Abū ‘Abd Allāh al-Hārith said:

“Some who claim to follow the Sunnah, and some adherents of innovation, have interpreted this as referring to newly occurring events. Those who claimed to follow the Sunnah intended to affirm divine decree. They therefore explained ‘Allah’s will’ as an occurrence arising from His decree and antecedent will. Some adherents of innovation, however, claimed that will is a newly occurring act of creation, though it is not itself created; rather, through it Allah brought created beings into existence.”

He said:

“You have thus claimed that the act of creation is distinct from created beings, that this act is the will, and that it is not an attribute intrinsic to Allah Himself. Exalted is He above anything occurring without His willing it, and exalted is He above newly arising intentions and changes of will.”

He then explained that what newly occurs is the appointed time of the thing willed, not the will itself, as when people ask, “When do you want me to come?” Later he said:

“Likewise, His words, ‘Indeed, We are with you, listening,’ do not mean that hearing newly arises in Us, or that We exert Ourselves to hear what they say.”

He said:

“Some among Ahl al-Sunnah have held that a new act of listening arises within Allah’s essence. Such a person has relied on what he understands of created beings: knowledge through hearing newly arises in the person who hears what is said. For when a created being hears something, an awareness newly arises through which he understands the sound perceived by his ear.”

He said:

“Likewise, His words, ‘Work, for Allah will see your deeds, and so will His Messenger,’ do not mean that He acquires new sight or that a new act of looking arises within His essence. Rather, the thing comes into being, and He sees it in existence, just as He has always known it before it existed. He misses nothing, and nothing about it is hidden from Him.

“Similarly, some of them said that a new act of seeing occurs. Others said: ‘The only meaning of “will see”