What is the meaning of the hadith: "O Allah, forgive me if You will," and how is the hadith answered:
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The questioner : My Shaykh, if you would permit me, it is common, especially in conversation between people, to make du'a for one another, saying for example, "May Allah forgive us, if Allah wills," or "May Allah have mercy on us, if Allah wills." I would like you to draw our attention to this, may Allah reward you with good, and to clarify for us the meaning of the hadith that relates to the prohibition, meaning when a person says, "O Allah, forgive me if You will."
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good
The Shaykh : No, I want to rest now, and for the attendees to benefit from you in your home and your gathering.
The questioner : Pardon, the person.
The Shaykh : No, please allow me.
The questioner : Please go ahead.
The Shaykh : Because the matter does not require much attention to the issue.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : For it is clear, and you will be recorded as having the reward of conveying the da'wah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Ah, heh, this.
The questioner : I really want to benefit from you regarding the meaning of the hadith.
The Shaykh : If something is unclear to you.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We are cooperating with you, we are cooperating with you.
The questioner : The truth is, my request is for an explanation of the hadith; with your explanation of the hadith, the difficulty is resolved for me.
The Shaykh : That is it, but I have nothing unusual.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : So if you have a difficulty, what is the difficulty?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. I wanted to point out what happens, first of all, among many of the brothers.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Like what came from some of our brothers in their du'a for you, where they included "if Allah wills."
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And this is what happened, as.
The Shaykh : Now, dwell on this point so that it is firmly established in the mind and in memory.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Then bring up whatever difficulty you have after that.
The questioner : We learned this from you, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Indeed, a person, with proper conduct toward his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Glorified and Exalted is He.
The questioner : In du'a, a person should not condition his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He. He says, "O Allah, have mercy on us," "O Allah, turn to us in mercy," or the like, without conditioning, meaning, upon Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. He says, "O Allah, have mercy on us if You will," "O Allah, have mercy on us if Allah wills," and the like. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is not compelled. Meaning, the conditioning involves, it seems, a type of discourtesy toward Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Without a doubt
The questioner : Meaning, this is what appears.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed
The questioner : If you have something.
The Shaykh : What is the difficulty?
The questioner : It is, if the hadith that relates to du'a when a matter becomes difficult is authentic: "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will." I say, if this is authentic, is there a contradiction?
The Shaykh : It is authentic.
The questioner : It is authentic.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed
The questioner : Is there a contradiction here? "You make grief easy if You will," "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will."
The Shaykh : There is no contradiction. This is like many of the verses, even regarding eternity in Paradise, "except what Allah wills."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : So this attributes the will to Allah, that if He wills, He makes grief easy.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : But he does not make du'a saying, "If You will, forgive me," "Forgive me if You will."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : There is a difference between informing about Allah, Mighty and Majestic, that He is the Doer of what He wills, and when one makes a request in du'a to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and couples this request with the phrase "if You will."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Because the hadith, as you mentioned, centers on the servant asking his Lord, Mighty and Majestic. In this case, he should not say, "If You will, forgive me," or "Provide for me," or the like. "O Allah" is informing. "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will" does not appear to be of the type that contradicts, and the first hadith absolutely not.
The questioner : And even if it contains du'a, it is informing, meaning it is from this category.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And you have an example of that.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good
The Shaykh : No, I want to rest now, and for the attendees to benefit from you in your home and your gathering.
The questioner : Pardon, the person.
The Shaykh : No, please allow me.
The questioner : Please go ahead.
The Shaykh : Because the matter does not require much attention to the issue.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : For it is clear, and you will be recorded as having the reward of conveying the da'wah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Ah, heh, this.
The questioner : I really want to benefit from you regarding the meaning of the hadith.
The Shaykh : If something is unclear to you.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We are cooperating with you, we are cooperating with you.
The questioner : The truth is, my request is for an explanation of the hadith; with your explanation of the hadith, the difficulty is resolved for me.
The Shaykh : That is it, but I have nothing unusual.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : So if you have a difficulty, what is the difficulty?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. I wanted to point out what happens, first of all, among many of the brothers.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Like what came from some of our brothers in their du'a for you, where they included "if Allah wills."
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : And this is what happened, as.
The Shaykh : Now, dwell on this point so that it is firmly established in the mind and in memory.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Then bring up whatever difficulty you have after that.
The questioner : We learned this from you, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Indeed, a person, with proper conduct toward his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Glorified and Exalted is He.
The questioner : In du'a, a person should not condition his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He. He says, "O Allah, have mercy on us," "O Allah, turn to us in mercy," or the like, without conditioning, meaning, upon Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. He says, "O Allah, have mercy on us if You will," "O Allah, have mercy on us if Allah wills," and the like. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is not compelled. Meaning, the conditioning involves, it seems, a type of discourtesy toward Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The Shaykh : Without a doubt
The questioner : Meaning, this is what appears.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed
The questioner : If you have something.
The Shaykh : What is the difficulty?
The questioner : It is, if the hadith that relates to du'a when a matter becomes difficult is authentic: "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will." I say, if this is authentic, is there a contradiction?
The Shaykh : It is authentic.
The questioner : It is authentic.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed
The questioner : Is there a contradiction here? "You make grief easy if You will," "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will."
The Shaykh : There is no contradiction. This is like many of the verses, even regarding eternity in Paradise, "except what Allah wills."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : So this attributes the will to Allah, that if He wills, He makes grief easy.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : But he does not make du'a saying, "If You will, forgive me," "Forgive me if You will."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : There is a difference between informing about Allah, Mighty and Majestic, that He is the Doer of what He wills, and when one makes a request in du'a to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and couples this request with the phrase "if You will."
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Because the hadith, as you mentioned, centers on the servant asking his Lord, Mighty and Majestic. In this case, he should not say, "If You will, forgive me," or "Provide for me," or the like. "O Allah" is informing. "O Allah, there is nothing easy except what You have made easy, and You make grief easy if You will" does not appear to be of the type that contradicts, and the first hadith absolutely not.
The questioner : And even if it contains du'a, it is informing, meaning it is from this category.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And you have an example of that.