The Meaning of the Poet's Statement: "One of them I made the beginning with *** Fearing the regress, this is not possible. This is what the Karramiyyah said *** So His action and His speech are the same (and the speech
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The Shaykh : But they are of two types
"One of them I made the beginning with ***"
What is the meaning of "I made the beginning with"?
It means making the action possible after it was impossible. They said that Allah became an actor after He was not an actor. This is the meaning of his statement: "the beginning with", meaning: started with it. So they made the action an occurrence, an occurrence in its type, just as it is in its particulars, in its type after it was not. For this reason he said:
"the beginning with *** Fearing the regress, this is not possible"
It means: so that we do not say that if we say He has always been acting, this necessitates a regress, which is impossible. A regress in the past is impossible. And who are these? He says: "This is what the Karramiyyah said *** So His action and His speech are the same"
It means: just as they said regarding speech, as mentioned before, that it is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done, they also said that the action is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done.
I hope, if Allah wills, that we have understood. This group said that the action of Allah is other than the acted-upon, and it is an action subsisting in Himself, an occurrence after it was not. But they divided into two sections. One section said that it is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done, rather they said it is an occurrence after it was impossible. And who are these? The Karramiyyah. Why? They said: because if we say that Allah has always been an actor, it necessitates a regress of occurrences, because "has always been" means in the eternity that has no end, so it necessitates a regress of occurrences, and this is impossible in their opinion.
And the second type of this group said that it is an occurrence subsisting in Him, and He has always been acting, and the regress is not impossible. Do you know now or not? It means that Allah the Exalted has always been and continues to be an actor, and we do not say that He was not capable of action and then became capable of it. We do not say this.
"One of them I made the beginning with ***"
What is the meaning of "I made the beginning with"?
It means making the action possible after it was impossible. They said that Allah became an actor after He was not an actor. This is the meaning of his statement: "the beginning with", meaning: started with it. So they made the action an occurrence, an occurrence in its type, just as it is in its particulars, in its type after it was not. For this reason he said:
"the beginning with *** Fearing the regress, this is not possible"
It means: so that we do not say that if we say He has always been acting, this necessitates a regress, which is impossible. A regress in the past is impossible. And who are these? He says: "This is what the Karramiyyah said *** So His action and His speech are the same"
It means: just as they said regarding speech, as mentioned before, that it is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done, they also said that the action is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done.
I hope, if Allah wills, that we have understood. This group said that the action of Allah is other than the acted-upon, and it is an action subsisting in Himself, an occurrence after it was not. But they divided into two sections. One section said that it is an occurrence after it was not possible for it to be done, rather they said it is an occurrence after it was impossible. And who are these? The Karramiyyah. Why? They said: because if we say that Allah has always been an actor, it necessitates a regress of occurrences, because "has always been" means in the eternity that has no end, so it necessitates a regress of occurrences, and this is impossible in their opinion.
And the second type of this group said that it is an occurrence subsisting in Him, and He has always been acting, and the regress is not impossible. Do you know now or not? It means that Allah the Exalted has always been and continues to be an actor, and we do not say that He was not capable of action and then became capable of it. We do not say this.