A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What arguments have been used to counter the Epicurean Paradox? ”   I am looking at this question for the Abrahamic and related traditions since they explicitly hold the concept of an Omniscient, Omnipotent God as central to their theological doctrine.   Mainstream Judaism and traditional Islam both agree that evil is perception since if God is All Good, then everything in the Divine Sight and cosmic scale is ultimately good.   It is our inadequacy and perception that causes things to be “evil”.   There is a Day of Judgement where all misconceptions are Addressed.   Based on Scripture, Christianity actually defines evil as all that is opposed to God and His   Intent, sin; or that which the human perspective views as “harmful and non-productive”, suffering. Christian theologians have argued that though evil is present, it is not strong enough evidence to su...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Like the rest of Wahhabi innovators, Muhammad Naswir ad-Din al-Albani declared Ash’aris, Maturidis, and Sufis to be outside the fold of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah and even outside the fold of Islam, although Allah ( s.w.t. ) and His Prophet ( s.a.w. ) Praised them:   سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَن يَرۡتَدَّ مِنكُمۡ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَسَوۡفَ يَأۡتِى ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٍ۬ يُحِبُّہُمۡ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ ۥۤ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ يُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوۡمَةَ لَآٮِٕمٍ۬‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ فَضۡلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤۡتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ وَٱللَّهُ وَٲسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ (٥٤)   O you who believe!   If any from among you turn back from his faith, soon will Allah Produce a people whom He will Love as they will love Him, ― lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as find fau...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Brother Chris Hutchinson posted this on The Sharing Group, on the 13 th June, 2015: “This question has probably been asked numerous times so I am sorry if you have to explain once again, but since it occurred to me, I am yet to find a satisfactory answer by any monotheist sect.   My question is, if God is Omniscient, and therefore not limited by the boundaries of time; He then Knows everything even before it happens.   This is why most people agree that things are ‘written’ as God Wills.   Therefore, God would Know whether or not someone would accept His Message before He even Created them.   And if a person ultimately ends up in Hell, then it would be fair to say they were ‘destined’ for that fate before they had even been born since God knows Everything and is not bound by time.   So then, why would God Create a person, if he knew the life choices they were going to make beforehand would lead them into a life of sin a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that the Speech of Allah ( s.w.t. ), is not heard. rather, what is heard is that which points to it.   Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said al-masmu’ , that which is heard, only applies to that which connects with the sense of hearing; that which connects with it are the sounds that point to the Pre-Eternal Attribute.   As for the actual Pre-Eternal Attribute, both Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) and Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) held that it has no connection with the senses and that the senses have no connection with it.   The disagreement is regarding whether a Pre-Eternal Attribute being heard or not.   For Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ), hearing is conditioned upon the connection of the senses, and for that reason he denied that Kalam Nafsi , Inner Speech, can be heard.   Imam al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that it is heard – as is well known ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that some of the rulings that relate to taklif , legal responsibility, are known by the intellect, because the intellect is a tool by which the goodness and evil of some things can be comprehended, and it is a tool by which the obligation of faith is comprehended, as well as the obligation of gratitude to the Giver of Bounties.  The One Who Makes this known and obligatory is Allah ( s.w.t. ), however; it is through the medium of the intellect; just as the Messenger ( s.a.w. ) made the obligations known and the One Who Made things obligatory is, in reality, Allah ( s.w.t. ), but it was through the medium of the Messenger ( s.a.w. ).  Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said, “No one is excused by ignorance of his Creator, due to what he sees in Creation of the heavens and earth.”  He also said, “Had Allah ( s.w.t. ) not Sent a Messenger, still it would have been obligatory for Cr...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Some of the Maturidiyyah say that al-ism wa al-musammah , the name and the thing named, are one.  Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) believed that there is a distinction between the two and the tasmiyyah , act of naming.  Some of them divided a name into three categories: itself, other than itself, and a third category that is neither itself nor other than itself.  There is agreement that the tasmiyyah , act of naming, is other than them, the name and the thing named, and it is what is established with the one named.  This is taken from Bidayah al-Kalam .

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that the action of the servant is called an acquisition, and not creation; and that the Action of the Real is called Creation, and not acquisition – and both are inclusive of action.  Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that “action” denotes a Real Bringing into existence, and the acquisition of the servant is called “action” only figuratively.  It has been said, “That which is permissible for the All-Powerful to be singularly, is called Creation, and that which is impermissible for the All-Powerful to be described with is acquisition.  The gist of this disagreement is that Imam al-Ash’ari held that the word ‘action’ is literal when applied to Allah since He is the Doer, and is figurative when applied to the servant.  Imam al-Maturidi, on the other hand, held that the word ‘action’ is also literal when applied to the servants.”  This is...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that the Creator of the universe is described with wisdom, hikmah , whether that wisdom takes the meaning of knowledge, ‘ilm ; or the meaning of perfection or mastery, ihkam .  Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that Allah ( s.w.t. ), is described with wisdom, and that wisdom is a description of Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Entity.  This refers either to the knowledge of the precise, or perfected actions, or it refers back to the Pre-Eternal Attribute of Takwin , Creation, that Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) affirmed.  This means that mastery and precision are from the implications of Takwin .   Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that if wisdom takes the meaning of knowledge, then it is an Eternal Attribute that Subsists with Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Entity, and if it takes the meaning of perfection or mastery, then it is a contingent quality akin to Takwin , an...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that it is rationally impermissible for disbelief to be pardoned.  Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that it is rationally permissible, but textually impermissible.  Imam al-Ash’ari’s ( r.a. ) view was based upon a rational judgement alone, whereas Imam al-Maturidi’s ( r.a. ) view was based on his understanding of Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Will.  Disbelief, here, refers to wilful rebellion against the Divine, in the presence of clear proof.  An example would be when Abu Lahab ‘Abd al-‘Uzza ibn ʿAbd al-Muththalib disregarded the various signs, and prophetic miracles, and persisted in his opposition to the prophetic mission.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that the wretched person could become felicitous, and the felicitous person could become wretched.   Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that there is no consideration given to either felicity, or wretchedness, except during the end, death, and the requital.   According to Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ), felicity is defined as Islam, and wretchedness is defined as disbelief.   According to Imam al-Ash’ari (r.a.), felicity is dying upon Islam, and wretchedness is dying upon disbelief. In summary, the difference between the Maturidi and the Ash’ari is when one has attained Salvation.   According to the Maturidi, Salvation or damnation swings upon our belief, and disbelief, every moment of our life.   According to the Ash’ari, there is no such state until the closing of the books of deeds, upon death.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) believed that being Legally Ordered with that in which there is no capacity to endure is impermissible, whereas being Burdened with that which cannot be borne is permissible.  This meant that the principles of shari’ah precluded burdening anyone for something they had no capacity to fulfill, whereas it is possible that we are given challenges we cannot bear as an Exercise of Divine Sovereignty, so that we recognise Allah ( s.w.t. ), as the only Succour.   Thus, Imam al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) distinguished between being legally ordered, and being burdened.  According to Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ), both are permissible since the Ash’ari school of theology did not recognise the distinction.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said that being male is a condition for prophethood, and consequently, it is impermissible for a woman to be a prophetess.  Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that being male is not a condition for it, and that being female does not negate it.  This is taken from Bidayah al-Kalam .   As can clearly be seen, there is no ijma’ , consensus, whether there is a possibility of female prophets.  There were as many scholars who believe there were, as those who believe there were not.  Yet, even in these discussions, none of these scholars doubted the Islam of each other over a mere difference of opinion on this matter.  It is the sign of ignorance of the religious sciences in this age, where we have Muslims who are willing to declare takfir on those who disagree.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said it is rationally, and textually impermissible, for the believers to abide eternally in the Hellfire, and for the disbelievers to abide in Paradise.  Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Isma’il al-Ash’ari ( r.a. ) said that it is rationally permissible, but textually impermissible.   These are legalistic positions based solely on reading the text, and not born out of gnosis.  It does not mean that they are wrong, since they are only quoting from their understanding of the text, out of wara’ , caution.  This is what needed to be told to the Muslims then, so that they would not take the religion, and the struggles of the pious, against kufr , bid’ah , and shirk , for granted.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Within Sunni Islam, both Ash’ari and Maturidi, the position is identical, in that we have no say in the acts we do.  That is Divine Will.  That is why we are Judged on our intentions.  For example, since Allah ( s.w.t. ) is Omniscient, it cannot be that He has to await our supplication to Grant us something.  Rather our being moved to ask for it is, in reality, His Desire to Grant it.  If Allah ( s.w.t. ) chose not to Grant something, we would not even have the ability to ask for it.   The seeming incongruency is when people say they have supplicated for something, but it was not granted.  That cannot be true because it would contradict the verse of the Qur’an, that Allah ( s.w.t. ) Answers all supplications.  What people have failed to understand is that Allah ( s.w.t. ) is Sovereign.  The timing of the Answer, the nature of the Answer, and the means of the Answer is His Prerogative.  When a pers...