so they would be commanded only to do what they had actually done.

Likewise, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to ʿImrān ibn Husayn:

“Pray standing; if you are unable, then sitting; and if you are unable, then lying on your side.”

If the capacity accompanying the action were intended, the meaning would be, “If you do not do so,” leaving one free to choose. There are numerous similar examples. Whenever the Quran and Sunnah make an obligation conditional upon capacity, and its absence conditional upon incapacity, the capacity accompanying the action is not what is intended. Otherwise, Allah would have imposed obligations only upon those who fulfilled them and waived them for those who did not. No one would then incur sin by neglecting the obligation in question.

As for “the accompanying capacity that necessitates the action,” examples include His words, Most High:

“They could not hear, nor could they see.”

And His words:

“Those whose eyes were veiled from My remembrance, and who could not hear.”

This capacity is the accompanying capacity that necessitates the action, since the other kind is a necessary condition for religious obligation.

The “first” is the capacity recognized by religious law, upon which commands and prohibitions, reward and punishment depend. This is the capacity discussed by jurists and most commonly understood in everyday usage. The “second” pertains to the created order: it underlies divine decree and predestination, and through it the action actually comes into existence. Thus, the first relates to the divine words of command and legislation, while the “second” relates to the divine words of creation governing existence. As He says:

“And she believed in the words of her Lord and His Scriptures.”

People have differed over whether a person has the capacity to act contrary to what Allah knows will occur or wills to occur.