Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Anger and retribution are affirmed for Allah Almighty in the revealed texts. They are attributes of perfection when exercised in their proper place with justice and wisdom. Allah’s anger and retribution do not resemble the anger and retribution of created beings. As for grudge, it is not affirmed in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and its meaning involves deficiency and weakness; therefore, Allah Almighty is exalted above it. Likewise, it is not permissible to assert that every calamity that befalls a person is a sign of Allah’s anger or retribution, for it may instead be a trial, a means of raising one’s rank, or an expiation of sins.
The basic principle regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes is that we affirm for Allah what He has affirmed for Himself or what His Messenger ﷺ affirmed for Him, without distortion or denial, and without asking how or likening Him to creation.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ﴾
“There is nothing like unto Him.”
[Ash-Shura: 11]
Therefore, we must not make our human emotions or perceptions the standard by which we accept or reject an attribute of Allah.
The name of an attribute may be shared linguistically between the Creator and a created being, but the reality and manner of Allah’s attribute are befitting His Majesty and do not resemble the attributes of humans.
Thus, the mention of anger or retribution in the revealed texts does not mean that Allah’s anger is like human anger, or that His retribution resembles human acts of revenge, which may be motivated by injustice, weakness, or personal desire.
No.
Grudge is not one of the attributes of Allah Almighty, and neither the Qur’an nor the Sunnah describes Him with it.
In its basic meaning, a grudge involves retaining hostility in the heart and waiting for an opportunity to cause harm or take revenge.
This meaning is appropriate to a weak created being who may be unable to confront someone who has wronged him, so he keeps hostility within himself and waits for an opportunity to act.
Allah, however, is the All-Powerful. Nothing can render Him incapable, and no one can prevent Him from carrying out what He wills.
Therefore, grudge is a deficient and blameworthy meaning, and Allah Almighty is exalted above it.
It is therefore incorrect to say that Allah “holds a grudge” against anyone.
Yes.
Allah’s anger is affirmed in many places in the Qur’an.
Allah says:
﴿وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ﴾
“And they incurred anger from Allah.”
[Al-Baqarah: 61]
And He says:
﴿وَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ﴾
“And upon them is anger, and for them is a severe punishment.”
[Ash-Shura: 16]
And regarding those who choose disbelief after faith, He says:
﴿فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾
“Upon them is anger from Allah, and for them is a tremendous punishment.”
[An-Nahl: 106]
Thus, we affirm the attribute of anger for Allah as it appears in the revealed texts, in a manner befitting Him, without likening it to the anger of created beings.
Yes. The Qur’an attributes retribution to Allah.
Allah says:
﴿فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا﴾
“So We took retribution from them and drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs.”
[Al-A‘raf: 136]
And He says:
﴿فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ﴾
“So We took retribution from them.”
[Al-Hijr: 79]
And Allah says:
﴿فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
“So We took retribution from those who committed crimes, and it was incumbent upon Us to support the believers.”
[Ar-Rum: 47]
Here, retribution means a just punishment of those who deserve punishment because of disbelief, injustice, or wrongdoing.
Divine retribution does not arise from weakness, impulsiveness, or injustice. Rather, it is recompense carried out with justice and wisdom.
Perfection does not consist in mercy without justice, nor in being pleased without being angry with those who deserve anger.
Part of Allah’s perfection is that He shows mercy to the obedient, rewards those who do good, loves those who repent, and punishes wrongdoers, deniers, and obstinate people when they deserve punishment.
If He did not become angry at injustice, disbelief, and corruption, and did not punish those deserving punishment, that would not constitute perfection.
Scholars have therefore explained that possessing the attributes of mercy and justice, love and hatred, pleasure and anger, giving and withholding—each in its proper place as wisdom requires—is more perfect than being limited to only one side.
Thus, Allah’s anger and retribution are not deficiencies, because they occur with perfect justice and complete wisdom, and Allah wrongs no one.
A human being may become angry, and Allah Almighty is described as being angry, but sharing the term “anger” does not mean that the reality of the two is identical.
A person’s anger may involve psychological changes, weakness, or inability, whereas Allah’s attributes cannot be measured by the conditions of created beings.
The principle is that whatever Allah has informed us about Himself, we affirm it for Him in a manner befitting His Majesty, while believing His statement:
﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ﴾
“There is nothing like unto Him.”
[Ash-Shura: 11]
This combines affirmation with declaring Allah free of resemblance: we affirm the attribute without likening it to human attributes.
No.
It is a common mistake to see someone afflicted by illness, an accident, or another calamity and say, “Allah is angry with him,” or “Allah is taking retribution against him.”
It is not permissible to assert this without evidence.
Calamities may sometimes be punishment, but they may also be:
The prophets, although they were the best of creation, were among those most severely tested.
It is reported in the hadith:
“Among the people most severely tested are the prophets, then those nearest to them, then those nearest to them.”
The Prophet ﷺ also said concerning illness and harm that afflict a Muslim:
“No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, even a thorn or anything greater, except that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari]
Therefore, illness, disability, or accidents are not in themselves proof that the afflicted person is under Allah’s anger.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ﴾
“We will certainly test you with a measure of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, lives, and fruits. But give good news to those who patiently endure—those who, when afflicted with a calamity, say, ‘Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we will return.’ They are the ones who will receive blessings and mercy from their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided.”
[Al-Baqarah: 155–157]
The verses themselves describe those afflicted by calamities as receiving blessings and mercy from Allah when they remain patient.
Therefore, it is incorrect to regard every affliction as a sign of divine wrath or retribution.
Anger and retribution are affirmed for Allah Almighty in the Qur’an and Sunnah. In relation to Him, they are attributes and actions of perfection because they occur with justice and wisdom against those who deserve them, and they do not resemble the anger or retribution of created beings.
As for grudge, Allah is not described with it because it is not established in the revealed texts and because its meaning involves deficiency and weakness, from which Allah is exalted.
Likewise, we must not conclude merely from a calamity that Allah is angry with a person or taking retribution against them. It may instead be a trial, an expiation of sins, or a means of raising one’s rank. Indeed, the prophets and righteous people were among those most severely tested.
We must therefore know Allah Almighty as He has made Himself known in His Book and through the words of His Messenger ﷺ, affirming for Him the attributes of perfection while declaring Him free from every deficiency and from resemblance to created beings.
And Allah knows best.