Why does Allah employ causes?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Author: Şadi Eren (Doç.Dr.) 

We live in a realm in which everything takes place based on a cause. Rain comes from clouds; fruits come from trees and people come from their parents to this realm. Are those causes the creators of those things? If the causes did not exist, would the outcomes not take place? Mawlana says the following regarding the issue: 

“The miracles of Hazrat Musa and our Prophet did not take place based on causes; they took place because Allah created them. Where do the non-existent things take their abilities?

“Allah imposed a custom under the sky for those who seek. He created causes and ways. Most of the events take place are based on that custom. However, sometimes, He breaks and abolishes that custom. He usually does things based on causes; He creates causes so that the person who seeks will reach what he wants.” (1)

The first creation took place without a cause.  Mawlana states it as, “Where do the non-existent things take their abilities?” Then, results were started to be created by causes and divine laws that are called “adatullah, sunnatullah”. However, those laws are not binding for Allah. Allah cannot be a prisoner of the laws He himself imposed. As a matter of fact, the miracles of Hazrat Moses, our Prophet and the other prophets are the proof of divine will. Through the extraordinary events by the hand of the prophets, God Almighty shows that He does whatever and however He wants . “Causes are only curtains (veils)”. (2)

The karamahs of the saints and some extraordinary events take place by the special will of Allah not by the law of causes. For instance, a child falls off from the tenth floor of a building but he does not die; a taxi falls down to a precipice but nothing happens to anybody in it; events like those are rare but they do take place. Mawlana attracts attention to things like that by saying, “I had been surprised by the fact that Allah sometimes rendered causes ineffective.  I had had views like skepticists in terms of imagining and envisioning.” (3) That is, skepticists avoid making definite decisions about things and events; I had become like them, unable to make decisions. Will the sun rise tomorrow? It might not. Does fire burn? It might not burn sometimes. Can a handful of soil hit the eyes of the all of the enemies. If Allah wishes, it will. (4)

Nevertheless, it should not be misunderstood. That causes are curtains (veils) does not mean that causes are ignored. As a matter of fact, the Prophet did not ignore causes; he put on armor during the battles, stood in trenches and dug trenches. Mawlana states this point as follows:

“Give up dry prayer! If you want a tree, sow seeds.”

“To sow seeds... It neither makes the ground bright nor the owner of the ground becomes rich. It means only to say ‘You are the one that gives its origin out of non-existence. I need it’. ‘I ate it and brought its seed as an indication. Give us from this bounty again. ‘ ” (5)

That is, causes must not be ignored; but, the outcomes should be expected from Allah. A person who expects fruits without sowing seeds acts against the law of Allah; a person who thinks that he will definitely receive fruits when he sows seeds opposes the will and power of Allah.

References:

1. Mevlana, V, 129 (İzbudak).
2. Mevlana, XIII, 932.
3. Mevlana, II, 350.
4. As a matter of fact, the sun will rise in the west just before the Day of Judgment. The fire did not burn Hazrat Ibrahim. (see al-Anbiya, 69). A handful of soil the Prophet threw at the enemies hit the eyes of them. See Baydawi, Anwaru’t-Tanzil, I, 378.
5. Mevlana, V, 98 (İzbudak).

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