It is not permissible to invoke the divine decree as an excuse for sins.
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The Shaykh : And you have no right to invoke the divine decree as an excuse for disobeying Allah, ever.
We see some people whom you command to obey, and then they answer you coldly, saying: "Perhaps Allah will guide me." This is a word of truth intended to be used for falsehood. It is a word of truth, because every person who asks for guidance is in the right, but he intended to use it to deflect blame from himself.
Meaning, do not say anything; this is from Allah, perhaps Allah will guide me.
If he were sincere in seeking guidance, he would strive for guidance and work for it.
For example, if we saw a person saying: "By Allah, I love for Allah to provide me with a righteous child," what would we say to him? Marry, for it is not possible for it to come to you without marriage.
To the one who says "Perhaps Allah will guide me," we say: Turn to your Lord, direct yourself to Allah, and when you direct yourself to Allah, be confident that what comes to you from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is greater than your effort.
Listen to the words of Allah in the Holy Hadith:.
Look now at what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) gives you when you draw near to Him: He becomes your hearing with which you hear, your sight with which you see, your hand with which you strike, and your foot with which you walk. That is, He guides you in all your actions, in what you perceive with your sight, what you perceive with your hearing, what you perceive with your hand, and what you perceive with your foot; He guides you with the utmost guidance. And if you ask Allah, what? He gives you. And if you seek refuge in Him? He protects you.
And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him):.
So turn to your Lord, and you will find that what happens to you as a result of this turning is far greater than your effort, and try it and you will find. But if you say: "Perhaps Allah will guide me," while you are turning away from Allah, this is most like mocking Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
If someone were to say: "If the deed is written, is there any benefit in the deed? Why should I move? Because if a righteous deed has been written for me, it will happen, and if a bad deed has been written for me, it will happen," what is our answer to this? Our answer to this is found in the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What did he say? He said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2136.
We say: Work, leave the written and the unwritten, work. The messengers came to you, the books were sent down, good was made clear, evil was made clear, you were encouraged to good, and you were warned against evil, and you were given intellect, so it is only upon you to do what that intellect requires, which is following what the messengers brought.
Therefore he said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2136, then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the words of the Exalted: [Al-Layl 92:5-9].
Therefore, we find that these lazy people and these transgressors do not accept that anyone invoke the divine decree against them when they are beaten or their money is taken.
If you met a person who had money, and you beat him and took his money, and he argued with you, and you said to him: "By Allah, my brother, this is divine decree and destiny," would anyone accept this or not? Never. Even this person who invokes the divine decree, if someone came to him and beat him and took his money, and he said: "By Allah, this is divine decree and destiny, I have no power to do anything, Allah decreed and destined that I would beat you and take your money," would he be satisfied with this or not? He would not be satisfied. Therefore, if we invoked the divine decree, we would invalidate the Shari'ah.
The fornicator, when he commits fornication, says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me." The thief says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me." The drinker of intoxicants says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me."
If we accepted invoking the divine decree, the Shari'ah would be corrupted, indeed the earth would be corrupted.
Therefore, it is mentioned that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), was brought a thief, and he ordered his hand to be cut off, and he said:, so 'Umar argued with him using the same argument he had used for his bad deed.
The important point is that there is no invoking of the divine decree as an excuse for disobeying Allah, ever.
We see some people whom you command to obey, and then they answer you coldly, saying: "Perhaps Allah will guide me." This is a word of truth intended to be used for falsehood. It is a word of truth, because every person who asks for guidance is in the right, but he intended to use it to deflect blame from himself.
Meaning, do not say anything; this is from Allah, perhaps Allah will guide me.
If he were sincere in seeking guidance, he would strive for guidance and work for it.
For example, if we saw a person saying: "By Allah, I love for Allah to provide me with a righteous child," what would we say to him? Marry, for it is not possible for it to come to you without marriage.
To the one who says "Perhaps Allah will guide me," we say: Turn to your Lord, direct yourself to Allah, and when you direct yourself to Allah, be confident that what comes to you from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is greater than your effort.
Listen to the words of Allah in the Holy Hadith:
Whoever makes enmity toward one of My awliya (close friends of Allah), I have declared war upon him. And none of My servants draws near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to Me with voluntary acts until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. And if he asks Me, I will surely give him. And if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him.
من عادى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بالحرب، وما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه، ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها، ورجله التي يمشي بها، ولئن سألني لأعطينه، ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنهLook now at what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) gives you when you draw near to Him: He becomes your hearing with which you hear, your sight with which you see, your hand with which you strike, and your foot with which you walk. That is, He guides you in all your actions, in what you perceive with your sight, what you perceive with your hearing, what you perceive with your hand, and what you perceive with your foot; He guides you with the utmost guidance. And if you ask Allah, what? He gives you. And if you seek refuge in Him? He protects you.
And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him):
That he informed about his Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He): that whoever draws near to Allah by a hand's breadth, Allah draws near to him by an arm's length. And whoever draws near to Him by an arm's length, He draws near to him by a forearm's length. And whoever comes to Allah walking, He comes to him running.
أنه أخبر عن ربه تبارك وتعالى: أن من تقرب إلى الله شبراً تقرب الله إليه ذراعاً، ومن تقرب إليه ذراعاً تقرب إليه باعاً، ومن أتى الله يمشي، أتاه الله هرولةSo turn to your Lord, and you will find that what happens to you as a result of this turning is far greater than your effort, and try it and you will find. But if you say: "Perhaps Allah will guide me," while you are turning away from Allah, this is most like mocking Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
If someone were to say: "If the deed is written, is there any benefit in the deed? Why should I move? Because if a righteous deed has been written for me, it will happen, and if a bad deed has been written for me, it will happen," what is our answer to this? Our answer to this is found in the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What did he say? He said:
Work, for everyone is facilitated for what he was created.
اعملوا فكل ميسر لما خلق لهWe say: Work, leave the written and the unwritten, work. The messengers came to you, the books were sent down, good was made clear, evil was made clear, you were encouraged to good, and you were warned against evil, and you were given intellect, so it is only upon you to do what that intellect requires, which is following what the messengers brought.
Therefore he said:
Work, for everyone is facilitated for what he was created.
اعملوا فكل ميسر لما خلق له(5) As for he who gives and fears Allah (6) And believes in the best [reward], (7) We will ease him toward ease. (8) But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need (9) And denies the best [reward],
فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَىTherefore, we find that these lazy people and these transgressors do not accept that anyone invoke the divine decree against them when they are beaten or their money is taken.
If you met a person who had money, and you beat him and took his money, and he argued with you, and you said to him: "By Allah, my brother, this is divine decree and destiny," would anyone accept this or not? Never. Even this person who invokes the divine decree, if someone came to him and beat him and took his money, and he said: "By Allah, this is divine decree and destiny, I have no power to do anything, Allah decreed and destined that I would beat you and take your money," would he be satisfied with this or not? He would not be satisfied. Therefore, if we invoked the divine decree, we would invalidate the Shari'ah.
The fornicator, when he commits fornication, says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me." The thief says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me." The drinker of intoxicants says: "This is divine decree and destiny, do not blame me."
If we accepted invoking the divine decree, the Shari'ah would be corrupted, indeed the earth would be corrupted.
Therefore, it is mentioned that the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), was brought a thief, and he ordered his hand to be cut off, and he said:
Hold on, O Commander of the Faithful! By Allah, I did not steal except by the decree and destiny of Allah. So 'Umar said: And we do not cut off your hand except by the decree and destiny of Allah.
مهلاً يا أمير المؤمنين، والله ما سرقت إلا بقضاء الله وقدره، فقال عمر: ونحن لا نقطع يدك إلا بقضاء الله وقدرهThe important point is that there is no invoking of the divine decree as an excuse for disobeying Allah, ever.