Surah al-Anfāl

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

[Surah al-Anfāl (8): Verse 17]

“It was not you who killed them, but Allah who killed them. And it was not you who threw when you threw, but Allah who threw, so that He might test the believers with a good test from Him. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (17)

I say: Some have believed that this verse means denying that the Messenger performed the act and attributing it instead to the Lord Most High. They have made this a foundation for the doctrine of compulsion, denying that people’s actions can be attributed to them and affirming their attribution to the Lord alone. This is a grave misunderstanding of the Quran. Were it correct, it would have to apply consistently to every action. One would then say: “You did not pray; you did not fast when you fasted; you did not offer a sacrifice when you offered it; nor did you perform any act when you performed it. Rather, Allah did that.” If they apply this consistently, they must extend it to all people’s actions, both their obedience and their disobedience, since there is no distinction. If, however, they restrict it to the Messenger alone and all his actions, or merely to his throwing, they contradict themselves. Such people have not been guided to understand the intended meaning of the verse.

Furthermore, this verse was revealed concerning his throwing a handful of pebbles at the polytheists on the day of Badr—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Those pebbles struck the face of every one of them. Clearly, a human throw could not achieve such an effect. The beginning of the throw—casting the pebbles—came from him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; its completion—making them reach their targets—came from Allah, glorified is He. Thus, He attributed to the Messenger the casting that initiated the throw, while denying that he brought about its final result: making the pebbles reach their targets.