Explanation of the author's statement: "Indeed, if I decree a decree, it is not to be turned back."

The Shaykh :
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : His saying, the Exalted: Know that the decree of Allah is of two types: a legislative decree and a cosmic decree. The legislative decree may be turned back. Who turns it back?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : The disbelievers turn it back; they do not accept it. The cosmic decree is not turned back. The cosmic decree is not turned back, and it must be executed. Both decrees are decrees of truth. And His saying, the Exalted, combines them:
An example of the legislative decree is His saying, the Exalted: This decree, O people, is legislative, because if it were cosmic, then all people would not worship except Allah. But it is a legislative decree. And His saying, the Exalted: . This is a cosmic decree, because Allah does not legislate corruption, but He decrees it cosmically, even though He, Glorified and Exalted is He, dislikes it. Indeed, Allah does not love corruption or those who do corruption. And on this basis, His saying, the Exalted, here in the Qudsi Hadith: The intended meaning is the cosmic one. No one is able to turn it back, no matter how much disbelief, open sinfulness, and lewdness they have; they are not able to turn back the decree of Allah. And for this reason, you find the decree of Allah executed upon the most powerful and arrogant of people. It was executed upon Pharaoh, and he was drowned in the water in which he boasted. And it was executed upon the tyrants of the children of Adam, so Allah destroyed them. He mentioned: "If I decree a decree, it is not to be turned back." In this is the completeness of the authority of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and the perfection of His Lordship. It is apparent, because no one who possesses authority other than Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, can turn back what He has decreed, except Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Why? Because of the perfection of His authority and the completeness of His Lordship, Glorified and Exalted is He. Know that the decree of Allah, like His will, is accompanied by wisdom. It is accompanied by wisdom. So He does not decree a decree except that wisdom necessitates it, just as He does not will anything except that wisdom necessitates it. And reflect upon the saying of Allah, the Exalted: It becomes clear to you that He does not will anything except with knowledge and wisdom, Glorified and Exalted is He. It is not for mere will, contrary to those who denied the wisdom of Allah, such as the Jahmiyyah and others, who said: "Allah has no wisdom; He only does things for the sake of will." They made, in their claim, the created beings more perfect in action than Allah. Because every rational person, O Ahmad, what do they do before them?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : What do you deny?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : And we said that their statement necessitates what?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : It necessitates that some of the created beings are more perfect in action than Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Because every rational person among the created beings does not act except with wisdom. So what is done with the one who acts with folly? He is declared incompetent. . So we say: Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, does not do anything and does not rule with anything except for a wisdom. But does wisdom necessitate that we encompass it with knowledge? No, because we are too short to encompass the knowledge of all the wisdoms of Allah. It is correct that we know the wisdom of some things, but we do not know many things; the minds are unable to grasp them.
He said: Yes.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : All of it?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : That we encompass it.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : We do not encompass all the wisdoms, whether we know them or we do not know them at all. Otherwise, not ... everything.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Correct.
The student: So, does that mean?

The Shaykh : Yes, we grasp that this is the wisdom of it, but it does not mean that what we grasped of the wisdom is all the wisdom. There may be other wisdoms that we do not know about either. But ... of some things.
And His saying: The intended meaning of this phrase is that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, clarifies what He said to His Prophet. The intended meaning of that is to clarify that among the things the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, asked for are things that are not given to him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, may ask for something and not be given it. Why? Because Allah decreed with His knowledge and wisdom thus, and it is not possible to turn back what Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has decreed. So this is the benefit of presenting this phrase: "If I decree a decree, it is not to be turned back." Yes.
The student: Is it taken from this that supplication does not turn back the decree?

The Shaykh : No, we do not take that from it. Supplication may be a cause for the decree. That is, the decree may depend on your supplication. Indeed, all decrees, or most decrees, have causes. Entering Paradise is not possible except by a cause. Entering Paradise is established and depends upon righteous deeds, so righteous deeds are necessary. Likewise, the attainment of what is desired may be withheld until it is asked for. But there are things for which wisdom does not necessitate their existence. In that case, the supplicant is rewarded with what is more complete, or it is delayed for him and stored with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Or else, something greater is averted from him.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Perhaps, that is, if it does not occur. If the supplication has the conditions of acceptance and there is no barrier, then we are certain that it is stored for him.
He said: .
The student : General.

The Shaykh : There are two versions. Correct. This is one. And secondly: This answer is qualified. So if that occurs from them, an enemy from other than themselves may be unleashed upon them who will make their blood lawful. So the answer of Allah to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in the first phrase was without exception, and in the second phrase with the exception of . And this is the wisdom of presenting the first phrase, which is: So the answer of Allah, the Exalted, to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in the second phrase is qualified. This is from the mercy of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, that this Ummah will not be destroyed by a general scourge ever. Whoever professes the religion of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, will not be destroyed. And if a group is destroyed in a place by a scourge, the others are not destroyed.
Then the second phrase: He says, an enemy from other than themselves will not be unleashed upon them, except when some of them kill some of them and some of them take some of them captive. And this occurred, as Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, answered.
So the Muslim Ummah, when it was one Ummah, supporting the truth, supporting in the truth against falsehood, it was a formidable Ummah. No one dared to dominate it. And when it divided and some of them destroyed some of them and some of them took some of them captive, an enemy from themselves, from other than themselves, was unleashed upon them. And the greatest of those unleashed, in my knowledge, were the Tartars. The Tartars were unleashed upon the Muslims in a way without parallel. What did they do? They killed the Caliph. It is said that they killed in Baghdad alone, in one day, more than five hundred thousand. And this is a great thing in Islam. The Islamic books placed them in the Tigris, and I seek refuge in Allah, and made them a bridge that they trampled with their feet and the water spoiled them, because they are written with ink that is erased. And they would come to the pregnant women, and I seek refuge in Allah, and cut open their bellies and take out their children, who were moving before them, and kill them while they were alive, watching, and then they would die.
And one of them would say, Ibn al-Athir in al-Kamil says: "I have passed through a time when I would advance a man and delay another. Do I mention this black, dark date - he did not say black, dark, but I say - this great, terrifying one, or do I not mention it? Then it occurred to me to mention it to preserve history.". So he mentioned it. But he used to say: "The Muslims were afflicted with a great humiliation, until one of the Tartars would enter the alley, the narrow, small street, and say to the people of the houses: 'Come out.' Then he would say: 'Place a stone.' Then he would say to one: 'Put your head on this stone.' And he would say to his brother: 'Strike him with the stone.' So he would crush his head between two stones, and that man would watch, the Tartar.". And this is a great thing from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, of unleashing, because they were killing some of them and taking some of them captive. And in this is proof of the prohibition of fighting among Muslims and destroying some of them and taking some of them captive, and that it is obligatory that they be one Ummah so that their formidability remains among people and the nations fear them.
So, what is the point of this hadith for the chapter heading? What?
The student: .

The Shaykh : Yes, what is its connection?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Hm?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : And Al-Buqai narrated it in his Sahih and added: The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, clarified that he does not fear for the Ummah except the misleading Imams.
Imams is the plural of Imam. The Imam may be an Imam in good and may be an Imam in evil. Allah, the Exalted, said about the family of Pharaoh: And He said, the Exalted, about the Imams of good: And in this hadith, is it of the first type or the second?
The student: The first.

The Shaykh : First, the misguiding imams who lead people into misguidance. Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke the truth when he said that this is the greatest thing to be feared for the Muslim community: the emergence of misguiding imams. It is these misguiding imams, may Allah protect us from them, who lead people astray. A man becomes an imam and is followed, just like the leaders of the Jahmiyyah, the Mu'tazilah, and others who were imams but led people astray, may Allah protect us from them. As a result, the Muslim community became divided because of these imams of evil and corruption. We ask Allah for safety.
And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): refers to the imams who lead people to evil and the imams who lead people.