Do creatures other than humans, such as angels and inanimate objects, have free will in choosing the type of obedience, and is this belief consistent with the belief of the predecessors of the Ummah, based on hadiths such as the action of Gabriel (peace be upon him) when drowning Pharaoh, the shaking of the Throne of the Most Merciful at the death of Saad ibn Muadh, and the choice given to the heavens and the earth in His (the Almighty's) saying: "Come willingly or unwillingly"?
Angels possess will and choice, for they are commanded to obey. They have been described as fearing and dreading, and they are only praised for their voluntary obedience. Texts from the Qur’an and Sunnah indicate that they are indeed tasked [with commands].
As for inanimate objects, many scholars hold the view that they possess a unique will and perception, citing verses and hadith that indicate their glorification [of Allah] and reverence, such as the mountains glorifying with David, stones falling down from the fear of Allah, food glorifying [Allah], the stone greeting the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the yearning of the palm trunk. However, this will and perception are not as complete as the perception of living beings.
One must beware of speaking about Allah without knowledge, such as claiming that the Throne has choices of obedience and that it chose to shake for Sa’d’s death, because such a claim is among the gravest prohibitions.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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