— Ryoichi Mita
— Ruwwad Center
Commentary
In the opening verse (7), it was said: إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ (If you disbelieve, then, Allah does not need you at all,) that is, neither does your faith bring any benefit to Allah Ta’ ala, nor does your disbelief or ingratitude, any loss. According to a Hadith in Sahih of Muslim, Allah Ta’ ala said: "0 My servants, even if the first and the last among you and the humans and the Jinns, all of them, were to fall in sin and disobedience, it does not affect My power and authority in the least." (Ibn Kathir)
Next it was said: لَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ (however He does not like for His servants to be disbelievers,) The word: رِضاء (rida) means love, liking, pleasure, or to intend to do something without objection. Its antonym: سَخَط (sakhat) means to detest something or take it to be objectionable - even if it is coupled with intention.
Ruling
Ahl-us-sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah believe that nothing good or bad, faith or disbelief can come into existence without the will and intention of Allah Ta’ ala. Therefore, for everything to come into existence, the intention of Allah Ta’ ala is a binding condition. However, the pleasure and favor of Allah Ta’ ala relates to 'iman (faith) and good deeds only. Kufr (disbelief), Shirk (ascribing of partners to Allah) and acts of disobedience are things He does not like. Shaikh-ul-Islam Nawawi writes in his book, اَلاصُول وَ الضَوَابِط ، al-usul wa-d- dawabit:
مذھب اھل الحق الایمان بالقدر و اثباتہ وان جمیع الکایٔنات خیرھا و شرھا بقضاء اللہ وقدرہ و ھو مرید لھا کلھا ویکرہ المعاصی مع اَنہ، تعالیٰ مرید لھا لحکمۃ یعلمھا جلّ وعلا۔ (روح المعانی)
The creed (madhhab) of people who follow the truth (ahl-ul-haqq) is to believe in destiny (al-qadr) and that all existents, good or bad, come into existence under the decision (qada' ) and destination (qadar) of Allah Ta’ ala, and Allah Ta’ ala does make the intention to create these, but He dislikes acts of disobedience and sin - though, the intention of creating these materializes in view of some wise consideration which He alone knows in His most exalted majesty. (Ruh-ul-Ma` ani)