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Complaint to God (shakwa ila Allah)

الشكوى إلى الله

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy says that the ignorant complain about God to people, while whoever knows his Lord does not complain of Him to creatures. He holds that complaint should be made to God alone, not to every small or great person.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

Ethics and character

Summary

The Sheikh says that the ignorant complain about God to people, and whoever knows his Lord does not complain of Him to creatures. 1 2

One person complaining to another

The Sheikh relates that one of the early generations saw a man complaining to another man, and told him that he was complaining from one who shows him mercy to one who shows him none, and that one who complains to a human complains from the merciful to the one who has no mercy. 3

A verse on complaining to God

The Sheikh quotes a verse saying that the one who complains complains only to God, and does not name the verse in the recording. 4

Do not complain to every small or great person

The Sheikh says that we should not complain to every small or great person, nor to everyone who has wronged us (needs_source: the Sheikh's wording at this point is garbled in the transcript), and that complaint should be made to the Lord of the worlds. 5

People and things also explored

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Adha (harm of a slight kind: removing harmful things and the duty not to harm)· Justice and grace (adl wal-fadl)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Ketab Al Fawaed, episode 3, at 00:17:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Ketab Al Fawaed, episode 3, at 00:17:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Ketab Al Fawaed, episode 3, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Ketab Al Fawaed, episode 3, at 00:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Sharh Ketab Al Fawaed, episode 2, at 00:56:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Complaint to God (shakwa ila Allah)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/shakwa-ila-allah/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.

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Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Paying a debt in the form owed is obligatory by consensus. A debt due now must be paid on demand when the debtor can pay; a deferred debt is not due before its term. Payment is made in like items, with value owed where there is no like; a better payment is allowed when unconditioned. Remission, gift, assignment, set-off and settlement take the place of payment. A solvent debtor who refuses is compelled, imprisoned and his apparent property sold; the majority hold that a bankrupt is put under interdiction and his property divided among creditors, against Abu Hanifa. The insolvent is given respite, and his debt may be paid from zakat if he borrowed for himself in a lawful matter. A dead person's debt attaches to his estate and takes precedence over bequests and inheritance.