I read in some stories, literary works and journalistic articles the phrase “circumstances willed” or “circumstances dictated”, or “fate decreed”. What is the ruling on these phrases?
Praise be to Allah.These are inappropriate phrases, because
circumstances and fate do not have a will.
The great scholar Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(may Allaah preserve him) was asked about these phrases, and said:
“ ‘Fate willed’ or ‘circumstances willed/dictated’
are reprehensible phrases, because the Arabic word for circumstances,
zuroof, is the plural
of zarf, which is another
word for time – and time does not have a will. Similarly, fate does
not have a will either.
The One Who does have a will is Allaah. If a person
says ‘the decree of Allaah dictated such and such’, there is nothing
wrong with that. But it is not correct to attribute will to decrees,
because the will does not belong to the description, it belongs to the
One Who is described.” Majmoo’ Fataawa
wa Rasaa’il Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/131-132