All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad.
Everything that exists is by the decree of Allah, the Exalted, whether it be good or evil. Both good and evil are created by Allah, and this is a manifestation of His perfect knowledge and power. However, it is not proper to attribute evil and harm to Allah, the Exalted, even though He is the Creator and Originator of it. Allah says on the tongue of Ibrahim, peace be upon him {what means}: 'And when I am ill, it is He who cures me' [Ash-Shu'ara, 80]. The Prophet Ibrahim did not say 'And when He makes me ill'. Moreover, Allah says {what means}, recounting the story of Ayub: 'And [mention] Ayub, when he called upon his Lord, "Indeed, I have been afflicted with harm, while You are the Most Merciful of the merciful"' [Al-Anbiya, 83].
Moreover, if someone commits evil, it does not mean that Allah compelled him to do it or approved of it. Rather, that happened due to the servant's own choice and earning. Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said in his explanation of Muslim (Shareh An-Nawawi Ala Muslim) : 'The doctrine of the people of truth, Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamma`h, is that all created things, whether good or evil, are the actions and creation of Allah, the Exalted.' End quote."
In addition, it is stated in "al-Saawi's commentary on Jawharat at-Tawhid ": 'So He is the Creator of His servant and of what he does': meaning, wherever good and evil come from, it is from Allah; He is the Creator of His servant, and by this is meant every created being. The meaning is that Allah is the Creator of His servants and of whatever they do, whether good or evil, by choice or compulsion. The servant only has the inclination at the time of choice, and for this reason, repentance, cessation, and regret are sought, and punishment and retribution, reward and punishment are deserved. This is what is meant by 'kasb' (acquisition).'"
Furthermore, in "al-Bajuri's Commentary on Jawharat at-Tawhidi"' , it is stated: 'Although both the good and evil of actions are from Allah, it is proper etiquette to attribute only the good to Him. Thus, good is attributed to Allah, and evil is attributed to the self as an acquisition, even though it is attributed to Allah in terms of creation. Allah says {what means}: "Whatever of good reaches you is from Allah, and whatever of evil strikes you is from yourself" [An-Nisa, 79], meaning, as an acquisition, as is explained by His saying {what means}: "And whatever of affliction befalls you is because of what your hands have earned" [Ash-Shura, 30]. As for Allah's saying {what means}: "Say, 'Everything is from Allah'" [An-Nisa, 78], it is a return to the ultimate truth.' And Allah The Almighty knows best.
