Explanation of the author's statement: And his saying (So Allah is the best of guardians, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful)

The Shaykh : He said: Who said this, (Glorified and Exalted is He)? It was Ya'qub when he sent his son, the full brother of Yusuf, with his sons. This was because Yusuf (peace be upon him) said, "I cannot give you a measure [of grain] when you return unless you bring your brother with you." They conveyed this message to their father, and out of necessity, he sent him with them. And when he bid them farewell, he said to them: But what should I say? Meaning, you will not be able to protect him, but Allah is the One who protects him. The scholars said that this is a specification (tamyiz), like the Arabs saying, "May Allah reward him, he is a horseman." It was also said that it is a state (hal) from the subject of "best," so the state of being a guardian.
The point of the verse here is His saying: where Allah (Mighty and Majestic) affirmed mercy, indeed He clarified that He is the Most Merciful of the merciful. If you gathered the mercy of all creation, indeed the mercies of all creation, the mercy of Allah would be more intense and greater. The most merciful of creation toward creation is the mercy of a mother for her child, for the mercy of a mother for her child is not equaled by anything, ever, not even the father, for the father does not show mercy to his children like their mother does.
A woman came among the captives seeking her son, looking for him. When she saw him, she took him with compassion and hugged him to her chest in front of the people and in front of the Messenger (peace be upon him). So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah is the Greatest. If Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the Most Merciful of the merciful, all the merciful, if you gathered all their mercies, they would be nothing. And this indicates to you that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created a hundred mercies and placed one of them among the creatures, by which they show mercy to one another in this world. One mercy, all the creatures show mercy to one another, the beasts and the rational beings, all show mercy to one another. And for this reason, you find the wild, kicking camel lifts its leg from its young for fear of harming it. When it comes to nurse, it lifts its leg until it becomes accustomed and nurses easily and with patience. Indeed, I am telling you that I saw with my own eyes the ants. Do you know the ants? There was a palm tree, we watered it, and around it were the ants' houses. The water seeped into the houses from below. I saw with my eyes every ant with its young, carrying it, taking it far away from the moisture. It was holding it, white, holding it in its mouth, all of them running from this water with their young. It did not forget its young in this state. Would I scatter my life and leave it forever? It carries it. Glory to Allah the Great, and it is an ant that is worth nothing. How much more so with what is greater than that? You find the fierce beasts, you find them yearning for their young. And if someone comes to their den with their young, they sell themselves to him. If he has a gun and is a hunter, they always distract him until he turns away from their young. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: And it will come, if Allah wills, an explanation of the rational proofs for the establishment of mercy and its effects.
And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
In the previous lesson, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) cited some of the verses indicating the affirmation of mercy for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and we explained what was facilitated of them. These are auditory proofs for the affirmation of mercy for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And upon this, it is obligatory for us to believe that Allah has mercy, by which He shows mercy to whom He wills of His servants, as an obligation, because Allah informed us of it about Himself, so it is obligatory for us to accept it. Are there also rational proofs? We say, yes, there are rational proofs that establish mercy for Allah (Mighty and Majestic). What we see of the many blessings that flow by the command of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and what we see of the many calamities that are averted, all of this indicates the affirmation of mercy rationally. So people are in drought, and the land is barren, and the sky is dry, no rain and no vegetation. Then Allah sends down rain, the land grows, the livestock are sated, and the people are watered. What is this a proof of? It is a proof of the mercy of Allah. Even the common person who has not studied, if you asked him and said, "What effect is this from?" He would say, "This is from the effects of the mercy of Allah. This is from the mercy of Allah." And no one doubts this. So the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is established by auditory proof and rational proof.
Now, these are two topics: affirming it by auditory proof, first the belief that Allah has mercy, and second, affirming it by auditory and rational proof.
The third topic: The Asha'irah and others from the people of denial (ta'til) denied that Allah the Exalted is described with mercy. They denied that. Why? They said: Because the intellect did not indicate it.
Second: Because mercy is softness, weakness, and humility toward the one shown mercy, and this is not befitting for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because Allah is too Great to show mercy, meaning to show mercy in the sense that is mercy. And it is not possible for Allah to have mercy. So what about these verses by which Allah affirms mercy for Him? He said, "Yes, the meaning of mercy is the will to do good, or the good itself, meaning either the blessings or the will for the blessings, and it is not the mercy or from the effects of His mercy, which is the attribute of Allah." So reflect now on how they stripped this great attribute, which every believer hopes for and expects. Every person, if you asked him, "What do you want?" He would say, "I want the mercy of Allah." They denied this, refuge with Allah, and said, "It is not possible for Allah to be described with mercy." And we respond to their saying, and we say: By denial and concession, as we said before, by denial and concession:
The concession is that we say: Suppose the intellect does not indicate it, but the hearing indicated it, so it is established by another proof. And the rule among all people of intellect is: "The absence of a specific proof does not prevent the existence of the indicated thing, or does not necessitate the absence of the indicated thing." Meaning, suppose this was not established by the intellect, but it was established by the hearing. And how many things, indicated things, not by the hearing, were established by many proofs.
As for the denial, we say: Your saying that the intellect does not indicate mercy is a false statement. Rather, the intellect indicates mercy. These witnessed and heard blessings, and these averted calamities, what is their cause? Their cause is mercy, without doubt. If Allah did not show mercy to the servants, He would not have given them blessings nor averted calamities from them. And this is a witnessed matter, witnessed by the specialist and the common person. The common person in his shop or store or market knows that these blessings are from the effects of mercy.
And the strange thing is that these people affirmed the attribute of will through specification. They said: Will is established for Allah the Exalted by hearing and intellect. By hearing: clear. By intellect: because specification indicates will. And what is the meaning of specification? Meaning, specifying the created things as they are indicates will. That this sky is a sky, and this earth is earth, and these stars, and this sun, are they different or the same? Different. Because of what? Because of will. Allah willed that the sky be a sky, so it was, and that the earth be earth, so it was, and the star be a star, so it was, and so on. They said, so the specification of the created things indicates will, because if there were no will, everything would be one thing, and some would not be specified from others.
We say to them: O Glory to Allah the Great, this proof, regarding the indication of blessings to mercy, which is stronger and clearer? The indication of blessings to the establishment of mercy is much stronger and clearer and more evident, because the indication of blessings to mercy is equal in its knowledge for the common and the specialist, and this is not known except by the specialist from the students of knowledge. So how do you deny what is clearer and affirm what is more obscure? And is this anything but contradiction?
Now, regarding the practical matter that is taken from these verses, it is that as long as a person knows that Allah the Exalted is Merciful, he will cling to the mercy of Allah and expect it. This belief will lead him to do every cause that leads to mercy, such as: doing good, yes or no? And such as taqwa (mindfulness of Allah). So regarding doing good, Allah said about it: And regarding taqwa, He said: and so on. And such as faith, for it is one of the causes of the mercy of Allah, as He the Exalted said: And the stronger the faith, the closer the mercy is to its owner.