Explanation of free will
1. The Core Distinction: Creator vs. Acquirer
The first step is to establish that every action has two "facets." Allah is the Creator (Khāliq) of the action because only He can bring something from non-existence into existence. However, the human is the Acquirer (Kāsib).
The Analogy: When a slave expends their power and will toward an action, that is kasb. When Allah brings that action into existence following that intent, that is khalq.
The Ruling: Praise, blame, reward, and punishment are attached to the Acquisition, not the creation. Allah creates the "movement," but the human provides the "intent" (e.g., the hand's movement is created by God, but the choice to use it for charity or theft belongs to the human).
2. The "Partial Will": Where Freedom Lives
A common question is: "If God created my will, how am I free?" The answer lies in the Partial Will (al-irāda al-juz’iyya) or Sincere Resolve (‘azm muṣammam),
We distinguish between "Inclination" (which can be created and influenced) and "Intention" (the actual decision).
This "Partial Will" is considered a Relational State (amr i’tibārī) or a State (ḥāl). It is neither a physically "existent thing" nor "nothing"; it is a point of entry (madkhal) that does not fall under the category of "creation" (khalq) in the material sense.
Because this resolve is not a "thing" created by God, it is the one area where the human is truly independent and held responsible. It is the "trigger" that occasions God's creation of the act.
3. Capacity (Istitā‘a): When are we able to act?
To avoid contradiction, you must explain that there are two types of ability:
General Ability: This is the soundness of limbs and means (being healthy, having hands to work). This exists before the action and is the basis for being held responsible (taklīf).
Actual Capacity: This is the specific power to execute a specific act. This is created by Allah simultaneously with the action (ma’a al-fi‘l).
Allah creates the power to do good if the slave intends good, and the power to do evil if the slave intends evil.
Thus, the human "wastes" the potential for good by choosing the resolve for evil.
4. Knowledge is not Compulsion
The final hurdle is usually the argument: "If God knew eternally I would do this, I must do it."
In our theology, Knowledge is a Follower (tābi‘) of the thing known. God knows what will happen as it will happen,
He knows that you will perform a certain act by your own choice. If He knew you were forced, and you weren't, His knowledge would be "ignorance," which is impossible.
Knowledge is a "disclosure" (inkishāf), not a "necessitating cause" (‘illa mūjiba). Knowing a car will crash because its brakes are cut doesn't mean your knowledge caused the crash.
Allah has given us the capacity to do all He has made a duty. If He took away the capacity, the duty would fall away. We choose the 'direction' of our hearts, and Allah, the Wise, creates the 'reality' of those choices to test our true nature.
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