LessonsObligation Beyond Capacity: Possibility, Ability, and Moral JudgmentQuiz

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. (Quran 2:286)

This verse is a central textual basis for the relationship between religious obligation and capacity. It shows that the address of obligation takes account of the addressee’s appropriate ability, rather than making unperformable demands the ordinary model of religious law.

Still, whether an unusual command has actually occurred and whether it could be conceivable in a restricted theological sense are separate questions. The wording must be considered within the distinction made by the argument.

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The Quranic principle of capacity

Obligation Beyond Capacity: Possibility, Ability, and Moral Judgment

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. (Quran 2:286)

This verse is a central textual basis for the relationship between religious obligation and capacity. It shows that the address of obligation takes account of the addressee’s appropriate ability, rather than making unperformable demands the ordinary model of religious law.

Still, whether an unusual command has actually occurred and whether it could be conceivable in a restricted theological sense are separate questions. The wording must be considered within the distinction made by the argument.