عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ عِدَّةٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَجْبَرَ الله الْعِبَادَ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي فَقَالَ الله أَعْدَلُ مِنْ أَنْ يُجْبِرَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي ثُمَّ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَفَوَّضَ الله إِلَى الْعِبَادِ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَوْ فَوَّضَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَمْ يَحْصُرْهُمْ بِالامْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَبَيْنَهُمَا مَنْزِلَةٌ قَالَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ أَوْسَعُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالارْضِ.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad from Yunus from ‘Idda who said the following:
“Once a man said to abu ‘Abd Allah , ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, has Allah compelled people to sin?’ The Imam said, ‘Allah is just and by far beyond compelling people to sin and then punishing them for it.’ The man then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, has He then left all matters to the servants?’ The Imam said, ‘Had He left all matters to the people He would not have restricted them with commandments and prohibitions.’ The man then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, is there a stage between the two?’ The Imam said, ‘Yes, there is something bigger than what is between the heavens and the earth.’”