On the issue of the succession of events.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : What is the truth in the scholars' statements on the issue of the succession of created events?
The Shaykh : We have spoken about this before in some recent gatherings. I believe this discussion took place in the session of Abu Ma'adh. The answer, in brief, is that we do not see the validity of this position for two reasons.
The first reason is that it conflicts with affirming the first created thing. Affirming the first created thing without specifying or defining it is, as it were, a matter of consensus, even among those who hold that there are events with no beginning.
The second reason—and it is the most important—is that the hadith specifying the first created thing is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is his saying:Mishkat al-Masabih 94Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i). The one who says that there are events with no beginning, and that there is a succession into eternity, explicitly says: there is no created thing except that before it is a created thing, and so on until there is no beginning. How does this agree with his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned earlier: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3319Sahih (Darussalam)? Added to this is that this position—since it did not come from the Salaf, but is only the understanding of some of the imams of the Khalaf—enters into speaking about a matter of the unseen, which is a very serious matter, based merely on opinion and independent legal reasoning. And matters of the unseen—as we all know—should not be expanded upon; rather, we must stop at the explicit text, and the matter is ended. Please, go ahead.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
I read this hadith in what we have read, meaning... Ibn al-Qayyim says: this wording cameJami` at-Tirmidhi 3319Sahih (Darussalam), so ... But now I ask: are there established narrations with "awwal" in the nominative case?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is it, and I explained this long ago in "Takhrij Sharh al-Tahawiyyah," where I refuted this interpretation, and the Arabic style—and you are more familiar with your style than I am—I am dependent on your language, so if I am correct in anything, I am an Arabized one, whereas you are the Arabs, and you are the original.
The questioner : No, no...
The Shaykh : If he said, no, I tell you: the narration is like this:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3319Sahih (Darussalam) is a subject and a predicate, is a new sentence, , so there is no accusative case here, but rather a nominative subject and a nominative predicate, then a new sentence preceding the first speech.
The questioner : If the narration is established, it is possible, meaning, to consider it...
The Shaykh : If it is established.
The questioner : If it is established, this...
The Shaykh : But as it came in some reports—without blame—make the "law" at that star!, and do not forget I said earlier something of importance: the scholars differed on the first created thing, and I indicated that the one who says there are events with no beginning narrated this disagreement, and preferred this hadith based on what occurred to him that is in the accusative case as a circumstantial, and said: the first created thing is the Throne. Thus, the entire claim is refuted, otherwise it is important as...
The questioner : No, it is not... the first created thing, not the first created thing, he says it is... from the Throne, from the Pen, he does not say it is the first created thing.
The Shaykh : No, no, he says and concludes the issue with the disagreement among scholars in specifying the first created thing, and he prefers that the first created thing is the Throne, yes, that is right.
And I am now asking permission from the honorableThe Shaykh : , it is now nine o'clock, and the atmosphere, it is finished, it is over—may Allah bless you.
...
The Shaykh : Be gentle, be gentle, be gentle. Do you allow it, O honorableThe Shaykh : ? Yes? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : We have spoken about this before in some recent gatherings. I believe this discussion took place in the session of Abu Ma'adh. The answer, in brief, is that we do not see the validity of this position for two reasons.
The first reason is that it conflicts with affirming the first created thing. Affirming the first created thing without specifying or defining it is, as it were, a matter of consensus, even among those who hold that there are events with no beginning.
The second reason—and it is the most important—is that the hadith specifying the first created thing is authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is his saying:
The first thing God created was the pen. He told it to write and when it asked Him what it should write He told it to write what was decreed, so it wrote what had taken place and what would take place to all eternity.
أول ما خلق الله القلم ، فقال : اكتب . قال : ما أكتب ؟ قال : اكتب ما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامةthe first of what Allah created was the Pen
أول ما خلق الله القلمThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
I read this hadith in what we have read, meaning... Ibn al-Qayyim says: this wording came
the first of what Allah created was the Pen
أوَّلَ ما خلق الله القلمThe first
أوَّلThe Shaykh : Yes, this is it, and I explained this long ago in "Takhrij Sharh al-Tahawiyyah," where I refuted this interpretation, and the Arabic style—and you are more familiar with your style than I am—I am dependent on your language, so if I am correct in anything, I am an Arabized one, whereas you are the Arabs, and you are the original.
The questioner : No, no...
The Shaykh : If he said, no, I tell you: the narration is like this:
the first of what Allah created was the Pen
أوَّلُ ما خلق الله القلمAnd He said to it: Write.
فقال له : اكتبIt said: What shall I write? He said: Write what is destined to happen until the Day of Resurrection.
قال : ما أكتب ؟ قال : اكتب ما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامةThe questioner : If the narration is established, it is possible, meaning, to consider it...
The Shaykh : If it is established.
The questioner : If it is established, this...
The Shaykh : But as it came in some reports—without blame—make the "law" at that star!
Everyone laughs!
الجميع يضحك !The first
أوَّلَThe questioner : No, it is not... the first created thing, not the first created thing, he says it is... from the Throne, from the Pen, he does not say it is the first created thing.
The Shaykh : No, no, he says and concludes the issue with the disagreement among scholars in specifying the first created thing, and he prefers that the first created thing is the Throne, yes, that is right.
And I am now asking permission from the honorableThe Shaykh : , it is now nine o'clock, and the atmosphere, it is finished, it is over—may Allah bless you.
...
The Shaykh : Be gentle, be gentle, be gentle. Do you allow it, O honorableThe Shaykh : ? Yes? May Allah reward you with good.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.