and say: Allah, exalted is He, has absolved Himself of evil and attributed it to the servant, saying: “Whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.” Yet they have no basis for their argument in this, for the verse does not refer to the good and evil deeds that one earns through acts of obedience and disobedience. Rather, it refers to the blessings and trials that befall people, and these are not of their own doing. This is shown by the fact that He attributed them to someone other than themselves, rather than attributing them to them, saying: “Whatever befalls you.” One does not say of obedience or disobedience, “It befell me”; rather, one says, “I did it.” But regarding blessings, one says, “A blessing befell me.” This is further shown by the fact that He did not mention any reward or punishment in connection with it.

It is like His saying, exalted is He:

“Whenever good came to them, they said, ‘This is ours.’ But if evil afflicted them, they attributed it to the ill omen of Moses and those with him.” (al-A‘raf 7:131)

When He mentioned the good and evil deeds that people earn, however, He attributed them to them and promised reward and punishment for them, saying:

“Whoever comes with a good deed will have ten times its like; but whoever comes with an evil deed will be repaid only with its like.” (al-An‘am 6:160)

It was also said that the meaning of the verse is: Whatever good befalls you, such as victory and triumph on the day of Badr, is from Allah—that is, from Allah’s bounty. And whatever evil befalls you, such as killing and defeat on the day of Uhud, is from yourself—that is, because of your own sin in disobeying the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

If it is asked: How can His saying, “Say, ‘Everything is from Allah,’” be reconciled with His saying, “is from yourself”? The answer is: His saying, “Say, ‘Everything is from Allah,’” means that prosperity, drought, victory, and defeat are all from Allah. His saying, “is from yourself,” means: Whatever evil befalls you is from Allah, but it is due to your own sin, as a punishment for you. As Allah, exalted is He, says: “Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned.” (al-Shura 42:30) This is supported by what Mujahid narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: that he recited, “Whatever evil befalls you is from yourself, and I have decreed it against you.”

Some said: This verse is connected to what precedes it, and the statement is implied within it. Its sense is: “So what is the matter with these people that they can scarcely understand any statement?” They say: “Whatever good befalls you is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.” “Say, ‘Everything is from Allah.’” “And We have sent you,” O Muhammad, “as a Messenger to all people, and Allah is sufficient as a Witness”—a witness to your being sent and to your truthfulness. It was also said that “Allah is sufficient as a Witness” means: a witness that both good and evil are entirely from Allah, exalted is He.