But a person may turn away from seeking knowledge of what benefits him. This turning away is a privation. Yet will and movement are inseparable from the soul, for it possesses natural life. Its happiness, however, lies in living a beneficial life by worshipping Allah. Whenever it fails to live this life, it is dead, while the natural life it possesses becomes a cause of its torment. Thus, it is neither alive and enjoying life nor dead and relieved of torment. Allah Most High says:

“Then he will neither die therein nor live.”

The recompense corresponds to the deed: since, in this world, he neither lived a beneficial life nor was dead and without sensation, his condition in the Hereafter is likewise.

If the soul knows the truth and desires it, this is part of Allah’s complete favour upon it. Otherwise, its very nature necessarily leads it to have an object of desire and worship other than Allah, as well as evil objects of desire. This state arises from its failure to know Allah and worship Him, and this is a privation.

The Qadariyyah acknowledge this, and acknowledge that Allah created man with a will. However, they regard him as possessing will only potentially, as a capacity—that is, as capable of willing this or that. As for his actually willing this particular thing or that particular thing, they hold that this is not created by Allah. They are mistaken. Rather, Allah is the Creator of all of this, and He is the One who inspired the soul with its wickedness and its piety. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say:

“O Allah, grant my soul its piety,”

and so on.

Allah, glorified be He, made Abraham and his household leaders who called by His command, and made Pharaoh’s people leaders who called to the Fire. But this … (1) (*) to Allah on two grounds: in terms of its final cause, and in terms of its causal origin: