The Ruling on Citing Divine Decree as an Excuse for Sins
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner says: When he is told to repent to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), he says, "This is divine decree and destiny, and Allah has decreed these things upon me." What is the validity of this statement?
Answer:
This is an invalid statement. One does not cite divine decree as an excuse for sins; rather, it is cited for the calamities that befall a person, such as illnesses and the like. One cites divine decree for calamities, but not for sins. This is the argument of Iblis, may Allah curse him, and of those who followed him. The Muslim repents to Allah; he does not put Allah on trial or dispute with Him, saying, "You are the One who decreed this upon me." However, Allah has given him the ability to act; he acts by his own choice and acts according to his own will. He was not compelled to commit sins. Rather, he has choice, will, and power to leave or do things by his own volition. Therefore, Allah holds him accountable. Allah does not punish for the decree, but rather for the actions of the servants, such as disbelief, sins, and evil deeds. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
This questioner says: When he is told to repent to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), he says, "This is divine decree and destiny, and Allah has decreed these things upon me." What is the validity of this statement?
Answer:
This is an invalid statement. One does not cite divine decree as an excuse for sins; rather, it is cited for the calamities that befall a person, such as illnesses and the like. One cites divine decree for calamities, but not for sins. This is the argument of Iblis, may Allah curse him, and of those who followed him. The Muslim repents to Allah; he does not put Allah on trial or dispute with Him, saying, "You are the One who decreed this upon me." However, Allah has given him the ability to act; he acts by his own choice and acts according to his own will. He was not compelled to commit sins. Rather, he has choice, will, and power to leave or do things by his own volition. Therefore, Allah holds him accountable. Allah does not punish for the decree, but rather for the actions of the servants, such as disbelief, sins, and evil deeds. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، برنامج (فتاوى) (181) لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان بتاريخ [1440-05-18] - كبار العلماء — youtube.com (10:02)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.