Explaining the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And whatever evil befalls you is from yourself"

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, there is a doubt circulating, and it is regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: This verse is said to contradict the divine decree. What is your guidance on this?

Answer:
No, absolutely not. It does not contradict the divine decree; the contradiction exists only in the questioner's understanding. In reality, the words of Allah do not contradict one another. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: . Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, informed us that both the evil and the good are by the decree and destiny of Allah. Here, "evil" refers to drought, famine, and the hunger that befalls people, while "good" refers to loss and the blessings and growth of resources that befall people. Is the "good" or the "evil" intended here? What befalls people in the form of drought, famine, delayed rain, and hunger is due to their sins, due to their sins. It is decreed by Allah as a punishment from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. And what befalls them in the form of good, meaning blessings, abundance, and the descent of rain, is a favor from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, a favor and mercy from Allah. The servants do not deserve anything from Allah; rather, this is a grace from Him, Glorified and Exalted is He. And what befalls you of good is from Allah: victory over the enemy, wealth, riches, and blessings in the earth. All of this is a good from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, a favor, a favor from Allah. There is no doubt in this verse and the one following it: . And He wrote for them , meaning from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): . Drought and rain, wealth and poverty, all of it is from Allah. But Allah sends it to the servants with wisdom. He sends the good by His mercy and the evil by His justice, Glorified and Exalted is He. All , meaning they do not distinguish between the divine decree and the actions of the servants. Then He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: . What befalls you of good is from Allah, as a favor and kindness from Him, and what befalls you of evil is from yourself, meaning due to yourself. As for the One who decreed it, it is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, who decreed it as a punishment, decreed it as a punishment for the evil deeds and sins. This is justice from Him, Glorified and Exalted is He.
It is not possible for one who does not deserve punishment to be punished, and it is not possible for one who does not deserve a penalty to be penalized, absolutely not. So if evil befalls us, let us examine ourselves so that we know what the evil is. The Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), and his Companions were struck by the event of Uhud. When the calamity befell them and some of them were killed, this was due to a single sin committed by some of the fighters. The Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), had placed them in a location and said, "Do not leave this location, whether we are victorious or they are." When the battle turned and victory was achieved for the Muslims in the first part of the battle, they thought the matter was over. They said, "We will leave the location and go with our brothers."
We will go with our brothers to collect the spoils of war. They disobeyed the command of the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), so the punishment occurred. The enemies returned against them, and what happened to the Muslims happened due to . Conditions from yourselves due to the sin, and it is from Allah due to the divine decree and destiny. Allah decreed it as a punishment with wisdom from Him, Glorified and Exalted is He. If this happened to the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), and his Companions due to the sin of a group of them, how much more so with our sins and our evil deeds? Nothing happens on earth except due to sins and transgressions. Yes.