sins occur are willed in the first sense, for whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass. Thus, everything that occurs, He has willed to occur. Deterring people from such sins is willed in the second sense, for He loves the forbidding of wrongdoing, is pleased with it, and rewards whoever undertakes it. This is unlike the wrongdoing itself, which He neither loves nor is pleased with, and for which He does not reward its perpetrator. Moreover, deterrence concerns only what has not yet occurred, whereas punishment is for what (1) has occurred.

Thus, if a theft occurs by divine decree and predestination, and Allah—Glorified is He—has commanded that the prescribed penalty (2) be carried out for it, then carrying out that penalty is commanded: He loves it, is pleased with it, and wills it by way of command, not by way of creation. If He enables it to be carried out, He has also willed it by way of creation. The prescribed penalty is then willed both under revealed law and by divine decree, both as creation and as command: He has willed it and loved it (3).

If it is not carried out, then the sin that did occur was willed by way of creation, though He neither willed nor loved it under revealed law.

It is related that a man stole and said to Umar:

“I stole by Allah’s decree and predestination.”

Umar replied:

“And I (4) shall cut off your hand by Allah’s decree and predestination.”

The same is said concerning anyone who transgresses Allah’s limits when Allah enables His servants to impose the punishment prescribed for him, just as He aids the Muslims in fighting the disbelievers:

“All of it (5) occurs by Allah’s decree and predestination. Yet what He has commanded, He loves, is pleased with, and wills as law and religion, just as He has willed it by way of creation and bringing into being—unlike what He has forbidden.”