Is one who denies knowledge and will also denying the writing and creation?
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The questioner : Is one who denies the first rank, knowledge, and the second, the writing, considered a denier of will and creation?
The Shaykh : Yes. He who denies knowledge and the writing is a denier of will and creation. But notice that the later Mu'tazilah have become somewhat weak— and this is your place? Is it? Or are you not coming? No harm, if Allah wills. Did sleep take you now?
The Shaykh of Islam says: "The extremists of the Qadariyyah in the past used to deny knowledge and the writing, and those who deny it today are few". This was in the time of the Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah; they had come to deny will and creation, but they say: Allah knows about it. The truth is that if they say Allah knows about it, they are refuted. For this reason, al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Argue with them using knowledge; if they deny it, they are disbelievers, and if they acknowledge it, they are refuted". This is a true statement. The later Qadariyyah say: Allah is All-Knowing and the Writer, but He does not will and does not create. Do you understand? We say, as al-Shafi'i said: Do you acknowledge that Allah is All-Knowing? If they say yes. Do you say that Allah wrote everything? They say yes. Do you acknowledge that this is by His will? They say no. Do you understand? We say: You are now refuted. Since you have acknowledged that Allah is All-Knowing of these things, All-Knowing of everything, and that He willed everything, did what happened from the servant occur in accordance with His knowledge or contrary to His knowledge?
The student: They will say in accordance with His knowledge.
The Shaykh : If they say in accordance with His knowledge, we say: This is what we want; you are refuted. And if they say contrary to it, you are disbelievers, because this necessitates that things occur contrary to Allah's knowledge, which would make Allah ignorant. Is that clear? Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. He who denies knowledge and the writing is a denier of will and creation. But notice that the later Mu'tazilah have become somewhat weak— and this is your place? Is it? Or are you not coming? No harm, if Allah wills. Did sleep take you now?
The Shaykh of Islam says: "The extremists of the Qadariyyah in the past used to deny knowledge and the writing, and those who deny it today are few". This was in the time of the Shaykh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah; they had come to deny will and creation, but they say: Allah knows about it. The truth is that if they say Allah knows about it, they are refuted. For this reason, al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Argue with them using knowledge; if they deny it, they are disbelievers, and if they acknowledge it, they are refuted". This is a true statement. The later Qadariyyah say: Allah is All-Knowing and the Writer, but He does not will and does not create. Do you understand? We say, as al-Shafi'i said: Do you acknowledge that Allah is All-Knowing? If they say yes. Do you say that Allah wrote everything? They say yes. Do you acknowledge that this is by His will? They say no. Do you understand? We say: You are now refuted. Since you have acknowledged that Allah is All-Knowing of these things, All-Knowing of everything, and that He willed everything, did what happened from the servant occur in accordance with His knowledge or contrary to His knowledge?
The student: They will say in accordance with His knowledge.
The Shaykh : If they say in accordance with His knowledge, we say: This is what we want; you are refuted. And if they say contrary to it, you are disbelievers, because this necessitates that things occur contrary to Allah's knowledge, which would make Allah ignorant. Is that clear? Yes.