950 — Ja‘far ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Ya‘qub informed us: Muhammad ibn Harun al-Ruyani informed us: Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us: Safwan and Abu ‘Asim both narrated to us: Azrah narrated to us: Yahya ibn ‘Aqil narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Ya‘mar, from Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali, who said:

‘Imran ibn Husayn said to me, “What do you think of the deeds people perform and strive at? Are they something that has been decreed for them and has already passed upon them by a prior decree, or are they matters yet to come, concerning what their Prophet brought them and by which the proof has been established against them?”

I said, “Rather, it is something that has already passed upon them.”

He said, “Then would that be injustice?”

I was greatly alarmed by this and said to him, “Everything is His creation and under His dominion: ‘He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned’ [al-Anbiya 21:23].”

He said, “May Allah guide you rightly. I only asked you in order to gauge your understanding. A man from Muzaynah ⦗599⦘ or Juhaynah came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what do you think of the deeds people perform and strive at? Are they something that has been decreed for them and has already passed upon them by a prior decree, or are they matters yet to come, concerning what their Prophet brought them and by which the proof has been established against them?’

He replied, ‘Rather, they are something that has already passed upon them.’

The man asked, ‘Then why do we act?’

He said, ‘Whomever Allah created for one of the two final abodes, He makes him suited for it. The confirmation of this is in the Book of Allah: “By the soul and Him who fashioned it, then inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness” [al-Shams 91:8].’