What is the ruling on saying "circumstances willed it" or "fate willed it"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Oct 24, 2026
These phrases should not be uttered, because circumstances and fate do not possess will. The One who wills is Allah, the Almighty. If a person says, "The decree of Allah necessitated such and such," then there is no harm in that. As for "will" (mashī’ah), it is not permissible to attribute it to fate, because will is intention, and there is no intention for an attribute, rather it belongs to the one described.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/2166
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 2166
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy