The Nature of the Connection Between Action and Agent

The action that is only connected to its agent is either direct or causal. Direct action is sometimes independent, sometimes in partnership, and sometimes in the form of support and assistance and the like. All forms of direct action are included in the verse under discussion, although its inclusion in relation to its various instances is not uniform. Causal action, where a person appoints another as their deputy and that deputy performs the action with the intention of representing the one who appointed them, is also included in the aforementioned verse, because causing an action is considered a type of action, even if there are degrees to causation and deputization, just as the evidence for deputization in Islam is sufficient and complete for actions that are not individually obligatory and do not require personal performance.

From this, it becomes clear that the argument of some based on the verse under discussion and the verse “Man will have nothing but what he strives for”(400), to deny the validity of deputization in physical acts is incomplete.

Some people of insight, after mentioning that argument, have expressed their own view and, by raising the issue of gifting rewards, have said: The action and its reward belong to the doer, and according to their own will, in cases where the reward is transferable, they can give it to another, and that other person has no right to claim it; meaning, it is not considered their reward(401).

In critiquing this statement, it should be noted that firstly, gifting rewards to non-doers has no problem, nor is it inconsistent with the message of the verse under discussion, nor does the denier of deputization negate it, because the focus of those who deny deputization is specifically the title of reward, and reward is relevant in cases where there is entitlement and the right to claim.

Secondly, gifting rewards, which is valid, does not carry the meaning of recompense that entails the right to claim, nor does it negate the validity of deputization, which carries the meaning of recompense and is intertwined with the right to claim.