Kalām, Choice and Where Is Allah

What, exactly, does the term ʿilm al-kalām mean? ʿIlm al-kalām is just a name given to this subject: theology. It has a negative aspect when it goes into the heretical debates; it becomes polemics, polemical theology. That is also called al-kalām. So that is why, when one of the scholars says of a person who delves into kalām that he should be taken, or put backwards on a donkey and paraded through, with stones thrown at him, that is talking about those who are wasting their time going into heretical debates. But trying generally to understand one's dīn at an advanced level is praiseworthy kalām, if it is still to be called kalām.

The difference between the Māturīdīs and the Ashʿarīs may also need restating. As described in the previous chapter, the difference between the two is basically methodology. But again, there are not that many differences, and one of the differences has just been highlighted above, which should explain a bit more. They were from different areas; they were working for the same goal; their conclusions were primarily the same. Some things they differed in, in terms of some minor peripheral issues.

Why did Allah create human beings, when He had no need for them? That has already been explained, as far as possible. Allah knows best, but one of the wisdoms is obviously so that He can reward us in Paradise, and that He be recognized by His creation, without Him needing to be recognized. One could probably spend hours just discussing that aspect, and the benefits of the creation.

Why not create humans just to please Allah, and not give them choice?

That is something Allah (swt) wanted to do. He wanted to test you. Because if He had just created everybody and sent them all to Paradise just like that, there would be no distinction; there would be no special category. Here, He made Paradise something that we become entitled to by our hard work, with different stages in Paradise; and unfortunately, some people will not go to Paradise. So this was a test that He gave the human beings, so that they could be thankful to Allah (swt) for what He has given to them. If everybody has the same — there are no opposites, there is no difference, and there is no distinction — then how is anyone going to be thankful? Again, someone could say: Well, Allah could have done it that way. Lā yusʾalu ʿammā yafʿalu wa hum yusʾalūn.

Is it wrong to ask: where is Allah? The question in itself is wrong, in a sense, because when it comes to Allah (swt)… “where” means: which place is He in? When Allah is the Creator of place, how can that question be attributed to Him? There is more about that further on: Imam al-Ṭaḥāwī speaks about Allah (swt) being transcendent of all directions and positions, of physical position, and so on, and it is discussed a bit more there. But yes, in a sense, it is a wrong question.