The Ruling on the Interpretation of Joy as Satisfaction in al-Bayhaqi’s Work
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Question:
The Shaykh al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Arba'in al-Shuhra* (The Famous Forty), when referring to the hadith, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His believing servant than…," and then he said, meaning that *farq* (joy) is *rida* (satisfaction). He cited as evidence the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Mu'minun 23:53] *farhiyun* (rejoicing), and he said: [Al-Mu'minun 23:53] meaning "satisfied." Is this from the *ta'wil* (figurative interpretation) of the Salaf regarding the attributes of Allah the Exalted, or from their understanding? May Allah grant you success.
Answer:
The Salaf did not say this; rather, this was said by the later scholars. Al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) was influenced by some of the interpretations. This is a well-known error, and if al-Bayhaqi said it, it is a mistake. This is an incorrect interpretation, and joy does not mean satisfaction. Joy is distinct, and satisfaction is distinct. Joy is an attribute of Allah Mighty and Majestic, and satisfaction is another attribute of Allah Mighty and Majestic. Therefore, one attribute is not explained by another attribute. Every attribute is established according to its correct meaning.
So this is an error, even though al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) had other interpretations besides this. However, he had much good, abundant knowledge, and care for the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and praise be to Allah, he has virtues. May Allah have mercy on him. As for these errors, we do not agree with him on them.
The important point is that he had interpretations. As for saying that he was Ash'ari or not Ash'ari, because the Ash'ari position is not attributed to many of his views; rather, he refutes them. But some interpretations remained with him.
The Shaykh al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Arba'in al-Shuhra* (The Famous Forty), when referring to the hadith, "Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His believing servant than…," and then he said, meaning that *farq* (joy) is *rida* (satisfaction). He cited as evidence the saying of Allah the Exalted:
each faction, in what it has
كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْBut the people divided their religion among them into sects - each faction, in what it has, rejoicing.
فَرِحُونَAnswer:
The Salaf did not say this; rather, this was said by the later scholars. Al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) was influenced by some of the interpretations. This is a well-known error, and if al-Bayhaqi said it, it is a mistake. This is an incorrect interpretation, and joy does not mean satisfaction. Joy is distinct, and satisfaction is distinct. Joy is an attribute of Allah Mighty and Majestic, and satisfaction is another attribute of Allah Mighty and Majestic. Therefore, one attribute is not explained by another attribute. Every attribute is established according to its correct meaning.
So this is an error, even though al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) had other interpretations besides this. However, he had much good, abundant knowledge, and care for the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and praise be to Allah, he has virtues. May Allah have mercy on him. As for these errors, we do not agree with him on them.
The important point is that he had interpretations. As for saying that he was Ash'ari or not Ash'ari, because the Ash'ari position is not attributed to many of his views; rather, he refutes them. But some interpretations remained with him.
Source
إثبات صفة الفرح لله تعالى — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.