What is the ruling on making an exception in supplication by saying “if Allah wills”?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on making an exception in supplication by saying “if Allah wills”?
The Shaykh : Making an exception in supplication is of two types: one is permissible, and the other is prohibited.
As for the permissible type, it is like the supplication of istikharah: “O Allah, if You know that this is good for me in my religion, my worldly affairs, the present of my matter, and its future, or the outcome of my matter and its future, then decree it for me and make it easy for me.” This is a conditional supplication.
Likewise, in the verse of li’an in Surat al-Nur, if a man accuses his wife of zina, and may Allah protect us from that, he is told to present proof, or else the hadd will be applied to his back, or he may choose li’an. If he chooses li’an, he will testify four times that his wife committed zina, and in the fifth time he will say, “And the curse of Allah be upon me if I am among the liars.” She will say that he is a liar and testify four times by Allah that he is among the liars, and in the fifth time she will say, “And the anger of Allah be upon me if he is among the truthful.” This is an exception, and it is permissible; there is nothing wrong with it.
Among such cases is what Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned about his shaykh, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, that funeral processions of people of innovation would be brought to him, and he would be uncertain whether they were disbelievers or Muslims. He said that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and asked him about this issue, and he said to him, “Stick to the condition, O Ahmad.” Ahmad is the name of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : “Stick to the condition” means to make a condition. The way to make the condition is to say, “O Allah, if this deceased person is a Muslim, then forgive him and have mercy on him.” Allah knows if he is a Muslim, then you have supplicated with truth, and if he is not a Muslim, then you have delegated the matter to Allah. This type of exception in supplication is permissible.
The second type is an exception that is not permissible because of the meaning it implies that is not befitting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For example, if someone says, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” “O Allah, have mercy on me if You will,” “O Allah, protect me from the Fire if You will,” “O Allah, admit me to Paradise if You will.” This is not permissible because this exception implies two defective meanings. The first meaning is that this is a great matter that is difficult for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so you say “if You will” as if you are commanding another person to do something and doubting his ability to do it, so you say “if You will” so as not to burden Him.
The second matter is that this implies that Allah the Exalted answers the supplicant under compulsion. The man says “if You will” so that it does not become known to Allah the Exalted that He is compelled, meaning Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is known that there is no one who can compel Allah, nothing is too difficult for Him, and nothing is too great for Him to give. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this and said:Sunan Abi Dawud 1483Sahih (Al-Albani).
Furthermore, there is another prohibition in it to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) alluded in his saying:. It is that if he says “if You will,” it is as if this supplicant is self-sufficient regarding Allah, saying, “If You will, do it; otherwise, it does not concern me.” Therefore, it is prohibited to make an exception in this manner.
As for saying “if Allah wills,” this is to be looked at. If a person intends by saying “if Allah wills” that this matter will occur by the will of Allah, then he is not prohibited from it. But if it means “if You will,” then he is prohibited from it. We have not asserted that it means “if You will,” because the person is not addressing Allah with it, but rather he said “if Allah wills” in the way of exalting Allah (Mighty and Majestic). However, with this, we see that it is better not to say it. Do not say, “May Allah forgive you, if Allah wills,” or “May Allah return you safely, if Allah wills,” or the like. We say: be decisive.
If someone asks, “Is it not part of the supplication for visiting the sick that the visitor says to the sick person, ‘No harm, it is a purification, if Allah wills’?” The answer is yes, but this is from the category of reporting, not from the category of supplication. It means, “I hope that Allah makes it a purification for you, if Allah wills.” It is from the category of hope, because the illness may be a purification for a person, or it may not be. If a person is patient, it becomes a purification for him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:. This is the hadith or its meaning.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit Islam and the Muslims through you.
O brothers and sisters, the one who answered your questions is the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in al-Qassim, and the preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city.
The Shaykh : Making an exception in supplication is of two types: one is permissible, and the other is prohibited.
As for the permissible type, it is like the supplication of istikharah: “O Allah, if You know that this is good for me in my religion, my worldly affairs, the present of my matter, and its future, or the outcome of my matter and its future, then decree it for me and make it easy for me.” This is a conditional supplication.
Likewise, in the verse of li’an in Surat al-Nur, if a man accuses his wife of zina, and may Allah protect us from that, he is told to present proof, or else the hadd will be applied to his back, or he may choose li’an. If he chooses li’an, he will testify four times that his wife committed zina, and in the fifth time he will say, “And the curse of Allah be upon me if I am among the liars.” She will say that he is a liar and testify four times by Allah that he is among the liars, and in the fifth time she will say, “And the anger of Allah be upon me if he is among the truthful.” This is an exception, and it is permissible; there is nothing wrong with it.
Among such cases is what Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned about his shaykh, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, that funeral processions of people of innovation would be brought to him, and he would be uncertain whether they were disbelievers or Muslims. He said that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and asked him about this issue, and he said to him, “Stick to the condition, O Ahmad.” Ahmad is the name of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : “Stick to the condition” means to make a condition. The way to make the condition is to say, “O Allah, if this deceased person is a Muslim, then forgive him and have mercy on him.” Allah knows if he is a Muslim, then you have supplicated with truth, and if he is not a Muslim, then you have delegated the matter to Allah. This type of exception in supplication is permissible.
The second type is an exception that is not permissible because of the meaning it implies that is not befitting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). For example, if someone says, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” “O Allah, have mercy on me if You will,” “O Allah, protect me from the Fire if You will,” “O Allah, admit me to Paradise if You will.” This is not permissible because this exception implies two defective meanings. The first meaning is that this is a great matter that is difficult for Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so you say “if You will” as if you are commanding another person to do something and doubting his ability to do it, so you say “if You will” so as not to burden Him.
The second matter is that this implies that Allah the Exalted answers the supplicant under compulsion. The man says “if You will” so that it does not become known to Allah the Exalted that He is compelled, meaning Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is known that there is no one who can compel Allah, nothing is too difficult for Him, and nothing is too great for Him to give. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this and said:
One of you should not say (in his supplication): O Allah, forgive me if You please, show mercy to me if You please.' Rather, be firm in your asking, for no one can force Him.
لا يقولن أحدكم اللهم اغفر لي إن شئت اللهم ارحمني إن شئت وليعزم المسألة فإن الله لا مكره لهFurthermore, there is another prohibition in it to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) alluded in his saying:
Rather, let him be decisive in his request.
وليعزم المسألةAs for saying “if Allah wills,” this is to be looked at. If a person intends by saying “if Allah wills” that this matter will occur by the will of Allah, then he is not prohibited from it. But if it means “if You will,” then he is prohibited from it. We have not asserted that it means “if You will,” because the person is not addressing Allah with it, but rather he said “if Allah wills” in the way of exalting Allah (Mighty and Majestic). However, with this, we see that it is better not to say it. Do not say, “May Allah forgive you, if Allah wills,” or “May Allah return you safely, if Allah wills,” or the like. We say: be decisive.
If someone asks, “Is it not part of the supplication for visiting the sick that the visitor says to the sick person, ‘No harm, it is a purification, if Allah wills’?” The answer is yes, but this is from the category of reporting, not from the category of supplication. It means, “I hope that Allah makes it a purification for you, if Allah wills.” It is from the category of hope, because the illness may be a purification for a person, or it may not be. If a person is patient, it becomes a purification for him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
No affliction befalls a Muslim, whether it be worry, grief, or harm, but Allah expiates his sins thereby, even if it is only a thorn that pricks him.
ما من شيء يُصيب المسلم هم أو غم أو أذى إلا كفّر الله به عنه حتى الشوكة يُشاكهاThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit Islam and the Muslims through you.
O brothers and sisters, the one who answered your questions is the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia and Principles of Religion in al-Qassim, and the preacher and imam of the Grand Mosque in the city.