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A Functionalist Analysis of Free Will and Its Role… A. Mustapha et al (25
• Imam Ali was asked about the and all that is in between them in vain.
meaning of ‘There is no power nor That is the imagination of those who
strength except with God,’ and then disbelieve; then woe to those who
He replied, “We are not master of disbelieve because of the fire” (Sharīf
anything alone with Allah, and we al-Raḍī, Wisdom 78; Kulaynī, 2008,
are not master of anything save what Vol. 1, p. 155).
He makes us master of. So, when He Analysis and Interpretation of Narrations
makes us master of anything of Attention to various components is
which He is a superior Master over necessary to analyze and interpret the above
us, He also assigns some duties to narrations. Considering the collection of the
us; and when He takes it away He above narrations, we explain some of the
will take away those duties as well” components as follows:
(Sharīf al-Raḍī, Wisdom 404).
Denial of Determinism and Delegation
• Imam Ali responded to a man from
Sham who asked about the Battle of In the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt, the
Șiffīn and its relation to divine decree two views of determinism and
and destiny, “Woe to you! You take it delegation are initially invalidated.
According to narration ‘A’, in addition
as a final and unavoidable destiny to the denial of determinism,
(according to which we are bound to
act). If it were so, there would have delegation is also negated from God
been no question of reward or because each of these views entails
chastisement and there would have implications that do not befit the
dignity and status of God. These
been no sense in Allah's promises or implications include ‘inability’ and
warnings. On the other hand) Allah,
the Glorified, has ordered His people ‘injustice’ towards the Almighty God.
to act by free will and has cautioned The explanation is that attributing
them and refrained them (from evil). sins to the Almighty God is one of the
instances of determinism, because
He has placed easy obligations on determinism, according to one term,
them and has not put heavy
obligations. He gives them much means denying the act from humans
(reward) in return for little (action). and attributing it to God. In this
He is disobeyed, not because He is statement by Imam Ali , ‘determinism’
refers to this meaning. According to
overpowered. He is obeyed but not this explanation, it becomes clear that
under force. He did not send prophets
just for fun. He did not send down the such an attribution would result in
Book for the people without purpose. considering God as unjust. Similarly,
He did not create the skies, the earth, believing that God has delegated
matters to His servants and has no role
