Title:
Does Allah Forgive Shirk – Part – I
Article:
In one
of his brief writings, Mr. Jochen Katz has referred to a few verses of the
Qur’an, which, in his opinion, when seen together amount to a clear
contradiction.
The first among the referred verses is as follows (Al-Nisaa
4: 48):
God does not forgive that partners be associated to Him,
besides that He may forgive any thing for whom He pleases. Whoever associates
partners to God is indeed guilty of a very grave sin
The second verse referred to by Mr. Katz is Al-Nisaa 4:
116. The verse reads as:
God does not forgive that partners be associated to Him,
besides that He may forgive any thing for whom He pleases. Whoever associates
partners to God has indeed strayed far away [from the right path].
These two verses, seem to Mr. Katz as clearly contradictory with
Al-Nisaa 4: 153 and Al-Furqaan 25: 68 – 70. Al-Nisaa 4: 153
reads as:
O Prophet, the People of the Book ask you to bring down for
them a book from heaven [as a sign of your truthfulness]. They asked Moses
[for a sign] that was even graver than this. They said to him: “Show us
God in the open”. Then, due to their injustice [in their demand] they
were struck by the thunder. Then [later,] they took the calf for worship, even
after clear signs had been revealed to them; yet we forgave them for these
[heinous crimes] and gave Moses a clear authority.
Then again, in Al-Baqarah 2: 51 – 52 the Qur’an says:
And bring to mind when we appointed a meeting time of forty
nights with Moses and then, while he was away, you took the calf for worship
and [indeed] you were extremely unjust [in doing so]. Then We forgave you even
after all this so that you may be thankful.
In Al-Furqaan 25: 68 – 70, the Qur’an has stipulated the
principle that repentance and correction — even after shirk — shall do away
with the sin. The verse reads as:
And those who invoke no other god besides Allah [the one God]
and do not kill except for a just cause and who do not commit fornication.
Whoever commits there sins shall meet the evil fruits [of his deeds], his
punishment shall be [consistently] increased on the Day of Resurrection and in
disgrace he shall abide for ever — except for those who repent and believe
and do good deeds. as for them God will change his sins to good deeds. And God
is extremely forgiving, his mercy extends for ever.
The first two verses state that Allah may forgive any other sin,
but He shall never forgive the sin of associating partners with Him. Whereas, in
the third verse, the Qur’an states that after the Banu Israel took the
calf for worship — which is obviously a symbol of shirk [or associating
partners to Allah] — Allah forgave them. Then again in the fourth verse, the
Qur’an states that even those who associate partners with Allah, shall not only
be forgiven if they repent with a sincere heart but their bad deeds shall then
be converted into good deeds and thus their reward shall be increased manifolds.
The contradiction, according to Mr. Katz, is quite obvious.
In the following article, I shall present my point of view
regarding the contradiction pointed out by Mr. Katz. After the above concept is
clarified, I shall also present my point of view regarding two related
objections raised by Mr. Katz. These two objections are dealt with under the
sub-headings: “The Incident of Worshiping
the Calf” and “Did Abraham (pbuh)
Commit Shirk?” respectively.
In my opinion, the key verses to consider, to
begin with, are Al-Furqaan 25: 68 – 71. In these verses, the Qur’an has
stressed that any man who commits the three stated crimes (i.e. shirk,
murder and fornication) shall face the consequences of these crimes in the shape
of everlasting punishment in hellfire. The only exception will be those who
sincerely repent and correct their behavior before they die and are subsequently
taken to the court of their Lord. This obviously implies that if any one commits
any one or more of these crimes and then neither repents nor corrects his/her
behavior before his death, he shall then have to face the everlasting punishment
of burning in hellfire. From another perspective, it also tells us that when a
person sincerely repents about his past behavior and corrects it, all crimes,
however grave they may have been, can not only be written off but converted into
good deeds. According to the Qur’an, the life of this world is a test for
mankind. This test extends till one’s death and till one’s death, he/she has a
chance of forgiveness. Sincere repentance and correction in the life of this
world, clears one of the sin as if it never existed.
Now let us focus on Al-Nisaa 4: 48 and Al-Nisaa 4:
116. Both these verses actually refer to the Divine principle of
punishment/forgiveness in the hereafter. Both these verses state that whoever
comes on the Day of Judgment as a polytheist (one who associates partners with
God) shall in no case be forgiven. For Allah may forgive any sin for anyone He
pleases, yet He will never forgive the person who comes on the Day of Judgment
as a polytheist. If seen in the light of my explanation given for Al-Furqaan
25: 68 – 71 (in the previous paragraph), it should become quite clear that this
verse does not refer to those who had committed the crime of associating
partners with God and had later sincerely repented and corrected themselves, as
their repentance and correction would have removed them from one category and
placed them in the other. The verse refers only to those who, till the end of
their testing time — i.e. till the end of their lives — stayed polytheists and
never repented or corrected their behavior. These are the ones who shall never
be forgiven and who shall have to taste the punishment for ever.
Seen from yet another perspective, these two verses (Al-Nisaa
4: 48 and Al-Nisaa 4: 116) actually tell us that in the hereafter, God
may forget any sin — however grave it might have been — for any one He
pleases, even if the person never repented or corrected his behavior, except shirk.
For anyone who comes to the hereafter with the sin of shirk (not
repenting or correcting it till his death), shall lose all hope of being dealt
with mercifully and shall have to burn forever in the hellfire.
The above explanation should actually resolve the contradiction
pointed out by Mr. Katz, but because he has also referred to two other verses
(incidents) and has also derived a few conclusions from these verses, it seems
that these verses should also be clarified so that no misunderstanding may
remain in this connection.
the Calf
In Al-Nisaa 4: 153, the Qur’an says that Allah forgave
the Banu Israel even after they took the calf for worship. Mr. Katz
says that this forgiveness contradicts the two referred verses of Surah Al-Nisaa.
Although a short answer to this objection is that the Banu Israel
repented and corrected their actions and therefore God forgave them. However,
the understanding of the whole event that actually took place would not only be
of great interest but shall also show the gravity of the sin of shirk.
The referred incident is not only mentioned in the Qur’an but also in Bible.
However, before we turn to the details of the incident, it is
important to note that according to the Qur’an, when God sends His messenger (rasu’l
as opposed to nabee) to a particular people, this messenger clarifies the
true religion of God to these people to such an extent that they are left with
no admissible excuse for rejection. At this time, if these people persist with
their rejection and keep themselves on shirk, then God directs his
messenger to leave the place and subsequently God punishes the rejecters and
administers a general death sentence on their nation. This administration of the
general death sentence may take any one of two shapes. If the messenger has only
a very few companions and is not in a position to establish his authority in a
distinct piece of land (i.e. cannot establish a state) then God directs him to
take all his companions and move away from the rejecters. Subsequently, the
rejecters are annihilated through an offensive of the forces of nature (like a
wind storm etc.). This was the case with the people of most of the messengers of
God, like Noah. Lot, Shu`aib, Hu’d etc. On the
contrary, if the messenger is supported by some companions and is also given
authority in a land (i.e. establishes a state under his authority) then the
death sentence on the rejecters is administered through the messenger and his
companions. The believers are directed to fight the rejecters till the time that
all these rejecters are annihilated from the face of the earth. This was the
case with the last of the messengers of Allah.
While considering the incident of the worship of the calf, in
the light of the Qur’an, it is important to keep in mind the above explanation
(regarding the fate of the rejecting polytheists from among the people toward
whom a messenger is sent) as well as the fact that Moses (pbuh) was a messenger
(rasu’l) of God. Thus, the people of Moses were also subjected to the
same law of God to which all other people had previously been subjected — i.e.
if they persist with polytheism, they shall then be punished and annihilated.
Keeping the above explanations in mind, let us now look at the
particular incident as reported in the Qur’an. The Qur’an has reported some of
the relevant parts of this incident in the three different places. In Al-Nisaa
4: 153, the verse referred to by Mr. Katz, there is only a passing reference to
the incident, no details of the incident are provided in this verse. In Al-A`raaf
7: 148 – 153 some details are provided. These verses read as:
In his absence the people of Moses made a calf from their
ornaments — an image with a hollow sound. Did they not see that it could
neither speak to them nor give them guidance? Yet they worshipped it and thus
committed [a great] evil. But when they repented and realized that they had
sinned, they said: ‘If our Lord does not have mercy on us and pardon us, we
shall surely be among the lost.’ And when Moses returned to his people, angry
and sorrowful, he said: ‘Evil is the thing you did in my absence! Would you
hasten the retribution of your Lord? He threw down the Tablets and, seizing
his brother by the hair, dragged him closer. ‘Son of my mother,’ cried Aaron,
‘the people overpowered me and almost killed me. Do not let my enemies gloat
over me; do not consider me among the wrongdoers’. ‘Lord,’ said Moses,
‘forgive me and forgive my brother. Admit us to Your mercy, for, of all those
that show mercy, You are the most merciful.’ Those that worshipped the calf
incurred the anger of their Lord and disgrace in this life. Thus shall we
reward those who fabricate falsehoods. As for those who do evil but later
repent and have faith, indeed your Lord after this [repentance and faith] is
most forgiving and merciful.
Some further details of the incident are provided in Ta’ Ha’
20: 86 – 98. These verses read as:
Angry and sorrowful, Moses went back to them. ‘O my people,’
he said, ‘did your Lord not make you a gracious promise? Did my absence seem
too long to you, or was it to incur your Lord’s anger that you failed me?’
They replied: ‘We did not fail you of our own free will. We were made to carry
the people’s trinkets and throw them into the fire. The Samiriy threw
likewise, and forged a calf for them — an image with a hollow sound. ‘This,’
they said, ‘is your god and the god of Moses whom he has forgotten’. Did they
not see that it returned no answer, and that it could neither harm not help
them? Aaron had said to them: ‘My people, this is but a test for you. Your
Lord is the Merciful. Follow me and do as I bid you.’ But they replied: ‘We
will worship it until Moses returns.’ Moses said to Aaron: ‘Why did you not
seek me out when you saw them go astray? Why did you disobey me? “Son of
my mother,” he replied, “I pray you, let go of my beard and my head.
I was afraid that you might say: ‘You have sown discord among the Israelites
and did not wait for my orders.'” ‘Samiriy’, cried Moses, ‘what had come
over you?’ He replied: I saw what they did not see. I took a handful of dust
from the trail of the messenger and flung it away: thus did my heart prompt
me’. ‘Go!’ cried Moses. ‘An outcast shall you be in this life, nor shall you
escape your appointed doom. Behold this idol which you have served with such
devotion: we will burn it to cinders and scatter its ashes far and wide over
the sea’. Your Lord is God, other than whom there is no god. His knowledge
encompasses all things.
If we look at the complete incident as reported in the above
verses, we shall see that firstly, this incident took place after the
freedom of the Israelites from Pharaoh. This was a time when they were free and
under no compulsion to commit shirk. Secondly, as is also
evidenced by the Old Testament, a large number of the Israelites were involved
in this sin. Thirdly, according to the explanation given above, because
God had clarified His true teachings on the Israelites through one of His
messengers — Moses (phuh) — therefore, they had no admissible excuse for
committing this sin. In this situation, God could have punished their whole
community, as were the communities of Noah, Lot, Hu’d etc. were punished. Fourthly,
the first set of verses, referred to above, clearly mentions that those who had
actually committed this crime shall not only face a dreadful punishment in the
hereafter (if they do not repent) but shall also taste a demeaning punishment in
the life of this world as well. The portion: “Those that worshipped the
calf incurred the anger of their Lord and disgrace in this life. Thus shall we
reward those who fabricate falsehoods“, in Al-Aa`raaf 7: 148 –
153 clearly implies the stated meaning.
Thus, while only making a passing reference to the incident,
when in Al-Baqarah 2: 51 – 52 and in Al-Nisaa 4: 153 the Qur’an
says that Allah forgave the Israelites even after their shirk, it
actually refers to their forgiveness at a communal rather than at an individual
level. This is so because the particular individuals who committed the crime —
according to the referred verses of Al-A`raaf as well as Ta’ Ha’
were subjected to a demeaning punishment. Thus, in effect, the Qur’an actually
says that when as a nation, the Israelites repented and were prepared to pay for
this heinous crime, God showed mercy on them and forgave them.
Now, the only question that may remain in some minds may be that
what exactly was the punishment given to the individuals who were actually
involved in this crime. The answer to this question can be found both in the
Qur’an as well as the Bible. The Qur’an — in Al-Baqarah 2: 54 — says:
And bring to mind the time when Moses said to his people: ‘O
my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by taking the calf for worship,
therefore turn toward your Creator in repentance and slay your own people [who
were involved in this crime]. That will be best for you in your Creator’s
sight’. Then He turned toward you with compassion. Indeed He accepts
repentance and is Ever Merciful.
Thus, according to the Qur’an, as a show of their repentance and
as a punishment for those who had committed the crime, the Israelites were
directed to slay their own brethren who had been involved in shirk. Some
more details of this punishment can be seen in the Bible. Exodus 32: 25 – 29
reads thus:
Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get
out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at
the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to
me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
`Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from
one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’
” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand
of the people died. Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the LORD
today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you
this day.”
Keeping in view the complete narrative of the incident of the
worship of the calf and the punishment, which was delivered on the wrong doers,
it should be clear that there is no contradiction in Al-Nisaa 4: 48, Al-Nisaa
4: 116 and the narrative of the incident. The first two verses declare that on
the Day of Judgment, whoever shall come to the court of God with shirk
(implying that he did not repent during the life of this world), shall in no
case be forgiven. While the narrative of the worship of the calf tells us that
when a group from among the Israelites committed idolatry and subsequently, the
Israelites were prepared to repent pay for this crime by slaying their own
brethren, who had been involved in this heinous crime, God turned to them with
compassion and forgave them.
Did Abraham (pbuh) Commit Shirk?
Mr. Katz writes:
Surah 6:76-78 asserts that even Abraham took the sun,
the moon, and the stars as idols. This is sheer polytheism; yet Muslims
respect the Abraham portrayed in their Qur’an as a great prophet, and they
believe that prophets are sinless.
Before I present my point of regarding the incident from which
Mr. Katz has derived the polytheistic practice or belief of the Qur’anic Abraham
(pbuh), let us first take a look at the referred verses. Al-An`aam 6: 76
– 83 read as:
When night drew its shadow over him, he saw a star. ‘That’, he
said, ‘is my God’. But when it faded in the morning light, he said: ‘I will
not worship gods that fade.’ When he beheld the rising moon, he said: ‘That is
my God’. But when it set, he said: ‘If my Lord does not guide me, I shall
surely go astray’. The when he beheld the sun shining, he said: That must be
my God: it is the largest.’ But when it set, he said to his people: ‘I disown
your idols. I will turn my face to Him who has created the heavens and the
earth, and will live a righteous life. I am no idolater’. His people argued
with him. He said: ‘Will you argue with me about God, who has given me
guidance? I do not fear your idols, unless my Lord so willed. My Lord has
knowledge of all things. Will you not be warned? And how should I fear your
idols when you yourselves are not afraid of serving idols not sanctioned by
God? Which of us is more deserving of salvation? Tell me, if you know the
truth. Those that have faith and do not taint their faith with wrongdoing
shall surely earn salvation, for they follow the right path’. Such was the
argument with which We furnished Abraham against his people. We raise whom We
will to an exalted rank. Your Lord is wise and all-knowing.
These verses are normally interpreted to imply the evolution in
the thinking and the mental development of Abraham (pbuh). It is held that
Abraham (pbuh) started from taking a star, the moon and the sun respectively to
be the true God. Finally he reached the true concept of Tawheed, i.e. the
concept of monotheism. It is also interesting to note that even if these verses
are interpreted to imply the mental development and the evolution in the
thinking of Abraham (pbuh), they are not — as Mr. Katz has also implied — in
contradiction to any other verse of the Qur’an. However, this interpretation may
refute the generally held Muslim belief of the ‘sinlessness’ of the Prophets of
God.
The generally held interpretation goes thus: One day, when
Abraham (pbuh) saw a shining star, he took him for God, and in the morning, when
the star disappeared, Abraham (pbuh) declared that if the star was god, it
should not have disappeared even in the day. Some days later, when he saw the
moon (it seems that it was the night of the full moon) in its glory, he held it
to be the God. But when the moon vanished in the day, he declared again that
those that vanish cannot be gods… God should be ever present. Then again, some
days later, he took the sun to be the God. However, the sun met with the same
fate as was met by the shining star and the glorious moon when it set in the
evening. At this juncture did Abraham (pbuh) realize that any of these celestial
bodies is not an embodiment of the true God. At this juncture did Abraham (pbuh)
become a true monotheist and was subsequently guided by revelation from God.
In my opinion, there are some hindrances in accepting this
interpretation to be correct. For instance, if you look closely at these verses
and read them over and over again, you can easily derive a few things: Firstly,
a close look at the personality [Abraham (pbuh)] being depicted in these verses
shall show that the person being referred to is of a mature age and mind. It is
not a narrative of an incident that took place during the infancy of Abraham (pbuh).
This incident is most likely to have taken place between the time when Abraham (pbuh)
was in the range of 20 to 30 years of age. Secondly, the depiction shows the
person to be extremely wise and observing. The narrative does not show Abraham (pbuh)
to be an ignorant person. Keeping in view these two factors, while interpreting
these verses, one should be confronted by the question that how is it possible
that even after having attained 20 to 30 years of age and even after being
blessed with an analytical and observing mind, was Abraham (pbuh) not aware of
the fact that the stars and the moon normally disappear in the day and that the
sun cannot be seen during the night. How could such an important fact be
overlooked by a person like Abraham? Moreover, if the star was rejected for
being taken as god due to its disappearance in the morning, then how could this
fact be overlooked for the sun and the moon? Finally, in verse 83, after
narrating the whole incident, the Qur’an has said that this was the argument
with which God furnished Abraham (pbuh) against his people, which clearly shows
that the whole incident is not actually a narrative of the evolution in the
thinking and the mental development of Abraham (pbuh) but is actually a
narrative of an incident in which he brought to the attention of his people the
true and unadulterated concept of Tawheed.
To understand these verses fully, it is important to note two
things: Firstly, just preceding these verses, Abraham’s dialogue with his
father, in which Abraham has criticized idol worship and polytheism; and
secondly that the Babylonians — the people among whom Abraham (pbuh) was living
— used to worship the celestial bodies besides other idols. In the same way as
he had criticized idol worship while talking to his father, one day Abraham (pbuh)
decided to take up the task of pointing out to the worshippers of the celestial
bodies the fact that their belief was absolutely baseless, unfounded and
illogical. However, rather than refuting their beliefs in a direct way — which
is always likely to activate the mental defense mechanism of the addressees and
turn the whole argument into a fruitless debate — Abraham (pbuh) thought of a
wise and an irrefutable plan. The object of the whole plan was to drive home the
point that the sun and the moon and the stars by their very nature of existence
evidence the fact that they themselves are not only created but subjected to a
stringent and a highly disciplined system. These celestial bodies therefore
cannot be the creators.
Implementing his plan, one night Abraham (pbuh) while among his
people declared that this great star can definitely be God. This declaration was
greatly welcomed by his people who were already aware of the strict monotheistic
teachings of Abraham (pbuh). However, in the morning, when the star disappeared,
Abraham (pbuh) rejected — not the people’s but — his own opinion of even
considering the divinity of the star, as God can never be away. The same thing
happened with the moon and the sun, subsequently. In this way, all the major
celestial bodies that were held as deities by his people (and have generally
been held as deities by their worshippers) were rejected. After rejecting these
false gods, without entering into any debate with his people and without
stimulating their mental defense mechanism, Abraham (pbuh) presented his true
belief in front of his people (verse 79 to 81).
As an evidence of the correctness of this interpretation, verse
83, at the end of the whole narrative declares that this line of reasoning was
taught to Abraham (pbuh) by God Himself.
In view of the above explanation, it is quite clear that the
referred verses do not narrate the evolution of Abraham’s thought and his mental
development. They are a narrative of the wise line of reasoning and the flawless
arguments that Abraham (pbuh) presented against the false beliefs of his people.
Thus, the answer to the question “Did Abraham commit shirk?”
is “No. Abraham (pbuh) never committed shirk. He always adhered to
and propagated the true teachings of Tawheed.”
© Copyright October 1999. All Rights Reserved with the Author
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