Surah As-Sajdah (The Prostration): Verse 13

Then the Almighty said: {And if We had willed, We could have brought every soul its guidance, but the Word from Me has been established: 'I will surely fill Hell with the jinn and mankind all together'} (13).

This is a response to their plea: {Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so return us [to the world]} (implied context from previous verses).

The explanation is that Allah (Exalted is He) stated: If I were to return you to faith, I would have guided you in this world. Since I did not guide you, it is clear that I did not will your faith, nor did I desire it, so I will not return you.

The statement {And if We had willed, We could have brought every soul its guidance} is explicit proof that our doctrine is correct—that Allah did not will faith from the disbeliever, but only willed disbelief from him.

Then the Almighty said: {but the Word from Me has been established: 'I will surely fill Hell'} meaning the decree has been established, which is His saying to Iblis: {I will surely fill Hell with you and with those who follow you} (as mentioned previously). This is the transmission-based view.

There is also an intellectual basis for this: Allah does nothing devoid of wisdom, which is agreed upon. The disagreement lies in whether He intended the action for the wisdom, or whether He performed the action and wisdom resulted from it, rather than the wisdom compelling the action.

Since it is known that His actions are not without wisdom, the wise say that the wisdom behind His actions is not discernible in detail, but it is discernible in general. Every event and corruption that occurs in the universe has a wisdom that transcends simple logical division. An action is either purely good, purely evil, or a mixture of good and evil. This mixed category has three divisions: one where good predominates, one where evil predominates, and one where good and evil are equal.

Given this, Allah created a realm of pure good—the realm of the angels (the upper world)—and a realm containing both good and evil—our world (the lower world). He did not create a realm of pure evil.

Furthermore, even though good and evil exist in our lower world, it belongs to the first category where good predominates. If you compare benefits to harms, or the beneficial to the harmful, you find the benefits are greater. If you compare the evil-doer to the good-doer, you find the good-doer is greater. How could it be otherwise when a believer is contrasted with a disbeliever?

However, it is possible for a believer to exist without any evil from the beginning to the end of his life, like the Prophets and the Saints. But it is impossible for a disbeliever to exist without any good whatsoever. At most, his disbelief nullifies his good deeds and renders them useless. It is only contrary to custom for a disbeliever to exist who never gives a thirsty person a drink, never feeds a hungry person, and never remembers his Lord throughout his life. How could he not have some good, when in his infancy he was created upon the innate disposition (Fitra) that calls for good things?

If this is established, we say: They argued: If there were no evil in this world, God's creation would be limited to pure good, and He would not have created the category where good predominates with little evil. If refraining from creating this category was due to the evil within it, then abandoning much good for the sake of little evil is inconsistent with wisdom.

Do you not see that if a merchant is offered a dirham in exchange for a dinar, and he refuses, saying, "There is evil in this: the loss of the dirham from my possession," he would be told, "But in return, there is much good: the acquisition of the dinar in your possession"? Similarly, if a person avoids slight exertion because of its hardship, knowing that continuous ease will result, he would be accused of contradicting wisdom.

Therefore, when considering wisdom, the occurrence of much good mixed with little evil is a form of grace (lutf). This is why He created the world where evil occurs. This is alluded to when He said: {Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority [khalifah]}. They said: {Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we exalt Your praise and sanctify You?} (Al-Baqarah: 30). Allah responded: {Indeed, I know that which you do not know} (Al-Baqarah: 30), meaning: I know that this category is suitable for wisdom because the good within it is abundant. He then clarified its good by teaching, as He said: {And He taught Adam the names—all of them} (Al-Baqarah: 31). Meaning, O angels, creating pure evil, predominantly evil, or equally mixed evil is inconsistent with wisdom. However, much good mixed with little evil is suitable. Thus, their statement {Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein?} points to the evil, and Allah answered them with the good it contains by saying: {And He taught Adam the names}.

If someone asks: Could Allah not have purified this category from evil so that no evil exists in it? We reply with what Allah said: {And if We had willed, We could have brought every soul its guidance} (As-Sajdah: 13). Meaning, if We had willed, We could have separated the good from the evil. But then Allah would not have created the category of much good mixed with little evil, which is a conceivable category. It would not be permissible to abandon much good for the sake of little evil, as abandoning much good for little evil is inconsistent with wisdom. If that were not the case, there would be no impediment to creating it, so He creates it because of the great good it contains.

This concept is what those who speak of masalih (public interests) refer to: Good is in the Divine Decree (Qada), and evil is in the Predestination (Qadar) by His action, which is pure from ugliness and ignorance.

The phrase {with the jinn and mankind all together} is because Allah said to Iblis: {I will surely fill Hell with you and with those who follow you}. This indicates that the Fire is for those in the lower world, while those in the upper world (the angels) are protected from entering it, which implies that Iblis is not one of the angels—and this is correct.

The word {all together} (ajma'in) has two possible meanings:

1. It is an emphasis, which is the apparent meaning.
2. It is a circumstantial adverb (hal), meaning "gathered" or "collectively."

If it is asked: How can all of mankind and jinn fill Hell? We reply: This is to specify the genus; meaning Hell will be filled from the jinn and mankind, and no others (i.e., not the angels). It does not necessitate that every single one enters, just as when one says, "I filled the bag with dirhams," it doesn't mean no dirham remains outside the bag.

If it is asked: This implies that Hell is narrow, filled by only some of creation. We reply: That is so. The vast expanse is Paradise, which is part of the boundless Mercy of Allah. And Allah knows best.

When Allah clarified through {And if We had willed, We could have brought every soul its guidance} that they have no return, He then said to them, since they know they have no return:

7 < { So taste [the punishment] because you neglected the meeting of this Day of Yours. Indeed, We have neglected you. And taste the punishment of eternity for what you used to do.} > 7 !

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