What is the difference between the will of Allah and the decree of Allah, and what is the difference between cosmic will and legislative will?

The questioner : We spoke about the will twice. A verse in the Qur'an appeared twice in al-Baqarah and in Al-Imran. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, willed and decreed. Is the will prior to the decree and command of Allah, or is the command prior to the will? From the context of the verse, we know that the will is prior to the decree and command of Allah. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, decreed for Iblis that he would not prostrate to the creation of Adam. Iblis was the elder of the worshippers and was in Paradise, by the will of Allah, of course, by the will of Allah. Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, willed for Iblis in His knowledge that he would not prostrate. When He decreed for him to prostrate, he refused to prostrate and did not obey the command of Allah. If Iblis had obeyed the command of Allah, he would have contradicted the will of Allah, and if he had obeyed the will of Allah, he would have contradicted the command of Allah?

The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.

The questioner : Now, is our Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, unjust, Exalted and Majestic is He, regarding Iblis, or how does He punish him when He willed that for him?

The Shaykh : Fine, you have now limited the discussion to Iblis. Does the issue differ for Iblis and the followers of Iblis, or is it specific to Iblis?

The questioner : ... It means, let us say, the aspect of evil in its absolute sense.

The Shaykh : You, this question, you limited it, and that is why I asked you: is it specific to Iblis or to the followers of Iblis?

The questioner : If we specify it, do we know the general rule?

The Shaykh : You know the general rule. So, in terms of the illogical thought, there is no difference in thought between Iblis and his followers, and you believe this with me?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : No, I see you are writing.

The questioner : Because the question is also mine, and I asked it...

The Shaykh : It is fine, but when I want to speak, they say in Syria, "The eye is a ladle for speech." So, if I am speaking and you are writing, it means you have turned away from me.

The questioner : May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : And I do not mean that you should not record. No, take a dispensation and record, and then I will speak. If you want to record, record... How do you understand the saying of Allah the Exalted:

The questioner : In the prior will of Allah for...

The Shaykh : No, leave your philosophy aside for now. What does "Your Lord decreed" mean?

The questioner : Command.

The Shaykh : A legislative command or a cosmic command?

The questioner : Perhaps it is legislative. What I see is worship.

The Shaykh : And perhaps it is not legislative?

The questioner : It is definitely legislative...

The Shaykh : Wait, everyone. He wants to speak. We have a report from Ibn Umar, I forgot the story, but one of those sitting said to him: "Perhaps the command is such and such." He said to him: "Put 'perhaps' at that star." And you are the same. So, if we repeat the question , does the meaning of "decreed" imply a legislative will or a cosmic will? You said "perhaps," and I think this is a throw, and therefore I am afraid of it, that it might be a throw from one who does not throw. But if you intended it, it makes it easier for us to proceed in what we are dealing with. Listen, my brother, may Allah guide you, unless you two have made an agreement against me, one from this side and one from the other side. It is fine, but I do not like it when one is from here and one is from here...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : My brother, this is not acceptable. We need to hear from him. He will clarify it in the end. Then, my brother, we need to be frank in the matter. If I asked him this question and he rolls his eyes, and he has never heard this question, he must say, "By Allah, I have no knowledge." He must say it. You do not leave him at ease and let him respond like that; that would be helping him. Do you see how "Your Lord decreed" means what? Command. Fine, is the command here cosmic or legislative?

The questioner : Legislative.

The Shaykh : Legislative. The command in the saying of Allah the Exalted: , is it legislative or cosmic?

The questioner : Cosmic.

The Shaykh : Cosmic. Fine, so the disbelief of Iblis and his not prostrating to Adam (peace be upon him), is it by the cosmic command of Allah or the legislative command?

The questioner : Legislative.

The Shaykh : Here, the donkey stoppedThe Shaykh : at the obstacle. How is it legislative? If we want to say what is the difference between cosmic will and legislative will, and this is in fact one of the subtleties of the science of exegesis, around which the two Shaykhs of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on them), revolve. The will of Allah in His verses carries two meanings: one is a general meaning that encompasses everything, and the other is a specific meaning that does not encompass everything. The first, the general one, includes good and evil, includes faith and disbelief, everything. The second is specific to what Allah loves, what He approves of, and what He legislated for His servants. So, when we asked about the saying of Allah the Exalted: , the answer was that "decreed" here means He willed with a legislative will, meaning He ruled such and such that Allah alone be worshipped and that parents be treated with excellence. But the fact that Allah ruled something, and the fact that people will carry out this ruling, whether all people or some people, is another matter. And as a reality, this decree, this divine ruling in this verse, , is observed. It does not need explanation from those who realized this legislative ruling, and from those who did not realize it. When people look at this verse, they are exactly like they are with all legislative verses: divided into two groups. Some believed and some disbelieved. These two groups fall under the saying of Allah the Exalted: , meaning that the disbelief of the disbeliever does not occur despite the will of Allah, but rather from the will of Allah, let alone the faith of the believer, which does not occur despite the will of Allah, but all of that is by the will of Allah. This is the meaning of the will in His saying: . This will encompasses everything absolutely, and it is the cosmic will, and it is not the legislative will. As for the legislative will, it is specific to what Allah legislated and approved for His servants. Yes, the verse , do you see? "He does not approve" means "He does not will," but "He does not approve" is clearer and closer to the legislative will than the word "will" in its absolute sense, because it clarified for us that the will is divided into two parts: one that includes good and one that includes evil. If it includes evil, it is a cosmic will, not a legislative will. So, if we return to Iblis and all the devils, they all disobeyed Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and did not obey Him in terms of His legislative will, but they occurred and did what they did within the cosmic will, meaning they did not disobey Allah despite the will of Allah, because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is able to force the most disbelieving of disbelievers to believe, and that is not difficult for Allah. But His will and wisdom preceded in determining what came in the saying of Allah the Exalted: . So there is no problem, my brother, between this verse and the other verse from which you understood a contradiction. Rather, keep in mind that the will and the divine decree include two types in terms of cosmic will, but in terms of will and in terms of legislative decree, it includes only one type. Perhaps the problem has been resolved, if Allah wills?

The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Welcome.