“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from His wrath and punishment, from the evil of His servants, and from the promptings of the devils and their presence with me.”

This is also indicated by His words:

“Your Lord knows you best. If He wills, He will have mercy on you, or if He wills, He will punish you.”

He thus makes mercy dependent on His will, just as He makes punishment dependent on it. Whatever attributes of the Lord depend on His will belong to the “volitional attributes.”

The same applies to His being Master of the Day of Recompense, when His servants will be requited for their deeds: good for good and evil for evil. The Day of Recompense—and what will make you realize what the Day of Recompense is?

“The Day when no soul will have any power to help another; all command that Day will belong to Allah.”

A “king” exercises authority through commands that are obeyed. Thus, only a living being whose commands are obeyed is called a “king.” The possessor of inanimate objects is not called their “king,” but their “owner.” The leader of the bees is called the “king of the bees” because he commands and is obeyed. An owner is one who can exercise control over what he owns.

Since a “king” is one who commands and forbids and is obeyed, if he commands and forbids by his own will, then his commanding and forbidding belong to the “volitional attributes.” This is what the Quran declares. Allah Most High says:

“O you who believe, fulfil your contracts. Livestock have been made lawful for you, except what is recited to you, but hunting is not permitted while you are in a state of consecration for pilgrimage. Indeed, Allah decrees whatever He wills.”

If, however, he does not command and forbid by his own will—rather, his command is inseparable from him and exists without his will or power—then he would not be an owner either. Indeed, he would more aptly be described as owned. For Allah Most High created the human being and gave him attributes inseparable from him—such as colour, height, breadth, and modesty