Analysis of the relationship between divine providence and human will in verses 23 and 24 of Surah al-Kahf

The quality of the relationship between the free will of human beings and the Divine will is one the complex difficulties which has always occupied human minds. Many verses of the holy Quran have emphasized on the sovereignty of the Divine will over the creatures, even over arbitrary deeds of human beings. Such verses have made some interpreters to conclude that human beings have no power over their deeds - and even on their beliefs and disbeliefs- and that they are only ruled based on God’s intentions; with no free will of their own. On the other hand, another group of the interpreters have emphasized on the human’s arbitrary. Through all these, an important question has been left unanswered: why has God emphasized on his sovereignty on the creatures? This article is searching for an answer to this question; by studying interpreter's ideas about two verses “æó áÇ ÊóÞõæáóäóþ áöÔóیúþÁò Åöäøöی ÝÇÚöáñ Ðáö˜ó ÛóÏÇ* ÅöáÇøó Ãóäú یóÔÇÁó Çááøóåõ” with a new sight and from a different point of view. In this path -after a discussion on semantics- the author focuses on the first interpretation, which has emphasized on God’s sovereignty over the world, ignoring the independent will of human beings; and then studies the interpretations which argue that these verses are not against the independent will of human beings. Finally, the author presents the consequence of the arguments, demonstrating that having faith in these verses eagers human beings to do good deeds by strengthening their will.