It is thus clear that Adam invoked the divine decree in his argument with Moses with respect to the calamity that befell him and his descendants. A calamity gives rise to a measure of anguish that leads one to blame whoever caused it. It thus became clear to him that this calamity and its cause had been decreed and written, and that the servant is commanded to endure Allah’s decree patiently and submit to Allah’s command (1), for this is among what Allah has commanded him (2) to do. As He Most High says:

“No calamity befalls except by Allah’s permission. And whoever believes in Allah—He guides his heart.”

[Surah al-Taghābun: 11]

A group of the Salaf, such as Ibn Masūd, said (3): “This refers to a man who is struck by a calamity and knows that it is from Allah, so he is content and submits.”

[Thus, this statement made by the present author and other statements of] this kind are addressed to anyone who invokes the divine decree (4) to justify acts of disobedience. Such a person then knows that, by the plain dictates of reason, this argument is false in everyone’s judgment, even while belief in the divine decree is maintained.

The invalidity of this argument does not entail denying the divine decree. This is because the children of Adam are innately disposed to need the securing (5) of benefit and the warding off of harm. They cannot live, nor can their religious or worldly affairs prosper, without this. They therefore cannot avoid deliberating (6), and such deliberation consists solely in securing (7) their benefits and warding off what harms them, whether or not a messenger has been sent to them. Yet their knowledge of benefits and harms varies according to their powers of reason and their aims. The messengers (8)—may Allah’s blessings be upon them—