Is Saying إن شاء الله Without Intention a Sin?
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Ruling On Saying ْاِن شاء اللہ When Not Having the Intention of Doing Something?
Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the noble scholars and jurists of Islamic law say about the following: Someone said, are you going to do so-and-so work? He said اِن شاء اللہ, but he did not have the firm intention of doing it. He only said اِن شاء اللہ keeping its meaning if Allah wills in mind. Is this a sin?
Answer
The proper occasion of saying اِن شاء اللہ is when one has a firm intention in the heart of carrying out a task; إن شاء اللہ should be said at that time. It has been instructed in the Noble Quran as well that one should say اِن شاء اللہ with a firm intention. However, if one does not have a firm intention or no intention at all, yet he said اِن شاء اللہ, it is not a sin. Moreover, if one does not have a firm intention, it is better to say to the other person, I do not have this intention at the moment in an appropriate manner, but when I make the intention, I will surely do it. This was the answer to a general situation. But if the situation is such that one says اِن شاء اللہ showing as if they are making a promise and a firm intention, but they do not intend to do it in their heart, this will be considered deception because of the intention, and this is a sin.
Allāh Almighty states:
وَ لَا تَقُوْلَنَّ لِشَایْءٍ اِنِّیْ فَاعِلٌ ذٰلِكَ غَدًا اِلَّاۤ اَنْ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰهُ
Translation (Kanz al-ʿIrfān): And you must not say about anything, “Indeed I shall do this tomorrow. Except that Allāh wills. (Part 15, Sūrah al-Kahf, Verse 23-24)
We have been instructed to say اِن شاء اللہ with any firm intention. Thus, it is Tafsīr Khāzin:
قوله سبحانه و تعالى و لا تقولن لشيء إني فاعل ذلك غدا اِلا اَن يشاء اللّٰہ يعني إذا عزمت على فعل شيء غدا فقل إن شاء اللہ و لا تقله بغير استثناء
Translation: The saying of Allāh Almighty And you must not say about anything, Indeed I shall do this tomorrow, except that Allāh wills, means that when you have made the firm intention about doing an action tomorrow, say اِن شاء اللہ; do not say this without saying إن شاء اللہ. (Tafsīr Khāzin, Vol. 03, p. 161, Publ. Dār al-Kutub al-ʿllmiyah, Beirut)
Saying اِن شاء اللہ is not taʿrīḍ. Therefore, saying it, whether out of necessity or not, is never a sin. Thus, it is stated in Barīqah Maḥmūdiyah Sharḥ Tarīqah Muḥammadiyah:
و من التعريض تقييد الكلام بلعل و عسى و عن النبي صلى اللہ تعالى عليه و سلم المخرج من الكذب أي طريق الخروج من الكذب أربع إن شاء اللہ و ما شاء اللہ و لعل و عسى كذا في التتارخانية) لا يخفى أن الأولى للمصنف على هذا أن يضم القولين الأولين إلى الأخيرين لعل ذلك ليس من التعريض إذ التعريض ليس بجائز بلا ضرورة و هما ليسا كذلك فافهم
Translation: Taʿrīd is to restrict the statement with لعل (maybe) or عسى (hopefully). It is narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that there are four ways to avoid lying: saying إن شاء اللہ, ما شاء اللہ, لعل, and عسى. It is similarly mentioned in al-Tātārkhāniyah. Clearly, it would be more appropriate for the author to add the first two words (إن شاء اللہ, ما شاء اللہ) with the other two words (لعل, عسى) (in relation to restricting the statements). Maybe he didn't do this because these two (إن شاء اللہ, ما شاء اللہ) are actually not part of taʿrīd, as taʿrīd is not permitted without any valid reason, whereas these two are not from this category. Thus, understand. (Barīqah Maḥmūdiyah Sharḥ Tarīqah Muḥammadiyah, Vol. 03, p. 181, Publ. Ḥalbi)
Condemning deception, Allāh Almighty has stated:
﴾یُخٰدِعُوْنَ اللّٰهَ وَ الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا ۚ- وَ مَا یَخْدَعُوْنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنْفُسَهُمْ وَ مَا یَشْعُرُوْنَ (9)﴿
Translation (Kanz al-ʿIrfān): These people want to deceive Allāh and the believers, although they only deceive themselves, but they do not perceive it. (Part 1, Sūrah al-Baqarah, Verse 09)
Under the above-mentioned verse, it is stated in Tafsīr Sirāt-Ul-Jinān:
اس آیت سے معلوم ہوا کہ ظاہر و باطن کا تضاد بہت بڑا عیب ہے۔ یہ منافقت ایمان کے اندر ہو تو سب سے بدتر ہے اور اگر عمل میں ہو تو ایمان میں منافقت سے تو کم تر ہے لیکن فی نفسہ سخت خبیث ہے، جس آدمی کے قول و فعل اور ظاہر و باطن میں تضاد ہوگا تو لوگوں کی نظر میں وہ سخت قابلِ نفرت ہوگا۔ ایمان میں منافقت مخصوص لوگوں میں پائی جاتی ہے جبکہ عملی منافقت ہر سطح کے لوگوں میں پائی جاسکتی ہے۔
Translation: From this verse, we get to know that the contradiction of the outer and the inner is a great fault. If this hypocrisy exists in ʾImān, it is worse. If it is found in action, although it is less than the hypocrisy in ʾImān, it is extremely vile. The person whose words and actions, inner and outer, contradict is despised by the people. Hypocrisy is ʾImān is found only in certain people, but hypocrisy in action exists in people of all levels. (Tafsīr Sirāt-Ul-Jinān, Vol. 01, p. 80, Publ. Maktaba-Tul-Madīnah, Karachi)
It is in a Ḥadīth narrated in al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr Lil-Tabrāni:
قال رسول اللہ صلى اللہ عليه و سلم: من غشنا فليس منا، و المكر و الخداع في النار
Translation: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The one who deceives is not from us. A plotter and a deceiver are in the fire (of hell). (Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr Lil-Tabrāni, Vol. 10, p. 138, Ḥadīth No. 10234, Publ. Cairo)
ʿAllāmah ʿAbdul-Raʾūf Munāwi عليه الرحمة writes in Faid al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Saghīr: و الغش ستر حال الشئ Translation: Deception is hiding the reality of something. (Faid al-Qadīr Sharḥ Jāmiʿ al-Saghīr, Vol. 06, p. 185, Publ. Al-Maktaba al-Tijāriyah al-Kubrā, Egypt)
Deception is always ḥarām. Thus, Aʿlā Ḥazrat Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه states in Fatāwa Razawiyah:
غدر (دھوکہ) و بدعہدی مطلقا سب سے حرام ہے، مسلم ہو یا کافر، ذمی ہو یا حربی مستامن یا غیر مستامن، اصلی ہو یا مرتد۔
Translation: Deception and breaking promises are always ḥarām with everyone, whether a Muslim, disbeliever, zimmi, ḥarbī, mustaʾmin, non-mustaʾmin, initially disbeliever, or an apostate. (Fatāwa Razawiyah, Vol. 14, p. 139, Publ. Razā Foundation, Lahore)
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Ref No: FAM-967
Date: 18th Jumād al- ʾŪlā 1447 AH / 10th November 2025