Explaining the error in interpreting the attribute of mercy as the will to do good to creation and other defective interpretations.
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The Shaykh : Some people say that mercy is the will to do good, or that mercy is doing good to creation, the will to do good or doing good to creation, what... well, but this is not correct. Mercy is not the will to do good, nor is it doing good to creation, because the will to do good is among the effects of mercy, for the Merciful One wills to do good, and doing good to creation itself is among the effects of the will. But we say that mercy is an attribute by which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is described, and it is a mercy befitting Him, like His other attributes, such as His hearing, His sight, His power, and His might. So we say that mercy is an attribute by which the Creator (Mighty and Majestic) is described, and it is a reality, but it is a mercy befitting Him, a mercy befitting Him. Has any of you studied the science of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)? Yes, please go ahead. Who is it that interpreted mercy as doing good or as the will to do good?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Well, rest a moment, did you hear? The one who interpreted mercy as doing good or as the will to do good is the Asha'irah, and they prevented Allah from being described with mercy. So what do you say about Allah having a mercy other than the will and other than doing good? Why? They said because mercy necessitates softness and gentleness, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is free from that. Allah is strong, mighty, capable, and overpowering. How can He be Merciful? That is why you say "I showed mercy to so-and-so," meaning you softened toward him, you softened toward him. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) cannot be described with softness. Did you understand? Well, also the will has a rational proof, it has a rational proof, and mercy does not have a rational proof. And we do not affirm of the attributes of Allah except what the intellect indicates. They say so, but we affirm everything that He affirmed for Himself. Therefore, they said the meaning of mercy is the doing good, which is the thing separate from Allah, or that it is the will to do good, because they affirm the will. I don't know, do you like us to investigate this or leave it? Well, but look, if you investigate, I have to ask you, are you ready? Well.
We say, what is the rational proof of the will so that we can look at whether the will, whether mercy, is indicated by the intellect or not? They said the rational proof of the will is specification, specification. How is it specification? Meaning that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) makes the sky a sky, the earth an earth, the human a human, the camel a camel, and the donkey a donkey. What does this indicate? Ah, it indicates the will, it indicates the will, that He willed for the sky to be a sky and it was, He willed for the human to be a human and it was. So this specification, meaning that some of the created things are such and others are such, indicates the will of the Creator. Is this correct or not correct? Correct? Ah? ... O people, yes, we agree that the specification of some of the created things with their characteristics indicates the will. Well, what about mercy? They say also that doing good to creation, doing good to creation, what does it indicate? It indicates mercy. Does one do good to others if there is no mercy in him? No. And the indication of doing good to creation of mercy is more apparent, clearer, and more evident than the indication of specification of the will, because the indication of specification of the will is not understood except by a student of knowledge, and the indication of doing good of mercy is understood by every person. If you went out, for example, after the rain and you met an ordinary person, and you said to him, why is this rain? He said, this is, by Allah, from the mercy of Allah. The ordinary person who does not understand uses the blessings of Allah as evidence for what? For the mercy of Allah. So mercy has been indicated by the intellect, and its indication of it is stronger than the indication of specification of what? Of the will. But they said, how can this be, and mercy is softness and gentleness, and Allah is free from this? What do we say? We say the mercy that necessitates softness and gentleness toward a thing is the mercy of whom? Of humans, the mercy of humans. But the mercy of the Creator does not necessitate that and does not require it. Moreover, we prevent your saying that mercy necessitates gentleness, because we find, for example, a king among kings who is strong, having authority and power, and yet he shows mercy to the weak. Is this considered in his right a perfection or a defect? If we found a king, strong in authority and influence, having awe, but when he sees the weak, he softens toward him and shows him mercy, do we say that this is evidence of the weakness of the king or not? No, absolutely not, but it is evidence of his perfection, ... and that he places everything in its proper place.
The important thing, O my brothers, is that this is a discussion from which a student of knowledge benefits, and it is that whoever denies an attribute of the attributes of Allah on the basis of a rational argument, then that argument is against him and not for him; it becomes evidence against him and not for him, because either he affirms all of them or he denies all of them. As for affirming some and denying some, this is a matter of what? It is a matter of contradiction. Well, al-Rahman, so we say, what does al-Rahman mean, O brothers? We read it every day, what is the meaning of al-Rahman? It means the One possessing the vast, great mercy that the intellect cannot grasp. Al-Rahim is the One who conveys mercy to whom He wills of His servants, He punishes whom He wills and shows mercy to whom He wills.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Well, rest a moment, did you hear? The one who interpreted mercy as doing good or as the will to do good is the Asha'irah, and they prevented Allah from being described with mercy. So what do you say about Allah having a mercy other than the will and other than doing good? Why? They said because mercy necessitates softness and gentleness, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is free from that. Allah is strong, mighty, capable, and overpowering. How can He be Merciful? That is why you say "I showed mercy to so-and-so," meaning you softened toward him, you softened toward him. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) cannot be described with softness. Did you understand? Well, also the will has a rational proof, it has a rational proof, and mercy does not have a rational proof. And we do not affirm of the attributes of Allah except what the intellect indicates. They say so, but we affirm everything that He affirmed for Himself. Therefore, they said the meaning of mercy is the doing good, which is the thing separate from Allah, or that it is the will to do good, because they affirm the will. I don't know, do you like us to investigate this or leave it? Well, but look, if you investigate, I have to ask you, are you ready? Well.
We say, what is the rational proof of the will so that we can look at whether the will, whether mercy, is indicated by the intellect or not? They said the rational proof of the will is specification, specification. How is it specification? Meaning that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) makes the sky a sky, the earth an earth, the human a human, the camel a camel, and the donkey a donkey. What does this indicate? Ah, it indicates the will, it indicates the will, that He willed for the sky to be a sky and it was, He willed for the human to be a human and it was. So this specification, meaning that some of the created things are such and others are such, indicates the will of the Creator. Is this correct or not correct? Correct? Ah? ... O people, yes, we agree that the specification of some of the created things with their characteristics indicates the will. Well, what about mercy? They say also that doing good to creation, doing good to creation, what does it indicate? It indicates mercy. Does one do good to others if there is no mercy in him? No. And the indication of doing good to creation of mercy is more apparent, clearer, and more evident than the indication of specification of the will, because the indication of specification of the will is not understood except by a student of knowledge, and the indication of doing good of mercy is understood by every person. If you went out, for example, after the rain and you met an ordinary person, and you said to him, why is this rain? He said, this is, by Allah, from the mercy of Allah. The ordinary person who does not understand uses the blessings of Allah as evidence for what? For the mercy of Allah. So mercy has been indicated by the intellect, and its indication of it is stronger than the indication of specification of what? Of the will. But they said, how can this be, and mercy is softness and gentleness, and Allah is free from this? What do we say? We say the mercy that necessitates softness and gentleness toward a thing is the mercy of whom? Of humans, the mercy of humans. But the mercy of the Creator does not necessitate that and does not require it. Moreover, we prevent your saying that mercy necessitates gentleness, because we find, for example, a king among kings who is strong, having authority and power, and yet he shows mercy to the weak. Is this considered in his right a perfection or a defect? If we found a king, strong in authority and influence, having awe, but when he sees the weak, he softens toward him and shows him mercy, do we say that this is evidence of the weakness of the king or not? No, absolutely not, but it is evidence of his perfection, ... and that he places everything in its proper place.
The important thing, O my brothers, is that this is a discussion from which a student of knowledge benefits, and it is that whoever denies an attribute of the attributes of Allah on the basis of a rational argument, then that argument is against him and not for him; it becomes evidence against him and not for him, because either he affirms all of them or he denies all of them. As for affirming some and denying some, this is a matter of what? It is a matter of contradiction. Well, al-Rahman, so we say, what does al-Rahman mean, O brothers? We read it every day, what is the meaning of al-Rahman? It means the One possessing the vast, great mercy that the intellect cannot grasp. Al-Rahim is the One who conveys mercy to whom He wills of His servants, He punishes whom He wills and shows mercy to whom He wills.