Q: A lady interested in Islam is reading the Quran. Whilst doing so she came across verses that say the following:
• Allah has sealed the hearts of the disbelievers so they will not believe
• If God so willed he could have guided the entire creation.
• God decides everything.
Does this mean that human beings have no choice?
A:
Think of the following example. A teacher is testing his students. He calls them to his desk one by one. In his hand is a clipboard with a page for each student. As each student approaches they sit in front of the teacher. The teacher asks them twenty multiple choice questions. As they answer either A,B,C or D the teacher writes down the answer they gave for each question. For example, John is called. The teacher asks him question one, he answers D. The teacher writes down D on John’s page at number. And so on for the rest of the questions.
Let us ask ourselves the following.
1) when marking the exams, who’s answers are written on the page, John’s or the teachers? It is John’s answer, even though the teacher wrote it.
2) If the teacher wanted, when John gave the incorrect answer, could the teacher not have written the correct answer?
3) Since the teacher is writing John’s answer, will we say John has no choice in the answer? No. The teacher is writing in accordance with what John said.
Similarly, God is in absolute control of every single thing that occurs. If He wanted, he could turn every sinner into a good doer. Yet he allows us to make our own choices, although always by His permission. This is the answer to most of your questions.
As for the verses which say that God blocked the heart of certain people. This is only after they have chosen to be stubborn and obstinate. In 61:5 God says, when they deviated, then He caused them to continue being deviated.