al-Hasana wa al-Sayya

al-Hasana wa al-Sayyia (The Good Deed and the Evil Deed) is a theological and exegetical treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) on divine decree (qadar), human accountability, and the origins of good and evil al-Hasana wa al-Sayya+1.

Subject and Content

The treatise is structured around the exegesis of Surah al-Nisa, focusing on the verse: مَّا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ ("Whatever good comes to you is from Allah, but whatever evil comes to you is from yourself" [Quran 4:79]) al-Hasana wa al-Sayya. Ibn Taymiyya examines the broader passage, including the command to engage in jihad and the verse: قُلْ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ ("Say, 'All is from Allah'" [Quran 4:78]), clarifying the relationship between divine sovereignty, predetermination, and human agency al-Hasana wa al-Sayya+1.

The text addresses the interpretations transmitted from early authorities such as Ibn Abbas, Abu al-Aliya, and Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, discussing whether hasana and sayyia refer specifically to divine blessings and afflictions (such as victory at Badr and calamity at Uhud) or to acts of obedience and disobedience Majmu al-Fatawa. Ibn Taymiyya establishes that while all events occur through God's universal will and decree, good actions and blessings are credited to God's grace and favor, whereas sins and afflictions stem from human misconduct and the individual's own soul Majmu al-Fatawa+1.

Theological Polemics

Ibn Taymiyya uses the scriptural text to refute two opposing theological camps on the question of free will and predestination:

• The Predestinarians (al-Mujbira / al-Jahmiyya): Those who claim that God may punish servants without any preceding sin or impose commands that cause harm without benefit, arguing purely from arbitrary sovereign will al-Hasana wa al-Sayya.
• The Deniers of Divine Decree (Nufat al-Qadar / al-Qadariyya): Those who equate divine will exclusively with divine command and claim that human acts of obedience and disobedience occur completely outside of God's creative power and special favor Majmu al-Fatawa+1.

Ibn Taymiyya argues that the Quranic text simultaneously disproves both groups by affirming that everything encompasses God's creation and decree while maintaining that evil and sin originate from the creation itself and cannot be used as an excuse against God's legislative commands and prohibitions Majmu al-Fatawa+1.

Publication and Editions

The treatise was incorporated into the modern compilation of Ibn Taymiyya's writings, Majmu al-Fatawa (Volume 14, pages 229–425) Majmu al-Fatawa+1. Earlier, it appeared under the title al-Hasana wa al-Sayyia wa Mawqif al-Abd Minhumā in the collection Shadharat al-Balatin Qaima bi-Muallafat Shaykh…. It has also been published as an independent volume in editions edited by Muhammad Jamil Ghazi (Cairo: Matba'at al-Madani, 1391 AH) and by Muhammad Uthman Khusht Qaima bi-Muallafat Shaykh….