Imamite Theologians in the Time of Imam Sādigh (P.B.U.H.) and the Issue of Istiṭā‘a (Ability to Act)

The issue of istiṭā‘a, meaning  man’s ability to commit an act, has been raised to examine the relationship between man’s will and the Absolute Will of God. This issue has been raised among Muslims for a long time. The Imamites and their theologians have not been excluded from these issues either. In this regard, a range of theories of “free will”, “determinism” and “intermediate position” has been proposed both among all Muslims and in Imamite circles in a way that this issue can be considered a key to distinguishing the internal boundaries in Imamite theology. In this article, by reviewing the beliefs attributed to the companions of Imam Sādigh (P.B.U.H.) in the writings of theologians and historian of sects and comparing them with the narrations narrated by the Imamites themselves, we seek to identify the formulations that have been proposed by Imamite theologians in this regard. In this way, it can be understood that the “absolute freedom of will”, “the intermediate position” (amrun bayn al-‘amrayn), and a few approaches near to “determinism” have been supported among the Imamites.