As for his willing this or that particular thing, they hold that this is not created by Allah. In this they have gravely erred, for Allah is the Creator of all of this. The soul’s willing the sins it desires and its committing them are among the things Allah Most High has created, for Allah is the Creator of everything. It is He who inspired the soul—which He fashioned—with its wickedness and its righteousness.

{The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would say in his supplication: “O Allah, grant my soul its righteousness and purify it; You are the best to purify it. You are its Guardian and Master.”}

He, glorified be He, made Abraham and his family leaders who guided by His command. He also made Pharaoh and his people leaders who called to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped.

Yet this is not attributed to Allah Most High in isolation, for two reasons: one concerns its final cause—its purpose—and the other its originating cause and efficient cause.

As for its purpose, Allah created it only for a wise purpose, in light of which it is good, not evil, even though it may be evil in a relative sense. If it is attributed to Him in isolation, someone might mistakenly understand this according to Jahm’s doctrine: that Allah creates pure evil containing no good for anyone, with neither wisdom nor mercy behind it. The transmitted reports, the Sunnah, and reasoned reflection refute this doctrine.