Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
One of the foundations of faith is that Allah is Wise in His actions and decrees. He does not create anything in vain, nor does He decree anything without wisdom. Some of these wisdoms may become apparent to people, while others may remain hidden from them. This includes allowing Iblis to mislead people and giving him respite until the time Allah has decreed.
A Muslim must be certain that all of Allah’s actions are based on wisdom, even if a person does not understand their details.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said that Allah is “Wise; He does nothing in vain, nor without meaning, benefit, or wisdom,” and that His actions proceed from profound wisdom.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said that whatever Allah connects to His will is subject to His profound wisdom. We may know the wisdom behind some of His actions, while we may not know the wisdom behind others.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And you do not will unless Allah wills. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.﴾ [Al-Insan: 30]
Part of the perfection of faith is also to revere Allah and submit to His judgment. He says:
﴿He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned.﴾ [Al-Anbiya: 23]
This does not mean that a Muslim should refrain from trying to understand the wisdom and benefits. Rather, he should not make his inability to know the wisdom a reason to object to Allah’s judgment or to think badly of Him.
A believer may ask about the wisdom in order to gain knowledge and increase in faith and certainty. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to ask the Prophet ﷺ about some of the wisdom behind matters.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said that asking about wisdom as a means of seeking guidance and knowledge is permissible. However, for a person to make knowing the wisdom a condition for accepting a ruling and submitting to it is a form of misguidance and following one’s desires.
Thus, when the wisdom becomes apparent to a believer, he praises Allah for it; and when it remains hidden from him, he submits to Allah’s wisdom and does not make his lack of knowledge a basis for criticizing the Sharia or divine decree.
Scholars have mentioned a number of wisdoms that can be understood from the texts. Among the most important are:
Allah has made the existence of Iblis and his attempts to mislead people part of the test of this worldly life, so that the effect of human choice becomes apparent and those who respond to the truth can be distinguished from those who follow Satan.
The believer struggles against Satan’s whispers and resists them, while the person who chooses the path of misguidance responds to them. In this way, the effect of the deeds for which a person will be held accountable becomes apparent.
Another wisdom is that believers are enabled to attain levels of servitude that can only be achieved by striving against Satan, resisting his whispers, seeking refuge in Allah from his schemes, turning to Him, and asking Him for protection.
This struggle trains the servant to strengthen his connection with Allah and to recognize his constant need for Him.
The existence of Satan and his whispers provides the believer with an opportunity to attain the virtues of patience, perseverance, and resistance against falsehood.
When a servant repels Satan’s whispers, rejects his invitation to sin, and remains steadfast in obedience, he achieves a form of servitude to Allah that would not occur in the same way without this test.
Among the wisdoms mentioned by scholars is that the occurrence of sins followed by repentance reveals the effects of some of Allah’s attributes, such as forbearance, pardon, and forgiveness.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin, then seek Allah’s forgiveness, and He would forgive them.” Narrated by Muslim (2749).
This does not mean that Allah loves sin or commands it. Rather, the effects of His mercy and forgiveness become manifest when a servant sins and then repents and seeks forgiveness.
It is important for a Muslim to understand that the existence of Satan and his attempts to mislead do not mean that a person is compelled to sin. Satan whispers, calls people toward evil, and makes it appear attractive, but a person chooses whether to respond or resist. This is why he is accountable for his deeds.
For this reason, Allah has legislated seeking refuge from Satan, commanded His servants to oppose him and struggle against his whispers, and granted them reward for obeying Him and striving against evil for His sake.
Allah gave Iblis respite for profound wisdom. This is neither pointless nor due to inability; rather, it is part of Allah’s decree and wisdom. Among the wisdoms mentioned by the scholars are bringing about the test and distinguishing between people, demonstrating sincere servitude, enabling believers to struggle against Satan, developing patience and perseverance, and manifesting the effects of forbearance, pardon, and forgiveness.
A person is not required to know every detail of the wisdom behind Allah’s actions. The believer seeks knowledge and understanding; when the wisdom becomes clear to him, his faith increases, and when it remains hidden, he submits to Allah’s wisdom and does not make his lack of knowledge a reason for objection.
And Allah knows best.