Continuation of the discussion on the difference between the legislative will and the cosmic will, and whether sins are willed by Allah.
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The Shaykh : If it means "He wills," it is the cosmic will. If it means "He loves," it is the legislative will. Now, the difference between them is that the cosmic will necessitates the occurrence of what is willed; it necessitates the occurrence of what is willed because it is cosmic, and no one can avert the decree of Allah. The legislative will does not necessitate the occurrence of what is willed.
Second: The legislative will is only for what Allah loves, while the cosmic will encompasses what Allah loves and what He does not love. Let us take some exercises on this. If someone asks you: "Does Allah will sins?" If you say "yes," you are wrong. If you say "no," you are wrong. So what do you say? We say: By the cosmic will, yes, He wills them, and sins did not occur except by His will. By the legislative will, no, because Allah hates sins. Do you understand now? With this detail, many difficulties regarding sins are resolved: are they willed by Allah or not? We say: They are willed by His cosmic will, but not willed by the legislative will. If someone asks: "How can Allah will them if He does not love them?" We say: Yes, they are willed for the sake of something else; they are willed for the sake of something else, meaning they are loved for the sake of something else, meaning they are loved for the sake of the great benefits they lead to. So, they are not willed by the legislative will, but they are willed by the cosmic will. If it is raised regarding these matters: "How can Allah the Exalted will them if He hates them?" The answer is to say: He wills them and hates them because they are willed for the sake of something else; because they are willed for the sake of something else. Allah Mighty and Majestic brings about sins, and He wills sins for the sake of much good for the doer if he repents to Allah, because if the sinner repents to Allah, it is better for him than before the sin. The evidence for this is that Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray, then he repented to Allah, and after his repentance, He chose him and guided him. And had it not been for this sin, he would not have received the choice and guidance that came after the sin. So the sin was now a good for Adam. Then, there is another good in it: when a person disobeys Allah, he knows his own worth, he is ashamed of his Lord, and he considers every good deed he does as small because he always remembers his sin before his eyes. But if he does not disobey, he becomes arrogant, he raises his nose, he is pleased with himself, and he says, "I have never disobeyed Allah," and the like of that. Then his deeds are nullified without him realizing it. Now, these two benefits are for whom? For the sinner. There is a third benefit for the general public: had there been no disobedience, enjoining good and forbidding evil would not have taken place, because if all people were upon righteousness and good, what would we enjoin? And what would we forbid? So enjoining good and forbidding evil does not take place except with the presence of its causes, which are sins.
Fourth: Had there been no sins, man would not have known the worth of the faith that Allah bestowed upon him and its sweetness, because if people were all on the same level, man would not have known the worth of Allah's blessing. For this reason, one does not know the worth of health except one who has been afflicted with illness, is that not so? Likewise, the servant does not know the worth of Allah's blessing upon him in obedience except when he knows the effects of sins on their doer.
Five. Did we take five?
The fifth: Had there been no sins, the greatest of which is disbelief, the market of jihad would not have taken place, because if we were all Muslims! Who would we fight? No one. But if there is a disbeliever and a believer, the market of jihad takes place, and it is not hidden from you what is in the market of jihad of good and great virtue. Sixth: Had there been no sins, the wisdom behind the creation of all creation would have been lost. Allah the Exalted said:[Hud 11:118] -meaning upon guidance- [Hud 11:119].
Seventh: Had there been no sins, the creation of Paradise and the Fire would have had no wisdom, because Paradise is for whom? I seek forgiveness from Allah. The Fire is for whom? For the disbeliever. And if there were no disbelievers, the creation of the Fire would have been in vain. For this reason, He said:[Hud 11:119].
It becomes clear that what Allah the Exalted decrees, even if He hates it, has great and immense benefits. And thus, the will of Allah the Exalted is willed for the sake of something else, and from this aspect, it is loved by Allah, and from this aspect, it is loved by Allah. It becomes clear with this that the objection we raised first is refuted, which is: How does Allah will sins if He hates them? Do you know? And such benefits may not be found in a book, so I urge you to preserve them and write them down. Now, the parallel in tangible matters is that a father or mother comes to his sick son and cauterizes him with fire, and it hurts him and burns his skin. But why? For the sake of seeking healing. So the cauterization is disliked and not loved by him, but it is loved for what? It is loved for the sake of something else, meaning for the benefits it produces. And with this, it becomes clear that there is no barrier to something being disliked from one aspect and loved from another aspect. Now, the difference. We return to the difference between the legislative and cosmic wills. Which one necessitates the occurrence of what is willed? The student: ...
The Shaykh : The cosmic one.
The student: The legislative one.
The Shaykh : The legislative one. On what does it settle?
The student: The cosmic one.
The Shaykh : The cosmic one. Yes, it is the one in which the occurrence of what is willed is necessitated. And on this basis, the disbeliever is willed to believe, and... he is willed to disbelieve, and he has disbelieved. He is willed to believe by which of the two wills? He is willed to disbelieve by the cosmic will, so he disbelieved. Yes, the believer who believed is willed to believe by the legislative will, and he is willed to believe by the cosmic will because he believed. And on this basis, the believer has both the cosmic and legislative wills gathered in his right. Correct?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Are you sure? The believer has both the cosmic and legislative wills gathered in his right, and the disbeliever has only the cosmic will gathered in his right, not the legislative one, is that not so? And the disbeliever has the cosmic will in his right, not the legislative one. Now, here[Az-Zumar 39:38] which of the two wills?
The student: The cosmic one.
The Shaykh : The cosmic will?
Second: The legislative will is only for what Allah loves, while the cosmic will encompasses what Allah loves and what He does not love. Let us take some exercises on this. If someone asks you: "Does Allah will sins?" If you say "yes," you are wrong. If you say "no," you are wrong. So what do you say? We say: By the cosmic will, yes, He wills them, and sins did not occur except by His will. By the legislative will, no, because Allah hates sins. Do you understand now? With this detail, many difficulties regarding sins are resolved: are they willed by Allah or not? We say: They are willed by His cosmic will, but not willed by the legislative will. If someone asks: "How can Allah will them if He does not love them?" We say: Yes, they are willed for the sake of something else; they are willed for the sake of something else, meaning they are loved for the sake of something else, meaning they are loved for the sake of the great benefits they lead to. So, they are not willed by the legislative will, but they are willed by the cosmic will. If it is raised regarding these matters: "How can Allah the Exalted will them if He hates them?" The answer is to say: He wills them and hates them because they are willed for the sake of something else; because they are willed for the sake of something else. Allah Mighty and Majestic brings about sins, and He wills sins for the sake of much good for the doer if he repents to Allah, because if the sinner repents to Allah, it is better for him than before the sin. The evidence for this is that Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray, then he repented to Allah, and after his repentance, He chose him and guided him. And had it not been for this sin, he would not have received the choice and guidance that came after the sin. So the sin was now a good for Adam. Then, there is another good in it: when a person disobeys Allah, he knows his own worth, he is ashamed of his Lord, and he considers every good deed he does as small because he always remembers his sin before his eyes. But if he does not disobey, he becomes arrogant, he raises his nose, he is pleased with himself, and he says, "I have never disobeyed Allah," and the like of that. Then his deeds are nullified without him realizing it. Now, these two benefits are for whom? For the sinner. There is a third benefit for the general public: had there been no disobedience, enjoining good and forbidding evil would not have taken place, because if all people were upon righteousness and good, what would we enjoin? And what would we forbid? So enjoining good and forbidding evil does not take place except with the presence of its causes, which are sins.
Fourth: Had there been no sins, man would not have known the worth of the faith that Allah bestowed upon him and its sweetness, because if people were all on the same level, man would not have known the worth of Allah's blessing. For this reason, one does not know the worth of health except one who has been afflicted with illness, is that not so? Likewise, the servant does not know the worth of Allah's blessing upon him in obedience except when he knows the effects of sins on their doer.
Five. Did we take five?
The fifth: Had there been no sins, the greatest of which is disbelief, the market of jihad would not have taken place, because if we were all Muslims! Who would we fight? No one. But if there is a disbeliever and a believer, the market of jihad takes place, and it is not hidden from you what is in the market of jihad of good and great virtue. Sixth: Had there been no sins, the wisdom behind the creation of all creation would have been lost. Allah the Exalted said:
And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ.
وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَExcept whom your Lord has given mercy, and for that He created them. But the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that, "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together."
إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ رَبُّكَ وَلِذَلِكَ خَلَقَهُمْ وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَSeventh: Had there been no sins, the creation of Paradise and the Fire would have had no wisdom, because Paradise is for whom? I seek forgiveness from Allah. The Fire is for whom? For the disbeliever. And if there were no disbelievers, the creation of the Fire would have been in vain. For this reason, He said:
But the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that, "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together."
وتمت كلمة ربك لأملئن جهنم من الجنة والناس أجمعينIt becomes clear that what Allah the Exalted decrees, even if He hates it, has great and immense benefits. And thus, the will of Allah the Exalted is willed for the sake of something else, and from this aspect, it is loved by Allah, and from this aspect, it is loved by Allah. It becomes clear with this that the objection we raised first is refuted, which is: How does Allah will sins if He hates them? Do you know? And such benefits may not be found in a book, so I urge you to preserve them and write them down. Now, the parallel in tangible matters is that a father or mother comes to his sick son and cauterizes him with fire, and it hurts him and burns his skin. But why? For the sake of seeking healing. So the cauterization is disliked and not loved by him, but it is loved for what? It is loved for the sake of something else, meaning for the benefits it produces. And with this, it becomes clear that there is no barrier to something being disliked from one aspect and loved from another aspect. Now, the difference. We return to the difference between the legislative and cosmic wills. Which one necessitates the occurrence of what is willed? The student: ...
The Shaykh : The cosmic one.
The student: The legislative one.
The Shaykh : The legislative one. On what does it settle?
The student: The cosmic one.
The Shaykh : The cosmic one. Yes, it is the one in which the occurrence of what is willed is necessitated. And on this basis, the disbeliever is willed to believe, and... he is willed to disbelieve, and he has disbelieved. He is willed to believe by which of the two wills? He is willed to disbelieve by the cosmic will, so he disbelieved. Yes, the believer who believed is willed to believe by the legislative will, and he is willed to believe by the cosmic will because he believed. And on this basis, the believer has both the cosmic and legislative wills gathered in his right. Correct?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Are you sure? The believer has both the cosmic and legislative wills gathered in his right, and the disbeliever has only the cosmic will gathered in his right, not the legislative one, is that not so? And the disbeliever has the cosmic will in his right, not the legislative one. Now, here
And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they would surely say, "Allah." Say, "Then have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? If Allah intended me harm, are they removers of His harm; or if He intended me mercy, are they withholders of His mercy?" Say, "Sufficient for me is Allah; upon Him [alone] rely the [wise] reliers."
إن أرادنى الله بضر أو إن أرادنى برحمةThe student: The cosmic one.
The Shaykh : The cosmic will?