A Summary of the Discussion on the Action of Allah and That He is an Actor, and That This Necessitates Continuity in the Past and the Future
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The Shaykh : The summary now, the summary of this entire chapter: The position of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that Allah the Exalted has always been and continues to be an Actor, and this necessitates continuity in the past just as it necessitates continuity in the future. As for continuity in the future, the Qur'an and the Sunnah have indicated it explicitly. Every text in which there is the eternity of the Fire and the eternity of Paradise is evidence of what? Continuity in the future, meaning: that it has no end, no end to Paradise and its bliss, and no end to the Fire and its torment, and this is in the Qur'an.
Continuity in the past has confused many scholars of the Sunnah, so they said: Continuity in the past is not possible, because if we said that continuity in the past is permissible, if we said that, it would follow that created things are eternal in comparison to the Creator, and it is known that this is impossible. And whoever says that created things are comparable to the Creator and eternal by His eternity is a disbeliever who associates partners with Allah. But the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group of scholars said: We say that it is possible, indeed obligatory, that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor. But it is reasonable, and understood by every person of intellect, that the effect is the result of the action, and that the action is an attribute of the actor. So is the actor prior or not? Prior. Even if we say that events are eternal, that does not necessitate that they are comparable to the One, the Subduer, comparable to Allah, because Allah is an Actor, then He acts, then there is an effect. So are events comparable to Allah in existence or not? Not comparable. So this danger that you have avoided is not a necessary consequence. But if we said: That Allah the Exalted is devoid of action from eternity, then He acted, this is arbitrary. Arbitrary in two ways. The first way: That in the time when He is devoid of action, He is deficient. Understand this from this: The time when He is devoid of action, He is deficient. If they say: There is no deficiency, because action follows wisdom, so if wisdom dictates that He does not act, and He did not act, is that perfection or deficiency? Perfection. We say: Yes, if you concede this and say that continuity is permissible, we would excuse you. But you say that continuity is impossible, so the action in the beginning is what? Impossible. It is not delayed for a wisdom, it is impossible. So we say: What made it impossible for Allah, and then it became possible? And until when was it impossible? A thousand years? Two thousand years? Thousands of years? And then it became possible? Who says? If you say it became a thousand years old and then it became an event, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say ten years and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say one year and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say one day and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? So say that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor, and that the continuity of events in the past is possible, indeed it is a requirement of His perfection. And in that case, you cannot say it is an error or a slip, because we say that. But we and you, yes, the effect is what? It occurs after? The action. And the action is an attribute of the actor, so the one described must be prior. Clear?
And this, in reality, has no problem with it, although when the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) emerged with his establishment of this, the world rose up against him, and they said: This is a polytheist who associated partners with Allah, he made a second god alongside Allah, and the world rose up against him. And poems were composed about him, mentioned in the first edition of the Manhaj Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, a long poem containing a refutation of the Shaykh al-Islam in this opinion, and in it is another poem opposing it and contradicting it.
But in any case, meaning, if we do not enter into this turmoil, our fitrah (the innate natural disposition) requires that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor. This is one. Our intellects also require that if we say that events are eternal, they are not comparable to whom? To the Creator, who is Allah the Majestic. They are not comparable, but they must be after Him, they must be after Him. And in that case, we separate from the claim that if we say that events are eternal, we establish? Here? We establish other than Allah, we establish two Lords.
Continuity in the past has confused many scholars of the Sunnah, so they said: Continuity in the past is not possible, because if we said that continuity in the past is permissible, if we said that, it would follow that created things are eternal in comparison to the Creator, and it is known that this is impossible. And whoever says that created things are comparable to the Creator and eternal by His eternity is a disbeliever who associates partners with Allah. But the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group of scholars said: We say that it is possible, indeed obligatory, that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor. But it is reasonable, and understood by every person of intellect, that the effect is the result of the action, and that the action is an attribute of the actor. So is the actor prior or not? Prior. Even if we say that events are eternal, that does not necessitate that they are comparable to the One, the Subduer, comparable to Allah, because Allah is an Actor, then He acts, then there is an effect. So are events comparable to Allah in existence or not? Not comparable. So this danger that you have avoided is not a necessary consequence. But if we said: That Allah the Exalted is devoid of action from eternity, then He acted, this is arbitrary. Arbitrary in two ways. The first way: That in the time when He is devoid of action, He is deficient. Understand this from this: The time when He is devoid of action, He is deficient. If they say: There is no deficiency, because action follows wisdom, so if wisdom dictates that He does not act, and He did not act, is that perfection or deficiency? Perfection. We say: Yes, if you concede this and say that continuity is permissible, we would excuse you. But you say that continuity is impossible, so the action in the beginning is what? Impossible. It is not delayed for a wisdom, it is impossible. So we say: What made it impossible for Allah, and then it became possible? And until when was it impossible? A thousand years? Two thousand years? Thousands of years? And then it became possible? Who says? If you say it became a thousand years old and then it became an event, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say ten years and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say one year and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? If you say one day and then it became possible, we say: Where is the evidence? So say that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor, and that the continuity of events in the past is possible, indeed it is a requirement of His perfection. And in that case, you cannot say it is an error or a slip, because we say that. But we and you, yes, the effect is what? It occurs after? The action. And the action is an attribute of the actor, so the one described must be prior. Clear?
And this, in reality, has no problem with it, although when the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) emerged with his establishment of this, the world rose up against him, and they said: This is a polytheist who associated partners with Allah, he made a second god alongside Allah, and the world rose up against him. And poems were composed about him, mentioned in the first edition of the Manhaj Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, a long poem containing a refutation of the Shaykh al-Islam in this opinion, and in it is another poem opposing it and contradicting it.
But in any case, meaning, if we do not enter into this turmoil, our fitrah (the innate natural disposition) requires that Allah has always been and continues to be an Actor. This is one. Our intellects also require that if we say that events are eternal, they are not comparable to whom? To the Creator, who is Allah the Majestic. They are not comparable, but they must be after Him, they must be after Him. And in that case, we separate from the claim that if we say that events are eternal, we establish? Here? We establish other than Allah, we establish two Lords.