In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
“Whatever Allah Wills and What You Have Willed.”
The Text of the Chapter
Shaikhul-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhāb said:
From Qutaylah, who said that a Jew came to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and said:
إِنَّكُمْ تُنَدِّدُونَ وَإِنَّكُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ تَقُولُونَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَشِئْتَ وَتَقُولُونَ وَالْكَعْبَةِ . فَأَمَرَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَحْلِفُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا ” وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ ” . وَيَقُولُونَ ” مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ شِئْتَ ”
“Indeed, you Muslims associate partners with Allah, you say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed, and what you (Muhammad) have willed.’ You also say, ‘By the Ka’bah (i.e., you swear by the Ka’bah).’ Thereafter, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) commanded the people that if they wanted to take an oath, that they were to say, ‘By the Lord of the Ka’bah,’ and that they should say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed, then what you have willed.‘”
(Reported by Imām an-Nasā’ee, no. 3773 who graded it saheeh, and likewise, graded saheeh by Al-Albāni in As-Silsilatus-Saheehah, no. 136)
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (radiAllahu ‘anhumā) said that a man came to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and said to him,
ما شاء اللهُ وشئتَ، فقال رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أجعلتني لله نداً؟ ما شاء الله وحده
“Whatever Allah has willed, and what you have willed.” So the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to him, “Have you made me a rival unto Allah? Rather, it is whatever Allah has willed alone.”
(Reported by an-Nasā’ee in al-Kubra 6/245 no. 10824, with a variant wording:
أنَّ رجلًا قال للنبيِّ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ : ما شاء اللهُ وشئتَ فقال لهُ النبيُّ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ : أجعلتني للهِ عدلًا بل ما شاء اللهُ وحدَهُ
A man said to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam): ‘What Allah has willed and what you have willed.’ So the prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied: ‘Have you made me equal to Allah?! Indeed, it is only as Allah has willed alone.’ Declared saheeh by Sheikh al-Albāni in As-Saheehah, no. 139)
Ibn Mājah reports from Tufayl (radiyallāhu ‘anhu), who was the brother of ‘A’ishah (radiyallahu ‘anha) through her mother, that he said:
“I saw in a dream that I came upon a group of Jews, and I said to them, ‘You would be the people who you claim to be were it not for the fact that you say that ‘Uzayr is the son of Allah.’ They replied, ‘You (Muslims) would be the people that you claim to be were it not for the fact that you say, ‘What Allah has willed, and what Muhammad has willed.’ Then (still in the dream) I came across a group from amongst the Christians and I said to them, ‘You would be the people you claim to be were it not that you say, ‘The Messiah (Jesus) is the son of Allah,’ so they said in return, ‘You would be the people you claim to be were it not that you say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed and whatever Muhammad has willed.’ Tufayl continued, ‘So when I awoke, I informed whoever I informed, then I came to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and informed him and he said, ‘Have you told anyone else?’ So, I said, ‘Yes.’ The Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) then praised Allah and extolled Him and then said, ‘To proceed, Tufayl saw a dream and he told whoever he told about his dream. You used to utter a statement which I was not able to forbid you from due to a reason, so (from now on) do not say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed and whatever Muhammad has willed,’ rather say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed alone.”
(Reported by Ibn Mājah, no. 2118, and Al-Albāni declared it to be saheeh in As-Silsiltus-Saheehah, no. 138)
Explanation
In this chapter, there is a prohibition of associating partners as it relates to the will of Allah, and that is by introducing the article ‘و’ or ‘and’. By introducing this article, it is to associate a partner with Allah, and this is not permitted. Many benefits can be taken from the Hadeeth of Qutaylah: “Indeed, you Muslims associate partners with Allah, you say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed, and what you (Muhammad) have willed.’ You also say, ‘By the Ka’bah (i.e., you swear by the Ka’bah).’ Thereafter, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) commanded the people that if they wanted to take an oath, that they were to say, ‘By the Lord of the Ka’bah,’ and that they should say, ‘Whatever Allah has willed, then what you have willed.‘”
Taking an oath is not permitted except by Allah, so it is not permissible to swear by the Ka’bah, nor by the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), nor by Jibreel – and nor by anything from amongst the creation, regardless of who or what it may be. That is because taking an oath by something is to glorify and venerate it, and glorifying or venerating anything other than Allah is shirk.
A person may use the excuse that Allah Himself swears by many different things in the Qur’ān. However, this person must be told that Allah (the Most High) can quite rightly swear by whatever He wishes from His creation, and He does so as an honour for that thing. However, the creation is not permitted to swear by other than Allah the Most High.
There occurs in the Hadeeth of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhumā) that the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) met ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhu) and heard him swearing by his father, so he (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) announced to all of them: “Indeed Allah has forbidden you to take oaths by your father. Whoever wishes to take an oath, then let him swear by Allah or remain silent.” (Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim).
So, instead of swearing by the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) or by the Ka’bah, he should say, ‘By the Lord of Muhammad,’ or he should say, ‘By the Lord of the Ka’bah.’
Within the Hadeeth is a prohibition of associating partners with Allah in His will. It is not allowed for a muslim to say to another Muslim who is the same as him (i.e., a created being): ‘Whatever Allah wills and whatever you will,’ or, ‘If it was not for Allah and you.’ Rather, it is obligatory that he should say, ‘Whatever Allah wills, then what you will,’ or ‘Were it not for Allah, and then you.’
Likewise, there is in the Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbās (radiyallahu ‘anhumā), that a man said to the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam): ‘Whatever Allah wills and what you will.’ So the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, ‘Have you made me a rival unto Allah? Rather, it is only what Allah has willed.’
So, the will, in truth, is the will of Allah, so it is not possible for a person to will an affair other than that which Allah (the Most High) has willed. This is because the decree has already been written, and the will of Allah is to be executed. The will of the servants comes after, and follows on from the will of Allah, and it is for this reason that there occurs the saying, ‘Whatever Allah wills, comes into being, and whatever He does not will, does not come into being.’
If you wish an affair and Allah (the Most High) did not will it, then it will not occur, and Allah the Most High has said:
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ. لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَسْتَقِيمَ. وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ.
“Verily this (Quran) is no less than a reminder to all the creation to whomever among you who wishes to walk straight, and you cannot wish unless Allah wills – the Lord of all creation” (Surah at-Takweer 81:27-29).
Regarding the dream of Tufayl (radiyallahu ‘anhu) – the brother of ‘A’ishah (radiyallahu ‘anha) from her mother, then it means that the Muslims had associated partners with Allah in His will, and by way of this, it has been made clear that associating partners with Allah in His will is impermissible.
In conclusion, therefore, the servant should say, ‘Whatever Allah wills alone,’ or that he says, ‘Whatever Allah wills, then what so and so has willed.’ An important note is that it is also necessary to know that associating partners with Allah in His will is minor shirk that does not exclude the one who does it from the religion.
From Al-ʿAllāmah Shaikh Ahmad Ibn Yahyā An-Najmi’s (rahimahullāh) explanation with added notes by Abu Khadeejah.
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك
الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم
This article was transcribed by Umm Maryam (may Allah reward her) from the classes of Abu Khadeejah. Please share it with others.