Calamities and Cosmic and Legislative Divine Will
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, when a person is struck by calamities, such as the loss of a child or the like, does this fall under what Allah willed both cosmically and legislatively, or is it like sins, which Allah wills only cosmically and not legislatively?
Answer:
Calamities have no connection to the Shari'ah. The Shari'ah consists of commands and prohibitions. As for calamities and hardships, these are matters of divine decree, cosmic matters, and have no connection to the Shari'ah. They befall the servant as a punishment for his sins.[Ash-Shuraa 42:30]
When a man or a Muslim is struck by a calamity, he knows that this did not befall him except by what is in his record. He seeks forgiveness, repents to Allah, and is patient. He does not despair or mock this harm. It is obligatory upon him to be patient, to seek reward from Allah, and not to despair. He must also repent from his sins. This did not befall him except by what is in his record. A person is broken by his deeds. He repents to Allah from his evil deeds. However, he is not a denier of the Shari'ah; this has a specific decree. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, when a person is struck by calamities, such as the loss of a child or the like, does this fall under what Allah willed both cosmically and legislatively, or is it like sins, which Allah wills only cosmically and not legislatively?
Answer:
Calamities have no connection to the Shari'ah. The Shari'ah consists of commands and prohibitions. As for calamities and hardships, these are matters of divine decree, cosmic matters, and have no connection to the Shari'ah. They befall the servant as a punishment for his sins.
And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much.
وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُّصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍWhen a man or a Muslim is struck by a calamity, he knows that this did not befall him except by what is in his record. He seeks forgiveness, repents to Allah, and is patient. He does not despair or mock this harm. It is obligatory upon him to be patient, to seek reward from Allah, and not to despair. He must also repent from his sins. This did not befall him except by what is in his record. A person is broken by his deeds. He repents to Allah from his evil deeds. However, he is not a denier of the Shari'ah; this has a specific decree. Yes.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تابع كتاب النكاح - 3 — islamhouse.com (1:08:27)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.