Is Saying Not Everything Happens by Allah’s Will Kufr?
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
What is the ruling on saying, "Not everything happens by the will of Allah"?
Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following matter: Zayd said to his friend Bakr, "You cannot get this thing." Bakr replied, "If Allah wills, it will be obtained." Zayd said, "Not every work happens by the will of Allah; in some works, humans also have a choice." The question is, how is this reply of Zayd?
Answer
In the situation mentioned, the ruling of disbelief (kufr) on Zayd is completely clear. It is obligatory for him to repent and renew his faith. If he is married, he must also renew his marriage contract. This is because the sentence he spoke in response to Bakr's words (i.e., "If Allah wills, it will be obtained") clearly means that some things can happen without the will of Allah Almighty. Holding such a belief is clear disbelief and a denial of Islamic beliefs.
This is because the correct belief mentioned in the Quran and Hadith is that everything—big or small—happens only by the will of Allah Almighty. Nothing can happen without His will. In fact, if He does not will it, a person cannot even wish for anything. As Allah Almighty states:
وَ مَا تَشَآءُوْنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنْ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰہُ رَبُّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَ ﴿٪۲۹﴾
And you cannot want anything unless Allah, Lord of all the worlds, wills it. (Al-Quran, Al- Takwīr, verse 29; translation from Kanz al-ꜤIrfān)
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Molana Muhammad Sajid Attari Madani
Verified By: Mufti Fuzail Raza Attari
Date: Islamic Magazine Faizan e Madina July 2026