mercy for Himself,” and “He has forbidden injustice to Himself.” For prohibition restrains an action, while His prescribing something for Himself provides a reason to perform it. This is plain and clear.

What is meant here is not merely His recording that He will act—that is, recording what has been decreed—as is established in an authentic hadith:

“He decreed the destinies of all creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon the water.”

For He said, “He has prescribed mercy for Himself.” If this meant recording what has been decreed, He would have prescribed wrath for Himself just as He prescribed mercy for Himself, since the meaning would merely be a declaration of what will happen. Likewise, He would have forbidden Himself every act of kindness He does not perform, just as He forbade Himself injustice.

Just as, in our case, there is an established distinction between His statement [exalted is He](1), “Just retribution for those murdered is prescribed for you,” and His statements, “Everything they have done is in the records,” and “No calamity befalls the earth or yourselves without being recorded in a Book before We bring it into being,” and the Prophet’s statement [may Allah bless him and grant him peace](2):

“Then the angel is sent to him and instructed to record four things. He is told: ‘Write down his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.’”

So too is this distinction established with regard to Allah. Parallel to what He has mentioned about prescribing something for Himself, as discussed above, is His statement, exalted is He:

“It is a duty We have undertaken to help the believers.”

And the statement of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the authentic hadith: “O Muʿādh, do you know what Allah’s right over His servants is?” I said, “Allah