Qadari Contention: If real intention, not created by Allah, does not exist, why is it so prominent in our religion?
Sunni Response: Intention does exist, but it is an action and therefore a creation of Allah:
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
Meaning: “Allah created you and what you do.” (As-Saaffaat. 96)
Intention also cannot be without Allah willing it:
Meaning: “You do not will anything unless Allah has willed it.” (Al-Insaan, 30)
This means that Allah is the creator of our intentions, but we are the one’s that commit the intentions. When we intend something, we feel the ability to intend something else, and we do not feel forced to choose to intend. It is not like, for example, when our bodies shiver from cold temperatures. However, this feeling of ability, the process of choosing to intend, and the intention finally made are all Allah’s creations, while we are the ones that commit these inner actions.
Author: Shaykh Abu Adam al Naruiji
