Explanation of the belief of Jahm in denying action from Allah and from the created, and that the created is compelled in his action, and the refutation, and he ruled that Allah is not an actor*** in an action
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The Shaykh : It contains two things:
The first thing: That Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is not an actor in an action that stands with Him. So He is not a Creator in a creation that stands with His essence, nor is He One who rises in a rising that stands with His essence, nor is He One who comes on the Day of Resurrection in a coming that stands with His essence, nor is He One who descends to the lowest heaven in a descending that stands with His essence, nor is He One who provides sustenance in a sustenance that stands with His essence. So no action ever stands with His essence. Why? He said: Because these actions are accidents, and if they stood with the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, He would be an accident, because accidents do not stand except with an accident. Look how he now placed denial of attributes in the mold of exalting Allah. The one who hears this speech says, yes, this is correct. But in reality, it is not exalting, but it is denial of the perfection of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He says that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, does not perform an action that stands with Him, then he says that the human also does not perform an action that stands with him. Yes, and he says:
"And compulsion is his school which he affirmed with *** the eyes of the sinners"
He says the human is not an actor in an action that stands with him because he is compelled to it. Well, who is the actor of the human's action? He says it is Allah; He is the actor of the human's action. And this is amazing: they deny the action of Allah from Him, and they attribute the action of the servant to Allah. Look at the madness, not the intellect. Yes, he says the human is not an actor, compelled in his action. He fornicated, stole, drank intoxicants, killed the soul; all of that he was compelled to. He prayed, fasted, gave zakah, performed Hajj, was dutiful to parents, maintained family ties, was kind to neighbors; all of that he was compelled to. He has no action in it. These actions that stand with the human are in the position of the attributes that are in his body. Is he red, white, black, tall, or short by his choice or without his choice? Without his choice. He says the same actions are like these accidents and attributes, exactly like the attributes. He has no will or any power in them. So they denied the power of the human over his action and his choice, and they said the action is not his action. So he did not fast, nor pray, nor give zakah, nor perform Hajj, and so on. How? He said, yes, if that is the meaning, Allah burdened him with something he cannot bear, just as you burden the ostrich with carrying and flying. One saw the ostrich and said, by Allah, this is large in body. So put two bags of sugar and two bags of rice on it, because it is large in body and can bear it. And he saw her wings and what did he say? He said, this flies; we must burden her with flying and carrying. She cannot bear it. He said, so the actions of the human are burdened upon him, even if he cannot bear them. So these people, and may Allah protect us, denied the standing of actions with Allah and denied the standing of actions with the human. And by that, they invalidated the divine decree and the Shari'ah. Yes, and they invalidated wisdom. And it has preceded that they do not affirm wisdom for Allah, or not? If the human acts without his choice, how do we praise the obedient and blame the disobedient? How do we punish the disobedient and how do we reward the obedient? And if Allah does not have an action standing with Him, where is His speech, where is His action, where is His creation, and where is His management? So it necessitates, according to their saying, the denial of all the Shari'ahs and the invalidation of the divine decree and the Shari'ah. Yes, because they do not see that this is an action standing with Allah. That means they see that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, if the action of Allah is only the acted-upon, but that an action stands with Him, no. So it is a created thing without a creator standing with Allah, and Allah is a Creator without an attribute standing with Him, but a Creator, meaning He has a created thing. Yes.
The student: ...contradiction.
The Shaykh : Yes, how is it a contradiction?
The student: They affirm the action for other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic...
The Shaykh : Yes, they affirm that the action of the servant is the action of Allah, then they deny the action of Allah which He is described with. And this is the greatest contradiction. Yes.
There is no doubt that the saying which the intellect does not accept other than it is what the Book and the Sunnah indicated: that Allah is described with actions, and that the actions are His attribute, Glorified and Exalted, standing with Him. And it does not necessitate, from the occurrence of the action, the occurrence of the actor. There is no doubt. Is it possible to have an acted-upon without an action? Absolutely not. Is it possible for a palace to exist without being built by its builder? Absolutely not. So the acted-upon necessitates the precedence of the action, otherwise the acted-upon would not occur. And we also say that the human is an actor; he is the actor. If he were not the actor, if a man fornicated, we would beat one who did not fornicate, or not? Because this one did not act. Yes, he acted. So we say what the Book and the Sunnah indicated is that the human has an action standing with him, for which he is praised and blamed, rewarded and punished, and by which he reaches the high degrees or the lowest depths of the Fire. This is without doubt, and it is the requirement of the intellect and the Shari'ah. Yes.
The first thing: That Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is not an actor in an action that stands with Him. So He is not a Creator in a creation that stands with His essence, nor is He One who rises in a rising that stands with His essence, nor is He One who comes on the Day of Resurrection in a coming that stands with His essence, nor is He One who descends to the lowest heaven in a descending that stands with His essence, nor is He One who provides sustenance in a sustenance that stands with His essence. So no action ever stands with His essence. Why? He said: Because these actions are accidents, and if they stood with the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, He would be an accident, because accidents do not stand except with an accident. Look how he now placed denial of attributes in the mold of exalting Allah. The one who hears this speech says, yes, this is correct. But in reality, it is not exalting, but it is denial of the perfection of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. He says that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, does not perform an action that stands with Him, then he says that the human also does not perform an action that stands with him. Yes, and he says:
"And compulsion is his school which he affirmed with *** the eyes of the sinners"
He says the human is not an actor in an action that stands with him because he is compelled to it. Well, who is the actor of the human's action? He says it is Allah; He is the actor of the human's action. And this is amazing: they deny the action of Allah from Him, and they attribute the action of the servant to Allah. Look at the madness, not the intellect. Yes, he says the human is not an actor, compelled in his action. He fornicated, stole, drank intoxicants, killed the soul; all of that he was compelled to. He prayed, fasted, gave zakah, performed Hajj, was dutiful to parents, maintained family ties, was kind to neighbors; all of that he was compelled to. He has no action in it. These actions that stand with the human are in the position of the attributes that are in his body. Is he red, white, black, tall, or short by his choice or without his choice? Without his choice. He says the same actions are like these accidents and attributes, exactly like the attributes. He has no will or any power in them. So they denied the power of the human over his action and his choice, and they said the action is not his action. So he did not fast, nor pray, nor give zakah, nor perform Hajj, and so on. How? He said, yes, if that is the meaning, Allah burdened him with something he cannot bear, just as you burden the ostrich with carrying and flying. One saw the ostrich and said, by Allah, this is large in body. So put two bags of sugar and two bags of rice on it, because it is large in body and can bear it. And he saw her wings and what did he say? He said, this flies; we must burden her with flying and carrying. She cannot bear it. He said, so the actions of the human are burdened upon him, even if he cannot bear them. So these people, and may Allah protect us, denied the standing of actions with Allah and denied the standing of actions with the human. And by that, they invalidated the divine decree and the Shari'ah. Yes, and they invalidated wisdom. And it has preceded that they do not affirm wisdom for Allah, or not? If the human acts without his choice, how do we praise the obedient and blame the disobedient? How do we punish the disobedient and how do we reward the obedient? And if Allah does not have an action standing with Him, where is His speech, where is His action, where is His creation, and where is His management? So it necessitates, according to their saying, the denial of all the Shari'ahs and the invalidation of the divine decree and the Shari'ah. Yes, because they do not see that this is an action standing with Allah. That means they see that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, if the action of Allah is only the acted-upon, but that an action stands with Him, no. So it is a created thing without a creator standing with Allah, and Allah is a Creator without an attribute standing with Him, but a Creator, meaning He has a created thing. Yes.
The student: ...contradiction.
The Shaykh : Yes, how is it a contradiction?
The student: They affirm the action for other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic...
The Shaykh : Yes, they affirm that the action of the servant is the action of Allah, then they deny the action of Allah which He is described with. And this is the greatest contradiction. Yes.
There is no doubt that the saying which the intellect does not accept other than it is what the Book and the Sunnah indicated: that Allah is described with actions, and that the actions are His attribute, Glorified and Exalted, standing with Him. And it does not necessitate, from the occurrence of the action, the occurrence of the actor. There is no doubt. Is it possible to have an acted-upon without an action? Absolutely not. Is it possible for a palace to exist without being built by its builder? Absolutely not. So the acted-upon necessitates the precedence of the action, otherwise the acted-upon would not occur. And we also say that the human is an actor; he is the actor. If he were not the actor, if a man fornicated, we would beat one who did not fornicate, or not? Because this one did not act. Yes, he acted. So we say what the Book and the Sunnah indicated is that the human has an action standing with him, for which he is praised and blamed, rewarded and punished, and by which he reaches the high degrees or the lowest depths of the Fire. This is without doubt, and it is the requirement of the intellect and the Shari'ah. Yes.