وَما تَشاءونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ العالَمينَ
But you do not wish unless it is wished by Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.
EXPOSITION
This verse may seem like a contradiction to the previous one, for the previous one lays the onus of accepting and following the revealed guidance squarely on the shoulders of human beings while this one says that a human does not wish save if it is wished by God, which in this specific context would allude that a human being’s choice of accepting or rejecting revealed guidance is predetermined, and therefore humans are not free after all. Yet, these two verses are actually an encapsulation of the famous dictum of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) regarding the tension manifest between human free will and divine predestination, which says: ‘Neither determinism nor delegation, rather the matter is in between [these two extremes].’
From one perspective, intent, will, and determination are surely in the hands of the human being himself, however, from another perspective it adheres and abides by the will of God. Man has been created free and independent, but that freedom and independence exists because God has willed it such, and had He not willed it thus it would not have been as it is. Thus the affairs of mankind are neither entirely delegated to them nor entirely predetermined for them; rather, the true state is the median one. Hence, from one perspective all the capacities, strengths, faculties, and capabilities that mankind possesses and exercises such as intellect, physical strength, the power of decision making, etc., all are from God and need the continuous support and nourishment from Him such that if He were to wish to suspend that support and nourishment then all human powers and capacities would cease to exist; yet from another perspective, man is held responsible for the execution of his deeds and decisions exactly because the power of the execution of his decisions and deeds has been divinely ordained to be free for him, subject to his choice and within his discretion.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- The Messenger of God relates from God who commanded him to transmit the following message: ‘O son of Adam, it is by My will that you intend for yourself whatever you intend, and it is by My volition that you will for yourself what you will. It is by the grace of My blessing on you that you persistently dared to disobey Me, and it is by My protection, support, and well-being that you discharged your duties and obligations towards Me. Therefore, I am more worthy of your good deeds than you are, and you are more worthy of your evil deeds than I. Hence, goodness ensues from Me to you due to what I had entrusted you with at the very beginning, and evil transpires from Me to you as retribution for what you committed. It is by My favour to you that you persist in My obedience, and it is due to your negative opinion of Me that you despair of My mercy. So, all praise belongs to Me and the proof lies with Me against you. I have the right to punish you for your intransigence, while you have the right to the recompense from Me for the good done in all fairness. I did not leave warning and exhorting you, nor did I censure you for your integrity. I did not make you responsible beyond your capacity, nor did I burden you with the trust, save what you had agreed to for yourself. I am content for Myself from you what you are content for yourself from Me.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Ṭūsī writes that three explanations are suggested for the meaning of this verse: 1. You do not wish for righteousness and virtue except that God wishes it so, and this is because God has already commanded and encouraged virtue and righteousness with great emphasis. And in His encouragement lies His will and intention. 2. You do not wish or will anything except that God has wished your ability and capacity for it. This is because the verse is clear regarding the power that He has over mankind’s capability and capacity to proceed towards something or be restrained. 3. You do not wish to accept Islam except when God wishes to grace you with virtuousness and righteousness. Hence the verse has the meaning of blessings.
Ṭabrisī has mentioned the following explanations for this verse: 1. You do not intend or wish to move towards righteousness, virtue, and truth, except that God willed it so, in the sense that He created it and made it a responsibility on you to achieve it. So His will and intent is prior to your will and intent. This was the explanation proffered by the Mutazilite scholar, Jubbāʾī. 2. That this verse is addressed to the unbelievers, where it means that you [the unbelievers] do not wish to accept Islam unless God wills to coerce you towards it and impose it on you, but God will not do that for He intends that you believe of your own free will so that you may be eligible for the requisite rewards, and He does not wish to impose it on you. This was the explanation of Abū Muslim.
Qurṭubī writes that this verse clarifies that a servant of God does not do good except by the success (tawfīq) granted by God, and he does not do evil except when deserted or abandoned by God.
[1] Amthal, 19/470.
[2] This means: goodness reaches you from Me (i.e. God) from the very beginning of your life and existence, without you deserving it for you had done nothing prior to your existence to merit anything. Further, the very goodness that you are worthy of due to your good deeds is also from Me, for had the knowledge of goodness and guidance towards it coupled with the capability to actualise it had not been granted to you then you would not have been able to do anything! While evil that reaches you is as retribution for your crimes.
[3] Al-Tawḥīd, p. 343, h. 13.
[4] Tibyan, 10/288.
[5] Tabrisi, 10/678.
[6] Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 20/243.