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When God charges him with any responsibility, He provides him with all the required
assistance. He endows him with intelligence and power to choose his course of
conduct. Man, thus, is strongly commended by God to exert his utmost to fully serve
the purpose of his existence. Should he fail to do that, or misuse his life or neglect his
duties, he shall be responsible to God for his wrong deeds (see 21:17-18; 51:56-58;
75:37).
8. The true Muslim believes that man enjoys an especially high-ranking status in the
hierarchy of all the known creatures. He occupies this distinguished position because
he alone is gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as well as powers of
action. But the more his rank excels, the more his responsibility grows. He occupies
the position of God’ s viceroy on earth. The person who is appointed by God to be His
active agent, must necessarily have some power and authority, and be, at least
potentially, endowed with honor and integrity. And this is the status of man in Islam;
not a condemned race from birth to death, but a dignified being potentially capable of
good and noble achievements. The fact that God chose His messengers from the
human race shows that man is trustworthy and capable, and that he can acquire
immense treasures of goodness (2:30-34; 6:165; 7:11; 17:70-72, 90-95).
9. The true Muslim believes that every person is born “ Muslim” . This means that the
very course of birth takes place in accordance with the Will of God, in realization of
His plans and in submission to His Commands. It also means that every person is
endowed with spiritual potentialities and intellectual inclinations that can make him a
good Muslim, if he has the right access to Islam and is left to develop his innate
nature. Many people can readily accept Islam if it is properly presented to them,
because it is the Divine formula for those who want to satisfy their moral and spiritual
needs as well as their natural aspirations, those who want to lead a constructive and
sound life, whether personal or social, national or international. This is so because
Islam is the universal religion of God, the Maker of human nature, Who knows what
is best for human nature (30:30; 64:1-3; 82:6-8).
10. The true Muslim believes that every person is born free from sin and all claims to
inherited virtue. He is like a blank book. When the person reaches the age of maturity
he becomes accountable for his deeds and intentions, if his development is normal and
if he is sane. Man is not only free from sin until he commits sin, but he is also free to
do things according to his plans on his own responsibility. This dual freedom:
freedom from sin and freedom to do effective things, clear the Muslim’ s conscience
from the heavy pressure of Inherited Sin. It relieves his soul and mind from the
unnecessary strains of the Doctrine of Original Sin.
This Islamic concept of freedom is based upon the principle of God’ s justice and the
individual’ s direct responsibility to God. Each person must bear his own burden and
be responsible for his own actions, because no one can expiate for another’ s sin. Thus,
a Muslim believes that if Adam had committed the First Sin, it was his own
responsibility to expiate for that sin. To assume that God was unable to forgive Adam
and had to make somebody else expiate for his sin, or to assume that Adam did not
pray for pardon or prayed for it but it was not granted, would be extremely unlikely
and contrary to God’ s mercy and justice as well as to His attribute of forgiveness and
power to forgive. To assume the said hypothesis, would be an audacious defiance of
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