The Meaning of the Scholars' Statement: (Man is Directed and Given Choice)

We received a letter from the village of al-Sadah in Diwaniyah, Iraq, in which the sender says: It is said that man is directed (masir), and it is said that he is given choice (mukhayyar). Is it true that he is given choice, or that he is directed? And if he is directed, why did Allah make the Fire for the disbelievers, when it is He who decreed disbelief upon them?
Answer: Man has two descriptions: he is directed and he is given choice. He is directed in the sense that he has no escape from the decree of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Allah (Mighty and Majestic) decreed the measures of creation fifty thousand years before He created them, as stated in the noble hadith. The decree is a fixed matter and is one of the foundations of faith. When Jibril asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about faith, he said in his answer: Thus, belief in the divine decree is one of the foundations of faith. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) decreed things and wrote them before He created people. He created the servant and decreed his provision, his lifespan, his misery, and his happiness. This is a known matter upon which the people of the Sunnah and the community have reached consensus. So, from this perspective, he is directed, in that he does not go beyond the decree of Allah. However, he is also facilitated (maysur) for what he was created for. When the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were informed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) , he (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that all matters are decreed, and that the servant's deeds, his misery and happiness, and all his affairs have already passed with the knowledge of Allah and have been written by Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the servants have no escape from what is written in the Preserved Tablet and what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has decreed for them. From this perspective, he is directed and also facilitated.
As for the aspect of being given choice, Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) gave him intellect, hearing, sight, and faculties. Through these, he knows what harms him and what benefits him, what suits him and what does not. If he commits an act of obedience, he does so by choice. If he commits a sin, he does so by choice. So he is not compelled or forced. Rather, he has an intellect with which he looks and distinguishes between the harmful and the beneficial, the good and the evil, the righteous and the wicked. He has a hearing with which he hears, and a sight with which he sees. He has faculties, such as hands with which he takes and gives, and legs with which he walks, and so on. So by this, he is given choice. He is the one who prays, and the one who fasts. He is the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse, and the one who steals. He is the one who remembers Allah, and the one who is heedless. All of this is among his deeds, so his deeds are attributed to him. He has choice and will, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [At-Takwir:28-29] .. [Al-Muddaththir:55-56], [Al-Anfal:67] .. [An-Nur:30].. [Al-Ma'idah:8] Indeed, Allah is All-Aware of what you do. Indeed, Allah is All-Aware of what you do. So He attributed their actions to them.
He said: [Al-Ahzab:35] .. [Al-Ahzab:35] after mentioning what precedes it in His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Ahzab:35] the verse. So their actions are attributed to them, whether good or evil. The servant is the one who fasts, the one who remembers, the one who is heedless, the one who works, and the one who prays, and so on. He is rewarded for his good deed which he intended for the Face of Allah, and he is sinful for the evil he did; because he is a chooser and intentional in this matter. If he does what Allah has prescribed with sincerity and love for Allah, Allah rewards him; such as prayer, fasting, charity, Hajj, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and so on. And if he does what Allah has forbidden, such as theft, unlawful sexual intercourse, severing family ties, undutifulness to parents, false testimony, and the like, he is held accountable for it, and he is sinful in it, and he deserves punishment; because this is from his action and his choice. This does not prevent the fact that the knowledge of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) preceded it; it does not prevent it. The knowledge of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) preceded everything, but the servant chooses and wills, and he has a will. If he wills a sin and intends it and does it, he is held accountable for it. If he wills obedience and intends it and does it, he is rewarded for it. So he is given choice and directed, and the expression of the Sunnah is "facilitated" (maysur), and this is also the expression of the Book: [Al-Layl:7] So the expression "facilitated" is more appropriate than "directed," as it came in the Sunnah. And it is said: "directed," as Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Yunus:22] So He directs His servants wherever He wills (Mighty and Majestic), and He (Exalted and Majestic is He) is the One who facilitates His servant for what He wills. And He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One who gave him intellect and gave him the ability to act and work. So from one perspective, he is directed and facilitated, and he will not go beyond the decree of Allah. From another perspective, he is given choice, and he has a will and a choice. All of this is a reality. By this, the argument is established against him, the excuse is cut off, and he deserves reward and punishment for his good and bad actions. So the good ones have their reward, and the bad ones have their burden upon him. By this, the meaning of directed, facilitated, and given choice becomes clear. Yes.