Allah’s invalidation of the argument of those who use divine decree as an excuse for their shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : But I ask you, do you know what has been written for you in terms of deeds? And what do you say?
The students: No.
The Shaykh : No, we do not know what has been written for us in terms of deeds, rather, we do not know what will be for us tomorrow[Luqman 31:34].
So if you do not know, then your argument based on divine decree is invalidated. For this reason, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) invalidated the argument of those who use divine decree as an excuse for their shirk (associating partners with Allah), and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Al-An'am 6:148]
The aspect of invalidating this argument is His saying:, and if they had any argument in that, Allah would not have made them taste His punishment.
The important point is that if you do not know what has been written for you, then you have no argument based on divine decree. For this reason, you do not know what has been written for you in terms of provision, is that not so? And do you strive to seek provision? Yes, you strive to seek provision, traveling east, west, south, and north in order to obtain provision. So, deeds are exactly like provision, unknown to you. But it is obligatory for you, just as you strive for provision, to strive for deeds as well, and to perform the obedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The students: No.
The Shaykh : No, we do not know what has been written for us in terms of deeds, rather, we do not know what will be for us tomorrow
no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow
وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًاSo if you do not know, then your argument based on divine decree is invalidated. For this reason, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) invalidated the argument of those who use divine decree as an excuse for their shirk (associating partners with Allah), and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):
Those who associated with Allah will say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment.
سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ لَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلاَ آبَاؤُنَا وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَيْءٍ كَذَلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم حَتَّى ذَاقُواْ بَأْسَنَاThe aspect of invalidating this argument is His saying:
until they tasted Our punishment
حتى ذاقوا بأسناThe important point is that if you do not know what has been written for you, then you have no argument based on divine decree. For this reason, you do not know what has been written for you in terms of provision, is that not so? And do you strive to seek provision? Yes, you strive to seek provision, traveling east, west, south, and north in order to obtain provision. So, deeds are exactly like provision, unknown to you. But it is obligatory for you, just as you strive for provision, to strive for deeds as well, and to perform the obedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).