said, “Allah did not create the actions of His servants,” affirmed only the second kind.

These Qadariyyah (1) hold that it is impossible for Allah to will the creation of His servants’ actions in the first sense, because, according to them, He does not create those actions. Those who oppose them (2), however, hold that will can be attributed to Allah only in the sense of willing to create. Thus, He cannot be described as willing anything that He did not will to create. In their view, He wills everything He has created—even if it is disbelief—and did not will what He did not create (3)—even if it is faith.

Although the latter are closer to the truth, the sound position is to affirm both kinds, as the Salaf and the imams affirmed. Hence Ja'far said:

“He willed things concerning them, and He willed things from them.”

A person may command and forbid another out of a desire to offer him sincere counsel and explain what benefits him, while nevertheless not wishing to help him perform that act. For not everything that it is in my interest to instruct and advise another person to do is also in my interest (4) to help him [myself] (5) accomplish. Rather, it may be (6) in my interest to will the opposite.

This is like a man who is consulted (7) by another about proposing marriage to a woman. He advises him to marry her because doing so is in the latter’s interest, while the adviser believes (8) that his own interest lies in marrying her himself rather than having the other man do so. Thus, instructing the other man as sincere counsel is one consideration, while acting on his own behalf is another.