200 FAQ On Muslims Belief by Hafiz Ibn Ahmed Al Hakami

A--- Affirming faith in the Divine Decree is of four ranks:

First rank: Affirming faith in Allah's Knowledge that covers everything.

Not even the weight of an atom (or a small ant) or less than that or greater in the heavens or the earth escapes His Knowledge. He knew all about His creatures before creating them: their sustenance, appointed terms, sayings, deeds, moves, secrets and public conferences, the residents of Hell from among them and also the residents of Paradise.

Second rank: Affirming faith in the Prerecording of all these (and others)

and that He recorded and wrote down all that will exist or take place. This also covers affirming faith in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz (the Book of Decrees).

Third rank: Affirming faith in the Penetrative Will of Allah and His Comprehensive Omnipotence and that both are correlative. Both are correlative in regard with what had been and what would be, and there in no correlation between them in regard with what had not been or what would not be. For what is ever willed by Allah, it Allah, it would not certainly be, due to His Unwillingness and not to the lack of His Omnipotence over it. Allah says: {Allah is not such that anything in the heavens or in the earth escapes Him. Verily, He is AllKnowing, All-Omnipotent}. (Fatir, 44)

Fourth rank: Affirming faith in Allah the Almighty, the Creature of everything. And that not even the weight of an atom (or a small ant) or less than that or greater in the heavens or in the earth but is created by Him. Glory is His, there is neither creator, nor Lord but He.