From Islamweb.net 443119 Source
Question
I have a question, namely, regarding the phrase “in shāʾ Allāh” when making supplication. Does it differ from saying “if You will”? And if by saying “in shāʾ Allāh” one intends something like, “O Lord, answer me,” and does not mean by it, “If You will (O Allah), answer; or do not answer,” does the ruling differ?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions. To proceed:
The phrase “in shāʾ Allāh” does not differ from saying “if You will,” for both constitute making the supplication contingent upon the divine will.
The prohibition reported concerning making supplication contingent upon the divine will is found in his saying—peace and blessings be upon him—as related in aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥayn: “None of you should say: O Allah, forgive me if You will; O Allah, have mercy upon me if You will. Rather, he should be firm in his request, for none can compel Him.” According to the sounder view, this indicates reprehensibility of a discouraging nature (karāhat at-tanzīh), not prohibition. Some scholars, however, hold that if the phrase “in shāʾ Allāh” is said after the supplication by way of seeking blessing (tabarruk), then it is not disliked. See Fatwa no. 316270.
Some scholars also hold that if the supplication is phrased in the form of a declarative statement, then making it contingent upon the divine will is not disliked, such as supplicating for a sick person by saying: “Purification, in shāʾ Allāh (La Ba-sa Tahurun Ins Sha Allah).” As previously stated in Fatwa no. 322057.
And Allah knows best.
From Islamweb.net 316270 Source
Question
Is the statement, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” an act of shirk?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions. To proceed:
This statement is not shirk; rather, it is prohibited, as is established in aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥayn on the authority of Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Messenger of Allah—ṣallā Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam—said: “When one of you supplicates, let him not say: ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will.’ Rather, let him be firm in his request and let him magnify his hope, for nothing that He gives is too great for Allah.” The sounder view is that this prohibition indicates reprehensibility (i.e.Makrooh), though it has also been said to indicate prohibition.
In Fatḥ al-Bārī by Ibn Ḥajar (11/140), it is stated: Ibn ʿAbdil-Barr said: “It is not permissible for anyone to say: ‘O Allah, give to me if You will,’ and likewise in any matter of religion or worldly life, because it is an impossible form of speech with no valid meaning; for He does not do except what He wills.” Its apparent sense indicates that he understood the prohibition as one of prohibition, and this is the more evident view.
An-Nawawī, however, interpreted the prohibition here as one of disapprovedness for the sake of refinement, and this is more appropriate, as is supported by what will come in the ḥadīth of al-istikharah.
Ibn Baṭṭāl said regarding the ḥadīth that the supplicant ought to strive earnestly in supplication, to remain hopeful of a response, and not to despair of mercy, for he is calling upon One Most Generous.
Ibn ʿUyaynah said: “Let nothing that one knows about himself—meaning, of deficiency—prevent him from supplicating, for Allah answered the supplication of the most evil of His creation, namely Iblīs, when he said: ‘My Lord, grant me respite until the Day they are resurrected.’”
Ad-Dāwūdī said: “The meaning of his statement, ‘let him be firm in his request,’ is that he should exert himself, persist insistently, and not say, ‘if You will,’ as one making an exception would do; rather, it should be the supplication of the miserable and destitute one.” I say: It is as though his statement, “as one making an exception,” indicates that if one says it by way of seeking blessing, it is not disliked; and this is sound. End quote.
And Allah knows best.
From Islamweb.net 322057 Source
Question
When I supplicate for my companion and say to him, for example, “Your mother is shown mercy, by Allah’s leave (Ummuka Marhoomah Bi Idhnillah)” is this considered a failure to be resolute in one’s request?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions. To proceed:
What appears to be the case is that a supplication phrased in the form of a declarative statement, such as saying, “Your mother is shown mercy,” may be qualified by reference to the divine will and permission without objection. This is not regarded as a failure to be resolute in supplication, nor does it fall under what has been reported concerning the prohibition of making supplication contingent upon the divine will. For it is related in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with them both—that when the Prophet—ṣallā Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam—visited a sick person, he would say: “La Ba-Sa Tahurun InshaAllah” [“No harm, (it will be a) purification (from sins), if Allah wills”].
And in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, it is reported that when the Messenger of Allah—ṣallā Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam—broke his fast, he would say: “The thirst has gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is confirmed, in shāʾ Allāh.” Al-Ḥākim declared it authentic.
Thus, his statement—ṣallā Allahu ʿalayhi wa sallam—“Purification, in shāʾ Allāh,” and “the reward is confirmed, in shāʾ Allāh,” is a supplication, yet it was nevertheless qualified by the divine will because it was phrased in the form of a declarative statement.
Dr. ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Khuḍayr said: If the supplication comes in the imperative form, such as, “O Allah, forgive me; have mercy on me; O Allah, forgive so-and-so,” then it is not permissible to attach it to the divine will, and the prohibition concerning that has been reported. But if it comes in the form of a declarative statement, even though it is still a supplication, then there is no objection to saying: “May Allah forgive you, in shāʾ Allāh,” and “May Allah reward you with goodness, in shāʾ Allāh,” because the Prophet—upon him be prayers and peace—said: “Purification, in shāʾ Allāh,” and “the reward is confirmed, in shāʾ Allāh.” He said: when he broke his fast. So the like of this presents no problem when it comes in declarative wording, not in the imperative form. End quote.
And Allah knows best.
Summary of the Fatawa above:
• Saying “Allahumma ighfir li in shi’ta” or making du‘a with “in shā’ Allāh / if You will” is not the correct way in direct du‘a. The Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) taught us to ask Allah with firmness and certainty.
• This wording is not Haram, but it is disliked according to most of the the scholars, as mentioned in the fatawa. (Some did deem it Haram.)
• So in direct du‘a, it is better to say:
“Allahumma ighfir li”
and not “Allahumma ighfir li in shi’ta.”
• But if the wording is in the form of a statement and not a direct request, then saying “in shā’ Allāh” can be allowed.
• Examples:
“La Ba-Sa Ṭahūrun in shā’ Allāh”
“(Dua while breaking the fast)… Wa Thabata al-ajru in shā’ Allāh”
“Your mother is shown mercy, by Allah’s leave”
In short:
Direct du‘a + “in shā’ Allāh / if You will” = not proper.
Statement-style du‘a + “in shā’ Allāh” = can be permissible.
(Translated by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna, summary in the end was added by me.)
Saheehus-Seerah 