Question: In the book Belief and Islam the following is written: “It would befit His [Allahu ta’âlâ’s] superiority and benevolence if He would bring all the sinners to Paradise. And it would become His justice if He put all of those who obey and worship Him in Hell, for everything belongs to Him. So He can use it as He wishes.” No one can oppose it. But it is communicated that He charged past ummats (communities) with injunctions beyond their power to observe. Then does a human not say when he or she is sent to Hell, “O my Rabb! You tasked me with more than I can bear. Therefore, I could not perform them. Is it not injustice for You to put me into Hell?”
ANSWER
It would be wrong for his or her to say so. As it is mentioned above, it is not injustice for Allahu ta’âlâ to put sinless people into Hell, because they belong to Him, and He, in turn, uses what belongs to Him. Is the second case not the same as the first one? If He put into Hell both those who have power to carry out injunctions and those who do not, would it not be to use His own property? Who can call using one’s own property and possessions injustice? Here there is not an act of trespassing on others’ property, so it cannot be called injustice.

The justice for Allahu ta’âlâ means His using His own property and possessions. And injustice is trespassing on others’ property and possessions. Allahu ta’âlâ alone is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it. Since there is no creator other than He and since nobody has anything, our Rabb’s deeds are not acts of encroaching upon others’ property and belongings. Concerning His actions, it cannot be said, “They are not compatible with justice.” He can make a formerly unlawful thing lawful later, and vice versa. Everything belongs to Him, and He can use it as He wishes. No one can call Him to account. Despite these, He has promised that He will send those who have îmân and do righteous deeds to Paradise. He has also stated that He will not go back on His word. The purport of an âyah (Qur’anic verse) is as follows:
(Allah never breaks His promise.) [Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 9; Sûrat-uz-Zumar, 20; Sûrat-ur-Ra’d, 31]

The statements of Imâm-i Ash’arî
Question: It is written in the book Belief and Islam: “According to the Ash’arî Madhhab and the Mu’tazila, it is not jâiz for Allahu ta’âlâ to command us to do something that is not possible. And according to the Mu’tazila, it is not jâiz for Allahu ta’âlâ to command something which is possible but which is not within man’s power. According to the Ash’arî, it is jâiz, yet He has not commanded it. To command people to fly in the air is of this sort.” Since Imâm-i Ash’arî is one of the two imams of the Ahl as-Sunnat, what did he say “jâiz” concerning it?
ANSWER
By saying jâiz, he meant that “If He had commanded it, it would not have been against His justice and would not have been unjustness.” The same book says further: “The justice for Allahu ta’âlâ means His using His own property and possessions. And injustice is trespassing on others’ property and possessions. Allahu ta’âlâ alone is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it. Since there is no creator other than He and since nobody has anything, our Rabb’s deeds are not acts of encroaching upon others’ property and belongings. Concerning His actions, it cannot be said, ‘They are not compatible with justice.’ Allahu ta’âlâ does not have to reward some people or torture some others. It would befit His superiority and benevolence if He would bring all the sinners to Paradise. And it would become His justice if He would put all of those who obey and worship Him in Hell” (Belief and Islam).

Allahu ta’âlâ has pitied this Ummat and has not charged them with commandments that are beyond their power to carry out. Imâm-i Ash’arî states, “He did not command them; if He had commanded, it would not have been injustice, for He would have used His own property.” That is, if He placed Muslims into Hell and disbelievers into Paradise, it would not go against His justice. But He has promised that He will place Muslims into Paradise and disbelievers into Hell. He has also declared that He will not renege on His promise. In other words, those who die as Believers will certainly enter Paradise while those who die as disbelievers will stay in Hell eternally.