If it is said that the Qur’an states that He is Merciful, that He gets angry,
that He loves, wills, dislikes, decrees, is displeased, is harmed, and the
like,
We reply: Allah said, “There is nothing like unto Him” (42:11), “And
there is none comparable to Him” (112:4), “So do not set up rivals to
Allah” (2:22), and similar verses. Would Allah then contradict His own
word? Would the Qur’an be inconsistent? Yet Allah said: “Had it been
from anyone other than Allah, they would have found in it much
inconsistency” (4:82), and “Falsehood cannot approach it from before
or behind it” (41:42). The only way out is to harmonize the verses: we
interpret the mutashabih (ambiguous) in light of the muhkam (clear)
and rational proofs. The verse “There is nothing like unto Him” is clear
and decisive (muhkam), not subject to reinterpretation. We cannot
reject any part of the Qur’an, nor believe in one verse and disbelieve in
another.
Thus, we interpret love and pleasure as what a lover does for the
beloved: praise, honor, giving, and decreeing that the obedient one
deserves reward (unless he turns back). This applies to those who
obey, thank, and glorify Allah as He deserves.
Displeasure, anger, and hatred are the opposite: reviling, cursing,
humiliating, decreeing punishment, and inflicting it upon the
disobedient. This applies to those who disbelieve or dare to commit
sins without repenting.
For the obedient, thankful one is worthy of love and pleasure; the
disbeliever and criminal deserve anger and displeasure. These are
metaphorical (kinayah). Similarly, one says “long of staff” for a tall
man even if he has no staff, and “chained hand” for a stingy man even
if his hand is intact.
What the compassionate and merciful one does is called “mercy”:
sending messengers as givers of good news and warners, not
hastening punishment for the sinner, inviting criminals and
disbelievers to repentance, promising to accept it, admitting repentant
sinners into Paradise despite their extreme crimes, and all the
exhortations, encouragement, warnings, and parables in the Qur’an
and Sunnah — all this is the utmost mercy. Evidence includes: “We
have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107), and
“Except as a mercy from Us and enjoyment for a while” (36:44). This is
metaphorical: “mercy” refers to its necessary concomitants.
His love, will, and intention for His actions and ours: these are His
knowledge that the action contains wisdom and benefit. There is a
difference between love and mercy: mercy is for both the obedient and
disobedient in this world; love is only for the obedient. The same
applies to mercy in the Hereafter.
His dislike for an action is His knowledge and judgment that it is evil
— either inherently or because it is disobedience to Him.
Being “harmed” refers to what ordinarily causes harm, such as
disobeying Allah, cursing Him, or harming His friends.
In summary:
· His love, will, and intention for actions = His knowledge that the
action contains wisdom and benefit, whether the action is from us or
from Him.
· His love for us = doing what a lover does for the beloved, and His
judgment that the person is worthy of that.
· His mercy = doing what the compassionate and merciful one does,
with knowledge that the person is worthy of it.
· His dislike, anger, and displeasure are the opposite of that.
Our scholars differ on “will” (iradah) into two opinions, which we
cannot ignore (as will be mentioned later in the book). Some say it is
His action; others say it is His knowledge that the action contains
wisdom and benefit. But real, literal will (al-iradah al-haqīqiyyah) is
negated by all.
— Al-Qawl al-Sadīd by al-Sayyid al-‘Allamah al-Hujjah al-Husayn ibn
Yahya al-Mutahhar (may Allah have mercy on him)