Both Good and Evil Are from Allah

Question: A man says, "Good is from Allah, but evil is not from Him. Humans themselves create evil. People, however, included the belief that evil is from Allah in the Amantu [formula of faith] as well, though there is no such thing in the Qur'anic verses or Prophetic sayings." Please explain this topic with Qur'anic verses and traditions.

ANSWERThat both good and evil are from Allah is clearly stated in the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs. All Islamic scholars to date, without exception, said that good and evil are from Allah. The belief that evil is not from Allah is the view held by the followers of Christianity, the Mu'tazilah, and some heretical sects. No Ahl as-Sunnah scholar stated that evil was not from Allah because no scholar can say anything against the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs. Humans cannot create their own qadar. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an al-karim says (what means):

(If any good reaches them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if any evil befalls them, they say, “This happened because of you.” Say: “All things are from Allah.” What is wrong with these people that they do not understand any word?) [An-Nisa' 78]

(We decreed that the wife of Lut should undergo torment.) [Al-Hijr 60] (That is, We wrote her such a bad qadar.)

(Those for whom We decreed a good end [those whose qadar is good] will be kept away from Hell.) [Al-Anbiya' 101]

(If Allah were hasty in sending evil to the people, as they are hasty in seeking good, all of them would certainly have been ruined. However, We leave those who do not expect to meet Us wandering in their transgression.) [Yunus 11]

(Your Lord creates what He wants, chooses what He wills. They do not have the right to choose.) [Al-Qasas 68]

(It is Allah who creates you and what you do.) [As-Saffat 96]

(The Creator of everything is Allah.) [Az-Zumar 62; Al-Mu'min 62]

Hadrat Qadi Baydawi, the greatest of mufassirun (those who make a tafsir of the Qur'an al-karim), explained this verse as follows:
"It is Allahu ta'ala alone who creates good and evil, belief and disbelief, and everything. All things are at His disposal."

Our Master the Prophet clarified the Qur'anic verses about faith and stated:
(Iman [faith] is to believe in Allah, angels, books, prophets, the Day of Resurrection [that is, Paradise, Hell, the Reckoning, and the Balance], qadar, that good and evil are from Allah, death, and the Resurrection after death. It is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am His servant and messenger.) [Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai]

(Allahu ta'ala said: "Whoever believes in Me but does not believe in qadar and that good and evil are by My preordainment, let him look for another Lord besides Me.") [Shirazi]

(A person is not considered a Believer unless he believes that good and evil are from Allah.) [Tirmidhi]

As is seen, it is Allah and His Messenger who included the belief "Good and evil are from Allah" in the Amantu. The deviant sect called the Jabriyyah, looking at these verses, said, "It is Allah who makes us commit sins. We are not responsible for the sins." Of course this is wrong, too. According to Ahl as-Sunnah, humans have partial will (al-iradah al-juz'iyyah), and they are responsible for the sins they commit.

Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani declares:
Belief and disbelief, good and evil, guidance and aberration, obedience and sins are all by the creation, preordainment, and will of Allahu ta'ala. He has linked rewards and sins to the deeds of humans. He has left humans to their free will and made punishment and rewards dependent on the use of free will, which is termed kasb (acquirement). Kasb is from humans, and creating it is from Allah. Kasb is those actions we do with our own free will.

Just as Allahu ta'ala's knowing in the eternal past what He would create does not cancel His attribute will, so His knowing in the eternal past what humans would do does not prevent them from having free will and option.

The reason why Allahu ta'ala has laid down commandments and prohibitions is that humans have been given kasb (the heart's option and partial free will in their actions). If kasb had not been bestowed upon them, these commandments and prohibitions would have been unnecessary (never!). The promises of torment and blessings would have been wrong (never!). And prophets' and holy books' being sent would have been altogether out of place (never!). As it is seen, the purpose of the above-mentioned man is to eradicate the religions.

Allahu ta'ala definitely knows everythingWe have proved above with Qur'anic verses and Prophetic sayings the fact that good and evil are from Allah. Now we will give answers to the following assertion: "If Allah knows whether people will go to Paradise or Hell, then why does He hold them responsible? If He knows where we will go, why did He send us the great Qur'an? Why did He enjoin us commandments and prohibitions? There is no such thing as qadar. Everybody shapes his/her own qadar."

The answers to all these assertions exist in the Qur'an al-karim, and Islamic scholars explained them.

To start with, let us ask this:
Does Allah not know whether a person will go to Paradise or Hell? Can the one who does not know it be a god? How can so many verses existing in the Qur'an be denied? Following the usual strategy "Just throw mud. If it does not stick, it will leave a mark," he is talking through his hat in the hope that he may trap some unwary people.

Who creates evil?It is written in Maktubat-i Rabbani:

Hadrat Imam-i A'zam asked Hadrat Imam-i Ja'far-i Sadiq:
"Has Allahu left humans' optional deeds to their wish?"
"No, He does not leave His rububiyyah [greatness of creating and doing whatever He wants] to His weak servants," he said in response.

"Then does He make His servants do deeds by force?" he asked.
"He is just. He does not compel His servants to commit sins and then put them into Hell," he responded.
"Then who is doing the optional deeds of humans?" he inquired.
"He neither forces them nor leaves them to their wish. It is something between these two. He does not leave creating something to His servants nor forces them," he elucidated.

Abd al-Jabbar Hamadani, a follower of the Mu'tazilah, asked Abu Ishaq Isfaraini, an Ahl as-Sunnah scholar:
"Allah does not will evils and sins; He does not create them. Are these things not created by the Devil?"
"All the good things, evil things, and everything are created by Allah. No one other than He can create anything," he said.

"Does Allah ever will disobedience to Himself?" he asked.
"Could the servants ever be disobedient to Him by force if Allahu ta'ala did not will and create disbelief and sins? Servants use their partial will and wish to commit disbelief, sins, and evils. And Allah creates their wishes, if He wills to do so," was his answer.

"If Allah did not will guidance for a servant, though he/she wants it, would He not be harming him/her?" he asked.
"He does not will not to give a servant's right, but He may not will to take His own right. He will reward for the tiniest goodness done. He forgives most of the sins except for disbelief. As for the question why He wills disbelief, Allahu ta'ala has knowledge, and He knows everything that will happen in the future. He is Hakeem; whatsoever He does and makes, it is always the best that can ever be done and made. He guides whomever He wills to the true way of salvation. He leaves in aberration a servant about whom He has knowledge that he will not renounce it. A Qur'anic verse says:
(He leaves to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.) [Fatir 8]

Allahu ta'ala creates good and evil after humans will them. The will power of man is a cause for His creation. When Believers will faith and obedience through their partial will, Allahu ta'ala wills and creates them. When disbelievers will disbelief and sinners will sins, He creates them if He wills to do so. Nothing comes into existence only with the will of servants. It exists if He, too, wills. A fly cannot move its wing unless Allah wills it to move it. All the good and evil deeds of people happen by His will. When a human wills to do something, it does not take place if He does not will it to take place. Something He does not will to exist does not exist. If it existed after all, it would mean some drawbacks in His power. However, Allahu ta'ala is omnipotent.

Does Qadar Change?

Question: Does du'a (supplication, prayer) change qadar? What is the meaning of the statement "If Allah has written it, let Him erase it"? Is it also from qadar to will a person to supplicate? What is the length of time that qadar continues to exist? Is it eternal in the past or eternal in the future? Does qadar have a qadar, too?

ANSWERTo start with, one should know qada', qadar, and their kinds. Qadar is Allahu ta'ala's knowing in the eternal past the things that will happen. Qada' is His creating the things existing in qadar when the time comes. That is, qadar is like a payroll. Qada' is like distribution of wages. Allahu ta'ala knows what all people will do, where and how they will die. It is termed qadar. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):
(Allah knows what they did and what they will do.) [Al-Baqarah 255]

If a movie is screened many times and if a person watching it before says while watching it the third time, "The leading actor will fall off the horse and die," will the performer die because one member of the audience said so, or does he knows it because he watched it before?

The times when the sun will rise and set in a year are calculated and written on charts and timetables. The sun rises and sets at those times written on charts and timetables. However, it does not rise or set at those times as they were written beforehand so. Their having been written does not affect its rising or setting. Likewise, Allahu ta'ala knows what will befall humans, and He wrote it in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. A Qur'anic verse says:

(Allah knows the place where every living creature stands and where it will be left in the end. All of them are in a clear book [Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz].) [Hud 6]
Qadar is divided into two categories: qadar that may change and qadar that does not change. For example, the appointed time of death that does not change is called ajal al-musamma. It is declared in a Qur'anic verse:
(Death is never late even for a moment, nor does it come before time is up.) [Al-A'raf 34]

A person's lifetime and sustenance (rizq) may change according to his deeds. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):
(Allah erases what He wishes, and He does not change what He does not wish to. Umm-ul-kitab [al-Lawh al-Mahfuz] is with Him.) [Ar-Ra'd 39]

Umm-ul-kitab is the name of the Divine word, which is eternal. Angels cannot understand it. It is not with time. No one but Allah knows it. It never ceases to exist. As for al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, there are changes in it. Angels see it. A person's lifetime and sustenance may be changed on account of his deeds. The good may be changed into evil and the evil into good. Another Qur'anic verse says:
(Verily, lifetimes of all and the shortening of lifetimes are recorded in the Book.) [Fatir 11]

The qada' and qadar that may change are termed qada al-mu'allaq. If a person does a good deed and his du'a is accepted, qada' can change. It is declared in hadith-i sharifs:

(Nothing can change the qada al-mu'allaq. Only du'a can change it.) [Hakim]

(Qadar does not change by taking precautions or avoiding. But a du'a that is accepted protects one against an approaching catastrophe.) [Tabarani]

(Silat-ur-rahm [upholding the ties of kinship] lengthens one's lifetime.) [Tabarani]

The recording of qadar in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz is qada'. If the disaster predestined for a person is qada' al-mu'allaq and if it had been predestined also that the person would pray, he prays and, when the prayer is accepted, it prevents the disaster. Du'a's repelling the catastrophe is also within qada' and qadar. As an umbrella is a shield against rain, so du'a acts as a shield against disasters.

Ajal al-musamma (time of death that does not change) does not change, but ajal al-qada' (time of death that is conditional) may change. Let us give an example:
Two people came to Hadrat Dawud and complained about each other. Azrail (Angel of Death) 'alaihis-salam came to him and said, "One of these two people has one week before his death. The other's lifetime was over a week ago, but he did not die." When Hadrat Dawud was astonished and asked the reason why, he answered, "The latter had a relative who was offended with him. He visited him and reconciled himself with him. For this reason, Allahu ta'ala decreed to add 20 years to his lifetime.) (The booklet titled Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz and Umm-ul-kitab)

Khidir ‘alaihis-salâm

Question: Some people assert that such legendary figures as Khidir (Hizir) are fictitious. Aren’t there any ahâdîth about Khidir ‘alaihis-salâm?

ANSWER
Islamic scholars fell into disagreement not as to the existence of Khidir ‘alaihis-salâm but as to whether he was a prophet, so some of them said he was a prophet while some others said he was a walî.

Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî stated that he met and had a talk with Khidir ‘alaihis-salâm but that he passed away and his soul was made to appear in a human form. [vol.I, Letter 282]
Because it is a known fact that Hadrat Khidir has talked with many awliyâ’, there are Islamic scholars communicating that he is alive. But the statement “There is no such person as Khidir” has never been uttered by any Ahl as-Sunnat scholar.
The friendship between Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm and Hadrat Khidir is narrated in the âyât from 60th to 72nd of Kahf Sûra. Tafsîr and hadîth books write that the friend of Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm was Hadrat Khidir. (Baydâwî, Jalâlayn, Madârik, Bukhârî)
One of the hadîth-i sharîfs about Hadrat Khidir is as follows:
(When Khidir lays a white hide on the ground and sits on it, the dry land instantly becomes green with vegetation. Because the green grass that has grown hangs from his back, he is called Khidir.) [Bukhârî] (Khidir means green.)

The moral of the story

Question: What is the moral of the story of Khidir and Hadrat Mûsâ, which appears in the Qur’ân?

ANSWER
Every story contains practical lessons to draw. Some of the rulings scholars inferred from the story of Hadrat Khidir and Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm are as follows:
1. When one is making a journey, it is jâiz (permissible) to have a servant. Also, one can set off for a journey with a friend. [On a journey, it is sunnat to choose one the commander, and it is wâjib to obey this commander.]
2. It is mustahab to make long-distance journeys in order to learn ‘ilm (knowledge), if need be.
3. When a person sets out on a journey, it is permissible to take food with him or her. This act is not an obstacle to tawakkul (trust in Allahu ta’âlâ).
4. Even if a disciple is superior to his master in rank, he should behave humbly and modestly towards his master. [Humans are the teachers of what they know and the students of what they do not know. So when they are learning something they do not know from someone else who knows it, they should humble themselves towards that person.]
5. If a disciple asks something that he will be unable to bear, his master should offer an apology because he will not be able to teach it.
6. People should say “Inshâ-Allah” when they are talking about something they will do.
7. The followed can stipulate conditions for the follower to fulfill.
8. The conditions stipulated must be fulfilled.
9. One must not be reproached for something one has forgotten.
10. Repetition is made three times.
11. It is permissible for a traveler to ask for food if it is necessary.
12. One can demand a wage for the work one has done.
13. A poor person is not exempted from being poor even if he or she has a means of earning a living.
14. It is harâm to appropriate others’ property.
15. In order to save the property of an orphan or goods that have been entrusted to someone, damage can be done to some part of them.
16. When one faces two evils, it is necessary to commit the lesser of them.
17. A (damaged) building must be repaired. It must not be neglected until it collapses.

Finding the True Path and Qadar

Question: Some people say, "Embracing Islam and finding the true path are something related to qada' and qadar." Since it is Allah who creates qadar, why does He create other people unfortunate? Is His creating so compatible with justice?

ANSWER: Allahu ta'ala does not create anyone a disbeliever. He knows with His eternal knowledge all the things that happened and will happen. For example, He knows whether or not a certain disbeliever will remain a disbeliever forever. He knows all the things that will happen the way they will happen. Let us explain this issue with an example: The times when the sun will rise and set during a year are calculated and written on charts and timetables. And the sun rises and sets at those times written beforehand. However, the reason why it rises or sets at calculated times is not that they were written so on charts and timetables. Their having been written does not affect sunrise or sunset. Because Allahu ta'ala foreknows what will befall humans, He recorded it in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. The reason why Allahu ta'ala has stated that some people will be unfortunate is that they want to remain in disbelief of their own volition and do not want to believe. They do not remain in disbelief as Allahu ta'ala has informed us about it. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):

(By Allahu ta'ala, who gave the nafs good and evil [ability to obey and disobey, that is, the right to choose one of them; partial will], he who has purified his nafs and who has purged it of disbelief and disobedience has been saved. He who has left it in them has suffered a loss.) [Ash-Shams 7-10]

Humans are free in using their partial will. They are not compelled. That is, if they use their partial will in goodness, Allahu ta'ala creates goodness. If they spend it in evil, He creates evil. Humans use their partial will, and Allahu ta'ala creates [what they want]. (The pamphlet "Iradah al-Juz'iyyah")
This means to say that He creates goodness for him who wills it, and that person is considered fortunate. He creates evil for him who wills it, and that person is considered unfortunate. There is no compulsion. In other words, Allahu ta'ala does not force anyone to sin. Nor does He guide anyone to Hell by force. In conclusion, there is nothing incompatible with justice.

Breaking repentance a thousand times

Question: It is claimed, "According to the Qur'an al-karim, if a Muslim renounces Islam and becomes an apostate and afterwards makes repentance and returns to Islam and then renounces Islam again, it is not possible for him to be pardoned even if he repents of it." Is it true?

ANSWERNo, it is not true. The meaning of the Qur'anic verse mentioned is as follows:
(Allah will not forgive or guide to the right path those who believe and then reject, and then again believe and then reject, and thereafter increase their disbelief.) [An-Nisa' 137]

It is not said in this verse that those who make repentance after rejection will not be forgiven. What is said is that those who increase their disbelief, that is, those who continue to disbelieve, will not be forgiven. No matter how many times a person becomes an apostate, he will become a Muslim if he repents of it after each. In other words, even if he has broken his repentance a thousand times, what counts is his last status. Judgment is made according to final result. Hadrat Imam-I Qurtubi stated, “According to this verse, Allah does not forgive those who believed in Musa ‘alaihis-salam and then who became disbelievers because of disbelieving in Uzayr ‘alaihis-salam, and then who believed in Uzayr ‘alaihis-salam and afterwards who became disbelievers because of disbelieving in ‘Isa ‘alaihis-salam, and thereafter who increased their disbelief by rejecting Muhammad ‘alaihis-salam. The meaning of Allahu ta’ala’s statement “… and thereafter [who] increase their disbelief” refers to those who insist on disbelief” (Tafsir al-Qurtubi).

Why Qur’an al-Karim can not be translated into any language?

 The Qur’an al-karim cannot be translated into any language, even into Arabic. It is impossible to translate any poem into its own language precisely. It can only be explained, interpreted. We should not read the Qur’an’s translation in order to understand it. To understand the meaning of an ayat [1] means to understand what Allahu ta’ala means through this ayat. A person who reads a translation of this ayat cannot learn murad-i ilahi (the divine purpose). He learns what the translator has understood according to his level of knowledge. And he who reads the translation written by someone ignorant or by an irreligious translator, learns not what Allahu ta’ala says, but what the translator, who assumes that he understands it, is expressing from his own thoughts.

The government does not send a law concerning villagers directly to villagers because villagers cannot understand this law even if they can read it. This law is sent to governors of cities first. These governors, understanding it well and adding their explanations, send it to the mayors of towns, who, explaining it more clearly, send it to directors of districts. Directors of districts can understand the law with the help of these explanations and can explain them to headmen of villages. Headman of a village could not have it understood just by reading it. The headman explains it to the villagers in village dialect. By the same token, the Qur’an al-karim is divine rules. It is divine law. Allahu ta’ala has shown the way of happiness to His born servants through the Qur’an al-karim and has sent His own word to the highest of mankind. Only Hadrat [2] Muhammad can understand the meaning of the Qur’an al-karim. No other person can understand it completely. Though the Ashab-i kiram [3] ‘alaihim-ur-ridwan’ knew Arabic as their native language and were literary and eloquent, they couldn’t understand some ayats and asked Rasulullah to explain them.

In short, only Hadrat Muhammad understood the meaning of the Qur’an and explained it through his hadiths [4]. It is he who interpreted the Qur’an. The correct book of interpretation is his hadiths. By not sleeping or resting, by sacrificing their repose, our religious scholars gathered these hadiths and wrote books of interpretation. The book of interpretation entitled Baydawi is one of the strongest among them.

[1] ayat: a verse of al-Qur’an al-kerim; al-ayat al-karima.
[2] Hadrat: title of respect used before the names of great people like and Islamic scholars.
[3] As’hab-i kiram: (as-Sahabat al-kiram); the Companions of Rasulullah.
[4] hadith (sharif): i) a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).; al-Hadith ash-sharif: all the hadiths as a whole; ii) ‘ilm al-hadith; iii) Books of the hadith ash-sharif. iv) Al-hadith al-qudsi, as-sahih, al-hasan: kinds of hadiths (for which, see Endless Bliss, II).