As for the command given to Abraham—peace and blessings be upon him—to sacrifice his son, what Allah truly loved and willed from him was that Abraham should intend to comply and resolve (1) to obey. He therefore issued (2) the command as a test and trial for him. Thus, “When they had both submitted, and he laid him down upon his forehead, We called to him, ‘O Abraham! You have fulfilled the vision.’ Indeed, this is how We reward those who do good.” The same applies to the command concerning the fifty prayers] (3).

[Section: The Rāfidī’s argument concerning divine decree entails abhorrent consequences, including that Allah would be more unjust than every wrongdoer, and the response to it]

[Section]

The author (4), the Rāfidī (5), said:

“This entails abhorrent consequences, including that Allah would be more unjust than every wrongdoer, because He punishes the unbeliever for his disbelief even though He decreed it for him and did not create within him the capacity for faith. Just as it would necessarily be unjust if He punished him for his color, height, or shortness, since he has no power over any of them, likewise (6) He would be unjust if He punished him for the act of disobedience that He wrought in him.”

The response is as follows:

It has already been stated that the majority of those who affirm divine decree hold two views concerning the interpretation of injustice: (7)

The first is that injustice is intrinsically impossible and lies outside the scope of power. This is explicitly stated by al-Asharī, al-Qādī Abū Bakr, Abū al-Maālī, al-Qādī Abū Yalā, Ibn al-Zāghūnī (8), and others,