894 - Abu Bakr al-Marwudhi informed us, saying: Abu Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] was asked regarding fornication: Is it by divine decree (qadar)? He replied: "Good and evil are by divine decree." He then said: "Fornication and theft." He mentioned on the authority of Salim and Ibn Abbas that they said: "Fornication and theft are by divine decree." Abu Abd Allah then said: "Ibn Mahdi had been asked about this, so he said: Good and evil are by divine decree. They spoke harshly toward him and asked him: Are fornication and lesbianism by divine decree? He seemed to disapprove of this and said: I have already answered them that good and evil are by divine decree, yet they persisted in mentioning such specific examples of predestined acts to him."
٨٩٤ - أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْمَرُّوذِيُّ، قَالَ: سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الزِّنَا، بِقَدَرٍ؟ فَقَالَ: " الْخَيْرُ وَالشَّرُّ بِقَدَرٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: الزِّنَا وَالسَّرِقَةُ، وَذَكَرَ عَنْ سَالِمٍ، وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا ⦗٥٤١⦘: «الزِّنَا وَالسَّرِقَةُ بِقَدَرٍ» ، ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: كَانَ ابْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ قَدْ سَأَلُوهُ عَنْ ذَا؟ فَقَالَ: الْخَيْرُ وَالشَّرُّ بِقَدَرٍ، فَفَحَشُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: الزِّنَا وَالسِّحَاقُ بِقَدَرٍ؟ فَكَأَنَّهُ أَنْكَرَ هَذَا، وَقَالَ: قَدْ أَجَابَهُمْ إِلَى أَنَّ الْخَيْرَ وَالشَّرَّ بِقَدَرٍ، فَجَعَلُوا يَذْكُرُونَ لَهُ مِثْلَ هَذِهِ الْأَقْدَارِ
