over which they have neither choice nor capacity; indeed, it would mean that Allah punishes a servant for someone else’s deed and rewards him for an act he never committed. Such a doctrine is the vilest of doctrines.

The second view, diametrically opposed to the first, is the position of the Muʿtazilah. They claim that deeds arise solely from the servant—springing from his absolute will and independent volition—so that Allah has no share in them; the servant, they contend, creates his own acts. In this they have gone to extremes in affirming human power. Their assertion necessarily implies that Allah is powerless and that He shares the act of creation with others. This is precisely the creed of the Magians, which is why the Muʿtazilah have been dubbed “the Magians of this ummah” (1). The Magians say that the universe has two creators, one for good and one for evil, whereas the Muʿtazilah went even further, declaring that every individual creates his own act—thereby positing countless creators.

The balanced path is that of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamaʿah, guided by the Quran and Sunnah: human actions are truly their own, performed by their will and choice, yet they are simultaneously Allah’s creation—“Allah created you and what you do” (al-Saffat 37:96).