fada_all
Junior Member
salam alikum wa rahmatu allah taala wa barakatuh all my dear brothers and sisters hope all are in a good state of mind, health and strong imane ,
We are taught that Allah brought us into existence, placed us on this earth, gave most of us the ability to choose how to spend our lives. We are told that Allah created us to test us, and we will be rewarded or punished as a result. Also we are taught that Allah created us so that we would worship Him.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
"There is nothing like unto Him"
A fundamental tenet of our belief is that Allah is completely dissimilar to everything besides Him. He tells us in the Qur'an, "There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him." (42:11) A consequence of this belief is that unlike human actions, divine actions are not driven by motives, because motives only make sense in the context of someone who is weak and needy.
To clarify this further, consider the following. When humans perform actions, it makes sense to inquire what drove them to do so because, being the indigent beings that they are, they always act to fulfill certain needs. For example, Zayd will put on a coat because the weather is cold and he needs warmth. Aisha will eat food because she is hungry and needs nutrition. Ali will go to university because he needs to earn a living through the degree that he will obtain. As you can see from these examples, the motives that people have behind their actions betray their fundamental neediness.
Allah is the creator of everything and needs nothing. This is easy to state but not so straightforward to comprehend. One of the implications of this absolute freedom from need of anything is that Allah is not driven by motives when He acts. Someone who needs nothing can have no motives. To ask "why" Allah did something makes no sense at all. In the words of the Qur'an, "He is not questioned regarding what He does, but they are questioned."
Allah has no need for our obedience and our disobedience does not harm Him. He does not need to reward us if we obey Him. And had He chosen to, He could have rewarded us for disobeying Him. This is why classical manuals of orthodox Sunni belief teach us that whenever Allah rewards someone, He does so out of His pure generosity; not because He is driven to do so by a need or because we have a right to His reward. The question, "Why?" is inapplicable.
Similarly, Allah does not need to punish us if we disobey Him. And had He chosen to, He could have punished us for obeying Him. This is why the same manuals also teach us that whenever Allah punishes someone, He is not wronging them, for they have no right over Him (recall that our obedience or disobedience does not affect Him). He punishes out of His pure justice. The question, "Why?" is inapplicable.
We are taught that Allah brought us into existence, placed us on this earth, gave most of us the ability to choose how to spend our lives. We are told that Allah created us to test us, and we will be rewarded or punished as a result. Also we are taught that Allah created us so that we would worship Him.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
"There is nothing like unto Him"
A fundamental tenet of our belief is that Allah is completely dissimilar to everything besides Him. He tells us in the Qur'an, "There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him." (42:11) A consequence of this belief is that unlike human actions, divine actions are not driven by motives, because motives only make sense in the context of someone who is weak and needy.
To clarify this further, consider the following. When humans perform actions, it makes sense to inquire what drove them to do so because, being the indigent beings that they are, they always act to fulfill certain needs. For example, Zayd will put on a coat because the weather is cold and he needs warmth. Aisha will eat food because she is hungry and needs nutrition. Ali will go to university because he needs to earn a living through the degree that he will obtain. As you can see from these examples, the motives that people have behind their actions betray their fundamental neediness.
Allah is the creator of everything and needs nothing. This is easy to state but not so straightforward to comprehend. One of the implications of this absolute freedom from need of anything is that Allah is not driven by motives when He acts. Someone who needs nothing can have no motives. To ask "why" Allah did something makes no sense at all. In the words of the Qur'an, "He is not questioned regarding what He does, but they are questioned."
Allah has no need for our obedience and our disobedience does not harm Him. He does not need to reward us if we obey Him. And had He chosen to, He could have rewarded us for disobeying Him. This is why classical manuals of orthodox Sunni belief teach us that whenever Allah rewards someone, He does so out of His pure generosity; not because He is driven to do so by a need or because we have a right to His reward. The question, "Why?" is inapplicable.
Similarly, Allah does not need to punish us if we disobey Him. And had He chosen to, He could have punished us for obeying Him. This is why the same manuals also teach us that whenever Allah punishes someone, He is not wronging them, for they have no right over Him (recall that our obedience or disobedience does not affect Him). He punishes out of His pure justice. The question, "Why?" is inapplicable.
