What is the meaning of the expression of “the Good and the Evil come from Allah” in Amantu? The short answer is…
The expression of “The Good and The Evil come from Allah” means that their Creator is Allah. Because the Creator is Allah and there is none other than Him who can create. The aspect of the matter relevant to the servant is that good and evil are chosen by the servant’s free will. Therefore, people are responsible for all their good and bad actions, be they good and bad.
As indicated in the principles of “Amantu”, every Muslim believes in qadar and that the good and the evil come from Allah. That is to say, Allah, Who is the Creator of the worlds, wishes and creates the good and the bad with complete will. Because everything in the world is under His will, predestination, and power. There is no other entity in the world other than Him who has real authority and power, and has the power to dispose. However, Allah is contended with the good but not with the evil. Those who choose the good will be rewarded and those who choose the evil will be punished. That the evil comes from Allah means that Allah creates the evil so that the deed of the servant can be implemented. Otherwise, Allah is not contended with committing the bad deeds and does not command the evil.
According to the Islamic scholars, the fact that Allah wants and creates the evil is not bad and ugly. However, that the servant commits and prefers the evil deed is bad and ugly. For example, if an expert painter draws a picture of an ugly man by complying with all the delicacy of his art, people say, “what a beautiful picture” in order to appreciate him and express their admiration for his art. In this situation, the fact that the man whose picture is drawn is ugly does not require that the picture is going to be ugly, too.
The Almighty Allah is the only Being who does absolutely wise and regular work. There are some hidden and explicit wisdom in His creation of the evil. In order to make difference between the alive and the dead, the good and the bad, and the goodness and the evil, Allah created the things with their opposites. Moreover, He showed humans how to protect themselves from the evil and bad things and gave them the power to avoid from the evil. If there were no evil in the world, the good would not be meaningful and the wisdom behind this world’s being a world of test would not be realized. The evil is created as required by Allah’s justice and wisdom and in order to conduce to a good deed that will happen after the bad one or ward off a worse evil.
In every work that happens with the power of Allah, there may be some benefits either for individuals or for the society. Everything we see as evil or good may not be as we see it in terms of its consequences. This issue is stated in a verse as follows, “But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.” (Baqarah, 2/216)
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWAS
Is Believing In The Predestination (Qadar) And Allah’s Decree (Qada) A Pillar Of Islamic Creed?
