32. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil said: `Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sa`dabadi said: Ahmad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Barqi said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Sinan, on the authority of Ziyad ibn al-Mundhar, on the authority of Sa`d ibn Tarif, on the authority of al-Asbagh ibn Nubatah that The Commander of the Faithful said the following concerning the decree: Beware that the decree is a secret from the secrets of Allah, concealment from the concealments of Allah, and a sanctuary from the sanctuaries of Allah. It is raised to the covering of Allah, folded up from the creation of Allah, sealed with the seal of Allah, and precedent in the knowledge of Allah. Allah has taken of its knowledge from the servants, raised it above their witnessing and level of intellect because they cannot attain it with the reality of the Lordship or the power of the Needless. Neither can they attain the greatness of the Light, nor the honor of the solitary, because it is an overflowing ocean purely for Allah, the Exalted. Its depth is between the heaven and the earth, and its width is between the east and the West. It is as dark as the pitch- dark night, full of snakes and fishes. It rises at one time ad drops at another. In its bottom, the sun shines. It ought to be that no one has its information except Allah the One, the Peerless. Thus, whoever becomes informed of I becomes contrary to Allah, the Mighty and High in His Judgement and contest Him in His Rule. He uncovers His Concealment and secret, and buys the anger of Allah. His abode is Hell, and it is the worst place of arrival. The Compiler of this book says, we believe: Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has predestined and decreed the good and evil of His Servants, and all that is in the universe. The decree can be in the meaning of information, like Allah, the Mighty and High says: And We had decreed to the children of Israel in the Book. He means that We made known to them. Like Allah, the Mighty and High, says: And We revealed to him this decree, that the roots of these shall be cut off in the morning. He means that We informed him and made it known to him. Therefore, it cannot be refused that Allah the Mighty and High, decrees the actions of the servants and all that which is of good and evil in this meaning, because Allah, the Mighty and High, is the Knower of it all. It is correct that He may give knowledge to any of His servants and inform them of it. The decree can also be in the meaning of writing and informing, like Allah, the Mighty and High, says: Except his wife; We decreed that she shall surely be of those who remain behind; i.e. We prescribed and informed. Al-`Ajjaj said: Be informed that the Glorified has decree In the earlier scriptures that He wrote. `He decreed’ means He wrote. The decree can sometimes be in the meaning of the rule and necessity. Allah, the Mighty and High, says: And your Lord has destined that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. He means that He has ordained that and made it necessary on His Creation. It may also be possible to say that Allah, the Mighty and High, has destined the actions of the servants in this meaning. What He made necessary for His Servants and ordered them to do are obligations. It is also possible that the meaning is: Allah has set a measurement for the actions of the servants to explain its measurements and states of good and evil, obligatory and supererogatory, and other things. He gives reasons fro what makes the states of these actions recognized. Therefore, the Mighty and High is the One that sets the measurements, but to explain them to other than Himself who do not know the state of what He has destined in their measurements. This is apparent and not hidden. It is very clear that it does not require any proofs over it. Is it not so that when we go to the skilled people in measurements, their knowledge of measurements does not stop them from setting measurements to explain to us their measurements? Verily, we reject that Allah, the Mighty and High, has ordained His Servants with this and forbidden them from abstention from this. Or that He has done it and created it. As Allah, the Mighty and High, has created them a measured creation, so we do not reject that. I heard some learned ones says: Verily, the destiny [al-Qada’] has ten different meanings: The first of them is `to know’ according to the Word of Alah, the Mighty and High: But (it was only) a desire in the soul of Ya`qub which he destined, i.e. He knew. The second meaning is `to inform’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And We had decreed to the children of Israel in the Book, and the Word of the Mighty and High: And We revealed to him this decree, i.e. We informed him. The third is `to judge’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High is: And Allah decrees with the truth, i.e. He judges with the truth. The fourth meaning is `to say’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And Allah decrees with the truth, i.e. He says the truth. The firth is `to determine definitely’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: But when We decreed death for him, i.e. We determined definitely. So I is the definite decree. The sixth is `to command’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And your Lord has destined that you shall not serve (any) but Him, i.e. your Lord has commanded. The seventh is `to create’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: So He decreed them seven heavens in two periods, i.e. he created them. The eight is `to do’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: Therefore, decree what you are going to decree, i.e. do what you are doing. The ninth is `to accomplish’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: So when Musa had decreed the term; and the Word of the Mighty and High, accounting Musa Whichever of the two terms I decree, there shall be no wrongdoing to me; and Allah is a witness of what we say, i.e. I accomplish. The tenth is `to conclude from something’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High The matter is decreed concerning which you enquired, i.e. it is concluded from it for you two. It is the Word of a person what I have decreed your requirement for you, i.e. I have concluded it for you. Therefore, it is possible to say that the things in their entirety are with the destiny of Allah and His Decree, Blessed and Exalted be He. This is in the meaning that Allah, the Mighty and High, knows it and know it measures, and that He has a judgment for all of it, either the good or evil. Therefore, whatever is good He decreed it in the meaning that He commanded it, determined it definitely, and made it true. He knew its extent and measure. Whatever is evil, He did not command it, and is not pleased with it. However, He destined it, and decreed it in the sense that He knows its measure and extent, and has judged according to His Judgement. The word [al-fitnah] has ten different meanings: One of them is `misguidance.’ The second is `to put to the test’ according to the Word of Allah: And We tried you with (a severe) trying, i.e. We have put you to a test; and the Word of the Mighty and High: Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, We believe, and not be tried? i.e. they will not be put to a test. The third is `to make excuse’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: Then their excuse would be nothing but that they would say: By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists. The fourth is `to believe in polytheism’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And polytheism is severer than murder. The fifth is `to disbelieve’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: Surely into trial have they already tumbled down, i.e. into disbelief. The sixth is `to burn with fire’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: Surely (as for) those who persecute the believing men and the believing women, i.e. they burn. The seventh is `to punish’ according the Word of the Mighty and High: (It is) the day on which they shall be tried at the fire, i.e. they shall be punished. The Word of the Mighty and High: Taste your trial! This is what you would hasten on, i.e. your punishment. And the Word of the Mighty and High: And as for him whose trial Allah desired, you cannot control anything fro him with Allah, i.e. whose punishment. The eight is `to kill’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: If you fear that hose who disbelieve will cause you distress, i.e. if you fear that they will kill you. Also the Word of the Mighty and High: But none believed in Musa except the offspring of his people, on account of the fear of Fir`awn and their chiefs, lest he should persecute them, i.e. he may kill them. The ninth is `to turn away’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And surely they had purposed to try you in that which We have revealed to you, i.e. to turn you away. The tenth is `a severe trial’ according to the Word of the Mighty and High: Our Lord! Do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve. And the Word of the Mighty and High is: Our Lord! Make us not subject to the persecution of the unjust people, i.e. a severe trial with which they may cause mischief. They say about themselves: Nothing has killed them except the fact that their religion is void, and our religion is true. Therefore, it invites them to Hell due to their disbelief and oppression. `Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim has added to these ten meanings another possibility that one of the meanings of the word fitnah is love according to the Word of the Mighty and High: And know that your property and your children are a temptation, i.e. love. In my opinion, there are ten meanings to this verse. Fitnah is this context means `a severe trial’ and not love. The confirmation of that is the tradition of the Prophet , “The son, takes after the father in ignorance, trial and miserliness.” I have extracted this tradition with transmission in the book Maqtal al-Husayn ibn `Ali, blessings be upon them both.