or slips from his tongue—such as a cheerful expression or a frown, turning toward something or turning away from it. These and similar bodily actions entail blame and punishment, just as they entail praise and reward.

Some people conceive of a firm resolve that is never accompanied by any action. This can occur only because of an incapacity that arises afterward, through death or otherwise. They therefore call the determination to act in the future a firm resolve; there is no dispute over the use of words. Some people distinguish between resolve and intention, saying: “What accompanies the act is intention, while what precedes it is resolve.” Others regard them as the same. They have also disputed whether Allah’s will concerning what He will do in the future may be called resolve. This is a verbal dispute.

However, when a person performs something he previously resolved to do in the future, there must be a renewed will distinct from his earlier resolve. This is the will that necessarily entails the occurrence of the act when the ability is present. They have also disputed whether an act must occur when both the ability and the motive are present, expressing two views on this as well. The more evident view is that ability, together with a complete motive, necessarily entails the occurrence of the act within one’s power, and that will, together with ability, necessarily entails the occurrence of what is willed.

Of those disputing this issue, one sought to affirm punishment without qualification for every resolve to perform a future act, even if no action accompanied it, while the other sought to rule out punishment