that Allah wills acts of disobedience, because they—people from among the earlier and later generations—thought that willing could only mean willing to create them. They knew that Allah is the Creator of all things, and that whatever He wills comes to pass, while whatever He does not will does not come to pass. The Quran uses the word “will” in both senses, but each group recognized one meaning and denied the other.

Another example is the man who said to his family:

“When I die, burn me, then scatter me in the sea. By Allah, if Allah has power over me, He will punish me as He punishes no one else in all creation.”

Similar examples are those mentioned by some of the early generations concerning His words:

“Does he think that no one has power over him?”

And concerning the words of the disciples:

“Can your Lord send down to us a table spread with food from heaven?”

Likewise, the Companions who asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “Will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” did not know that they would see Him. Many people do not know this, either because the hadiths have not reached them or because they think those reports are false and erroneous.