Thus He affirmed the servant’s will and made it such that it comes about only by the will of Allah Most High.
Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend—peace and blessings be upon him—said (1):
“My Lord, make me one who establishes prayer, along with some of my descendants.”
[Surah Ibrāhīm: 40]
And he said:
“So make the hearts of some people yearn toward them.”
[Surah Ibrāhīm: 37]
He and Ishmael—peace and blessings be upon them both—said (2):
“Our Lord, make us both submissive to You, and from our descendants a community submissive to You.”
[Surah al-Baqara 128]
And He said:
“We made them leaders, guiding by Our command.”
[Surah al-Anbiyāʾ: 73]
And He said:
“We made them leaders calling to the Fire.”
[Surah al-Qasas 41]
Similar statements occur in the Quran and Sunnah.
Thus, their proof (3) entails that the servant has a will and acts by choice (4), while this proof entails that this will and choice came about by the Lord’s will. Both (5) propositions are therefore true.
Whoever, then, says that the servant has neither will nor choice, or says that he has no capacity (6), or that he did not perform that act, or that his capacity has no (7) effect upon it and that he did not bring about his actions (8), has denied what the first self-evident truth necessarily entails.