existence, close to 3rd density.
Humans are at 3rd density state of existence. They have consciousness and free will to choose between STS or STO path.
Jinns (aliens, spirit guides, angels etc.) are at 4th or higher density states of existence. They have all the above plus their sub atomic particles are made of strings of energy vibrating at a different frequency than the lower densities so their "bodies" look different, with different physical properties. For example they can cloak themselves from the lower densities, have ability of telepathic communication, materialize as 3rd density being, exist as a collective, exist on planets that are uninhabitable to lower density entities etc. Their bodies become less and less dense and more and more light as the densities increase.
3rd density beings have 4 bodies
- Physical body
- Emotional body
- Mental body
- Spiritual body
In 4th density, the physical body is shed and the other 3 remain. There is no physical suffering possible then, but only emotional, mental and spiritual suffering is possible.
In 5th density, the emotional body is also shed and only the other 2 remain.
In 7th density onwards, only the spiritual body remains and they are "light beings".
In 8th density, assimilation with the infinite Creator occurs, termed as "return to your Lord" by al-quran.
Some of these higher density entities have been given control by the infinite Creator over various matters and they are what al-quran refers to as "malaika"/controllers.
Peace and may the infinite Creator bless you.
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Harmony to you Freedom,
Nafs is not Ruh which was the usual word for "soul", Nafs means "self" and may refer to the consciousness of a person.
Yes, and this consciousness is your soul. And please refer to the Arabic in 41. A soul is merely defined and is your self. Arabic and Hebrew did not draw any separation linguistically.
To me "Ruh" means "animating force" and refers to "breath of life" which gives life to things as well as "inspiration" in the context of the "Holy Spirit", but anyway, generally, it means that which animates, force of animation, God is animating everything, all the creatures are like us, they are animated beings, and even the heavens and the earth are given dialogue in the Qur'an, God who animates all realities and existences and information.
Ruh is energy/spirit in an old word usage. More like "assembly force" (literally "Foundation Join(er)". For example, Ruh Quds refer to what is traditionally referred to as the "Holy Spirit".
Otherwise though, you are empty, as empty as the animals, in the sense that you are no immortal nor is anything immortal, only Allah sustains and animates things, is the animating "spiritus" behind everything, moving it all and giving it life and existence.
A jinn is that empty shell as you suggest. They have no spiritual ascension. Ruh Quds is a passive force innate in all of the flesh and guides their evolution.
Have faith
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Harmony to you Freedom,
Yes, and this consciousness is your soul. And please refer to the Arabic in 41. A soul is merely defined and is your self. Arabic and Hebrew did not draw any separation linguistically.
Ruh is energy/spirit in an old word usage. More like "assembly force" (literally "Foundation Join(er)". For example, Ruh Quds refer to what is traditionally referred to as the "Holy Spirit".
A jinn is that empty shell as you suggest. They have no spiritual ascension. Ruh Quds is a passive force innate in all of the flesh and guides their evolution.
Have faith
God's power is not "passive". Thank you by the way for all your time and effort writing to me. You are not the commander of God, that God lays the carpet for you wherever you wish to travel and you command God to generate the results, you are nothing, but what God makes you to be.
You often conclude "Have Faith", but I urge you, have something better than Faith, if you can.
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Quran is timeless. The spirit of the quran is light. Its a miraculous revelation. It has simple rules and challenges.
We humans are not born saints.
we can only try to be better.
quran gives life to broken hearted people.
when you ponder upon the verses you will only see the light if allah has chosen it for you.
love is appointed to humans as mentioned in surah maryam. -
You are just looking for something to criticize without even trying to carefully read what I am saying. Passive does not mean weak or whatever delusion you see, passive means to sustain something passively and guide its continuous development. It is likely used as a means historically to describe the innate intelligence in all living cells, often regarded as DNA/RNA.
And in symbiosis with God everything is possible.
I can do anything unless God chooses to stop my action. But God is not responsible for my deeds or behavior. It would be inconsistent.
Have faith
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And arman, you should more than rarely agree with my translations if you were wise.
Salaam
Salaam MoF.
Perhaps it is time you need to grow into the realization that agreeing with you (...or me... or any person for that matter...) cannot be the exclusive criterion for "wisdom".
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
You are just looking for something to criticize without even trying to carefully read what I am saying. Passive does not mean weak or whatever delusion you see, passive means to sustain something passively and guide its continuous development. It is likely used as a means historically to describe the innate intelligence in all living cells, often regarded as DNA/RNA.
And in symbiosis with God everything is possible.
I can do anything unless God chooses to stop my action. But God is not responsible for my deeds or behavior. It would be inconsistent.
Have faith
I'm honestly not trying to just find flaws in what you say in order to confound you or stomp on you or anything. You mean exactly what you are saying and the meaning is the same as you described here. You mean that Allah follows after your will, not that Allah is actively your will and your deeds. You mean that Allah is upholding and laying the carpet so to speak wherever you please to walk, where as I am saying that you are actively being made to walk there, even as you perceive it to be your own will, it is the will of Allah, and I showed numerous quotes to back that up repeatedly. Ultimately, it doesn't matter too much, you will do exactly as Allah wills, whether you know it or not, so do what you can (which you are doing), and whatever you think of doing, know that Allah created everything. You don't create your thoughts, or combine the creations of Allah to make your own thoughts, Allah creates and re-creates and does all the information manifestation, you have no will save the will of Allah, Allah's is the only Operative Will, the only Free Will.