How do we respond to those who say that Allah may do what is not the best?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. It is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not do a thing except for a wisdom.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ... the wisdom
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This statement, in its generality, is opposed by a statement in its generality that it is obligatory for Allah to do what is best, or to do what is wise, or what is the requirement of wisdom. So how do we respond to this statement in its generality, without them providing any detail?
The Shaykh : As I told you, did you not understand, my brothers? What did we say? We said: We may see that this is the best, but it is not the best. We may see that it is good, but it is not good. So the problem now is the criterion of the ruling. Otherwise, we know that it is obligatory for Allah, by the requirement of His wisdom, to do what is best or what is good. But the criterion of the ruling is not that it is the best or good as we believe it to be.
The questioner : Yes, this is regarding individual actions. They said, for example, that it is obligatory for Allah to cause this person to die because that is the requirement of wisdom. We say: It is not necessary that this is the requirement of wisdom. This is clear in the response to them. As for the response to their general statement that it is obligatory for Allah to do what is best.
The Shaykh : No, you do not say it that way. You say: The requirement of wisdom is that He does what is best or what is good, but we do not specify it. It is known that the Wise One is the one who does what is best rather than what is merely good, and what is good rather than what is corrupt.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ... the wisdom
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This statement, in its generality, is opposed by a statement in its generality that it is obligatory for Allah to do what is best, or to do what is wise, or what is the requirement of wisdom. So how do we respond to this statement in its generality, without them providing any detail?
The Shaykh : As I told you, did you not understand, my brothers? What did we say? We said: We may see that this is the best, but it is not the best. We may see that it is good, but it is not good. So the problem now is the criterion of the ruling. Otherwise, we know that it is obligatory for Allah, by the requirement of His wisdom, to do what is best or what is good. But the criterion of the ruling is not that it is the best or good as we believe it to be.
The questioner : Yes, this is regarding individual actions. They said, for example, that it is obligatory for Allah to cause this person to die because that is the requirement of wisdom. We say: It is not necessary that this is the requirement of wisdom. This is clear in the response to them. As for the response to their general statement that it is obligatory for Allah to do what is best.
The Shaykh : No, you do not say it that way. You say: The requirement of wisdom is that He does what is best or what is good, but we do not specify it. It is known that the Wise One is the one who does what is best rather than what is merely good, and what is good rather than what is corrupt.