Thus, when those people are told:

“He caused them to fall into those sins and sealed their hearts only as punishment for their failure to do what He had commanded them. He did not wrong them; rather, they wronged themselves.”

To say, “I wronged him,” means, “I deprived him of his due.” The Exalted says:

“Both gardens yielded their produce and fell short in nothing.”

Many of those people acknowledge that Allah creates deeds in a person as recompense for an earlier deed of his. They also say that He creates the obedience of the obedient person. Thus, they do not dispute the creation of people’s deeds in itself. Rather, they say: “He did not create any sins in the first instance; He created them only as recompense, lest He be unjust.”

We therefore say: “The first sin a person commits is one he himself brought about; Allah did not bring it about. Then whatever comes as recompense for it is brought about by Allah.” Their dispute concerning the creation of deeds concerns only this point. They agree with what we have mentioned, but say: “Allah did not bring about the first sin; rather, the person brings it about, lest recompense for it be unjust.”

What we have explained, however, entails that Allah is the Creator of all things. Nothing, then, comes into being except