Ahlus Sunnah affirm that Allah created our actions (Surah 37:96), yet we still have free will in the sense that we influence our actions.[1] This is understood as our free will being a cause for our actions, similar to how water is a cause for the growth of plants. Yet, this does not mean that we ascribe to ourselves the power of creating our actions ex-nihilo, as that would constitute Shirk.
I was reading Sheikh Omar Al Ashqar's book, Divine Will and Predestination. In it he said it explicitly that our deeds are attributed to us. But in this article you said that our deeds can also be attributed to Allah. Before you answer this, I want you to keep one thing in mind. A lot of speakers speak in an 'unreal' way. For example they say "If you want to *earn* Jannah, pray 5 times a day." But we all (that is, people who speak the language of 'reality') know that Jannah can't be earned. Now having said all of that, can you please explain to me in the language of reality about what you meant by our deeds can be attributed to Allah?
They are attributed to us alone in the moral accountability sense. As for actualizing them, then they are attributed to both us and Allah as I explained succinctly in this article.
Tell me if I got this correct. Deeds are attributed to Allah in the sense that He caused them. But the credit/blame for that deed goes to us. Did I get you correctly?
Correct, but for the causation bit, they are *also* attributed to us because we affirm secondary causation. Asharis would disagree because they are Occassionalists and say that only Allah causes them.
I was reading Sheikh Omar Al Ashqar's book, Divine Will and Predestination. In it he said it explicitly that our deeds are attributed to us. But in this article you said that our deeds can also be attributed to Allah. Before you answer this, I want you to keep one thing in mind. A lot of speakers speak in an 'unreal' way. For example they say "If you want to *earn* Jannah, pray 5 times a day." But we all (that is, people who speak the language of 'reality') know that Jannah can't be earned. Now having said all of that, can you please explain to me in the language of reality about what you meant by our deeds can be attributed to Allah?
Assalamu Alaykum,
They are attributed to us alone in the moral accountability sense. As for actualizing them, then they are attributed to both us and Allah as I explained succinctly in this article.
Tell me if I got this correct. Deeds are attributed to Allah in the sense that He caused them. But the credit/blame for that deed goes to us. Did I get you correctly?
Walekum Assalam
Correct, but for the causation bit, they are *also* attributed to us because we affirm secondary causation. Asharis would disagree because they are Occassionalists and say that only Allah causes them.