Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Discursive Theology Volume 1 Lesson 26: Man and Freewill One of the controversial issues in the justice and wisdom of God is the question of man’s freewill ( ikhtiyār ) in actions which are within the domain of obligation ( taklīf ) and for which he is either praised or condemned.
This is because obliging a person under compulsion, and praising or condemning him for an action he does under such condition is evil and incorrect, and as dictated by the principle of justice and wisdom, God is immune from evil deeds.
In refuting the notion of those who regard the Divine decree and providence as tantamount to the absence of freewill in the human being, Imām ‘Alī ( ‘a ) has said: لَوْ كانَ كَذٰلِكَ لَبَطَلَ الثَّوابُ وَالْعِقابُ، وَالأَمْرُ وَالنَّهْيُ وَالزَّجْرُ وَلَسَقَطَ مَعْنَى الْوَعْدِ وَالْوَعيدِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلى مُسِىءٍ لائِمَةٌ وَلا لِمُحْسِنٍ مَحْمَدَةٌ.
“If it was such, reward and punishment, command and prohibition and chastisement were false, and promise and warning baseless, and the wrongdoer would not be condemned and the doer of good be praised.”[^1] Muḥammad ibn ‘Ajlān asked Imām al-Ṣādiq ( ‘a ), “Had God compelled [His] servants in their actions?” The Imām ( ‘a ) replied, thus: اللهُ أَعْدَلُ مِنْ أنْ يُجْبِرَ عَبدًا عَلى فِعْلٍ ثُمَّ يُعَذِّبَهُ عَلَيهِ.
“Allah is more just than that He would compel a servant to do something and thereafter punish him.”[^2] Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī Washshā’ asked Imām al-Riḍā ( ‘a ), “Does Allah compel [His] servants to commit sins?” The Imām ( ‘a ) replied: اللهُ أعْدَلُ وَأحْكَمُ مِنْ ذلِكَ.
“Allah is more just and wise than that (compelling His servants to commit sins).”[^3] In the said traditions ( aḥādīth ), predetermination’s inconsistency with the justice and wisdom of God as well as with [the implication of] duty, promise, warning, reward, and punishment has been pointed out and emphasized.
The justice-oriented theologians have also regarded the notion of predetermination ( jabr ) as contrary to the Divine justice, and by citing the justice and wisdom of God, they have argued for the freewill of man. For instance, Wāṣil ibn ‘Aṭā has said: إنَّ الْباري تَعالى عَدْلٌ حَكيمٌ... وَلا يَجوزُ أنْ يُريدَ مِنَ العِبادِ خِلافُ ما يَأمُرُ، وَيَحْتمُ عَلَيهِم شَيئاً ثمّ يُجازيهِمْ عَليهِ.