Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Spurious Arguments about the Shia

Author(s): Abu Talib at-Tabrizi

Translator(s): Abdullah al-Shahin

Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications – Qum

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Preface 5

The First Spurious Argument: Seeing Allah 7

The Answer 7

The First Proof 8

The Second Proof 8

Proof of Application 8

The Third Proof 9

The Second Spurious Argument:Constraint and Free Will 11

The Answer 11

Quranic Verses that reject constraint 11

The First Kind 11

The Second Kind 11

The Third Kind 11

The Fourth Kind 11

The Fifth Kind 12

The Sixth Kind 12

The Seventh Kind 12

The Eighth Kind 13

The Ninth Kind 13

The Tenth Kind 13

The Eleventh Kind 13

The Twelfth Kind 13

The Thirteenth Kind 13

Verses that refute Free Will 13

Shias’ Interpretation of the Conception of Intermediacy 15

The Third Spurious Argument:Visiting the Shrines of the Prophets, Imams, and Saints 17

The Answer 17

Proving the Legitimacy of Visiting the Prophet’s Shrine 17

The First Evidence 17

The Second Evidence 17

The Third Evidence 20

The Fourth Evidence 20

The Fourth Spurious Argument: The Interncession of the Prophets, Imams and Saints 22

The Answer 22

The First Type 22

The Second Type 22

The Fifth Spurious Argument: Beseeching the Prophets, Imams and Saints 24

The Answer 24

The Sixth Spurious Argument: Inheriting from the Prophets 27

The Answer 27

The Seventh Spurious Argument: The Fabrication that the Shias believe the prophetic mission belonged to Imam Ali 28

The Answer 28

The Eighth Spurious Argument: The Traditions that the Prophet appointed Imam Ali as guardian and successor 29

The Answer 29

Other sources of the Ghadeer Tradition 36

Quranic Verses Concerning the Homage at Al-Ghadeer 38

The Companions pay homage to Imam Ali and congratulate him 38

The linguistic meaning of Mawla 39

Futher Evidence of the significance of the tradition of al-Ghadeer 40

The First Evidence 40

The Second Evidence 42

The Third Evidence 42

The Fourth Evidence 42

The Fifth Evidence 43

The Sixth Evidence 43

The Seventh Evidence 43

The Eighth Evidence 43

The Ninth Evidence 43

The Tenth Evidence 43

The Eleventh Evidence 44

The Twelfth Evidence 44

The Thirteenth Evidence 45

The Fifteenth Evidence 46

The Sixteenth Evidence 46

The Ninth Spurious Argument: Who is the family of the Prophet 47

The Answer 47

The Tenth Spurious Argument: The Infalibility of the Twelve Imams 50

The Answer 50

The Eleventh Spurious Argument: The Miracles of the Imams 51

The Answer 51

The Twelfth Spurious Argument: Naming Persons with names such as Abdun-Nabi and the like 52

The Answer 52

The Thirteenth Spurious Argument: Loving the Prophet’s Family 53

The Answer 53

The Fourteenth Spurious Argument: Exergesis and Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur’an 54

The Answer 54

The Fifteenth Spurious Argument: Immoderation 55

The Answer 55

The Sixteenth Spurious Argument: Shia Opinon about Hafsa and Aisha 57

The Answer 57

The Seventeenth Spurious Argument: The Peace Treaty between Imam Hassan and Muawiya 58

The Answer 58

The Eighteenth Spurious Argument: Swearing by the Prophet and the Imams 59

The Answer 59

The Nineteenth Spurious Argument: The Criterion for Accepting and Rejecting Hadith 60

The Answer 60

The Twentieth Spurious Argument: Rejecting Analogy and Discretion 64

The Answer 64

The Twenty-first Spurious Argument: Joining the Prayers 65

The Answer 65

The Twenty-Second Spurious Argument: Temprorary Marriage 66

The Answer 66

The Twenty-Third Spurious Argument: The Origin of Shiism 67

The Answer 67

Preface

In the name of Allah, The Beneficient, The Merciful

All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Universe. And Allah’s blessing and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his progeny.

We, the Shias, have been accustomed to meeting with accusations and have had to put up with them. The accusations against us started on the death of our Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and thus we were made the adversary in the history of Islam. As the adversary we have had to bear the persecution and torture of the ruling authorities and the accusations, annoyance, and hurt from people.

Throughout the ages, there was no difference in this state of affairs except in the severity of the attack. Sometimes, something would happen to make the accusation and persecution a little lighter, and then something else would be the cause for a strong assault or set an excuse for another attack.

What occurred in our time was that the Shia committed a great sin and made a serious mistake. According to a verdict issued by the leading religious authority, the Shia in Iran revolted against their shah. The West and the Jews became very angry with this, as were the rulers of many Muslim countries. They started their activities against the Shiite state. It was not long before the anger reached the books and the writers inimical to the Shia and a new attack arose against the Shiism. The old accusations of the Umayyad State were repeated in a new dress, looking for a new axe to grind.

What could be the aim of such writers and editors? Were these works done with good intentions, or is there a logical way to interpret them?

Anyone can analyze and arrive at the conclusion that our time is a peculiar time just as history has been a peculiar history with respect to the Shia! We have been fated to be always paying the price, to put up with the fabrications and lies that have accumulated against us, we must witness, in our time, the alliance between enemy and foreigner, and then we are told: Silence! Do not defend yourselves, if you want us to recognize your Islam, you have to disavow the Prophet’s progeny whom he (s) ordered us to follow along with the Qur’an!

Anti Shia attacks had reached such a degree that writers among our Sunni brothers had to refute some of these accusations. They said; why do you slander and level accusations against a respected sect known for a long time in the history of Islam for their great love for the Prophet and his progeny?

Perhaps, the idiocy of the accusers and the weakness of their proofs made thousands of learned Muslims search for Shiism to find their long-sought goal, and declare the honour of belonging to it. But that did not take the responsibility away from the ulama. As a result, some of the Shiite ulama set out to answer the accusations. One of them was the great pious Sheikh Abu Talib at-Tabrizi, to whom we offered some of these accusations and he conceded to write these chapters.

Darul- Qur’anul-Kareem

Ali al-Kurani al-Aamili

23/5/1417 A.H.

The First Spurious Argument: Seeing Allah

Some people spuriously criticize the Shia for saying that it is impossible to see Allah whether in this world or in the Afterlife, and they quote some prophetic traditions saying that Allah can be seen in the Afterlife.

The Answer

Allah says:

Vision comprehends Him not, and He comprehends all vision; and He is the Knower of Subtleties, the Aware. (Qur’an 6:103)

He, the Almighty, also says addressing the Prophet

Moses (a):

You will not see Me. (Qur’an 7:143)

Az-Zamakhshary says in his book al-Inmuzage

Will does not means never; so the verse proves that Allah cannot be seen at all.

He, the Almighty, also says:

And those who do not hope for Our meeting say: Why have not angels been sent down upon us, or (why) do we not see our Lord? Now certainly they are too proud of themselves and have revolted in great revolt. On the day when they shall see the angels, there shall be no joy on that day for the guilty, and they shall say, It is a forbidden thing totally prohibited.” (Qur’an 25:21-22)

The Qur’anic verses informs about three things:

1) Meeting Allah is definite and inevitable although the arrogant ones do not want such.

2) Those who deny meeting Allah, say, Why have not the angels been sent down upon us, or why do we not see our Lord?’

3) Seeing the angels on the Day of Resurrection is possible.

The verses showed that those who did not believe in Allah said, Can we see our Lord?” So, Allah answered that they can see the angels on the Day of Resurrection. If seeing Allah had been possible, Allah would have granted them such.

What will happen on that day is meeting Allah without seeing Him. There are only four Prophetic traditions in the books of the Sunnis apparently proving that Allah will be seen on the Day of Resurrection. These are traditions narrated by Jarir, Abu Hurayra, Ibn Razin, and Suhayb.

These four traditions, besides the weakness of their series of narrators, have been attested to only once (Aahaad) and are not beneficial in arriving at certainty; therefore, we cannot depend upon them as beliefs. There must be definite evidence. Allah says:

And pursue not that of which you have no knowledge; surely, the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these, shall be questioned about that. (Qur’an 17:36)

It has been definitively proven that seeing Allah is impossible. Rational and traditional proofs have stood up against the corporeality of Allah and honored Him against such. To meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection means to perceive Him without any means, including the means of sight. A blind man can meet some physical object without seeing it. After that, there are many proofs showing that Allah is not a physical object, because a physical object is limited in place and time.

We have said in our book titled Jami’ Baraahin Usul ul- I’tiqadaat (A Collection of Proofs-The Principles of Beliefs) pp. 64-67, that it is impossible for the Necessary Being to be a physical object. We had mentioned many proofs concerning them. Here are some of them:

The First Proof

A physical object has three dimensions: width, length and depth. It is a combination of parts, and a combination is in need of its parts. That which is in need of its parts in order to exist is not a Necessary Being.

The Second Proof

A physical object is finite and is constantly facing the threat of annihilation from all sides, while the Necessary Being cannot be annihilated at all, and this has been proven in many ways. The following are some of them:

If a physical object has infinite dimensions, we can suppose that there is a point in it from which two lines emanate thus forming an angle, these two lines extending along the expanse of the physical object. If the physical object is infinite, then the two lines will extend to infinity. Because the amount of the separation between the two lines of the angle is the same as the rate of the extension of the two lines, and because the two lines are infinite, the separation between them must also be infinite. This contradicts its being limited between two lines.

Let us suppose that there is a line extended to infinity (line A) and beside it, there is a sphere rotating around its line of axis. One of its poles lies above the infinite line and the other is under it. Before beginning its rotation, let us suppose that there is a line (line B) from the sphere perpendicular to the axis and parallel to the infinite line, extending along with it to infinity. Thus, if the sphere rotates towards the infinite line, the line coming from the sphere (line B) will intersect with the infinite line (line A) point by point. The first point at which the two lines intersect would be the point on the two lines where no intersection had occurred before between them. Hence, it is proved that the first point of intersection is the last point of the two lines. So, the two lines are finite and cannot be infinite.

Proof of Application

Let us suppose six lines emanating from a point inside the physical object in six directions, extending along with the expanse of the physical object. Then we cut off a section from each line from the side towards the point. Afterwards we apply the section to the point from which the line itself begins before sectioning. It would either extend to infinity, its increase being the same as its decrease and this is impossible, or it would become less by the same amount as the section cut off, and thus it would be finite. The increase in the line itself should be as much as the section only and no more. Thus the finitude of the dimensions of every physical object is proved. The proof can be determined without hypothetical application. If the rest of the line, after cutting off a section is equal to the original line before sectioning, then the part must be equal to the whole. This is impossible. If it is less, it must be finite. Thus the original line, because of its increase, only does so by the amount of the section alone.

The Third Proof

Every physical object is originated; therefore, it is impossible for the Necessary Being to be a physical object.

This will be made clear by elucidating the following points:

1. It is self evident that a physical object connot be separated from being in motion or at rest. There is no doubt that a physical object is either at rest in one place or it is in motion from one place to another.

2. Movement means to be in one place at one moment and to be in another place at the next moment. Being at rest means to be in a particular place at one moment and to be in the same place at the next moment. Thus, every physical object has two cases: to be in one place in the first moment and, in the second moment, to be in the same place or in another place.

3. Being in one location at one moment and in the same location or another location at the next moment are two existential states different from each other, it is possible if one of them occurs the other will not.

4. Every physical object has a special existence and a particularity by which it is distinguished from other physical objects. This particularity is being at a certain time in a certain place. And since the source of all particularity is existence and the particularity of a physical object is by means of its very essence, then all its essential concomitants and particularities have the existence of the physical object as their source. Thus the change of being in a certain place at a certain time necessitates a change of the existence of that physical object.

5. Being is existence. Thus a change in being is a change of existence. A physical object always changes. At every moment its existence is different from its existence prior to that moment. Movement and change are in its very existence and not in anything external to its existence. Movement is in the essence and substance of the physical object itself. This proves that every physical object has substantial motion.

6. Becoming non-existent and becoming existent is the reality of movement i.e. becoming non-existent at one moment and existent the next moment. Moment by moment, all physical objects become existent and then non-existent, and every existence is preceded by its non-existence and succeeded by its non-existence. Indeed, if we consider the quiddity of a physical object, movement and being at rest are not included in its quiddity, rather they are external and accidental to it.

However, the existence of the physical object and its being is not different to its existence and being in the first moment. Thus it becomes evident that the physical object does not have two existences at the same moment, one of the two being its existence and the second being its existence at that moment. Rather it has but only one single existence. Thus the change in the second moment is the non-existentiating of its existence in the first moment and the existentiating of another existence and so on in successive moments.

This is not inconsistent with the existences of the physical object having a (common) connected form at all successive moments and in terms of this common form, considered to be one physical object. The connected form of movement in the same way requires the designation of a single motion to this connected form from its beginning to its end.

You may say that the Category, when, is one of the nine accidental categories which have two sides, one of which is time, and time is abstracted from the movement of the heavens.

My answer is that time, which is nights, days and their parts, is an abstraction from the movement of the heavens which contains the sun, or from the positional movement of the earth and its revolution around its axis as had been discovered in the last few centuries. However, substantial motion and the essentiality of the physical object have been established through the already mentioned proof. Therefore the relationship of the moments- from which time is composed-, to it (substantial motion) and to the movement of the heavens is the same, whether the heavenly movement is spatial or not.

7. A physical object is always originated, its origination being renewed at every moment, and that which is originated at every moment is not the same as that which had originated prior to it.

8. It has been established that it is impossible for a physical object to be the Necessary Being, and it is not necessary for Him, the Most High to be a physical object because nonexistence is impossible for Him. And how could non-existence be possible for Him whilst the existence of all that exists is from Him. He is the Creator of all beings, immaterial and physical, earthly and heavenly, of all places and all times, of those things that stand still and those that move, of all states and of all moments.

The Second Spurious Argument:Constraint and Free Will

Some people find a problem with the Shias in that they believe neither in constraint nor in free will but that they adopt an interpretation in between and that they refute the Ash’arite concept of constraint.

The Answer

The Ash’arites from among the Sunnis, believed in constraint and the Mu’tazilites, also Sunni, believed in free will. The Shias, following their Imams (a), adopted an intermediary position between the two. First of all, we will try to refute constraint and free will by resorting to Qur’anic verses, then we will investigate those traditions that have come from our Imams (a) negating the two of them and establishing the intermediary position between the two.

Quranic Verses that reject constraint

The First Kind

The verses that attribute good and bad deeds to the person himself such as the following Suras; al-Isra’ 15, Yunus 108, and az-Zumar 41: Whoever goes aright, for his own soul does he go aright, and whoever goes astray, to its detriment only does he go astray.

Say if I err, I err only against my own soul. (Qur’an 34:40).

There are a great number of verses in a similar vein.

The Second Kind

There are verses that hold the Divine Precinct of Lordship (i.e as Provider and Guide) to be above injustice. For example when Allah says, Surely Allah does not do injustice to the weight of an atom.” (4:40). There are forty such verses.

The Third Kind

There are some verses showing that Allah tests His servants whether they choose faith and obedience or choose disbelief and disobedience. Allah says,

Who created death and life that He may try you, which of you is best in deeds. (Qur’an 67:2)

There are nearly sixty-seven verses having this meaning.

The Fourth Kind

There are some verses calling people to faith, guidance, supplication, piety and the like, and that Allah, no doubt, likes people to do these things. He says:

So that they should believe in the meeting of their Lord. (Qur’an 6:154)

That you may warn a people, to whom no warner has come before you, that they may follow the right direction. (Qur’an 32:3)

And that they may warn their people when they come back to them that they may be cautious. (Qur’an 9:122)

Then We seized them with distress and affliction in order that they might humble themselves. (Qur’an 6:42)

Thus does Allah make clear His communications for men that they may guard against evil. (Qur’an 2:187)

There are seventy-nine verses conveying such a meaning.

The Fifth Kind

There are some verses showing that Allah’s reward and punishment are a requital of what people have earned out of their deeds. Allah says,

Then every soul shall be paid back in full what it has earned and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. (Qur’an 2:281) (Qur’an 3:161)

That every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned and they shall not be wronged. (Qur’an 45:22)

Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns. (Qur’an 74:38)

And whoever commits a sin, he only commits it against his own soul. (Qur’an 4:111)

Thus, it is that their recompense is Hell, because they disbelieved and held My communications and My apostles in mockery. (Qur’an 18:106)

And for those who disbelieved in their Lord is the punishment of Hell, and evil is the resort (Qur’an 67:6)

But as to those who are careful of (their duty to) their Lord, they shall have gardens beneath which rivers flow. (Qur’an 3:198)

Their reward with their Lord is gardens of perpetuity beneath which rivers flow. (Qur’an 98:8)

There are many other verses with such a meaning in the Holy Qur’an.

The Sixth Kind

There are verses that censure and rebuke the disbelievers and the corrupt, and this would not be correct unless they possessed freedom of choice in their actions. Allah says, How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life. (Qur’an 2:28)

But how do you disbelieve while it is you to whom the communications of Allah are recited, and among you is His Apostle. (Qur’an 3:101)

How, then, will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, on the Day which makes children gray- headed. (Qur’an 73:17)

Why do you disbelieve in the communications of Allah, and Allah is a witness of what you do. (Qur’an 3:98)

Will they still believe in the falsehood and disbelieve in the favor of Allah? (Qur’an 29:67)

Were not My communications recited to you but you used to reject them? (Qur’an 23:105)

The Seventh Kind

There are some verses showing that people themselves are responsible for disbelief and belief, obedience and disobedience. Allah says,

And Musa said If you are ungrateful, you and those on Earth all together, most surely, Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praised. (Qur’an 14:8)

and whoever disbelieves in the communications of Allah then surely Allah is quick in reckoning. (Qur’an 3:19)

Shall We treat those who believe and do good like the mischief-makers in the earth? (Qur’an 38:28)

And he who obeys Allah and His Apostle, and fears Allah, and is careful of (his duty to Him), such are those that will achieve. (Qur’an 24:52)

this was because they disobeyed and used to exceed the limit. (Qur’an 5:78)

We have mentioned these verses only as examples. Those verses that ascribe actions to the servant are indeed much more than these.

The Eighth Kind

There are verses showing that Allah gives people the option to choose between belief and disbelief, obedience and disobedience. Allah says:

So let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve. (Qur’an 18:29)

The Ninth Kind

There are verses urging the doing of good before opportunities pass by. Allah says,

And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord. (Qur’an 3:133)

The Tenth Kind

There are some verses showing that people should ask for help from Allah. Allah says,

Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help (Qur’an 1:5)

This means that man is the performer of his deeds and

Allah assists him in his good actions.

The Eleventh Kind

There are some verses that include asking Allah for forgiveness. Allah says,

Our Lord! We have been unjust to ourselves, and if Thou forgive us not, and have (not) mercy on us, we shall certainly be of the losers” (Qur’an 7:23)

The Twelfth Kind

There are some verses which indicate that the confession of the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection shows that they themselves were responsible for disbelief and disobedience. Allah says,

They said: we were not of those who prayed, and we used not to feed the poor, and we used to enter into discourse with those who entered into vain discourses. (Qur’an 74:43-45)

The Thirteenth Kind

There are verses showing that the disbelievers, on the Day of Resurrection, would wish that they could come back to the life of the world to be pious. Allah says,

Send me back my Lord, in order that I do good. (Qur’an 23:99-100)

Verses that refute Free Will

Some verses ascribe creational guidance to Allah the Almighty. There is seventy-eight such verses. Allah says,

These are they whom Allah has guided; therefore, follow their guidance. (Qur’an 6:90)

Such verses show that the source of guidance is Allah, praise be to Him, but there are others showing that man has freedom of choice included in his guidance. Allah says,

so let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve. (Qur’an 18:29)

Whoever disbelieves, he shall be responsible for his disbelief, and whoever does good, they prepare (good) for their own souls. (30:44)

Allah’s being the source of guidance means that He has given man the ability of perception, made the way of guidance and knowledge easy for him, and protected him against the delusions of the devils among jinn and humankind. Were it not for this, man would be a disbeliever and disobedient. Thus, Allah is worthier of man’s good deeds than man himself.

Man’s deviation has originated from the negative application of his free will. Even with the delusions of the Devil and many things else, he still has a free will. Allah has given him the ability of belief and disbelief and the ability of perception, and has made the signs and evidence of guidance and Divine Unity at his disposal and plain for him to see. Allah therefore, does not cause man’s deviation, although He, the Almighty, has irresistible power over His servant.

Allah says, If He pleased, He would guide all of Mankind. Allah can force Mankind to accept guidance willingly or unwillingly, but since He has made the way and the means to guidance easy, and has made Man free to choose between guidance and deviation, He has given man a great favor. If he choses deviation and rejects guidance, then he would stand accused.

An example of the aforementioned idea is that of an individual who gave a poor man some money to buy bread, but the latter bought some poison instead, drank it and killed himself. The giver is not to be blamed, for he bestowed a favor upon him in order that he spend the money in his benefit and not for his destruction.

Some Qur’anic verses show that none except Allah possesses power and capability, praise be to Him. He says,

There is no power save in Allah. (Qur’an 18:39)

There is no contradiction at all between this meaning and man’s freedom of choice and power to do whatever he likes, because in the face of the Divine power and Lordship he is completely impotent, having no authority over good or bad for himself.

Taking into consideration that Allah has given man power and ability, man’s very power is a manifestation of Allah’s power, thus eliminating the inconsistency between the establishment of power in man and the meaning of His words when The Most High says, There is no power save in Allah.” A very large number of verses attest to this meaning. Allah says,

... so let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve. (Qur’an 18:29)

Whoever disbelieves, he shall be responsible for his disbelief, and whoever does good, prepare (good) for their own souls. (Qur’an 30:44)

... and whoever is grateful, he is grateful only for his own soul, and whoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Honored. (Qur’an 27:40)

Some verses show that benefit and harm are in the hands of Allah exclusively. Allah says,

Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah pleases. (Qur’an 7:188)

... so let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve. (Qur’an 18:29)

... and had your Lord pleased they would not have done it. (Qur’an 6:112)

... and if Allah had pleased, they would not have done it (Qur’an 6:137)

From these verses, we notice that Allah has given man the ability to believe if he wants, or to disbelieve if he wants. If Allah wants to prevent man from that freedom of choice, He will deprive him of ability and make him unable to do what he wants. Later on, we will prove that this is one aspect of the Shias’ concept of intermediacy.

Shias’ Interpretation of the Conception of Intermediacy

Despite their variety, the two groups of Qur’anic verses mentioned above show that man’s actions have two aspects. One aspect concerns man himself, in that he has the option and the will to do whatever he wants. This is clear from the many Qur’anic verses that show that man is responsible for his deeds. The other aspect concerns Allah. The verses that ascribe guidance and deviation to Allah are numerous and clear, however, the manner in which these two aspects relate to each other, as has been gathered from the Qur’anic text, is based upon one of three opinions:

First: Man’s existence, and all his actions, whether from his body or his soul, has its source in the Creator, Exalted and Elevated is His Might. He has given man the ability to do good or bad and to choose the good that takes him to the elevated stations of the Highest Ones whose ranks cannot be attained without freedom of will.

Thus, if man is the cause of his actions, and Allah is the cause of man’s existence, his abilities, and his will to do or not to do, then Allah is a remote cause of man’s actions.

Second: The power of the Maker encompasses the actions of man. Thus If He wants to prevent man from choosing certain actions or to let him act in other ways He can, He says,

If He pleased, He would guide you all. (Qur’an 6:149)

Allah has created people to try them. He (Elevated is His Might) says,

Who created death and life that He may try you, which of you is best in deeds. (Qur’an 67:2)

Thus He does not prevent them from exercising their choice in thinking and belief, rather, He has placed it within the sphere of their will. He says,

... so let him who pleases believe, and let him who pleases disbelieve. (Qur’an 18:29)

In short, the actions of man are related to Allah in so far as there is no prevention or opposition to what man chooses to do.

Third: Lusts and instincts that mislead and delude man are from Allah (Exalted is He). Allah has given man the ability to do good or bad deeds so as to try him in this worldly life.

Since lusts and instincts are from Allah, deviating is from Allah, despite the fact that man goes astray willingly and of his own free volition. What Allah says about the idols in the story of Prophet Ibrahim (a) confirms this although Allah does not want people to deviate. He (Exalted is He) says,

My Lord! Surely, they have led many men astray. (Qur’an 14:36)

The people deviated on their own. The idols were just sculptures having no sense and they could not lead people astray, for they had no will.

In summary, the conditions for the actions of man are a part of the sufficient cause of his actions, which is from Allah (Exalted is He).

Another proof confirming the Shia concept of intermediacy between constraint and free will is when Allah says,

... and you did not smite when you smote (the enemy), but it was Allah Who smote. (Qur’an 8:17)

This verse clearly ascribes the smiting to man himself for Allah says, when you smote,” at the same time it includes the opposite for Allah also says and you did not smite” this negates the ascription of the act to man thus proving the concept of intermediacy.b