Is the saying, "O you who have turned away from Us, your turning away is a prize. Had We willed you, We would have made all that is within you repel Us," permissible in Islamic law, and why, taking into consideration the opinion of those who believe that one should not say about God anything that God has not actually said Himself?

The arts of rhetoric are vast, and to understand any statement, the sciences of eloquence must be taken into account. The verses you mention, such as the saying "He held himself cheap, so he disobeyed Him; had he held himself dear, He would have protected him," do not contain "Allah said," so this statement should not be attributed to Allah. Rather, its meaning should be examined for validity.

The meaning of this expression is correct: Allah's guidance and repentance precede the servant's guidance and repentance. It is Allah who grants success to whomever He wills to obey Him. As Allah Almighty says: ﴿Then He turned to them in forgiveness, that they might repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful.﴾ (Quran 9:118). Allah purifies whom He wills, and those who commit sins are those whom Allah did not choose. As Allah Almighty says: ﴿And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses; what they prefer is not for them.﴾ (Quran 28:68). So Allah alone is the Creator and the Chooser, and all affairs are in His hand.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "They held themselves cheap, so they disobeyed Him; had they held themselves dear, He would have protected them." It was narrated from Mutarrif ibn Abdullah: "Indeed, I found the son of Adam like something cast between Allah and Satan. If Allah wills to raise him up, He pulls him towards Him. If He wills otherwise for him, He leaves him to his enemy." Therefore, there is no harm in saying this phrase.