Title: Some Clarification of Signs of God's Mercy Question: Please provide the scriptural basis (brief citations would suffice) for the following signs of God's mercy: He does not put man in a situation, in which he is forced to lose his faith in Him; He rewards man for the intention of doing good, even if man is not able to carry out this intention; He does not punish man for his unintentional misunderstandings, unanswered questions, or lack of being convinced (after an open-minded investigation); and He does not hold man responsible for something that is against His commands, if such evil is done in ignorance. Jazak'Allah for all your help Jamal Ahmed Answer: As for the first point, it is clearly a requirement of God's mercy that He should not put upon man a burden, which he cannot bear. Thus, the Qur'an has not only promised us that the Almighty does not put upon man a responsibility of the Shari`ah , which he cannot fulfill: لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا (البقرة 2: 286) God does not put upon anyone a responsibility, except that which is within the capacity of that person. but has also informed us that God does not desire to put man in a situation in which he is likely to lose faith in Him: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ (البقرة 2: 143) And God is not such that He would [put you in a test, which would] render you faithless. [On the contrary,] God is extremely Kind and Merciful upon His people. As for the second point, the Qur'an has mentioned it with reference to the directive relating to the migration of the Muslims, from the lands in which they were being persecuted by the rejecters, to Medinah , after the establishment of the Muslim state in Medinah . In this context, the Qur'an has informed the Muslims that if they leave their homes with the intention of migrating to Medinah but are unable to reach their intended destiny, they would still be fully rewarded for their decision. The Qur'an says: وَمَنْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (النساء 4: 100) Whoever leaves his home, intending to migrate towards God and His messenger, and is overtaken by death, his reward becomes binding upon God, for indeed God is extremely forgiving, eternal in mercy. The glad tidings entailed in this information provided by the Qur'an has been further elaborated in the following saying ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh): ... فمن هم بحسنة فلم يعملها كتبها الله له عنده حسنة كاملة فإن هو هم بها فعملها كتبها الله له عنده عشر حسنات إلى سبع مائة ضعف إلى أضعاف كثيرة ومن هم بسيئة فلم يعملها كتبها الله له عنده حسنة كاملة فإن هو هم بها فعملها كتبها الله له سيئة واحدة (بخاري، كتاب الرقاق، رقم الحديث 6010) Whoever decides to do a good deed but is not able to carry it out, God credits him with the complete reward of a good deed, but when someone decides to do a good deed and then carries it out as well, God credits his account with a reward of ten to seven hundred or even more good deeds. And [on the contrary,] when someone plans to do a bad deed and then decides against carrying it out, he is credited with the reward of one good deed [for not carrying out the bad deed]. But when a person plans a bad deed and then carries it out as well, only then is a bad deed recorded in his account. As for the third and the fourth points, the Qur'an says: وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَكِنْ مَا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (الأحزاب 33: 5) And there is no blame upon you in what you do by mistake, but [you shall be held responsible] for the actions committed with the intention of your hearts. Indeed God is extremely forgiving, eternal in mercy. In the same manner, the Qur'an promises man forgiveness for those sins, which are committed under coercion and compulsion: مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ (النحل 16: 106) Whoever rejects belief in the One God after having believed in Him, except him, who is forced into declaring disbelief, while in his heart he remained contented with faith [in God], but one who rejected with the contention of his heart, upon such people shall be the wrath of God and for them shall be a great punishment. This aspect of God's eternal mercy and kindness has also been elaborated in the following saying ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh): رفع القلم عن ثلاث عن النائم حتى يستيقظ وعن الصغير حتى يكبر وعن المجنون حتى يعقل أو يفيق (النسائي، كتاب الطلاق، رقم الحديث 3378) Three people are not responsible for any wrong committed by them: A person, who is in a state of slumber, till he becomes fully conscious, a child till he fully matures and a person with an unsound mind, till he is cured. At another instance, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: إن الله تجاوز عن أمتي الخطأ والنسيان وما استكرهوا عليه (ابن ماجه، كتاب الطلاق، رقم الحديث 2033) For my people, God has forgiven [sins committed due to] mistakes, forgetfulness and what they are coerced into doing. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad April 12, 2002