Chapter: The saying of Allah the Exalted: ((Indeed, Allah is the Provider, the Owner of strength, the Firm)).

The Reciter: Chapter on the saying of Allah the Exalted: .
'Abdan narrated to us from Hamzah from al-A'mash from Sa'id ibn Jubayr from Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .

The Shaykh : Chapter on the saying of Allah the Exalted: , I have a copy, but it appears that it is not the correct original copy that I have; I have a copy that says "Indeed, Allah is al-Razzaq," and this is more correct. "Indeed, Allah is al-Razzaq" is more correct. "Al-Razzaq" is an intensive form of the name, and it is giving. Rizq is giving, and from this is His saying: , meaning "give to them from it." It came in the intensive form for one of two reasons: either because it is from the category of attribution, and that rizq is an attribute that necessarily belongs to Allah, or because of the intensity indicating abundance, due to the abundance of those whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) provides for, and the abundance of His provision (Mighty and Majestic). So al-Razzaq, on the pattern of fa'al, may be for attribution or for intensity, because fa'al can be for attribution, like the carpenter and the blacksmith and the like, and it can be for intensity. If it is for attribution, it means that Allah is described with this attribute. If it is for intensity, the meaning is the abundance of those whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) provides for, and the abundance of the provision He gives. And His saying: , the "huwa" is a demonstrative pronoun indicating restriction, so al-Razzaq in the intensive form is only for Allah, whereas al-Raziq or raziqa yurziq can be for Allah and for the created. And His saying: , "dhu" means "owner of," and al-quwwah is action without weakness, and it is not al-qudrah, because al-qudrah is action without inability, and al-quwwah is action without weakness. The evidence is His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): , and He did not say "then He made after weakness ability." And He said (Mighty and Majestic): . He said: , then He said: , and He did not say "All-Knowing, Strong," because the opposite of inability is ability, and the opposite of weakness is strength. Now, which is more perfect, ability or strength? Strength is more perfect, and this is evident by example. If you were told "carry this stone" and you intended to carry it but were unable to lift it from the ground, you are now not able, are you not? Not able, you cannot. If you were told "carry this stone" and you carried it but with difficulty, you are now able but not strong. If you were told "carry this stone" and you carried it easily until you lifted it up, you are now strong. So strength is more perfect than ability, because every strong person is able, but not every able person is strong. What is the opposite of strength? Weakness. So you say "so-and-so is strong, not weak," and you do not say "so-and-so is strong, not unable." And you say "so-and-so is able, not..." and not "not weak"? Not unable. This is the difference between strength and ability. Another difference is that strength is in the animate and the inanimate, and ability is in the animate only. Do you understand? You say "this iron is strong," not "this iron is able." You do not say "this iron is able." So only that which has a soul is described with ability. Now, do you say the elephant is strong or able? Both. Is a human strong or able? Both. And His saying (Mighty and Majestic): , meaning the one of intense strength. This is the meaning of al-Matin, so He is the Owner of intense strength. In this verse, there are three of the names of Allah. What are they? Allah, al-Razzaq, and al-Matin. And in it, there are four of the attributes of Allah: divinity, provision, strength, and firmness. Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) brought a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . May Allah will it, the discussion on it will come.
The statement of the author of al-Fath in explaining al-Rahmah (mercy) as the will to bestow favor, or the will to do good, or the bestowal of favor itself, or the doing of good itself, is a distortion of al-Rahmah from its true meaning, because al-Rahmah is an attribute that pertains to the Merciful, but they, meaning the Asha'irah and their like, do not affirm of the attributes except what their intellects indicate, and they deny of the attributes what their intellects do not indicate, even if the intellect indicates that it is established for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So regarding al-Rahmah, they deny that Allah is described with it, saying that al-Rahmah is softness and gentleness, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: . And at that time, al-Rahmah is explained as the will to bestow favor or the bestowal of favor itself. As for explaining it as the bestowal of favor, it is apparent with them, because the bestowal of favor is a blessing separate and distinct from Allah, and the will is established with them; they do not deny it. But we say this is a distortion of the word from its place, because the will to bestow favor or the bestowal of favor comes after al-Rahmah, so the will is consequent upon al-Rahmah, because the Merciful is the one who wills to bestow favor and do good. So explaining al-Rahmah by what is among its effects is a distortion of the word from its place. For this reason, we say that we affirm that Allah (Exalted is He) has a mercy with which He shows mercy to whom He wills, and that this mercy, if it is softness in the created, it is not so in the Creator, because there is nothing like Allah, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. May Allah reward you. However, we do not concede to them that al-Rahmah is softness. A strong, brave man, or a strong ruler whose command is effective, can be merciful, and that does not necessitate anything that diminishes his authority, his ability, or his strength. As for the remaining hadith, which is in the explanation of His saying...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : We said that he said it in al-Fath, quoting or mentioning or approving it. He showed it to me now; you have it. In any case, the position of the Asha'irah is known; it is this: they do not believe that Allah has mercy, while knowing that they say the rational evidence for the will is specification. This is the rational evidence. Then they do not use reason to argue for al-Rahmah by what Allah bestows upon the servants. Rain, vegetation, health, and safety are among the effects of al-Rahmah, and that it is among the effects of al-Rahmah is understood by everyone, even the common person. The common person, when he goes out of his house and sees the rain, says "this is from the mercy of Allah." But the common person does not know that the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the created things indicate the will. And this is among the strange things, which indicates to you that if a person relies on his intellect, he goes astray.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : No, sometimes he quotes and refutes. I read how many pages from the beginning of the book of al-Tawhid; he quotes and refutes, either by himself or he does not quote the refutation from others. If he does not refute it, it means he approves it.