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What are the phrases that attribute evil to Allah, and what is the most appropriate phrase to describe Allah's creation of evil without showing disrespect?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The issue was previously clarified in Fatwa numbers: 107732 and 98845.

Expressions that imply attributing evil to Allah are not limited. Any evil or affliction can be erroneously attributed to Allah by some people, thereby transgressing the bounds of proper etiquette, even if the content of their words is true.

Appropriate expressions involve using the passive voice for the verb, as in the Almighty's saying: "And verily, we know not whether evil is intended for those on earth, or whether their Lord intends for them a right path." (72:10) Or by attributing it to oneself, as in the Almighty's saying: "And when I am ill, it is He who cures me." (26:80) And Al-Khidr's saying: "So I intended to make it defective." (18:79) Or by attributing it to creation, as in the Almighty's saying: "from the evil of what He created." (113:2)

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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