Is man compelled or given the choice?
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The questioner : The questioner Muhammad from Makkah al-Mukarramah says: Is man compelled or given the choice?
The Shaykh : The answer is that I say to him: Ask yourself, when you wrote this paper containing the question, did you do so by your own choice, or did someone force you?
I am certain that he will say he wrote it by his own choice. But let him know that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One who created the will in man. Allah the Exalted created man and placed in him two things, both of which are causes of existence:
The first thing is will; Allah the Exalted made man a willing being.
The second thing is power; Allah the Exalted made him capable.
So when he does something, he does it with his will and his power. The One who created the will in him is Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and likewise the One who created the power in him is Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
This term, "compelled" or "given the choice," is a later innovation; I do not know it in the speech of the predecessors. Therefore, we say: Man is given the choice; he does things by his own choice and will. But this choice and will are both created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
The Shaykh : The answer is that I say to him: Ask yourself, when you wrote this paper containing the question, did you do so by your own choice, or did someone force you?
I am certain that he will say he wrote it by his own choice. But let him know that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One who created the will in man. Allah the Exalted created man and placed in him two things, both of which are causes of existence:
The first thing is will; Allah the Exalted made man a willing being.
The second thing is power; Allah the Exalted made him capable.
So when he does something, he does it with his will and his power. The One who created the will in him is Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and likewise the One who created the power in him is Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
This term, "compelled" or "given the choice," is a later innovation; I do not know it in the speech of the predecessors. Therefore, we say: Man is given the choice; he does things by his own choice and will. But this choice and will are both created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic).