Question: Is it jâiz (permissible) to say “Allah takes revenge”?
ANSWER
Allahu ta’âlâ’s taking revenge means His punishing evil doers. It is permissible and necessary to say that Allah will take revenge. It is necessary to communicate the fact that people will not get away with the evils they have perpetrated.

One of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allahu ta’âlâ is al-Muntaqim, which means the One who takes revenge. He is the Owner of Vengeance. (Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 4; Sûrat-ul-Mâida, 95; Sûrat-u Ibrâhîm, 47; Sûrat-uz-Zumar, 37)

In the Holy Qur’an Allahu ta’âlâ says, “We will take revenge” or “We take revenge” (Sûrat-us-Sajdah, 22; Sûrat-uz-Zukhruf, 41; Sûrat-ud-Dukhân, 16).

And He also says, “We took vengeance” (Sûrat-ul-A’râf, 136; Sûrat-ul-Hijr, 79; Sûrat-uz-Zukhruf:25, 55).

The matter Allahu ta’âlâ’s taking vengeance, which appear in the Qur’ân al-karîm and religious books, means His punishing the guilty. He will get the rights of the oppressed people from their oppressors. He will take revenge on and punish the betrayers who drag humans into Jahannam (Hell). He will also take His own rights from whomever He wishes.

Some related ahâdîth are as follows:
(Allahu ta’âlâ’s awliyâ among the public are the people of hunger and thirst. Allahu ta’âlâ takes revenge on and makes Jannat [Paradise] harâm for those who cause them distress.) [Ibni Najjar]

(Fear Allah! If a Believer does injustice to another Believer, Allahu ta’âlâ will definitely take the revenge of the oppressed person on his oppressor on the Day of Resurrection.) [A.b. Hamid]

(He who disobeys his parents and who wanders with the unjust is an evil doer. Allahu ta’âlâ declares, “We undoubtedly take revenge on evil doers.”) [Tabarânî]

(Allahu ta’âlâ declares, “By My glory and majesty, just as I take revenge on the unjust, so I take revenge on those who do not help the oppressed, though they have power to help.”) [Hâkim]

Therefore, we must not slight any sin, for Allahu ta’âlâ is the One who takes revenge. He does not fear anybody in doing what He wishes. He has concealed His wrath in sins. Any sin which is supposed to be small may cause His vengeance, His wrath. He may refuse eternally a liked slave of His who has been worshiping for a hundred thousand years for one single sin, nor does He fear anything. The Qur’ân al-karîm informs of this fact and communicated that the Devil (Shaitan), who had been obeying Him for two hundred thousand years, became eternally accursed because he was too arrogant to prostrate. A son of Hadrat Âdam’s was eternally expelled by Him because he killed a man.

Bal’am bin Bâûrâ, during the time of Hadrat Mûsâ, knew the Ism-i a’zâm. Every prayer of his would be accepted (by Allahu ta’âlâ). His knowledge was in such a high degree that two thousand people would be present with him to write what he said. This Bal’âm, showing a little inclination towards one harâm of Allahu ta’âlâ’s, died without îmân. He became the subject of public talk which said, “Those who are like him are like dogs.”

Qârûn was a relative of Hadrat Mûsâ’s. Having been blessed with the benedictions of Hadrat Mûsâ, and being taught the knowledge of chemistry by him, he had become so rich that only the keys of his treasuries would be carried by forty mules. Because he did not pay the zakât, he was made to go under the earth together with his entire property.

Allahu ta’âlâ has avenged upon many other people like these on account of one sin. Then Believers must be very much afraid of committing sins. Upon committing one small sin, they must repent and beg for forgiveness.

Although rain, the damage caused by lightning, earthquakes take place in certain chains of events called the laws of nature, the real Creator of them is Allahu ta’âlâ, because one of the fundamentals of îmân is to have belief in that khair (good) and sharr (evil) are from Allah. The poet says:

Everything belongs to Allah but is worked by slaves,
Even a chaff of straw does not move unless He wills.

If a traffic accident happens or if one person kills another person, it is Allahu ta’âlâ again who has created it. He has made such things causes for the death of those people. The poet says again:

Allah takes His revenge by means of His slave,
One without ilm-i ladun deems it the deed of that slave.