Continuation of the benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (( ... then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah; He guides therewith whom He wills, and whoever Allah leaves astray, for him there is no guide ))
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
... that this will of mine was what? It was by the will of Allah. And this is indicated by the fact that a person sometimes intends to do something, and while he is heading toward it, his resolve is overturned toward another direction or toward canceling the action. Do you not realize this? So there is a power above your power, but this power is not known; it is not made known except through its effects. And it was said to a Bedouin: "By what did you know your Lord?" "By what did you know your Lord?" He said: "By the overturning of resolves and the turning away of desires" A Bedouin, a desert dweller, answered with this amazing answer: I knew my Lord by the overturning of resolves, meaning I resolve to do this thing, and then my resolve is overturned without a cause. "And the turning away of desires" I desire something to the right, and then I find myself turning to the left without a cause except from whom? From Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So the people of the Sunnah and the community say that a person wills and chooses, and is not compelled, but whatever he wills is after the will of Allah. We know that it is by the will of Allah, and this is what the soul finds peace in, and the evidences agree upon it. So if someone says: Then does this make the saying of the polytheists [An-Nahl 16:35] that when we worshipped other than Allah, we knew that Allah willed that, and we have no power to oppose the will, what do you say about this argument? It is a refuted argument that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has refuted, and reason refutes it. Allah refuted it by His saying [Al-An'am 6:148] and in another verse [An-Nahl 16:35] Allah refuted it. Did you know? Good.
So when Allah has refuted it by the Shari'ah, we look to see if it is refuted by reason or not. We say it is also refuted by reason, because you did not know that Allah decreed upon you the worship of idols except after? Yes? Except after the worship. So why did you not turn away from the worship of idols and assume that Allah decreed upon you? Yes? The leaving of the worship of idols? Why did you not do it? So your proceeding to the worship of idols while you did not know that Allah had written that... and you are the one who knew it. If you had assumed the better and the best, and that Allah decreed that you be a monotheist, avoiding, staying away from the worship of idols, that would have happened to you. Is that clear?
Then we say that there is also a sensory evidence. If a person is given a choice between two things, one of which is better than the other, what will he choose?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He will choose the better one. And is it possible for a person to choose the worst and say this is what was decreed for me? Never. If it were said to him: There are two roads to Makkah, a safe road and a frightening road, and he said, "We will go with the frightening road because Allah has written this upon us?" Yes? Is it possible or not possible?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It is not possible, never. He will take the safe road without a doubt. If two jobs were offered to him in a position, one job is hard and its wage is small, and the other is light and its wage is large, what will he choose?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He will choose the second one without a doubt. And these are tangible evidences that indicate that arguing with divine decree regarding sins or regarding leaving off obligatory duties is a refuted argument that does not hold, neither by the Shari'ah, nor by reason, nor by sense. So this is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community. They say: We act by our choice, but we know that Allah has chosen it for us before we chose it. However, we have no argument in saying that this is what Allah chose for us, so we are unable, meaning, to escape from it, because at the time of the action we did not know what was decreed. And it is not possible for any person to claim that Allah decreed something except after it occurs. And for this reason Allah the Exalted said:[As-Saf 61:5] So Allah made them, they made them the cause of that. Good...
From the benefits of the verse is also that it is recommended for a person, and this benefit is a spiritual path, to turn to Allah alone in seeking guidance, by His saying:[Al-An'am 6:88] So you do not rely on yourself and perish. Rely on your Lord, turn to Him constantly in asking for guidance until Allah guides you. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the Guide, the One who guides, would begin by saying: Sahih Muslim 770 This is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), so how about us? So you turn to your Lord to seek guidance, do not rely on yourself, rely on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for Allah the Exalted is your reference.
And from the benefits of the noble verse is that whoever Allah leaves astray, for him there is no guide, by His saying:[Ar-Ra'd 13:33] And in another verse: [Az-Zumar 39:37] So if someone says: Does not this ruling obligate us to stop calling people to the truth, because Allah said: [Ar-Ra'd 13:33]? The answer is: It does not obligate that—may Allah have mercy on you—but the benefit from that is that if we call someone to the truth but he does not accept, we do not destroy ourselves for his sake. Rather, we say that Allah has decreed misguidance upon him, and we have no concern with his affair, and we have no part in his matter. For this reason, we find Allah, Mighty and Majestic, saying to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): [Ash-Shu'ara 26:3] meaning, a destroyer.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : ... your soul
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, no.[Ash-Shu'ara 26:3] ...[Ash-Shu'ara 26:3] meaning, do not destroy your soul. "Would they not become believers?" Do not destroy, do not destroy your soul. And Allah the Exalted sent down to him, the Exalted, consolation when he called his uncle Abu Talib, but he did not find guidance. He said: [Al-Qasas 28:56] And we... no... this ruling is that we call to Allah, we call to Allah, but if we call to Allah and we do not find the people finding guidance, then we do not burden ourselves to destroy ourselves with worry and grief. Because if a person looks at this perspective, his worldly life will become troubled for him, and indeed his righteous work will be lost, because people are not guided as he wants. If he tires himself after people and becomes panting after them, he tires, he does what is obligatory upon him, and the rest is upon whom?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Upon Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
And from the benefits of the noble verse is also that the name "the Guide" is applied to other than Allah, by His saying:[Ar-Ra'd 13:33] And as He the Exalted said: [Ar-Ra'd 13:7] So "the Guide" is applied to Allah and to others, but what is prohibited from being applied to others is the guidance of success, for the guidance of success is for Allah alone. As for the guidance of indication, it is for Allah and for others. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, they continue, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He... originally, their guidance is for a specified time. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him.
لو شاء الله ما عبدنا من دونه من شيء نحن ولا آباؤنا ولا حرمنا من دونه من شيءLikewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment
كذلك كذب الذين من قبلهم حتى ذاقوا بأسناThus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification?
كذلك فعل الذين من قبلهم فهل على الرسل إلا البلاغ المبينSo when Allah has refuted it by the Shari'ah, we look to see if it is refuted by reason or not. We say it is also refuted by reason, because you did not know that Allah decreed upon you the worship of idols except after? Yes? Except after the worship. So why did you not turn away from the worship of idols and assume that Allah decreed upon you? Yes? The leaving of the worship of idols? Why did you not do it? So your proceeding to the worship of idols while you did not know that Allah had written that... and you are the one who knew it. If you had assumed the better and the best, and that Allah decreed that you be a monotheist, avoiding, staying away from the worship of idols, that would have happened to you. Is that clear?
Then we say that there is also a sensory evidence. If a person is given a choice between two things, one of which is better than the other, what will he choose?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He will choose the better one. And is it possible for a person to choose the worst and say this is what was decreed for me? Never. If it were said to him: There are two roads to Makkah, a safe road and a frightening road, and he said, "We will go with the frightening road because Allah has written this upon us?" Yes? Is it possible or not possible?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It is not possible, never. He will take the safe road without a doubt. If two jobs were offered to him in a position, one job is hard and its wage is small, and the other is light and its wage is large, what will he choose?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : He will choose the second one without a doubt. And these are tangible evidences that indicate that arguing with divine decree regarding sins or regarding leaving off obligatory duties is a refuted argument that does not hold, neither by the Shari'ah, nor by reason, nor by sense. So this is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community. They say: We act by our choice, but we know that Allah has chosen it for us before we chose it. However, we have no argument in saying that this is what Allah chose for us, so we are unable, meaning, to escape from it, because at the time of the action we did not know what was decreed. And it is not possible for any person to claim that Allah decreed something except after it occurs. And for this reason Allah the Exalted said:
And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate.
فلما زاغوا أزاغ الله قلوبهمFrom the benefits of the verse is also that it is recommended for a person, and this benefit is a spiritual path, to turn to Allah alone in seeking guidance, by His saying:
by which He guides whomever He wills
يهدي به من يشاءWho knowest the unseen and the seen; Thou decidest amongst Thy servants concerning their differences. Guide me with Thy permission in the divergent views (which the people) hold about Truth, for it is Thou Who guidest whom Thou wilt to the Straight Path.
عالم الغيب والشهادة أنت تحكم بين عبادك فيما كانوا فيه يختلفون اهدني لما اختُلف فيه من الحق بإذنك إنك تهدي من تشاء إلى صراط مستقيمAnd from the benefits of the noble verse is that whoever Allah leaves astray, for him there is no guide, by His saying:
And whomever Allah leaves astray - there will be for him no guide.
ومن يضلل الله فما له من هادAnd whoever Allah guides - for him there is no misleader
ومن يهد الله فما له من مضلAnd whomever Allah leaves astray - there will be for him no guide.
ومن يضلل الله فما له من هادPerhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
لعلك باخع نفسك إلا يكونوا مؤمنينThe student: ...
The Shaykh : Huh?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : ... your soul
The student: ...
The Shaykh : No, no.
Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
لعلك باخع نفسك ألا يكونوا مؤمنينPerhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
لعلك باخع نفسك ألا يكونوا مؤمنينIndeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills
إنك لا تهدي من أحببت ولكن الله يهدي من يشاءThe student: ...
The Shaykh : Upon Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
And from the benefits of the noble verse is also that the name "the Guide" is applied to other than Allah, by His saying:
And whomever Allah leaves astray - there will be for him no guide.
ومن يضلل الله فما له من هادand for every people is a guide.
ولكل قوم هادThe student: ...
The Shaykh : No, they continue, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He... originally, their guidance is for a specified time. Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: ...