Fatalistic Reconsideration Towards the Voluntaristics of Muslims in the Qur'an: A Study of the Thought of Shakīb Arsalān

Abstract

This study examines the thought of Syakīb Arsalān regarding the reconsideration of fatalistic attitudes toward voluntarism from the Qur'anic perspective. The decline of Muslims historically has been largely caused by the dominance of fatalistic attitudes arising from misunderstandings of the concept of destiny. This fatalism generates passive, apathetic, and surrendering attitudes that inhibit the development of knowledge, politics, and the social life of Muslims. By contrast, the Qur'an firmly rejects absolute determinism and affirms the principle of voluntarism that places human beings as active subjects in determining their fate through effort, striving, and collective responsibility. This study employs library research methodology with a thematic (maudhu'i) exegetical approach. The primary sources are Arsalān's work Limādhā Ta'akhkhara al-Muslimūn wa Limādhā Taqaddama Ghayruhum and Qur'anic verses related to striving, fate, and social change, complemented by interpretations from classical and modern exegetes. The findings indicate that Arsalān's thought is consistent with the kasb theological doctrine and exegetes' views on the active role of humans. The integration of Arsalān's thought with Qur'anic solutions produces a paradigm of Muslim revival that balances faith in destiny and the praxis of diligent effort.