Being and Nothingness

Author's name: Mustafa Mahmoud

The causes belong to God. He is the one who owns them, He is the one who gives them, He is the one who drives them, He is the one who harnesses them. He is the one who established the law of causality.
Causes do not harm in and of themselves, nor do they benefit in and of themselves. Rather, in all cases, they are a manifestation of His will, harming with His permission and benefiting with His permission. If He wills, He can cause harm through them or without them. Or, if He wills, He can prevent them from acting, just as He prevented fire from burning Abraham, peace be upon him.
There is always wisdom behind withholding and giving, guidance and misguidance. The will and guidance of God are always based on the aptitude and readiness of the servant. The servant possesses the initiative, sincerity of intention and orientation that make him a candidate for giving or depriving. God’s giving is conditional, just as His deprivation is caused, and the matter is not one of compulsion, coercion or arbitrariness.