Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:93

"And if Allah had willed, He would have made you, O people, a single nation," united upon Islam. But He did not will that, in observance of wisdom; rather, "He sends astray whom He wills" to be led astray, by creating error within him in accordance with how he directs his choice, which follows his aptitude for it, "and He guides whom He wills" to be guided, in accordance with how he directs his choice, which follows his aptitude for acquiring it. "And you will surely be questioned" all of you on the Day of Resurrection—a questioning of reckoning and retribution, not a questioning of inquiry and understanding—"about what you used to do."

"You persist in doing it in the world by your power, which is effective by the permission of Allah Almighty." The verse is manifest in that the will of Allah Almighty for the Islam of all creation did not occur, and that He, glory be to Him, only willed for them division and difference; thus, there is faith and disbelief, belief and denial, and the matter occurred exactly as He, the Majestic and Exalted, willed.

The Mu'tazilah deny that misguidance is by His will, claiming that He, glory be to Him, only willed faith from everyone, and what occurred was contrary to what He, the Mighty and Majestic, willed. Al-Zamakhshari answered regarding the verse by saying that the meaning is: if He had willed by way of compulsion and coercion, He would have made you a single Muslim nation, for He is capable of that. However, wisdom dictated that He should lead astray and abandon whom He wills among those whom He knew would choose disbelief and persist in it, and guide whom He wills by granting grace to those whom He knew would choose faith. The result is that He, Exalted is He, built the matter upon choice, and upon that which deserves grace, abandonment, reward, and punishment; He did not alert [us] to a compulsion through which no one would deserve anything. If the servants were compelled toward guidance and misguidance, He would not have established for them a "deed" about which they would be questioned, saying: "And you will surely be questioned about what you used to do."

Al-Askari holds a similar view. We have previously demonstrated to you more than once that the true school of thought—as explained by the luminary of the later generations, Al-Kurani, who authored several treatises on the subject—is that the servant possesses an effective power by the permission of Allah Almighty. It is not that he has no power at all, as the Jabriyyah claim; nor that he has a concurrent, non-effective power, as is the famous position of the Ash'ariyyah; nor that he has an effective power without permission from Allah, as the Mu'tazilah claim. Rather, he has a choice, which is granted to him after the solicitation of his aptitude, which is established in the knowledge of Allah Almighty.

Thus, in this school of thought, the servant has a choice, yet he is "compelled" in it in the sense that he must necessarily have it, because his eternal aptitude—which was not created—has demanded it from the Absolute Generous One and the Wise One, who places things in their proper places. Reward and punishment are only predicated upon the aptitude for good and evil, which is established in the essence of reality. Good and evil point to this, just as an effect points to the influencer, and the goal points to the one who sets the goal: "And Allah did not wrong them, but they were wronging themselves." He who finds good, let him praise Allah; and he who finds otherwise, let him blame no one but himself.

Ibn al-Munir said: "The people of the Sunnah are far removed from compulsion, for they affirm for the servant power, choice, and actions. At the same time, they unify Allah Almighty with the true unity, making His power, glory be to Him, the originator and the effective one, while the servant's power is merely concurrent. By this, the distinction is made between the voluntary and the forced, and the argument of Allah Almighty is established against His servants." This is the famous Ash'ari position, and it is as you see. The complete discussion regarding this station, and the contradictions and resolutions within it, will follow, if Allah Almighty wills.