that brings no benefit—let him blame no one but himself, for he is the one who has wronged himself. Everything that occurs does so by Allah’s power and will. Likewise, al-Bukhārī and others narrated from Shaddād ibn Aws that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The foremost supplication for forgiveness is for the servant to say: ‘O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no deity except You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I remain faithful to Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.’ Whoever says this in the morning with firm conviction and dies that day will enter Paradise; and whoever says it in the evening with firm conviction and dies that night will enter Paradise.”

His words, “I acknowledge Your blessings upon me,” encompass the blessing of good deeds and all other blessings. His words, “I confess my sin,” are an acknowledgment of his sin. This is the way of the believers.

Those other than them fall into three groups, making the division fourfold.

One group regard themselves as the creators and originators of good and evil deeds. They hold that Allah’s religious blessing upon the believer and the disbeliever is the same; that He has given the servant only a single capacity for either of two opposite acts; and that there is no guidance in Allah’s hand which He has bestowed specifically upon the believer, or which may be sought from Him through the servant’s words:

“Guide us to the straight path.”

They also hold that He has no power to guide someone who is astray or to lead someone who is guided astray. These are the Magian Qadariyyah.

And (another group strip the servant of his choice and capacity, and regard him as compelled in his movements