and others, who herein followed Malec Ebn Am, and were fo cautious
o f any afilmilation o f G od to created beings, that they declared
whoever moved his hand while he read thefe words, I have
created with my hand, or ftretched forth his finger, in repeating this
faying of Mohammed, The heart o f the believer is between two fingers
o f the Merciful, ought to have his hand and finger cut o f f 1 j and the
reafons they gave for not explaining any fuch words were, that it is
forbidden in the Koran, and that fuch explications were neceffarily
founded on conjecture and opinion, from which no man ought to
fpeak o f the attributes o f G o d, becaufe the words o f the Koran
might by that means come to be understood differently from the author’s
meaning: nay fome have been fo fuperftitiouily fcrupulous in
this matter as not to allow the words hand, face, and the like, when
they occur in the Koran, to be rendred into Perfian or any other
language, but require them to be read in the very original words, and this
they call the jafe way \ 2. As to predeftination, they held that
G od hath one eternal will, which is applied to whatfoever he willeth,
both o f his -own actions and thofe o f men, fo far as they arp created
by him, but not as they are acquired or gained by th em th a t he willeth
both their good and their evil, their profit and their hurt, and as he
willeth and knoweth, he willeth concerning men that which he know-
eth, and hath commanded the pen to write the fame in the preferved
Table : and this is his decree, and eternal immutable counfel and pur-
pofe 3. They alfo went fo far as to fay, that it may be agreeable to
the way of G od that man (hould be commanded what he is not
able to perform But while they allow man fome power, they feem
to reftrain it to fuch a power as cannot produce any thing new; only
G o d , fay they, fo orders his providence, that he creates, after, or
under, and together with every created or new power, an aft ion which
is ready whenever a man wills it, and fits about i t : and this action
is called Cash, i. e. Acquifition; being in refpedt to its creation,, from
G o d, but in refpedt to its being produced, employed, and acquired,
from man 5. And this being generally efteemed the orthodox opinion,
it may not be improper farther to explain the fame in the words of
fome other writers. T h e eledtive actions o f men, fays one, fall
under the power o f G od alone j nor is their own power effedtual
theretot but G od caufeth to exift in man power and choice; and
i f there be no impediment, he caufeth his aftion to exift alfo, fubjeft
1 Idem, apud eand. p. 228, See. 2 V. Poc. ib. 3 Al Shahreft. apud eaad. p. 24;, &c.
* Idem, ib. p. 246. 5 A 1 Shahreft. apud Poc. .p 245, &c.
to
to his power, and joined with that and his choice-, which adtion, as
created, is to be alcribed to G o d , but as produced, employed, or acquired,
to man. So that by the acquifition o f an adtion is properly
meant a man’s joining or connefting the fame with his ptrwer and will,
yet allowing herein no imprefiion or infiuence on the exiftence
thereof, fave only that it is fubjedt to his power Others,, however,
who are alfo on the fide of al AJhdri, and reputed orthodox,
explain the matter in a different manner, and grant the imprefiion or
infiuence o f the created power o f man on his adtion, and that this power-
is what is called Acquifition V But the point will be ftill clearer, i f
we hear a third author, who rehearfes the various opinions, or explications
o f the opinion o f this fed! in the following words, v iz. A -
bul Hafan al AJhdri afferts all the adtions o f men to be fubjedt to the
power o f G o d , being created by him, and that the power o f maiv
hath no influence at all on that which he is empowered to do ; buc
that both the power, and what is fubjedt thereto, fall under the power
of G o d : al Kadi Abu Beer fays that the effence or fubfiance o f the:
adtion is the effedt o f the power o f G o d , but its being either an.
adtion o f obedience, as prayer, or an adtion o f difobedience, as fornication,
are qualities o f the adtion, which proceed from the power/,
of man:: Abd’ almalec, known by the title o f Imam al Haramein,
Abu'l Hofiin o f Bafra, and other learned men, held that the adtions o f
men are effedted by the power which G o d hath created in man,.
and that G od caufeth to exift in man both power and will, and that
: this power and will do neceflarily produce that which man is im-
f powered to do: and Abu IJhdk al Isfarayeni taught, that that which
■ maketh imprefiion, or hath infiuence on an adtion, is a compound
: of the power o f G od and the power o f man s. The fame author
, obferves, that their anceftors, perceiving 'a manifeft difference between
thofe things which are the effedts o f the eleftion o f man,, and thofe
things which are the necejfary effedts o f inanimate agents, deftitute
both o f knowledge and choice, and being at the fame time preffed.
by the arguments which prove that G od is the Creator of all things,-.
and confequently o f thofe things which are done by men,, to conciliate
the matter, chofe the middle way, afferting adtions to proceed
from the power o f G od , and the acquifition o i man\ G o d’s way o f
dealing with his fervants being, that when man intendeth obedience,.
G od createth in him an adtion of obedience, and when he intendeth;
1 Au&or Sharh al Mawakef, apud eund. p. 247. 2 Al. Shahreft, ib. p. 248. 3 Aiiftor r
Sharh al Tawalea, apud.eund. ib. p. 248» &c.
di£*-