Chapter On Will Power (IRADAH) it is of the Attributes of Action (SIFAT al-FI‘L) and the Rest of the Attributes of Action

“I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘Is Allah’s will eternal?’” He replied, Will is always with what is willed. Allah is eternally All-knowing and All-powerful and then He wills.”

“I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘Are the knowledge and the will of Allah different or the same?’” He replied, “His knowledge is not the same as His will. Consider when you say, ‘If Allah wills, I will do this,’ and you do not say, “If Allah knows I will do this.” Your own words, if Allah wills are proof that Allah has not yet willed it. If He would will what He would do, it happens exactly as He wills. His knowledge is before His will.”

“I asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘Enlighten me about the will of Allah and the will of His creatures.’” He said, “The will of His creatures comes from what goes in their minds and leads to action. Will of Allah, the Most High, is His inventing and nothing else because Allah does not need to reflect, deliberate or think. Such qualities do not exist with Him. They are the attributes of His creation. Allah’s will is His acts and nothing else. He says to it: Be, and it comes into existence, without any words or utterance of the tongue, any inclination and reflection. His will has no conditions just as His self has no conditions.”

“Allah created the Will by itself, then He created all things by the Will.”

“I was in the presence of abu Ja‘far (a.s.) when ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd said, ‘May Allah take my soul in your service, what is the meaning of Allah’s words, “Whoever becomes subject to my anger he is destroyed.” 20:84 What is this anger?’ Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) replied, “O ‘Amr, His anger is His punishment. O ‘Amr, whoever thinks Allah changes from one state to another, has ascribed to Allah the attributes of His creatures. Nothing can provoke Allah, the Sublime, to change Him.”

in the debate with the atheist who asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) (See Hadith Nos.225 - 6 and 297 -2). “Does Allah become pleased and displeased?” Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) replied, “Yes, but not like that which is found in His creatures. In His creatures the pleasure is a state (hal), which enters into him and changes him from one state to another. The creatures are hollow, active and compound with entrance in them. Nothing can enter into our Creator. Because He is One, a single self, a single meaning. His pleasure is His reward and His anger is His punishment without anything entering in Him to motivate and change Him from one state to another because these are of the attributes of His creatures who are weak and needy.”

The will is created.” Summery Statements on the Attributes of His self Sifat al-Dhat and the Attributes of His Actions Sifat al-Fi‘1 For every two attributes which you attribute to Allah (e.g. The Creator, The Sustainer), of which each has its own separate being, (i.e. The Creator achieves its being, as an attribute of Allah’ through something which Allah creates, and The Sustainer achieves its being, as an attribute of Allah, through a created being which He sustains), these attributes are attributes of (His) action. (Because if two attributes are separate in being, obviously each of them differs in their being with the thing with which they are attributed, and therefore both the attribute and the attributed have their own being. Therefore, in order to distinguish an attribute of action from an attribute of essence, it is always necessary to compare that attribute with another one. If we perceives these two to be independent of each other in being, then both of them are attributes of action). The explanation (and proof) of this sentence is that you prove (establish), in respect of His Being, what He intends to do and what He does not intend, what pleases Him and what displeases Him, what He likes and what He dislikes. If the intention had been the attribute of His essence like the attribute of knowledge and power, His not intending (for something) would have been its contradiction. Similarly, if His liking for something had been the attribute of His essence, His dislike (of something) would have been its contradiction. Do you not see, we do not find in His Being anything which He does not know and anything over which He has no power? Such are the attributes of His essence (Self), which are everlasting. We can never attribute to Allah power and (its opposite) weakness. (Similarly, we can neither attribute to Him knowledge and [its opposite] ignorance and stupidity, nor can we attribute to Him wisdom and 1 its opposite] error. Nor can we attribute to Him honor and [its opposite] disgrace). It is permissible to say, “He (Allah) loves him who obeys Him and hates him who disobeys Him. He favors him who obeys Him and is hostile to him who disobeys Him. And verily, He is pleased and He is also displeased. It is also permissible to say in the invocations: ‘O my Allah, be pleased with me and do not be angry at me. Favor me and do not be hostile to me.’” But it is not permissible to say, “Allah has power to know and has no power not to know. He has power to possess and has no power not to possess. He has power to be powerful and wise, and has no power to be otherwise, i.e. without power and wisdom. He has power to be generous and has no power to be not generous. He has power to be forgiving and has no power to be not forgiving.” It is also not permissible to say, “Allah intended to be the Nourishing, the Everlasting, the Mighty, the Wise, the Possessor, the all-knowing, the all-Powerful.” Since these are the attributes of His essence while intention is among His attributes of action. “Do you not see that it is said; “Allah intended this and did not intend that.” Every Attribute of His essence negates its opposite in respect of Him. He is called: “The Living, the All-knowing, the All-hearing, the All-seeing, the All-mighty, the All-wise, the Rich, the King, the Clement, the Just and the Generous.” The opposite of knowledge is ignorance. The opposite of power is inability. The opposite of life is death. The opposite of honor is humiliation. The opposite of wisdom is error. The opposite of clemency is haste and ignorance. The opposite of justice is oppression and tyranny. (So, by proving any of His essential attributes its opposite is negated.)