Bismillaah al-Rahemaan al-Raheiim.
Some people say that Allah -azwj gives us complete free will, while others say that he controls everything we do. However, both of these views are wrong and fabricated, as Shaykh al-Seaduuq -rhma records several aheaadiith in al-Tawheiid 2:59 which explains that Allaah -azwj doesn’t control us fully and make us do sins and good deeds, then punish and reward people for what he made them do. And we are taught that Allaah -azwj didn’t just give us full free will where we can do whatever we want against his will. Rather, it is a middle way which is described as “broader than the space between the Earth and the Heavens”.
This middle way is that he obliges his servants to do what they have the strength to do, and doesn’t oblige his servants to do whatever they don’t have the strength to do.
Imaam al-Seaadiq -a.s gave an example of “a man who was about to commit a sin. You saw him, and you told him not to do it. However, he did not stop. Then you left him, and he committed the sin. You abandoned him to his sin because he did not heed your warning. This does not mean that you encouraged him to sin.”
An example from me is that a parent forbids their child to do such-and-such, and the child either listens and doesn’t do it, or the child doesn’t listen and he does it anyways. If the child doesn’t listen, the parent punishes the child so that the child learns not to do it again.
In the same way, Allaah -azwj has made things forbidden for us, and we either listen and stay away from it, or we don’t listen and do it anyways. If we don’t listen to Allaah -azwj, he may punish us, either in the world or in the naar (fire) of jahannam.
Allaahumma sealli ’ealaa Muheammad -saawa wa aali Muheammad -saawa.