Discussions on Divine Decree

The questioner : What is the meaning of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) and from You?

The Shaykh : Yes, I seek refuge in You from You, because there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. If Allah intends evil for a people, there is no turning it back. So I seek refuge in You from You: if You decree upon me a decree because of my bad deeds, I have no refuge except in You.

The questioner : Al-Ma'arri was praised in the explanation of his Diwan, and they attacked him, saying that he was free in his thinking—some of the poets, I mean, some of the poets. Until I wrote a treatise.

The Shaykh : In any case, you know the poets; the poets have a great deal of open declaration of the rulings of the Shari'ah, so their praise is of no account.

The questioner : It is delayed for me.

The Shaykh : In doubt, it is said: If you are attributed to this, why did you not look at his other conditions? If it is from the servant, it is attributed to the servant, such as sin, which is attributed to the servant. And if it is from Allah the Exalted, it is attributed to Allah the Exalted. But it is said that His decree of this thing is good.

The questioner : Also, we said that Ibn 'Umar's statement that Allah would not accept it if he spent wealth in the cause of Allah, that Allah would not accept it, implies that He does accept it. So does this imply what is better?

The Shaykh : How is that? We have explained its aspect.

The questioner : The believer spends in the cause of Allah, not in a disbeliever, and Allah accepts it. If I pointed it out to you.

The Shaykh : No, no, this is if he associated partners in the act itself. But these people have no share in the act. These people disbelieved in divine decree and spent in the cause of Allah. If the corrupting factor here were concurrent with their act, meaning it related to the worship itself, it would be correct to say that the worship is not accepted while the person is a believer, just as if a person prayed while in a state of ritual impurity, for example, it would not be accepted from him, and yet he does not become a disbeliever by this, according to the stronger opinion. This is because the corrupting factor is concurrent with the act and related to it. But this matter of divine decree has no share in the spending.

The questioner : Meaning, in the cause of Allah, it occurs.

The Shaykh : Yes, he spends it, then he spends it in the cause of Allah. This is clarified by the verse in al-Tawbah.