Title:
‘An Old Woman’ & God’s Character
Article:
In his list of contradictions in the
Qur’an, Mr. Katz has included an
article based on a comparison of Al-Shu`araa 26: 170 – 171 and Al-Aa`raaf
7: 83.
Al-Shu`araa 26: 170 – 171 reads as:
Then We saved all his [i.e. Lot (pbuh)’s]
followers, except for an old woman, who was left behind
Al-Aa`raaf 7: 83 reads as:
Then We saved him [i.e. Lot (pbuh)] and
his followers, except his woman, she was among those left behind.
One verse says that “an old
woman” was left behind, while the other declares that the wife of Lot (pbuh)
was left behind. If only Lot’s wife had been a teenager, the two verses would
clearly have been contradictory. Nevertheless, the fact that Lot’s wife was
actually an old woman, removes the ‘contradiction’. Recognizing that, Mr. Katz
writes:
… according to the Muslim commentators,
his wife is the same as the old woman. This “solves” the identity
problem but it is not conveying much respect for the wife of this prophet.
“An old woman” which is not even worth to be properly
“identified.” Is this contempt for women in general or for old
women?
The problem pointed out by Mr. Katz can, in
no way, be termed as a contradiction. It is only that Mr. Katz would like God to
show some respect for Lot’s wife, being the wife of one of His prophets. Even
though it seems to be an interesting point, yet it is not coherent with the
introduction of God, as given in the Qur’an. The Qur’an has introduced God to be
Just, Who respects His creation not on the basis of their family connections,
but on the basis of their faith and good deeds. The Qur’an has clarified this
point in Al-Tehreem 66: 10 – 11 in the following words:
God gives the example of Noah’s wife and
Lot’s wife for those who have rejected. They were both married to our pious
servants, but they deceived their husbands. Thus, both their husbands could
not save them from God and they were told: “Enter the Hellfire with those
who deserve to enter it”. And God gives the example of Pharaoh’s wife for
those who have believed, when she prayed and said: “God build me a house
near Yourself in Paradise and deliver me from Pharaoh and misdeeds and deliver
me from these unjust people”.
In the above verses, the Qur’an has clearly
declared that it is not one’s relationship or connection to a pious person that
determines one’s standing in God’s rankings, but actually one’s faith in God and
one’s good deeds. A prophet’s wife, if she is not obedient to God and if she
refuses to submit to His will, deserves neither respect nor mercy. While the
wife of God’s enemy — like the Pharaoh — deserves respect as well as mercy if
she submits to the directives of God. This fact is further clarified in the
incident of the death of Noah’s son, as reported in the Qur’an. At that time,
according to the Qur’an, Noah (pbuh) prayed God to save his son, being a member
of his family. The Qur’an says that in response to Noah’s request, God said (Hu’d
11: 46):
O Noah, he is not a part
of your family. His deeds are unbecoming.
Clarifying the same point to the Prophet (pbuh),
the Qur’an had declared (Al-Qasas 28: 56):
[O Prophet,] You cannot guide those whom
you love, but God guides whom He pleases and He is fully aware of who deserves
to be guided.
All these verses point to the same
principle of absolute and unbending justice. In, my opinion, it is exactly the
same point that John the Baptist (pbuh) is reported to have stressed in the
following words:
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ I
tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
(Matthew 3: 8 – 9)
Thus, even though Mr. Katz would like to
give respect to a person on the basis of his/her connection and relationship to
another, yet this not the criterion of God. His criterion of giving respect and
showing mercy is based on the deeds of the person in question. What is more
just? It is for the readers to decide.
Mr. Katz asks:
Isn’t the most important person in a
man’s life his wife?
Yes. Normally, that is the case.
Nevertheless, should God bend His rules of ‘Justice’ because of the fact that
the most important person in a man’s life is his wife?
Then he asks:
How much respect does the wife of a
prophet deserve?
In the light of the above explanation, it
should be clear that the answer to the above question is ‘it depends purely on
the behavior of the prophet’s wife, as informed by God’.
Then he further asks:
Why did Allah not hear Lot’s prayer for
his family which seemed to include his wife?
Because, according to God’s laws, a person
can only deserve God’s mercy and forgiveness on the basis of his own actions and
faith, not merely on the basis of the prayers of another person, even if that
‘other’ person is a prophet of God.
Mr. Katz writes:
Now, obviously, God can command whatever
he wants to. But here it becomes clear that it is not stubborn disobedience of
Lot’s wife to look back despite God’s command, but it is Allah himself who has
no interest to save Lot’s wife and Lot is told by the angels to not even
bother about his wife since God will destroy her anyway. If that is not cruel
as a response to a prayer to God to save him and his family, …
Even though God can command anything that
He wants to, yet according to the Qur’an, God’s commandments are never based on
injustice, lack of knowledge, lack of wisdom or any other shortcoming. Moreover,
it should also remain clear that the Qur’an does not ascribe to the view that
Lot’s wife was punished merely because she turned back (as is given in the
Bible). On the contrary, as is clear from Al-Tehreem 66: 10 – 11, cited
above that she was punished due to a consistent attitude of disobedience and
deception toward God and her husband, who, incidentally, was a messenger and a
representative of God. This was precisely the reason that the angels had
declared to Lot (pbuh) that his wife shall meet the same fate as that which is
met by the other rejecters, because of the simple reason that she is one of them
(absolute justice). It should be remembered that Lot’s wife was indeed punished
because of God’s decision to the effect. However, God’s decision, in this case,
as in every other case, was not arbitrary, but based on complete knowledge,
wisdom, and justice.
This fact is further substantiated by the Al-Zaariyaat
51: 32 – 35, in which the Qur’an has categorically declared that God saved all
those who believed in Lot and that the punishment was administered only upon the
transgressors. The referred verses read as:
The angels said: We have been sent to
[punish] a group of sinners. To shower clay stones upon them, marked for the
transgressors. Thus We saved all the believers who resided in it [the town]…
Thus, it is quite clear that Lot’s wife was
destined to be of those who lagged behind, only because she — due to
her transgression and unbecoming behavior — deserved to be grouped with the
transgressors, who lagged behind.
© Copyright June 2000. All Rights Reserved
with the Author