And the majority (1) among Ahl al-Sunnah and others say: One possessed of power is one who acts if he wills and, if he does not will (2), does not act. Yet when he wills to act and possesses the power to do so, his act must necessarily occur. Thus, whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass. He has power over whatever He wills, and when complete power is joined with decisive will, the act must necessarily occur.

Accordingly, there are three positions:

The philosophers affirm a cause that necessitates by virtue of its essence: either one divested of attributes, or one described by attributes whose particular necessitated effect must accompany it from pre-eternity and forever.

The Qadariyya among the Mu‘tazila and others [among the Jahmiyya and those besides them who agree with them] (3) affirm a voluntary agent who acts as a matter of possibility rather than necessity (4).

Some of them then say: He acts without a will; rather, in their view, one who wills is simply an agent who knows. Others maintain that the will comes into being, and that whatever will or act He brings into being (5), He brings into being (6) through power alone. For, in their view, one possessed of power gives preponderance (7) without any preponderating factor.

The Qadariyya among these people then say: He wills (8) what does not come to pass, while what He does not will comes to pass; He may will what does not come to pass, while what He does not will comes to pass [unlike the Compulsionists] (9).