وَما تَشاءونَ إِلّا أَن يَشاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كانَ عَليمًا حَكيمًا

But you do not wish unless it is wished by Allah. Indeed Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.

EXEGESIS

Verse 30 begins by addressing the disbelievers in the second person.^{‎[1]Tabrisi, 10/624, who states that except for Ibn Kathīr, Abū ʿAmr, and Ibn ʿĀmir, all read verse 30 as addressing the disbelievers in the second person.} Then it shifts to the third person when it speaks of God’s will, even though God Himself is the speaker. This shift from second to third person, where the divine name Allah is used, has the effect of magnifying God. It emphasises that His will is above the will of all others, and no wish can take effect without His permission.^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/143.}

EXPOSITION

It is God’s will that continues to sustain the human being’s capacity to exercise free will,^{‎[3]Mizan, 20/142-143.} and He can take away this ability whenever He wishes.^{‎[4]Amthal, 19/280.} In other words, the human will is dependent in its existence upon God’s will.

The verse ends by bringing the reader’s attentions to God’s knowledge and wisdom, alluding to the fact that the endowment of free will to the human being is for a known, predetermined purpose (11:7, 18:7, 67:2, 76:3).^{‎[5]Mizan, 20/143.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. In al-Kharāʾij wa al-Jarāʾiḥ, it is narrated that Imam al-Mahdi (a) said in a conversation he had with Kāmil ibn Ibrāhīm al-Madanī: ‘You ask about the views of the mufawwiḍah [those who claim that humans have absolute free will]. They lie. Instead, our hearts are but containers of God’s will. Once He wills, we will. God said: But you do not wish unless it is wished by Allah.’^{‎[6]Mizan, 20/143.}
2. Al-Durr al-Manthūr reports from Ibn Mardawayh, from Muhammad ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī, from Sālim, from Abū Hurayrah, that the Messenger of God used to say when he took to the pulpit: ‘All that is coming is near; there is no distance to what is coming. God never hastens because of the hastening of anyone. It is what God wills not what people will. People desire something and God desires something else. As for what God desires, it becomes even if people hate it. No one can push away what God has brought near. No one can bring closer what God has pushed away. Nothing can be without the permission of God.’^{‎[7]Suyuti, 2/302.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Verses 29-30, as well as verse 3 of this surah have been the object of long debate between theologians and philosophers over the centuries. This debate has also carried over amongst exegetes, who interpret the verses based on their view on free will and predestination.^{‎[8]Razi, 30/761-762.}

[1] Tabrisi, 10/624, who states that except for Ibn Kathīr, Abū ʿAmr, and Ibn ʿĀmir, all read verse 30 as addressing the disbelievers in the second person.
[2] Mizan, 20/143.
[3] Mizan, 20/142-143.
[4] Amthal, 19/280.
[5] Mizan, 20/143.
[6] Mizan, 20/143.
[7] Suyuti, 2/302.
[8] Razi, 30/761-762.