Is it permissible to use the expression "by chance", such as saying,
"I went to the market and I met So and so by chance"?
Is this phrase "by chance" haraam or does it constitute shirk
(associating others with Allaah)? What should I say instead of this?
Please advise me, may Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with using the phrase "by chance," because what
the speaker means is that he met that person without a prior agreement
to meet, and without intending to do so; he does not mean that this
meeting happened without the decree of Allaah.
The use of this expression (sudfatanin Arabic) is mentioned in some
ahaadeeth, such as that narrated by Muslim (2144) from Anas who said:
I set out with him (i.e., with 'Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Talhah) to go to
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and we met him by chance and he was carrying a branding iron…
Abu Dawood (142) narrated that Laqeet ibn Sabrah said: I came among
the delegation of Banu'l-Muntafiq to the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). When we came to the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) it so happened that
we did not find him in his house but by chance 'Aa'ishah the Mother of
the Believers was there…. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(3/393):
The expression used by many people, "I met So and so by chance" etc is
not haraam and does not constitute shirk, because what is meant is
meeting him without a prior appointment or agreement to meet, for
example, and there is nothing wrong with this meaning.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen was asked: What is your opinion on using the
expression "by chance"?
He replied:
We think that there is nothing wrong with this expression. This is a
customary expression which is mentioned in several ahaadeeth: We met
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by
chance, etc.
With regard to people's actions, things do happen by chance, because
people have no knowledge of the Unseen and a thing may happen without
a person realizing it or doing the things that lead to it or expecting
it. But with regard to the actions of Allaah, this is not the case,
for everything is known to Allaah and everything is decreed by Him.
With regard to Him nothing ever happens by chance, but with regard to
you and me, we may meet without prior arrangement and without
realizing or planning it. This is what we call chance, and there is
nothing wrong with that. But with regard to the actions of Allaah,
this word cannot be used.
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