Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ḥadīth, Volume 09
What is the ruling on placing conditions in order to believe in Allah?
Placing conditions for accepting faith is an inappropriate and disbelieving attitude. Those who demand unusual signs, miracles, or personal conditions as prerequisites for belief are, in fact, displaying stubborn denial and arrogance—a trait that Allah ﷻ has condemned in the Qur’ān.
Allah ﷻ has recorded the arrogant demands of disbelievers in the Qur’ān:
﴿وَقَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنبُوعًا ﴾
﴿أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهَارَ خِلَالَهَا تَفْجِيرًا﴾
﴿أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا﴾
"And they said: We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us, or you have a garden of date-palms and grapes and cause rivers to gush through it, or you cause the sky to fall in pieces on us as you claim, or bring Allah and the angels before us."
— Surah al-Isrāʾ: 90–92
These demands are not rooted in a sincere quest for truth, but are deliberate excuses to reject the truth already made evident.
If Allah ﷻ were to accept such conditional belief, it would lead to chaos and absurdity:
This would lead to utter destruction of the cosmic order.
﴿وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ﴾
"Had the Truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth and all those in them would surely have been corrupted."
— Surah al-Muʾminūn: 71
Allah ﷻ has already placed clear and sufficient signs for the recognition of His existence and truth:
✔ The creation of the heavens and the earth,
✔ Our faculties of hearing, seeing, and reasoning,
✔ The harmony in nature and life—all are signs pointing to the Creator.
These are sufficient proofs, and through them, all objections have been answered and truth has been fully clarified.
Placing conditions before accepting faith is a manifestation of disbelief and obstinate denial. Allah ﷻ has already provided undeniable signs of His existence and authority in both creation and revelation.
There is no justification for demanding miracles or specific signs to believe.
One must use the reason and insight granted by Allah ﷻ to recognize the truth and submit sincerely.
This attitude of conditional belief is a path to misguidance, rebellion, and ultimately, ruin.
❖ Question
What is the ruling on placing conditions in order to believe in Allah?
❖ Answer
Placing conditions for accepting faith is an inappropriate and disbelieving attitude. Those who demand unusual signs, miracles, or personal conditions as prerequisites for belief are, in fact, displaying stubborn denial and arrogance—a trait that Allah ﷻ has condemned in the Qur’ān.
❖ Qur’ānic Example: The Demands of Disbelievers
Allah ﷻ has recorded the arrogant demands of disbelievers in the Qur’ān:
﴿وَقَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنبُوعًا ﴾
﴿أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهَارَ خِلَالَهَا تَفْجِيرًا﴾
﴿أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا﴾
"And they said: We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us, or you have a garden of date-palms and grapes and cause rivers to gush through it, or you cause the sky to fall in pieces on us as you claim, or bring Allah and the angels before us."
— Surah al-Isrāʾ: 90–92
These demands are not rooted in a sincere quest for truth, but are deliberate excuses to reject the truth already made evident.
❖ The Danger of Opening the Door to Conditional Belief
If Allah ﷻ were to accept such conditional belief, it would lead to chaos and absurdity:
- One person might demand the sun be turned into the moon.
- Another might insist the earth be transformed into the heavens.
- Some may place belief upon someone’s death or the destruction of a town.
- Others may demand opposite signs altogether.
This would lead to utter destruction of the cosmic order.
﴿وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ﴾
"Had the Truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth and all those in them would surely have been corrupted."
— Surah al-Muʾminūn: 71
❖ Divine Proofs and Bounties
Allah ﷻ has already placed clear and sufficient signs for the recognition of His existence and truth:
✔ The creation of the heavens and the earth,
✔ Our faculties of hearing, seeing, and reasoning,
✔ The harmony in nature and life—all are signs pointing to the Creator.
These are sufficient proofs, and through them, all objections have been answered and truth has been fully clarified.
❖ Conclusion
Placing conditions before accepting faith is a manifestation of disbelief and obstinate denial. Allah ﷻ has already provided undeniable signs of His existence and authority in both creation and revelation.
There is no justification for demanding miracles or specific signs to believe.
One must use the reason and insight granted by Allah ﷻ to recognize the truth and submit sincerely.
This attitude of conditional belief is a path to misguidance, rebellion, and ultimately, ruin.
