ABSTRACT
Centuries of theological discussion and many scholarly studies have drawn attention to the centrality of the theme of "personal responsibility" in the Qur'an. Clearly linked to the conception of God, the issue has been framed primarily in terms of free will versus predestination: human responsibility versus God's fore-knowledge'! The issue is, however, far more fundamental to the Qur'an and to religious language in general. It sits as an issue which is embedded in the implications of much of the symbolism which is present in the text of the Qur'an. By considering the example of the idea of "desiring the face of God," this point will be illustrated and some insights will be gained into the particular contribution of the Qur'an to the discussion of monotheism and its ethos in the Near East. Overall, the point is to discuss the way in which the idea of "personal responsibility," a theme central to the monotheistic traditions, is embedded in a variety of symbolic expressions: the aim, notice, is not to "explain" what the symbolism "means," for symbolism means what it says, but to explore the symbolism used in discussing certain ideas, in order to see the way in which language mediates certain human experiences, ideas and ideals which would otherwise be inexpressible.
