Tafsir of Yunus 10:97

"And even if every sign came to them," (clear in implication, acceptable to the intellects), "until they see the painful punishment," (such as drowning and the like; at that moment, it is said to them: 'At the height of summer, you sought the milk').

Al-Zamakhshari interpreted "the Word" as the command of Allah, which He recorded in the Preserved Tablet and informed the angels of—that they would die as disbelievers—treating that writing as a record of knowledge, not a record of decree and volition. There is no objection to interpreting "the Word" in that manner, except that designating the writing as a record of knowledge rather than a record of decree and volition is based on the Mu'tazilite school of thought.

The position held by the People of the Sunnah is that the actions of the servants, in their entirety, are known to Him, the Exalted, and willed by Him. Nothing occurs except what He has willed, and His knowledge, glorified be His majesty, and His will are in accord; contradiction between them is not permissible. His knowledge, the Exalted, does not attach to anything except what the thing is in itself; He does not will except what He knows, and He does not decree except what He wills. There is neither compulsion nor total delegation of agency, but rather a state between the two states.

The Master, al-Kurani, interpreted it in his commentary on the four premises mentioned in Tawdih al-Usul (The Clarification of Principles), stating that the servant is compelled through his own choice. He detailed this with unmatched precision; and by establishing the concept of isti'dad (readiness/preparedness)—that it is not a created thing—the conclusive argument becomes clear. Discourse on theological matters (Kalam) is expansive, and some of what is beneficial in this context has already preceded. If you desire that which brings tranquility to the mind and expands the conscience, you must consult the treatises of that Master on this matter, for they are clear in their paths toward achieving certainty.