Whoever acknowledges the religious commands and prohibitions but not divine decree and predestination belongs to the Qadariyya, such as the Mu‘tazila and others, who are the Magians of this community. These resemble the Magians, whereas those others resemble the polytheists, who are worse than the Magians. Whoever acknowledges both yet attributes contradiction to the Lord is a follower of Iblīs, who objected to the Lord—glory be to Him—and disputed with Him, as has been related about him.

This classification concerns statements and beliefs. The same applies to their “states and actions.” The correct state is that of the believer who fears Allah: he does what is commanded, refrains from what is forbidden, and patiently endures whatever befalls him by divine decree. He adheres to the commands and prohibitions, the religion and the revealed law, seeking Allah’s help in doing so. As Allah Most High says:

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

When he sins, he seeks forgiveness and repents. He does not invoke predestination to excuse the evil deeds he commits, nor does he consider any created being to have an argument against the Lord of all creation. Rather, he believes in predestination without using it as an excuse, as in the authentic hadith which states:

“The foremost supplication for forgiveness is for the servant to say: ‘O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but 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 favor upon me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.’”

Thus he acknowledges the favor of