the attributes, but affirm only one individual instance of each—affirm only a single will relating to every event, one particular hearing relating to everything heard, one particular sight relating to everything seen, and one and the same speech encompassing every kind of speech, as is known concerning their doctrine.

These people say:

All events proceed from that one, numerically single will, which gives preference to one of two equivalent alternatives without any determining factor. This will is also love, approval, and so forth.

When these people behold this, they no longer distinguish between events in terms of goodness and badness, except insofar as they accord with a person’s wishes or run counter to them. Whatever accords with what he wants and loves is good in his eyes, and whatever runs counter to that is bad in his eyes. Thus, in reality, there is no good deed that Allah loves and no evil deed that He dislikes, except in the sense that a good deed is accompanied by pleasure for its doer, and an evil deed is accompanied by pain for its doer, without any distinction whatsoever relating to Him or to the deeds themselves.

For this reason, these people affirm neither good nor bad—not in the sense of what accords with natural disposition or runs counter to it. Goodness and badness as defined by religious law are what indicate to the person concerned that doing something may bring him pleasure or cause him pain. Hence, in their view, Allah may command anything, even disbelief, sinful defiance, and disobedience, and may prohibit anything, even faith and the affirmation of His oneness. Anything He has commanded may be abrogated by anything He has prohibited.

In their view, nothing in existence remains good or evil, good or bad, except in this respect. Thus, there is neither harm nor benefit in existence; and benefit