Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "... and you believe in the divine decree, its good and its evil ...". With mention of its definition and its levels.
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows:
He has finished speaking about the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the coming of Jibril to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his questioning him about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs. Our discussion has reached the sixth pillar of the pillars of faith, which is belief in the divine decree, its good and its evil.
The divine decree is the determination by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) of what will happen until the Day of Resurrection. This is because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) So what befalls a person was not going to miss him, and what misses him was not going to befall him. And Allah mentioned this in His Book in a general way, saying: [Al-Hajj 22:70] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Hadid 57:22] before We create it, meaning before We create it, meaning before We create the earth, before We create yourselves, before We create the calamity. For Allah wrote this fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. The scholars said that it is necessary for belief in the divine decree to believe in all four of its levels.
The first level is to believe that Allah the Exalted is All-Knowing of everything. This is frequently mentioned in the Great Book, where Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentions the comprehensiveness of His knowledge of everything, as He the Exalted said:[At-Talaq 65:12] And due to His saying the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:59]
The second level is to believe that Allah the Exalted has written the decrees of everything until the establishment of the Hour. He wrote it fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Everything that is to happen is written; it has been concluded, the pens have been lifted, and the scrolls have been folded. So what befalls you was not going to miss you, and what misses you was not going to befall you. If something befalls you, do not say, "By Allah, if I had done so, what befall me would not have happened", because this is a concluded matter that is written and must happen as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) wrote it. There is no escape for you from it, no matter what you do. The matter will be as it occurred; it will never change, because this is a matter that has been written.
If someone asks, "Did it not come in the hadith:Sahih Muslim 2557b?" The answer is yes, this came, but the person to whom it was decreed that he would be treated well in his lifespan and that his provision would be expanded for him because of maintaining family ties—this was written for him. It was written that he would maintain his family ties, that his provision would be expanded for him, and that his lifespan would be extended. The matter must be this way. But the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 1693Sahih (Al-Albani) so that we may hasten and rush to maintain family ties. Otherwise, it is written, written, that this man will maintain his family ties and will receive this reward, and that he will not maintain his family ties and will be deprived of this reward. It is a concluded matter, but the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) informed us of this so that we would be eager to maintain family ties.
Know that the writing in the Preserved Tablet is followed by other writings.
Among them is that when the fetus in the womb reaches four months, Allah sends to it an angel in charge of wombs, who breathes the soul into it and is commanded with four words: to write its provision, its lifespan, its deeds, and whether it will be wretched or happy. This is written, and this writing is different from the writing in the Preserved Tablet. This is a writing at the beginning of a person's life, which is why the scholars call it the "life writing," meaning it is attributed to life. When it reaches four months, meaning one hundred and twenty days, you find that the fetus in the womb, when it reaches four months, begins to move because the soul has entered it. Before that, it is a piece of flesh.
Similarly, there is another writing that takes place every year on the Night of Decree. On the Night of Decree, Allah writes what will happen in that year, as He the Exalted said:[Ad-Dukhan 44:3-4] meaning He distributes, clarifies, and distinguishes. For this reason, it is called the Night of Decree.
The third level of belief in the divine decree is to believe that everything is by the will of Allah. Everything that happens is by the will of Allah; nothing escapes His will. There is no difference between what is specific to Allah, such as sending down rain and reviving the dead, and what is done by the creation, such as prayer and fasting. All of this is by the will of Allah. Allah the Exalted said:[At-Takwir 81:28-29] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:253] So He (Glorified and Exalted is He) made it clear that we have no will except by the will of Allah, and that our actions occur by the will of Allah. [Al-Baqarah 2:253] Everything that happens is by the will of Allah; nothing occurs in His dominion that He does not will, ever. For this reason, the Muslims agreed upon this great word: "What Allah willed came to be, and what He did not will did not come to be"
As for the fourth level, it is the belief that everything, everything, is created by Allah, due to the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):[Az-Zumar 39:62] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan 25:2] So everything that happens is created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The human being is created by Allah; the human being's action is created by Allah. Allah the Exalted said about Ibrahim (Abraham) while he was addressing his people: [As-Saffat 37:96] So the servant's action is created by Allah, but the one directly performing the action is the servant, not Allah. However, Allah is the one who created this action. So the servant's action is attributed to Allah in terms of creation, and attributed to the servant in terms of earning and doing. The doer is the servant, the earner is the servant, and the Creator is Allah. Everything that happens is created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
But what is of the attributes of Allah is not created. For example, the Qur'an was revealed by Allah to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is not created, because the Qur'an is the speech of Allah, and the speech of Allah is one of His attributes, and the attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) are not created.
These are four matters, or rather, these are four levels of belief in the divine decree.
The first is belief in the all-encompassing, comprehensive knowledge of Allah of everything.
The second is belief in the writing of Allah, that Allah wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet, and there are other writings, of which I have explained some.
The third is that everything that happens is by the will of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The fourth is that everything that happens is created by Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).
You must believe in these four matters, and if you do not believe in all of them, then you have not believed in the divine decree. The benefit of belief in the divine decree is very great, because a person finds rest when he knows that everything must happen as Allah willed. He finds rest. So if he is afflicted with hardship, he is patient and says, "This is from Allah." And if he is afflicted with ease, he is grateful and says, "This is from Allah." It is established from the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 2999 Because the believer believes that everything is by the decree of Allah, so he is always in joy, always in expansion of heart, because he knows that what befalls him is from Allah. If it is hardship, he is patient and waits for relief from Allah and turns to Allah the Exalted to remove this hardship. And if it is ease, he is grateful and praises Allah, and knows that it was not by his power and strength, but by the favor and mercy of Allah. And success is from Allah.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows:
He has finished speaking about the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the coming of Jibril to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his questioning him about Islam, faith, excellence in worship, the Hour, and its signs. Our discussion has reached the sixth pillar of the pillars of faith, which is belief in the divine decree, its good and its evil.
The divine decree is the determination by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) of what will happen until the Day of Resurrection. This is because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)
He created the pen and said to it, "Write." It said, "My Lord, what should I write?" He said, "Write what is to be." So it ran in that hour with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.
خلق القلم فقال له اكتب قال ربي وماذا أكتب قال اكتب ماهو كائن فجرى في تلك الساعة بما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامةDo you not know that Allah knows what is in the heaven and earth? Indeed, that is in a Record. Indeed that, for Allah, is easy.
ألم تعلم أن الله يعلم ما في السماء والأرض إن ذلك في كتاب إن ذلك على الله يسيرNo disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being - indeed that, for Allah, is easy -
ما أصاب من مصيبة في الأرض ولا في أنفسكم إلا في كتاب من قبل أن نبرأها إن ذلك على الله يسيرThe first level is to believe that Allah the Exalted is All-Knowing of everything. This is frequently mentioned in the Great Book, where Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentions the comprehensiveness of His knowledge of everything, as He the Exalted said:
so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.
لتعملوا أن الله على كل شيء قدير وأن الله قد أحاط بكل شيء علماAnd with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.
وعنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلمها إلا هو ويعلم ما في البر والبحر وما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها ولا حبة في ظلمات الأرض ولا رطب ولا يابس إلا في كتاب مبينThe second level is to believe that Allah the Exalted has written the decrees of everything until the establishment of the Hour. He wrote it fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Everything that is to happen is written; it has been concluded, the pens have been lifted, and the scrolls have been folded. So what befalls you was not going to miss you, and what misses you was not going to befall you. If something befalls you, do not say, "By Allah, if I had done so, what befall me would not have happened", because this is a concluded matter that is written and must happen as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) wrote it. There is no escape for you from it, no matter what you do. The matter will be as it occurred; it will never change, because this is a matter that has been written.
If someone asks, "Did it not come in the hadith:
He who likes that his sustenance should be expanded and his age may be lengthened should join the tie of kinship.
من أحب أن يبسط له في رزقه وينسأ له في أثره فليصل رحمهAnyone who is pleased that his sustenance is expanded and his age extended
من أحب أن بيسط له في رزقه وينسأ له في أثرهKnow that the writing in the Preserved Tablet is followed by other writings.
Among them is that when the fetus in the womb reaches four months, Allah sends to it an angel in charge of wombs, who breathes the soul into it and is commanded with four words: to write its provision, its lifespan, its deeds, and whether it will be wretched or happy. This is written, and this writing is different from the writing in the Preserved Tablet. This is a writing at the beginning of a person's life, which is why the scholars call it the "life writing," meaning it is attributed to life. When it reaches four months, meaning one hundred and twenty days, you find that the fetus in the womb, when it reaches four months, begins to move because the soul has entered it. Before that, it is a piece of flesh.
Similarly, there is another writing that takes place every year on the Night of Decree. On the Night of Decree, Allah writes what will happen in that year, as He the Exalted said:
(3) Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. (4) On that night is made distinct every precise matter -
إنا أنزلناه في ليلة مباركة إنا كنا منذرين فيها يفرق كل أمر حكيمThe third level of belief in the divine decree is to believe that everything is by the will of Allah. Everything that happens is by the will of Allah; nothing escapes His will. There is no difference between what is specific to Allah, such as sending down rain and reviving the dead, and what is done by the creation, such as prayer and fasting. All of this is by the will of Allah. Allah the Exalted said:
(28) For whoever wills among you to take a right course. (29) And you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds.
لمن شاء منكم أن يستقيم وما تشاءون إلا أن يشاء الله رب العالمينIf Allah had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allah does what He intends.
ولو شاء الله ما اقتتل الذين من بعدهم من بعد ما جاءتهم البينات ولكن اختلفوا فمنهم من آمن ومنهم من كفر ولو شاء الله ما اقتتلوا ولكن الله يفعل ما يريدAnd if Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other
ولو شاء الله ما اقتتلواAs for the fourth level, it is the belief that everything, everything, is created by Allah, due to the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He):
Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs.
الله خالق كل شيء وهو على كل شيء وكيلand has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.
وخلق كل شيء فقدره تقديراWhile Allah created you and that which you do?"
والله خلقكم وما تعملونBut what is of the attributes of Allah is not created. For example, the Qur'an was revealed by Allah to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is not created, because the Qur'an is the speech of Allah, and the speech of Allah is one of His attributes, and the attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) are not created.
These are four matters, or rather, these are four levels of belief in the divine decree.
The first is belief in the all-encompassing, comprehensive knowledge of Allah of everything.
The second is belief in the writing of Allah, that Allah wrote everything in the Preserved Tablet, and there are other writings, of which I have explained some.
The third is that everything that happens is by the will of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The fourth is that everything that happens is created by Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).
You must believe in these four matters, and if you do not believe in all of them, then you have not believed in the divine decree. The benefit of belief in the divine decree is very great, because a person finds rest when he knows that everything must happen as Allah willed. He finds rest. So if he is afflicted with hardship, he is patient and says, "This is from Allah." And if he is afflicted with ease, he is grateful and says, "This is from Allah." It is established from the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said: