. J ; ; ;J; : ,;I•; (cont.)

Al-Mudaabaghi states that the good is obedience to Allah while the evil is disobedience. The sweet is what is beloved to the soul, such as rain, health and so forth. The sour is what is displeasing to the soul, such as illness and disease. 2 Ibn al-Qayyim points out that what is meant by "evil" is with respect to the human beings and not with respect to Allah. The "evil" is the result of the human's act of ignorance, wrong, oppression and sin. However, it was allowed and brought into being by Allah. But no evil is to be attributed to Allah because, with respect to Allah, the act is good and full of wisdom, as it must be a result of Allah's knowledge and wisdom. Any act of that nature must, in its essence, be good and cannot be pure evil. This is supported by the Prophet's hadith, "Evil is not to be attributed to You." (Recorded by Muslim.) That is because every act that occurs is the result of some wisdom and goodness and can never be pure evil. The individual himself may think it otherwise, but in reality there is wisdom and good in everything that occurs in Allah's creation.3 Ibn Uthaimeen gives an example illustrating this point. Allah says in the Quran, 1 Idris, pp. 25-27. 2 Al-Mudaabaghi, p. 71 . 3 See Abdul Azeez al-Rasheed, al-Tanbeehaat al-Sanniya ala al-Aqeeda al-Waasitiya (Daar al­ Rasheed li-1-Nashr wa al-Tauzee'), p. 263. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi E ) " / ӿԀ I .'I . ;__ .:JI uঝf.. ।LS/ "Evil has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return [by repenting]" (al-Room 41). In this verse, Allah states the evil (jasaad) that has appeared, the cause for it and its result. The evil (jasaad) and the cause of it are both evil (sharr). However, the goal of it is good: that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return [by repenting]. Hence, there is a wisdom and a goal behind that fasaad. This goal and wisdom makes the entire action something good and not a pure evil. 1 Pure evil, on the other hand, would be one in which there was no benefit or positive result related to it. Allah's wisdom and knowledge preclude the existence of acts of that nature.2 The Fruits of Proper Belief in al-Qadar3 (1) When a person realizes that all things are under the control and decree of Allah, he is freeing his belief from any form of shirk or associating partners with Allah in His Lordship. There is truly only One Creator and Master of this creation. Nothing occurs except by His will and permission. When this is firmly in the heart of the person, he then also realizes that there is none worthy of praying to, seeking assistance from, relying upon, and so forth, except that one Lord. Hence, he directs all of his acts of worship toward that One who has decreed and determined all matters. Thus, both tauheed al­ ruboobiyah and tauheed al-uloohiyah are correctly and completely fulfilled with the proper belief in al-Qadar. (2) A person will put one's reliance upon Allah. A person should follow the outward "causes and effects" that one sees in this world. However, he must realize that those "causes and effects" will not bring about any ends unless Allah so wills them to do so. Hence, a believer never puts his complete trust and reliance upon his own actions or the worldly aspects that he might have some control over. Instead, he follows whatever causes he may know of 1 Muhammad ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh al-Aqeedah al-Waasitiyah (al-Damaam, Saudi Arabia: Daar ibn al-Jauzi, 1415 A.H.), vol. 1 , pp. 1 91-192. Also see, in the same work, vol. 1, pp. 70-72. 2 Even the creation of Satan is not a pure evil. See Umar al-Ashqar, The World of the Jinn and Devils (Boulder, CO: Al-Basheer Company for Publications and Translations, 1998), pp. 225243. 3 In his work on al-Qadar, al-Hammad (pp. 31-44) mentions twenty-five benefits or fruits of the belief in al-Qadar. Here, just a few examples shall be given from a number of different sources. Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel which lead to a desired end and then he puts his trust in Allah to bring about that desired end. 1 (3) Ibn Uthaimeen argues that with proper belief in al-Qadar, one does not become arrogant and boastful. If he achieves any goal that he desired, he knows that such goal only came about because Allah, in His mercy, had decreed it for him. If Allah had so wished, He could have put many obstacles in his way and prevented him from reaching his goal.