323 — Abū Hafs ʿUmar ibn Muhammad ibn Bakkār ⦗737⦘ al-Qāfilāʾī also narrated to me, saying: Al-Hasan ibn Yahyā al-Jurjānī narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, saying: Al-Thawrī informed us, from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Rufayʿ, from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, who said:

“Adam (peace be upon him) mentioned his sin and said to his Lord Most High, ‘My Lord, tell me concerning the act of disobedience by which I disobeyed You: was it something You had decreed for me before creating me, or something I originated from within myself?’ He replied, ‘Rather, it was something I had decreed for you before creating you.’ Adam said, ‘Since You decreed it for me, forgive me.’” He said, “This is the meaning of the words of Allah Most High: ‘Then Adam received words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance’ [al-Baqara: 37].”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: We have cited the proof from the Book of Allah Most High concerning the matter of divine decree with which we began. We shall now cite the proof from the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), for when the proof comes from the Book of Allah Most High and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), no opponent has any valid argument. We go further and say that proof also lies in the practice of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), those who followed them with excellence ⦗738⦘, and the statements of the Muslim imams among the Successors and others.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: Whoever opposes this path is indeed wretched—and they are the Qadariyya. If someone asks, “Do you hold them to be wretched?” I reply, “Yes.” If he asks, “On what basis?” I reply, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said so. He called them the Magians of this nation and said, ‘If they fall ill, do not visit them; and if they die, do not attend their funerals.’” We shall cite this in its appropriate chapter, if ⦗740⦘ Allah Most High wills.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever opposes the doctrine we have set out from the Book of Allah Most High regarding the affirmation of divine decree is to be told: Know, you wretched man, that we are not proponents of speculative theology. Speculative discourse that rests on no foundation establishes no proof. Our proof is the Book of Allah Most High and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). We have already cited from the Book of Allah Most High what occurred to us to mention. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “So that you may make clear to the people what has been sent down to them, and perhaps they will reflect” [al-Nahl: 44].

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) therefore made clear to his nation what Allah Most High had imposed upon them: fulfilling His obligations and avoiding His prohibitions. He did not leave them neglected and uninformed; rather, he made the ordinances of their religion clear to them. Among the matters he clarified was the affirmation of divine decree, along the lines already mentioned. These comprise many traditions that we shall set out in separate chapters. They have never been obscure to scholars, whether of earlier or later times, and no scholar denies them. Rather, when a scholar considers them, they increase him—if Allah Most High wills—in faith and conviction.

Likewise, if someone lacking knowledge considers them, or someone who has listened to a Qadari who is ignorant of the Book of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, the traditions of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the practice of his Companions and those who followed them with excellence, and the teachings of all the other Muslim scholars (may Allah be pleased with them), then, if Allah, Glorified and Exalted, intends good for him, hearing them will cause him to renounce his falsehood. But if it is otherwise, may Allah drive him away and banish him utterly.