Hadith 11-48

حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خالِد البَرْقِي، عَن أَبِيهِ عَنْ سُلَيْمان بْنِ جَعْفَر الجَعْفَرِيِّ، عَن أَبي الحَسَن الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قالَ: ذُكِرَ، عِندَهُ الْجَبْرُ وَالتَّفْوِيضُ فَقَالَ أَلا أُعْطِيكُمْ فِي هَذَا أَصْلاً لا تَخْتَلِـفُونَ فِيهِ وَلا يُخَاصِمُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ إِلا كَسَرْتُمُوهُ قُلْنَا إِنْ رَأَيْتَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ يُطَعْ بِإِكْرَاهٍ وَلَمْ يُعْصَ بِغَلَبَةٍ وَلَمْ يُهْمِلِ الْعِبَادَ فِي مُلْكِهِ هُوَالْمَالِكُ لِمَا مَلَّكَهُمْ وَالْقَادِرُ عَلَى مَا أَقْدَرَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنِ ائْتَمَرَ الْعِبَادُ بِطَاعَتِهِ لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا صَادّاً وَلا مِنْهَا مَانِعاً وَإِنِ ائْتَمَرُوا بِمَعْصِيَتِهِ فَشَاءَ أَنْ يَحُولَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَحُلْ وَفَعَلُوهُ فَلَيْسَ هُوَالَّذِي أَدْخَلَهُمْ فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ مَنْ يَضْبِطْ حُدُودَ هَذَا الْكَلامِ فَقَدْ خَصَمَ مَنْ خَالَفَهُ.

(The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Soleiman ibn Ja’far al-Ja’fari that there was talk of predestination and authorization in the presence of Abil Hassan Al-Ridha’ (a.s.). He (a.s.) said, “Do you want me to teach you something on this issue so that you never have any differences with each other and can defeat anyone who argues with you about them?” We said, “If you please.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “The Sublime God will not be worshipped by compulsion. He will not be disobeyed through being overcome. He has not left His servants alone in His Dominion. He is the Owner of whatever they possess. He is Powerful over whatever He has empowered them to do. If the servants decide to obey Him, God will not prevent them from doing so. If the servants decide to disobey Him, He will prevent them from doing so if He wills. But if He does not do so, and they do their acts of disobedience, it is not Him who has made them commit sins.” Then the Imam (a.s.) added, “Whoever adheres to the limits set by these words will never be defeated in any opposing arguments.”