The difference between the cosmic command and the legislative command, and clarifying the Muslim's position regarding the attributes of Allah the Exalted.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : A questioner asked me, or presented me with a paper, saying: What is the difference between the cosmic and the legislative? That is, between the cosmic command and the legislative command.
The cosmic command is what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) decrees and creates, and the legislative command is what came through the path of revelation, what came through the path of revelation. So the Children of Israel in the story of the Cow, were they subjected to strictness? In what way? Legally or cosmically?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Legally, through the path of revelation. And the one afflicted with obsessive doubts who exceeds three times, then is afflicted and washes four times and five times and says, "I have not become pure," is this cosmic or legislative? It is cosmic, because Allah decreed the obsessive doubts upon him when he did not adhere to the limits of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So it is obligatory upon us, O brothers, to stand with the texts and believe in them according to the intent of Allah and His Messenger, and not to ask how regarding the attributes of Allah, nor to liken Him to creation, nor to ask about the manner as well. Asking about the manner is a religious innovation, as Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said, and all the Salaf followed this, all the scholars after him, every scholar after him followed this, and they said it should be that the words of Malik are the standard for all the attributes, it should be the standard for all the attributes. So we say regarding them that their meaning is known, what is it?
The student: Their manner is unknown.
The Shaykh : Their manner is unknown. If you proceed on this, you will attain safety from being questioned by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, because Allah will question you[Al-Qasas 28:65].
And it is not possible for you to judge matters of the unseen that you do not encompass with your intellect, because the attributes of Allah are not measured by the attributes of the created beings.
And for this reason, the scholars said: A thing cannot be known in its manner except by one of three things. Every thing whose manner cannot be known is except by three things: witnessing it, or witnessing its equal counterpart, and the third is truthful news about it.
So I, for example, if I witness this recorder, I know its manner by which path? By witnessing. If I do not witness it, but I witness a counterpart of it in the hand of another person, this is witnessing a counterpart. If a truthful man describes it to me, this is by truthful news. Did any of these three occur with the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? Answer, O people!
The student: No.
The Shaykh : No, it was not witnessed, nor was a counterpart witnessed for it, nor is there truthful news, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us of such and such and did not inform us of such and such, so the matter is clear, praise be to Allah.
And the summary is: It is befitting for a person, regarding the verses of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), to be in awe of Allah, for He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the Possessor of Majesty and Honor. So you should be in awe of your Lord, performing His worship, believing in His news, believing in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers and the Last Day and the divine decree, its good and its evil.
Then I ask the brothers to allow us tomorrow and the coming night, tomorrow in the morning and also in the coming night. And if they forgive us, I ask Allah for forgiveness and pardon for me and for them. And if Allah wills, the days are coming. Now we begin with the questions.
The cosmic command is what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) decrees and creates, and the legislative command is what came through the path of revelation, what came through the path of revelation. So the Children of Israel in the story of the Cow, were they subjected to strictness? In what way? Legally or cosmically?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Legally, through the path of revelation. And the one afflicted with obsessive doubts who exceeds three times, then is afflicted and washes four times and five times and says, "I have not become pure," is this cosmic or legislative? It is cosmic, because Allah decreed the obsessive doubts upon him when he did not adhere to the limits of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So it is obligatory upon us, O brothers, to stand with the texts and believe in them according to the intent of Allah and His Messenger, and not to ask how regarding the attributes of Allah, nor to liken Him to creation, nor to ask about the manner as well. Asking about the manner is a religious innovation, as Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said, and all the Salaf followed this, all the scholars after him, every scholar after him followed this, and they said it should be that the words of Malik are the standard for all the attributes, it should be the standard for all the attributes. So we say regarding them that their meaning is known, what is it?
The student: Their manner is unknown.
The Shaykh : Their manner is unknown. If you proceed on this, you will attain safety from being questioned by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, because Allah will question you
And [mention] the Day He will call them and say, "What did you answer the messengers?"
ويوم يناديهم فيقول ماذا أجبتم المرسلينAnd it is not possible for you to judge matters of the unseen that you do not encompass with your intellect, because the attributes of Allah are not measured by the attributes of the created beings.
And for this reason, the scholars said: A thing cannot be known in its manner except by one of three things. Every thing whose manner cannot be known is except by three things: witnessing it, or witnessing its equal counterpart, and the third is truthful news about it.
So I, for example, if I witness this recorder, I know its manner by which path? By witnessing. If I do not witness it, but I witness a counterpart of it in the hand of another person, this is witnessing a counterpart. If a truthful man describes it to me, this is by truthful news. Did any of these three occur with the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? Answer, O people!
The student: No.
The Shaykh : No, it was not witnessed, nor was a counterpart witnessed for it, nor is there truthful news, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us of such and such and did not inform us of such and such, so the matter is clear, praise be to Allah.
And the summary is: It is befitting for a person, regarding the verses of the Lord (Mighty and Majestic), to be in awe of Allah, for He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the Possessor of Majesty and Honor. So you should be in awe of your Lord, performing His worship, believing in His news, believing in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers and the Last Day and the divine decree, its good and its evil.
Then I ask the brothers to allow us tomorrow and the coming night, tomorrow in the morning and also in the coming night. And if they forgive us, I ask Allah for forgiveness and pardon for me and for them. And if Allah wills, the days are coming. Now we begin with the questions.