Does Allah -azwj Compel the servants upon the disobedience?
Does Allah -azwj Compel the servants upon the disobedience?’ Imam -asws said: ‘Allah -azwj is more Just that for Him -azwj to Compel them upon the disobedience then Punishing them upon it’. فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَفَوَّضَ اللَّهُ إِلَى الْعِبَادِ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَوْ فَوَّضَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَمْ يَحْصُرْهُمْ بِالْأَمْرِ وَ النَّهْيِ He said to the Imam -asws , ‘May I be sacrificed for you -asws !
So does Allah -azwj Delegate to the servants?’ So, He -asws Said: ‘If He -azwj had Delegated to them, He -azwj would not have Surrounded them with the Commands and the Prohibitions’. فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَبَيْنَهُمَا مَنْزِلَةٌ قَالَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ أَوْسَعُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَ الْأَرْضِ He said to the Imam -asws , ‘May I be sacrificed for you -asws ! So there is a (third) status between the two?’ Imam -asws said: ‘Yes, more extensive than what is between the sky and the earth’.
[16] عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ اللَّهُ أَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يُكَلِّفَ النَّاسَ مَا لَا يُطِيقُونَ وَ اللَّهُ أَعَزُّ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ مَا لَا يُرِيدُ .
A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Al Barqy, from Ali Bin Al Hakam, from Hisham Bin Salim, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah -asws having said: ‘Allah -azwj is more Benevolent than for Him -azwj to Encumber the people what they are not enduring; and Allah -azwj is Mightier than that there would happen to be in His -azwj Authority what He -azwj does not Want’.
[17] The Capability and The Execution مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ جَمِيعاً عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ وَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ جَمِيعاً عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) عَنِ الِاسْتِطَاعَةِ فَقَالَ أَ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ مَا لَمْ يُكَوَّنْ قَالَ لَا قَالَ فَتَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَنْتَهِيَ عَمَّا قَدْ كُوِّنَ قَالَ لَا قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) فَمَتَى أَنْتَ مُسْتَطِيعٌ قَالَ لَا أَدْرِي Muhammad Bin Yahya and Ali Bin Ibrahim, altogether from Ahmad Bin Muhammad, from Ali Bin Al Hakam and Abdullah Bin Yazeed, altogether from a man from the people of Al Basra who said, ‘I asked Abu Abdullah -asws about the capability.
The Imam -asws said: ‘Are you capable of doing what has not come into being (started)?’ He said, ‘No’.
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