The Ranks of Divine Decree

The Shaykh : Each one debates the other, my brothers. In the debate, each one debates the other, but does he debate him with reason and argument, or with his face? With reason and argument. So, we say that it is said: “Debate them with knowledge; if they deny it, they are disbelievers”. This is correct, because the one who denies the knowledge of Allah is a disbeliever. “And if they acknowledge it, they are defeated”. What does “defeated” mean? It means they are overcome. Because if they acknowledge the knowledge, we say to them: “Well, did this effect or action occur in accordance with... or contrary to it?” If they say it was in accordance with the knowledge, they are defeated. If they say it was contrary to it, then they have denied the knowledge. Glorified is Allah... What are they called in affirming divine decree?
The student: The Jabriyyah.

The Shaykh : They are called the Jabriyyah. What is their view?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : They say that Allah decreed everything, created everything, and knew everything, and they made the object of Allah’s power the action of the servant, such that he is compelled to his action and has no choice. Who are these Jabriyyah, I mean, to which sect do they belong, or what is their general name?
The student: The Jahmiyyah

The Shaykh : The Jahmiyyah, correct. As for the people of the Sunnah and the community, they took a middle path between the two sects. They believed in the knowledge of Allah, His writing, His will, and His creation, and they believed that the servant has a choice and the ability to act. So they combined the texts and agreed with what is reasonable and what is transmitted. Is that clear? Good.
The ranks of divine decree are four. This is the beginning of tonight’s lesson, if Allah wills. The ranks of divine decree are four, and it is obligatory for a person to believe in all of them. The first rank is knowledge, which is that you believe that Allah the Exalted knows everything in general and in detail. He knows what was and what will be, if it were to be, how it would be. He knows everything, the minute and the great. The evidence for this in the Book is abundant, among which is the saying of Allah the Exalted: . The leaves that fall, dead, whatever leaf it is, small or large, on land or in the sea, or in a city, Allah the Exalted knows them. And the leaf that is shed? He knows it a fortiori. Look at the vastness of the knowledge of Allah Mighty and Majestic and His encompassing it. No leaf falls except that He knows it, nor a grain in the darknesses of the earth, meaning He knows it in the darknesses of the earth. Let us suppose we are in a dark night with no moon and with accumulated clouds, and we are in the sea, at the bottom of the sea. A grain at the bottom of the sea, in the depths of the seabed, how many darknesses are over it?
The student: Darknesses, some above others.

The Shaykh : Multiple darknesses: the darkness of the earth’s layer, then the sea, then the rain, then the accumulated clouds, then the darkness of the night. All of this is included in His saying: . Then the absolute generality came, and He said: . And all things are either wet or dry: . And nothing is written except after He has known it; nothing is written except after He has known it. So in this noble verse, there is the affirmation of knowledge and the affirmation of writing. And He said: . So in this verse as well, there is the affirmation of knowledge and the affirmation of writing. These are two ranks. The third rank is the rank of will, and this is also general. There is nothing in the heavens or on earth except that it exists by the will and desire of Allah, everything. . And there is nothing except that it is intended for it; nothing occurs in His dominion that He does not will, ever. So the will of Allah the Exalted is general. As for what He the Exalted and Majestic does with Himself, the matter is clear. And as for what the created being does, whether human or beast, it is likewise by the will of Allah. Allah said: . And He said: . So, by what did they do it? By the will of Allah: . A second verse. So, what they did was by the will of Allah. . And so on, from the many verses indicating that the will of Allah is general, so there is nothing that exists except by the will of Allah. Nothing occurs in His dominion that He does not will, ever.
. And in this dominion, nothing exists that Allah does not will. The fourth rank is creation, which is that there is nothing in the heavens or on earth except that Allah is its Creator, its Owner, its Manager, and the Possessor of its power, Exalted and Majestic is He. Allah the Blessed and Exalted said: . The Creator of everything, and this generality has no specifier. Everything, so Allah is its Creator. Good, is the human being created or not?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, what about his action? It is also created. Because the action of the servant is among his attributes, and for this reason we made the attributes of Allah into action attributes and essential attributes. The action of the servant is among his attributes because the action of the servant results from two things: a firm will and a complete ability. A firm will and a complete ability. So, if there were no will from the human being, he would not act, and if there were no ability, he would not act. Is that not so? If a man did not want to travel, he would not travel. And if he wanted to travel but had no money, he would not travel. So his action results from two things: a firm will and a complete ability. Who created in you the firm will and the complete ability? Allah Mighty and Majestic. If Allah the Exalted had willed, you would not have wanted. And if He had willed, you would not have been able. How many times does a person want something and not know, but by Allah, He diverts him from his will without any reason? It may be by causes that Allah the Exalted decrees, or by obstacles that prevent him from willing that thing. “It was said to a Bedouin: ‘By what did you know your Lord?’ He said: ‘By the diversion of intentions, by the diversion of intentions’”. And this is a clear matter: that a person may want something and then his resolve weakens. So, is the action of the servant created by Allah or not created by Allah? It is created by Allah. But two things are connected to the action of the servant: creation and direct action. The direct action belongs to the human being himself, but the creation belongs to the Creator. So, in reality, two things are connected to your action: one is in relation to Allah the Exalted, and He is its Creator; and the second is in relation to the directness of your action, and this is attributed to you. And as Allah said in the Qur’an: . And so on. Did you understand? And if it were not that the action is attributed to you, there would be no benefit in praising the believing obedient one and rewarding him, and punishing the disobedient disbeliever. But the human being acts by his will, as is apparent and known. So it is now clear that the ranks of divine decree are four: knowledge, writing, will, and creation. And that the people of the Sunnah and the community believe in all these four ranks and their evidence, as you have learned. And these four ranks were gathered in a verse that we recited for you long ago. Who remembers it?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : No. And His creation, which is bringing into existence and forming.
"The knowledge and writing of our Lord, His will, *** And His creation, which is bringing into existence and forming"
These four ranks. Good, if these four ranks are the ranks of belief in divine decree, are there other ranks? The answer is yes, there are other decrees, but they are relative.
There is a lifetime decree that occurs when the human being is in his mother’s womb, when he reaches four months, and Allah sends to him an angel who breathes into him the soul and writes his provision, his term, his deed, and whether he is wretched or happy.
And there is also the annual writing, which occurs on the Night of Decree. In it, what is decreed for the year is written.
Some of them said that there is also a daily writing, and they cited as evidence for it the saying of Allah the Exalted: . So every day He enriches a poor person and impoverishes a rich person, He brings into existence what did not exist and removes what existed, He expands provision and decrees it, He creates clouds and rain, and so on, every day. Every day He is in a matter, Exalted and Majestic is He, in a matter of many great affairs. Yes, so these are the four ranks of divine decree.