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Is the right human action limited solely to divine command, such that a person cannot act rightly autonomously?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

God revealed the Sharia to bring about benefits and avert harms, and it does not contradict sound reason. People differed concerning intellectual beautification and uglification (al-tahsin wa al-taqbih al-aqliyyayn). The Maturidiyyah and the Mu'tazilah believe that reason beautifies and uglifies, while the Ash'ariyyah believe that their source is the Sharia. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah holds that reason beautifies and uglifies, but the Sharia is necessary for accountability (taklif). What the Sharia is silent about is permissible. If reason and Sharia conflict, then following the Sharia is obligatory. Divine will is of two types: a universal, predetermined will (iradah kawniyyah qadariyyah) that necessitates occurrence, and a legislative, religious will (iradah shar'iyyah diniyyah) that does not necessitate occurrence unless it is tied to the universal will, and this is what God loves and is pleased with. Humans are free to choose their actions and possess a will that makes them accountable for their deeds.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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