[عقيل الهندي]

18. He created the creation with His knowledge.
19. He ordained their destinies.
20. He gave them [fixed] life spans.
21. Nothing about them was hidden from Him before He created them, and He knew what that they would do before He created them.
22. He ordered them to obey Him and forbade them to disobey Him.
23. Everything happens according to His degree and will, and His Will is accomplished. The slaves have no will except in that which He has willed for them and that which He Wills is and that which He does not Will is not.

Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani: He intends by this that His Will and Want envelops all that which occurs in being; from good and evil, guidance and misguidance.
And the ayaat that prove this are many and well-known and can be referred to in the explanation (p. 145-146) and other than it.

The purpose of this paragraph is refutation of the Mu’tazilah, who negate His general Will. And it is necessary to note that affirming it does not necessitate Allaah’s loving everything that occurs, as loving is different from willing. If this were not the case, there would be no difference between the one who obeys and the one who disobeys – and this has been explicitly stated by some of the senior holders of the belief of wahdatil wujood; that both the obedience and disobedient are in fact obeying Allaah’s will!
And the mathhab of the salaf and jurists, and most of those from Ahlus Sunnah who affirm pre-destination and other than them, differentiate between wanting and loving. And towards this fact, the author of the poem Bad al-Umaali[1] eluded in his saying,

The One who wants good and ugly evil, but is not pleased with it

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘Then the Qadariyyah say that He does not Love disbelief, ill-doing and disobedience and does not want any of it – so that which He did not Will is and that which He wills is not!

A group from among those who affirm it say that which He Wills is and that which He does not Will is not. Therefore, He Wants disbelief, evil-doing and disobedience but not religiously, or He Wants it from the disbeliever but not from the believer. And for this reason, He loves disbelief, evil-doing and disobedience but does not Love it as religion. He Loves it for the disbeliever but not from the believer!

And both of these sayings are erroneous, in opposition to the Book, Sunnah and consensus of the salaf of the Ummah and her Imaams, as they are in agreement that that which Allaah Wills is and that which He does not Will is not; that nothing is except through His Will. They are in agreement that He does not Love ruin and is not pleased with disbelieve for his slaves and as for the disbelievers, {when they plot by night in words that He does not approve} [an-Nisa: 108][2]


[1] Which is known as the Laamiyyah by Siraaj ad-Deen Abil-Hasan ‘Ali bin Uthmaan al-Farghaani, who died in 569AH. His biography is in al-Jawaahir al-Madiyyah (2/583) and the poem is in his qaseedah (p. 19 of Majmoo’ muhimmaat al-funoon) and see also Mu’jam al-Matboo’aat (9/499) of as-Sarkees.

[2] Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/115-116) – and Ibn al-Qayyim explained this in Shifaa al-‘aleel p. 120-134, so refer to it, for it is of importance.