Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
There is nothing wrong with describing some decreed matters as bad or evil from the perspective of the servant, and this is not considered criticism of Allah’s decree. This is because describing something as bad may refer to the effect and outcome of the decreed matter, not to the action of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. However, it is not correct to assert that everything contrary to a person’s wishes is evil or the worst thing, because what he dislikes may contain great good that he does not know about.
It is important to distinguish between Allah’s action and decree and the things that are acted upon and decreed.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is not described as doing evil. This is indicated by the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Here I am at Your service, and at Your command. All good is in Your hands, and evil is not attributed to You.” Narrated by Muslim (771).
Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that this is part of proper etiquette in praising Allah: the good aspects of matters are attributed to Him, while evil is not attributed to Him in this manner.
As for created things and decreed events, they may contain good and evil, benefit and harm, and what is pleasant and unpleasant.
Allah, Exalted is He, says:
“We test you with evil and good as a trial, and to Us you will be returned.” [Al-Anbiya 21:35]
A person may suffer illness, poverty, failure, loss of employment, or something else. Such a matter may be disliked from his perspective, and it is permissible for him to describe it as bad in this respect, without this constituting an objection to Allah or criticism of His wisdom.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned that evil is not attributed to Allah in the Qur’an and Sunnah except in certain ways. One of these is attributing it to creation, as in Allah’s saying:
“From the evil of what He has created.” [Al-Falaq 113:2]
Another is mentioning it generally or omitting its agent, as Allah says:
“And we do not know whether evil is intended for those on earth or whether their Lord intends guidance for them.” [Al-Jinn 72:10]
Therefore, none of Allah’s Beautiful Names contains the meaning of evil. Rather, evil is mentioned in relation to created things and the effects of His actions.
Illness, for example, may be evil from the perspective of the sick person, and punishment may be painful for the one upon whom it falls. Yet what Allah decrees occurs with wisdom and justice, and it may result in benefits and forms of good that a person does not know.
Not everything a person considers bad is actually bad in reality.
A person may fail an examination or fail to obtain a job he wanted and think that this is pure evil, only for it later to become a reason for him to move to a more suitable field or obtain a better job.
Allah therefore says:
“Perhaps you dislike something while it is good for you, and perhaps you love something while it is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not know.” [Al-Baqarah 2:216]
A person views a matter from a limited perspective, whereas Allah knows the consequences of matters and what they will ultimately lead to.
When a person says: “This matter is bad for me,” or “The occurrence of this matter was painful and unpleasant,” this does not necessarily mean that he is objecting to Allah’s decree.
Evil may exist in the effect and outcome of a decreed matter from the perspective of its impact on a person, while he still believes that Allah’s decree concerning it is based on wisdom and justice.
As for being discontent with Allah’s decree, objecting to His judgment, or believing that His decree is unjust or purposeless, this is an entirely different matter. A Muslim must not object to his Lord.
Therefore, a Muslim should observe proper etiquette with Allah, describing what has happened to him in a way appropriate to his situation without his words implying objection to Allah or accusing Him of lacking wisdom.
It is better for a Muslim to entrust his affairs to Allah, knowing that his Lord knows what is best for him, and to ask Him to make what He has decreed for him good.
Among the supplications taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, is:
“O Allah, I ask You for all good, sooner and later, that which I know of and that which I do not know. And I seek refuge in You from all evil, sooner and later, that which I know of and that which I do not know ... And I ask You to make every decree that You decree for me good.” Narrated by Ahmad (24498) and Ibn Majah (3846); authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami‘ (1276).
This indicates that a servant may be unaware of the good contained in what Allah has decreed for him, so he asks his Lord to make His decree good for him.
It is permissible to describe some decreed matters as evil or bad from the perspective of the person affected by them. This does not constitute criticism of Allah’s decree. Evil may exist in the effect and outcome of a decreed matter, whereas Allah’s action and decree are based on wisdom and justice, and all good is in His hands.
However, a person should not assert that everything contrary to his wishes is evil or “the worst thing,” because what he dislikes may be a means to great good that he does not know.
What is required is to trust in Allah, submit to His judgment, and ask Him to make everything He decrees for His servant good.
And Allah knows best.