Does the will mean love?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, does the will mean love[Hud 11:107]?
The Shaykh : Yes, the will of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). The scholars said that it is divided into two categories: a will meaning love, and a will meaning the divine decree.
As for the will meaning love, it does not occur except in what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) loves, such as His saying:[An-Nisa 4:27] Here, "wills" means "loves," and it does not mean the divine decree, because if it meant the divine decree, Allah would have accepted the repentance of everyone. But it means love, so He wills that we repent. This is an encouragement for us to repent, because Allah loves those who repent. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So His saying: [An-Nisa 4:27] means: He loves.
The second type, or the second category, of the will is the cosmic will, meaning the divine decree. This does not pertain only to what He loves, but it occurs in what He loves and in what He does not love. It is the one that means the divine decree. Among its examples is this verse:[Hud 11:107] meaning: for what He wills. As He said in another verse: [Ibrahim 14:27].
Based on this, if someone were to ask us: Did Allah will the sins of the people?
If you say: No, you are wrong. And if you say: Yes, you are wrong. I mean, if someone were to say: These sins that people commit, such as disbelief, open sinfulness, and lewdness, are they willed by Allah? Did Allah will them? What do you say?
If you say: No, you are wrong. And if you say: Yes, you are wrong. So it is necessary to specify. You say: As for the cosmic will, He willed them, and nothing exits from His dominion contrary to His will; nothing in His dominion exits contrary to His will. And if you mean the legislative will, then Allah did not will that; He did not will for the servants to be lewd, to disbelieve, or to commit open sinfulness. Rather, He wills for them to be righteous. But His wisdom (Mighty and Majestic) caused people to be divided into a believer and a disbeliever. Yes?
Your Eminence, does the will mean love
an effecter of what He intends.
فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُThe Shaykh : Yes, the will of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). The scholars said that it is divided into two categories: a will meaning love, and a will meaning the divine decree.
As for the will meaning love, it does not occur except in what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) loves, such as His saying:
Allah wants to accept your repentance
وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْAllah is more joyful with the repentance of His servant than one of you is with his she-camel—pay attention to the imagery—it was the one on which he had his food and drink, and he was in a desert land—no one around him—so he lost the she-camel, and it was lost. He sought it, but he did not find it. So he lay down under a tree, waiting for death. While he was thus, he saw the rein of his she-camel hanging on the tree. So he took hold of its rein and said: "O Allah, You are my slave and I am your Lord." He erred out of the intensity of his joy.
لَلَّهُ أشَدُّ فرحاً بتوبة عبده من أحدكم بناقته -انتبهوا للتّصوير-كان عليها طعامه وشرابه، وكان في أرض فلاة -ليس حوله أحد- فأضلَّ الناقة، وضاعت فطلبها، فلم يجدها، فاضطجع تحت شجرة ينتظر الموت، فبينما هو كذلك إذا بخطام ناقته متعلقاً في الشجرة، فأخذ بخطامها، وقال: اللهم أنت عبدي وأنا ربك، أخطأ من شدة الفرحAllah wants to accept your repentance
وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْThe second type, or the second category, of the will is the cosmic will, meaning the divine decree. This does not pertain only to what He loves, but it occurs in what He loves and in what He does not love. It is the one that means the divine decree. Among its examples is this verse:
an effecter of what He intends.
فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُAnd Allah does what He wills.
وَيَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُBased on this, if someone were to ask us: Did Allah will the sins of the people?
If you say: No, you are wrong. And if you say: Yes, you are wrong. I mean, if someone were to say: These sins that people commit, such as disbelief, open sinfulness, and lewdness, are they willed by Allah? Did Allah will them? What do you say?
If you say: No, you are wrong. And if you say: Yes, you are wrong. So it is necessary to specify. You say: As for the cosmic will, He willed them, and nothing exits from His dominion contrary to His will; nothing in His dominion exits contrary to His will. And if you mean the legislative will, then Allah did not will that; He did not will for the servants to be lewd, to disbelieve, or to commit open sinfulness. Rather, He wills for them to be righteous. But His wisdom (Mighty and Majestic) caused people to be divided into a believer and a disbeliever. Yes?