Question:
In my town, there is a person I know well. He follows a doctrine called “everything is Allahﷻ.” When I asked him why he does not pray, he asked me why we should pray. I told him that we pray to enter Paradise. He replied that Allahﷻ has already chosen who will enter Paradise, so prayer has no benefit now. He said all Muslims living now will first enter Hell and only then enter Paradise, so no Muslim will directly enter Paradise now. Therefore, why should we do something useless?
Answer:
The questioner asks: What is the Islamic answer to this belief? This belief comes from a person known as “Bailwan” from Kattankudy in Sri Lanka. His belief is that everything is Allahﷻ. This belief is connected to Ibn Arabi’s philosophical doctrine and similar ideas. They say stone is Allahﷻ, soil is Allahﷻ, tree is Allahﷻ, Rama is Allahﷻ, Shiva is Allahﷻ, you are Allahﷻ, I am Allahﷻ — everything is Allahﷻ.
This is similar to the ‘Advaita’ doctrine in Hinduism, which says everything is one, and nothing exists except the ultimate reality. They say there is no difference between Creator and creation. They believe humans can become divine.
Islam rejects this completely. This belief is considered a deviation and confusion. Anyone who says everything is Allahﷻ is speaking irrationally. If someone calls a pen a potato while knowing it is a pen, people will say he is mentally unstable. Similarly, saying everything is Allahﷻ is a sign of confusion and misguidance.
These people use such arguments to avoid prayer and religious obligations. When asked why they do not pray, they say Allahﷻ already decided who goes to Paradise or Hell. The correct response is to expose the contradiction in their logic.
Ask them: If Allahﷻ already decided everything, then can I kill you? Since your destiny is already decided, whether I kill you or not, your fate is fixed. Will you accept that? They will not accept it.
Ask them: Can I drink alcohol, steal, lie, or commit crimes? If destiny is already decided, then why avoid sin? Their logic would justify all crimes. This shows their argument is false and only used to justify avoiding prayer.
If everything is predetermined and human actions do not matter, then moral responsibility would not exist. But Islam clearly teaches accountability and responsibility. These beliefs are borrowed from other philosophical systems and are used by some people to appear spiritually superior. They claim divine status to gain respect and followers.
In reality, this belief contradicts Islamic teachings and rational thinking. Islam teaches that Allahﷻ is the Creator and creation is separate from Him.