Explaining that action is the act of the servant and also part of the divine decree and destiny

Question:
When is an action the act of the servant, or part of the divine decree and destiny? And how is a person free to choose in some matters, while being compelled in others?

Answer:
All actions are the deeds of the servant, and they are from the divine decree of Allah. All types of worship are his deeds and are attributed to him, whether it is killing, eating, drinking, prayer, fasting, zina, theft, or betrayal. All of these are attributed to them; they are the ones who pray, the ones who fast, the ones who commit zina, and the ones who commit lewd acts. These are their actions, and all of them are by the decree of Allah , who possesses perfect wisdom .
So their actions are attributed to them. They are praised for what is good among them and blamed for what is bad. They are rewarded for what conforms to the Shari'ah and sin for what contradicts the Shari'ah. All of this is by the decree, wisdom, and effective will of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) .
The meaning of "free to choose" is that he is able to do this and that. What does it mean that he is free to choose? It does not mean that it is permissible for him to disobey. No, it means he has the choice. It means he has a will and a desire. The meaning of "free to choose" is not that it is permissible for him to commit sin. No, the meaning of one who says "free to choose" is: does he have a will? Is he able to do this and that? Is he able to eat or not eat? Is he able to commit unlawful sexual intercourse or not? Is he able to pray or not able to pray?
Yes, he is able to pray. And if he is in good health, he is able to eat. If he is in good health, he is able to commit unlawful sexual intercourse if he has access to a woman. All of this exists for him; he has the ability for these things. He has the choice; he is able to choose this and choose that. This exists and that exists. He has forbidden wealth and he has lawful wealth. He is able to eat from this and leave that by his choice. He is able to do so. But if he chooses the good, he is rewarded. If he chooses the bad, he sins. If he prays, he is rewarded, meaning if he prays for the sake of Allah. If he leaves it, he sins. And likewise, if he commits unlawful sexual intercourse, he sins. If he leaves unlawful sexual intercourse and restrains himself from what Allah has forbidden, he is rewarded. All of this is by his choice. He is not coerced and not compelled. Rather, it is by his choice that he does this and that, doing this and that.
The meaning of "free to choose" is that he has the choice, he has the ability, and he has the will. For this reason, he deserves reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience. He is not like one who is tied up... in the Fire by force. No, it is not in the sense of the coerced one who is tied up and burdened with something, or beaten until he does something beyond his ability, or thrown beyond his ability into a pit or into the Fire. It is not like that. He has the choice. He is able to stand up and eat from this. He is able to strike so-and-so. He is able to take so-and-so's wealth by his authority or his ability. He has ability according to his condition and according to what Allah has given him of means. And he has the ability to leave sin and to leave what is forbidden by what Allah has given him of means.
So if he leaves what is to be avoided and does what is commanded, and he is free to choose in this matter, he deserves reward from Allah for leaving what is to be avoided and for doing what is commanded in obedience to Allah and seeking His pleasure. And if he does the opposite, leaving what is commanded and doing what is to be avoided, while he is able to leave it, having the ability for both, he becomes deserving of punishment and misses out on the reward, because he chose the forbidden over the good.