Is the phrase "I met so-and-so by chance" permissible?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He asks: Is there any religious prohibition in this phrase, "I met so-and-so by chance"?
Answer:
I mean, do you intend that you were not on an appointment? You were not on an appointment; it was not by chance, meaning it was not decreed? If this is what is intended, that it denies the divine decree, then this is the position of the Mu'tazilah. But if his intention is "by chance," meaning without an appointment, then there is nothing wrong with it. Yes.
He asks: Is there any religious prohibition in this phrase, "I met so-and-so by chance"?
Answer:
I mean, do you intend that you were not on an appointment? You were not on an appointment; it was not by chance, meaning it was not decreed? If this is what is intended, that it denies the divine decree, then this is the position of the Mu'tazilah. But if his intention is "by chance," meaning without an appointment, then there is nothing wrong with it. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل تجوز عبارة قابلت فلاناً صدفة؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.