The intended meaning of the path is the type, and for this reason, He added to it the intention and said, "And among them is one who deviates." The intention is a source meaning the doer, which is the one who intends. It is said: a path of intention and an intended one, meaning: straight, as if he intends the direction that the traveler aims for and does not deviate from it. The meaning of His saying, "And upon Allah is the intention of the path," is that guidance to the path leading to the truth is obligatory upon Him. [Mahamud said: "And its meaning is that guidance to the path leading to the truth is obligatory..." Ahmad said: "Where does he go with that from the completion of the verse?" This is His saying, "And if He had willed, He would have guided you all." If the matter were as the Qadarites claim, the speech would have been: "And He has guided you all." And they are only to believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in part. If they went to interpret guidance as coercion and compulsion, they are only distorting the words from their proper places. As for the difference between the two styles, it is because the context of the speech is to establish Allah's proof upon creation that He has made clear the intended and the deviant paths, and He has guided a people who chose guidance, and led astray a people who chose misguidance for themselves. It has been previously mentioned in many places that every action that occurs at the hands of the servant has two considerations: one is that it exists created by Allah, and is attributed to Him in this regard, and the other is that it is associated with the servant's choice and his ability to carry it out, which is attributed to the servant. The multiplicity of these two considerations is established in every action, so it is appropriate to establish the proof on the servants by attributing guidance to Allah in consideration of His creation of it, and attributing misguidance to the servant in consideration of his choice of it. The result is that he mentioned in each of the two actions a relationship different from the relationship mentioned in the other, so that it corresponds to establishing the proof. Say, "So to Allah belongs the conclusive proof, and Allah is the guide to what is right." The path leading to the truth is obligatory upon Him. [The saying, "the path leading to the truth is obligatory upon Him," is the view of the Mu'tazila, and there is no obligation upon Him according to the Ahl al-Sunnah, rather that is a favor from Him. However, the generous presents the promise of goodness in the form of obligation.] As in His saying, "Indeed, upon Us is guidance." If you say: Why did the style of the speech change in the saying, "And among them is one who deviates?" I say: So that it is known what can be attributed to Him from the two paths and what cannot be attributed. If the matter were as the Jabriyyah claim, it would have been said: "And upon Allah is the intention of the path, and upon Him is its deviant one" or "and upon Him is the deviant." Abdullah read: "And among you is a deviant," meaning: "And among you is a deviant who deviates from the intention by his bad choice, and Allah is free from him." "And if He had willed, He would have guided you all by coercion and compulsion." [The saying, "And if He had willed, He would have guided you all by coercion and compulsion" is according to the Mu'tazila. As for the Ahl al-Sunnah, if He had willed, He would have guided everyone by choice, as the Mu'tazila have made it obligatory for Allah to do good, and guidance for all is good, so the apparent meaning of the verse contradicts their view. Therefore, they said: He intended guidance for all, but this intention does not contradict the choice of the servant, so that his obligation is not invalidated. This intention does not necessitate the occurrence of what is intended. The Ahl al-Sunnah do not impose anything upon Allah, and whatever Allah intends must occur. This intention does not contradict the choice of the servant according to them, as has been clarified in the science of monotheism.]