The Seventh: The relation between man’s will and Divine will and man’s responsibility.

• The Seventh: For sure, man’s faculty of will and power of choice are weak and a theoretical matter, but Almighty Allah, the Absolutely Wise One, made that weak and partial will a condition for the connection of His universal will. He in effect says: “My servant! Whichever way you wish to take with your will, I will take you there. In which case the responsibility is yours!” If the comparison is not mistaken, you take a powerless child onto your shoulders and leaving the choice to him, tell him you will take him wherever he wishes. The child wants to go to a high mountain so you take him there, but he either catches cold or falls. So of course you reprimand him, saying, “You wanted to go there,” and you give him a slap. Thus, Almighty Allah, the Firmest of Judges, makes His servant’s will, which is utterly weak, a condition, and His universal will follows it.

I n S h o r t : O man! You have a will known as the power of choice which is extremely weak, but whose hand in evil acts and destruction is extremely long and in good deeds is extremely short. Give one of the hands of that will of yours to supplication, so that it may reach Paradise, a fruit of the chain of good deeds, and stretch to eternal happiness. And give its other hand to the seeking of forgiveness, so that it may be short for evil deeds and will not reach the Zakkum-tree of Hell, which is one fruit of that accursed tree. That is, just as supplication and reliance on Allah greatly strengthen the inclination to do good, so repentance and the seeking of forgiveness cut the inclination to do evil, putting an end to its transgressions.

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Third Topic: Divine Determining in the realm of living creatures; The Clear Book and The Clear Record; Self-evident Divine Determining and Theoretical Divine Determining; freedom and Divine Determining.