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Pure Evil Is Not Ascribed To Allah

Question

If someone considers something which Allah has permitted to be evil(i.e an act that is only halal but not recommended or obligatory) to be evil is it blasphemous? is the ruling different if the act is actually recommended or obligatory?For example, if someone says marriage to a 12 year old girl who has passed puberty is evil knowing that it is permitted in Islam is that blasphemous?Is it kufr to believe that Allah's face resembles that of Adam in image? Is ascribing a shape or color to Allah's attributes shirk? By shape I mean a shape we as created beings know like circles, ovals or irregular shapes

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If we presume that any matter which Allah has legislated, whether it is permissible, or recommend, or obligatory, includes any disadvantage, then its advantages are when compared to its disadvantages.

It is not permissible to describe it that it is a pure evil, because all the rulings of Allah are all good, but the difficulties that the person who is obliged to carry out these religious obligations may face, are considered as evil in this regard.

Ibn Al-Qayyim  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him said in his book Shifaa’ Al-'Aleel:

"The one who is most knowledgeable [i.e. the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention )] about Him said: “Evil is not ascribed to You (Allah)”, He (Allah) does not create anything that is purely evil in all aspects. Rather, all that He has created has a benefit in it and a wisdom, even if there is a partial additional evil in some of it. As regards a completely evil matter that is absolutely evil in all aspects, then Allah, exalted be He, is free from this and this is not ascribed to Him.” [End of quote]

Declaring a Muslim as a Kaafir (non-Muslim or a disbeliever) is not an easy matter. Therefore, it is not correct to judge him as a Kaafir just for uttering these words. It is possible that he intended a meaning that does not necessitate Kufr. In the example you mentioned, it may be that he meant that a girl, at this age, cannot bear sexual intercourse, and that she may be harmed if the husband consummates the marriage with her while she is not able to have sexual intercourse. He may also have meant that she is not mature and not yet prepared to fulfill her task as a housewife, for example.

With regard to the Attributes of Allah Almighty, it is a matter of the Unseen and a Muslim must refer to Islamic texts in this regard. It is forbidden for a Muslim to describe his Lord with what He did not describe Himself in His Book or on the tongue of His Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ).

Describing the face of Allah resemble the image of Aadam is a great evil and an aberrant sin. The same applies to likening Him [to any of His Creatures] in any manner. It was reported that Na’eem ibn Hammaad said:

"Whoever resembles Allah to any of His creation has indeed disbelieved ...” [End of quote]

This kind of Takfeer (declaring someone as a non-Muslim) is general, but it is not permissible to declare a specific person as a Kaafir unless the conditions (of declaring him as Kaafir) are met, while there are no impediments for declaring him as such. These criteria (of declaring someone as Kaafir) must be fulfilled. For more benefit on the criteria for declaring someone as a Kaafir, please refer to Fataawa 8106 and 87963.

We hope that you are not affected by whispers in this field of Takfeer because we have already received a question from you about the same context.

Allah knows best.

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