Divine Decree or Human Choice? Islam's Middle Path

Amen. Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in four verses that were revealed very far apart. The first two verses that we're going to hear were revealed the first night the prophet sallall.aii wasallam was appointed as a prophet. The second two verses we're going to hear are verses that were revealed just prior to the most difficult times of Mecca which ultimately culminated in the hijra of the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam from Mecca to Medina which was a very difficult time for our prophet and our brothers and sisters from amongst the Muslim. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says.

[Silence]

Allah describes himself as the one who taught by the pen or the one who marked by the pen which that is a a dual meaning which this chapter has a lot of dual meanings. Two things that are meant at the exact same time by one statement. Right? sometimes this is referred to in English as a double antandra. However, sometimes a double entandra most of the time or a lot of time in English has a kind of u comedic and often times vulgar undertone to it. When we say it's a it's it's a double entandra. Usually it's used in the world of satire. But it is a dual meaning just we had the dual meaning with the first word of this chapter which could mean recite and also means read something that's written. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala could have chosen a word that meant one of the two and then there would be no no second meaning. However, it's intentional that it is chosen to have two meanings at the same time. And the Quran is full of this. As a matter of fact, this is extremely common in the Quran to the point that some words have up to seven and eight meanings. The word has 14 meanings in the Arabic language. All of them are intended by this word. the word has seven meanings in the Arabic language and all of those seven meanings are intended by that one word. We see the pattern here. So there are a lot of words and this is one of the big difficulties of translation. When you translate, you have to stick with what you have to choose one of those meanings. You can't choose all of them. Otherwise, it breaks down the structure of what you're translating. And so, you can start to kind of see how much is lost in translation and how important the Arabic language is in understanding the Quran, the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so Allah chose the word which was to mean recite and it was to mean read. Both of them are intended based on who is reading this verse or who is listening to it. Likewise, the statement of Allah, he is the one who taught by way of the pen and also means the one who marked and left an impression by the pen. What does that mean? Marked and left an impression by the pen. So some companions came from Yemen in the prophet's time when he was in Medina and they traveled all the way to him. They heard about him. They accepted Islam and they came to visit him. And when they came to visit, they said, they said, "Oh messenger of Allah, we have come all this way to ask you about what the first thing Allah created from this existence." Now notice the wording. forch.

[Silence]

He said they they came they said we came to ask you about the first thing Allah created from this existence. He said, "The first thing Allah created was the pen." And he said to it, "Write." And the pen responded, "What shall I write?" He said, "Write all that is to be until the day of resurrection, until the day of judgment." The prophet commented on this and said, "And that happened 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth." So we mentioned before that in the Arabic language comes from the root word al which is to leave a mark on something or to leave an impression on something. If the meaning here is to mark something down or leave an impression, then what is meant by he left an impression using the pen, meaning the preserved tablet that he wrote 50,000 years before the first creation. Every word that I'm saying right now, every thought that's going through your mind, every beat of my heart, every drop of sweat, every molecule and cell in my body or yours, everything has been documented by Allah 50,000 years before the creation. Can you imagine? Actually, you can't imagine. How can something that be imagined? It's not just the macro things. Every tiny detail, everything, everything was written by Allah 50,000 years before the first creation. That is that writing came from where? Where did the information for that pen to write come from? It came from the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows all that was and all that is and all that would be and all that would have been had things been subhanahu wa ta'ala these are the stages of decree these are ref referred to as are four there are four stages of decree. Meaning everything that exists goes through four stages in order to come into existence. Everything good and bad. Everything that is great and small. Everything good and bad. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala he is the creator of everything whether it's good or bad. And so the first stage is the eternal knowledge of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then translated that knowledge into the pen. The second stage of decree which is he wrote all that was to be subhanahu wa ta'ala from that knowledge. Okay. So we already know that the preserved tablet that is mentioned in the Quran it's also referred to as the reference or the mother of all books right that preserved tablet it is preserved from change it doesn't change nothing that is written when allah law wrote it 50,000 years before the first creation was ever changed. Not one dot, not one t, not anything, not one period, not one addition or subtraction was made. That is why it is referred to as the preserve tablet. And so that what is written in the preserved tablet is preserved. It will never change. But does that mean that Allah forced the outcome of what is in that tablet? No. It just means that he knew what was going to happen and he wrote it. But writing something doesn't mean that he forced it to happen or compelled anyone to make a decision. And so our free will works within the confines of those options. This is a concept that a lot of people have a hard time understanding which is how do we balance free will with the decree of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and major innovations were introduced into Islam and the second innovation ever introduced into Islam still in the time of the companions was the innovation of alad decree that some people from amongst the Muslim went so far in believing in the decree of Allah that they negated free will and said free will is just a a form of it is just a figure of speech it doesn't really exist this is referred to as el jaba which is to be forced comp compulsion then there was another group which went the exact opposite all the way in the opposite of that which were which was they believed in free will so much that they rejected the notion of decree that Allah wrote anything. As a matter of fact, some of the of the extremist of the in the time of the companions in Iraq, they went so far as to say Allah doesn't even know that we exist. Can you imagine that? Subhanal. went so far in believing in in free will that they said we are a kind of accident and a byproduct of Allah's first creation and he is unaware of our existence and this group was around in the time of the companions the very tail end of the companions and so extremism breeds an extreme response always when you see an extreme thought it is responded to with extremism. This is how humans are which is one of the miracles of Islam and the Quran is that we are given we are given balance and we walk the middle path between all extremes in Islam. And so what is the balance here between free will and decree? We have free will but it is not unlimited free will because unlimited free will would mean that we are able to create our own options. That's not the case. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made a creation for us and we exist within a set of rules and we can make decisions confined to those general set of rules. If you imagine with me for instance a game of chess right there are many pieces and each piece moves in a different way. Don't understand this as Ali is saying chess is halal or haram. That's not what we're discussing right now. So if we look at the game of chess, we say I as a player at this table can make as many decisions and as freely as I choose, but only within the confines of what? Within the confines of the rules of that game. I can move these pieces outside of the rules of that game, but I'm not playing chess anymore at that point. So Allah created for us a creation and he gave us free choice within that creation. However, our choices are limited by the limitations of our creation. Understood? So the first two levels or stages of decree in order for me to come into existence or you we went through these four stages. We were first in the ex ex in the u in the infinite knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the eternal knowledge of Allah and then Allah wrote that we were to come into existence. The third stage is also to come into existence. You all do not will something until Allah wills it first. Correct? And so in order for anything to come into existence, it comes into existence by the will of Allah. Is anything happen against Allah's will? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Never. Nothing will ever come to an existence or exist without Allah willing it first. He wills for it to come into existence. The fourth and final stage is creation means that Allah created it. Allah he tells us in elsewhere he says Allah is the creator of all that exists. Everything everything that exists Allah is its creator. Meaning everything that is created he is the creator of it. Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so in order for me to come into existence or you or any one of us, it is in the knowledge of Allah. He then wrote it in that preserved tablet. He then willed for it to happen and allowed it to happen. And then he subhanahu wa ta'ala created it. These are the stages of decree. If you understand this, you will have a much more sound understanding of how the decree of Allah subhanahu wa tala is in relation to free will. It is free will, but it is not unlimited free will. We choose based on the confines of the game that we're playing, right? as the example we gave this here is one of the meanings of the statement of Allah. So everything that he taught the human being he first marked down and impressed upon the preserved tablet. we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to benefit us to teach us to enlighten us. We ask him subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant us understanding of the secrets and the and the the clear and ambiguous of his book and the sunnah of his prophet Samuhammed just a reminder to everyone One, tomorrow is J. The prophet Sam tells us that he said the most beloved to Allah throughout the week is the salah of in the masid on the morning of J. So if you don't usually come to fud and you were to choose one and a place to start start with the morning of fud.