Subtleties and Allusions

Ontological and Legislative Permission

1. Ontological Permission (idhn takwīnī): If God grants permission for something, that thing can occur; otherwise, it will not happen. Something may be forbidden from the perspective of sacred law, but God may grant it ontological permission for the purpose of testing and trial, like God’s permission for the effectiveness of magic: “They teach people magic… And they learn from those two that with which they would cause a split between man and his wife - though they could not harm anyone with it except with God’s leave…”(420) This means that sorcerers cannot cause any harm without God’s ontological permission. This permission does not mean God’s legislative permission, because God has not permitted harming and hurting people, but has rather forbidden it. Therefore, the disbelievers should not think they can do anything without God’s ontological permission. Yes, God has given them respite for the purpose of testing.
2. Legislative Permission (idhn tashrīʿī): Verses that pertain to jurisprudential rulings only concern legislative permission, such as: “Those who are fought against are permitted [to fight] because they have been wronged”(421)
3. Legislative permission accompanied by ontological permission, such as: “How many a small party has overcome a larger party by God’s leave”(422) meaning that God has given both ontological and legislative permission to the fighters; He has not only approved their action but has also commanded it and ontologically provided the means for their victory. A second example is this verse: “We did not send any messenger but to be obeyed”(423) No prophet was sent except by God’s permission; they are to be obeyed both ontologically and legislatively. A third example is the miracles of the prophets (a.s.), which are contingent upon both God’s ontological and legislative permission.