Is there a difference between will and choice?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, honorable father, is there a difference between will and choice?
The Shaykh : There is no difference in that; they are two terms that refer to a single attribute. The will of Allah and His choice are one in meaning, unlike the pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah. The pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah are also one in meaning, but they differ from the will and the choice in that the choice and will of Allah encompass everything that occurs in this universe, whether good or evil, as you read in His Book, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Ya-Sin 36:82] His saying, the Exalted, includes everything that occurs in this universe, every matter, whether it is prescribed or not. Therefore, one of the scholars said:
"He wills good and ugly evil *** But He does not approve of the impossible"
The choice of Allah and the will of Allah are two different terms that are synonymous in meaning. Likewise, the pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah are two different terms that are synonymous in meaning. These two terms differ in wording and meaning from the first two terms. The love of Allah for a thing and the pleasure of Allah for a thing fall within the generality of His will, as does what He dislikes, as we mentioned earlier. As for what our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, dislikes, it does not fall within what He loves or what He does not approve of, as He, the Exalted, said: From this, one of the scholars said:
"He wills good and ugly evil ***"
He gathered good and evil by His will, as we mentioned.
"*** But He does not approve of the impossible"
That is the evil. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, loves good; He loves faith and dislikes disbelief and tyranny. Both faith and disbelief are by the will, decree, and choice of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
Yes.
The Shaykh : There is no difference in that; they are two terms that refer to a single attribute. The will of Allah and His choice are one in meaning, unlike the pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah. The pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah are also one in meaning, but they differ from the will and the choice in that the choice and will of Allah encompass everything that occurs in this universe, whether good or evil, as you read in His Book, Blessed and Exalted is He:
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.
إنما أمره إذا أراد شيئاً أن يقول له كن فيكون"He wills good and ugly evil *** But He does not approve of the impossible"
The choice of Allah and the will of Allah are two different terms that are synonymous in meaning. Likewise, the pleasure of Allah and the love of Allah are two different terms that are synonymous in meaning. These two terms differ in wording and meaning from the first two terms. The love of Allah for a thing and the pleasure of Allah for a thing fall within the generality of His will, as does what He dislikes, as we mentioned earlier. As for what our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, dislikes, it does not fall within what He loves or what He does not approve of, as He, the Exalted, said:
and He does not approve for His servants disbelief
ولا يرضى لعباده الكفر"He wills good and ugly evil ***"
He gathered good and evil by His will, as we mentioned.
"*** But He does not approve of the impossible"
That is the evil. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, loves good; He loves faith and dislikes disbelief and tyranny. Both faith and disbelief are by the will, decree, and choice of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
Yes.