If, among those who affirm divine decree, there is someone whose position entails the invalidity (1) of this distinction, his position is false. Nevertheless, the position (2) of those who deny divine decree is even more false. Thus, this (3) Qadarite has rebutted a false position with one even more false. Ahl al-Sunnah (4) agree with him on neither point; rather, they state the truth and know that his position is still more false (5).

This is because the servants’ acts are originated, coming into existence after not having existed, and so they are subject to the same ruling as all other originated things. They are contingent entities and are therefore subject to the same ruling as all other contingent entities. Every proof establishing that certain originated and contingent things (6) are created by Allah also establishes that the servants’ acts are created by Allah. It is known that every originated thing must have an originator, and this premise is self-evident to the great majority of rational people. Likewise, every contingent thing must have a fully sufficient determinant. Thus, since the servant’s act (7) is originated after not having existed (8), it must have an originator (9). If it is said (10), “The servant is its originator,” then the servant’s becoming its originator after not having been so is itself an originated event (11), which must therefore have an originator. For if the servant