The Popular Delusions of
Muslims
Individuals who stay away from practicing
Islam despite being Muslims, fall into two broad categories: There is one group whose
apparent association with Islam owes itself entirely to the accident of birth. They retain
their Muslim names and participate in some of the socially significant Islamic events only
to maintain their apparent Muslim identity. They are neither convinced about the
truthfulness of the message of Islam nor are they interested in following it sincerely.
Few people would dispute the claim that their Muslim identity is only a this-worldly
arrangement and that on the Day of Judgment their claim to Islam would be discarded.
The second category consists of those people
who take pride in acknowledging the veracity of Islam. They make attempts to follow its
teachings as far as convenience is not threatened to be compromised. However, a closer
look at their lifestyles reveals that, much the same way as the first group, they too are
in fact immersed in their greed for their this-worldly life. Their practical contact with
the shari^'ah is strictly confined to the narrow limits allowed by the predominance
of their worldly objectives. Thus they care to follow only that part of Islam which is
consistent with the contemporary fashion or which at least does not run contrary to its
requirements. Their real happiness is associated with worldly successes; they are
genuinely grieved only over worldly privations. Despite this completely
'one-eyed' approach to life, they are fully convinced that the exciting
prospects of the other life too are, beyond doubt, going to be for them to enjoy. Whatever
be the truth about their motives, at least some of them defend their approach by
presenting arguments, some of which are apparently based on Qur'a^n and Sunnah. It is
important, therefore, that a dispassionate analysis of those arguments be made to help
them realize that the superstructure of their expectations is based upon extremely fragile
foundations.
The gist of their arguments is being
presented below. People belonging to this category do not generally present all the listed
arguments. In fact, in most cases, it is only one of the described reasons that is cited
to absolve the individual from taking the obligations of the shari^'ah seriously.
One popular argument presented is that the
most predominant attribute of Alla^h Almighty is Mercy. How, then is it possible that the
Almighty is going to allow us to be consigned to the hell-fire when we are following at
least some part of Islam along side pursuing our worldly ambitions. Another argument
offered is that since we have the privilege of being the followers of the last and the
favourite prophet of Alla^h, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, and since it is a well
known fact that Alla^h Almighty will grant to his prophet the right to intercede for his
followers, how is it possible that the prophet's intercession will not come to our
rescue? Even if the sinning side of our balance would be heavier, intercession of the
prophet will make amends for that. According to a third argument, many traditions of the
prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, confirm that all those people who had recited
the Kalimah shall enter the Paradise, and that since we were born to Muslim families and
got the privilege of reciting the Kalimah many times, who then can deny us this birth
right of ours. A little more reasonable amongst this group present a seemingly more
logical argument for the defence of their case. There is no doubt , they say, that we are
sinners and are violating Alla^h's law on a fairly regular basis, however, we do keep
seeking His forgiveness during prayers and even outside prayers. It is quite clear from
the contents of the Qur'a^n and Sunnah that repentance cleanses one's sins.
After this knowledge, why should we make our lives unnecessarily miserable by following
all aspects of the shari^'ah? What's so wrong, after all, in a compromise
between a this-worldly and a that-worldly attitude? Finally, there is another argument
presented: The shar'iah has two types of injunctions: those which are directly
relevant to Alla^h and those that have to do with one's obligations towards fellow
humans. While the latter category of injunctions are more important to be followed, the
obligations towards Alla^h are not. If we are telling the truth, refraining from getting
involved in bribes, helping the poor, keeping our promises, and strictly adhering to other
similar injunctions, why then shall we not be successful in the hereafter just for not
saying prayers regularly, or not fasting, or not going for H#ajj and not following similar
injunctions which are matters of personal relevance between the individual and his God.
When scales are going to be drawn on the day of Judgement, how is it possible that our
significantly important good deeds will not be able outweigh the relatively less important
blemishes?
Let us analyze these arguments to discover
whether they do merit the confidence of those who are using them for justifying their life
patterns or not.
1. Mercy of God: The Qur'a^n indeed
informs us that Alla^h's mercy dominates everything else: “My mercy enfolds
everything” (7: 156). The very beginning of the Qur'a^n mentions two names of
God Almighty: Ar-Rahma^n and Ar-Rahi^m, both describing the profoundness of His mercy. If
one were to find the thematic link between the first two verses of surah Ar-Rahma^n, it
emerges quite clearly that the decision of sending down the Divine Revelation also owes
entirely to His attribute of mercy. It says: “The Gracious God; He taught the
Qur'a^n.” (55:1-2) The Qur'a^n has, however, clarified another point as
well: that the people who are really worthy of being treated compassionately by the
Gracious God are those who as a consequence of their correct attitude are found deserving
of it. “The blessing of Alla^h is at hand for those who do good.” (7: 56)
On another occasion it has been clarified by
the Qur'a^n that the mercy of Alla^h has in fact been laid down for the God-conscious
followers of the prophets: “… My mercy enfolds everything. I shall enjoin it for
those who ward off (evil) and pay the Zaka^t and believe in Our signs . Those who follow
the messenger …” (7: 156-7). It is the same mercy which has been referred to by the
Almighty while urging His servants who continue to be engulfed in sins not to give up
hope, since such people tread the line of sin only because they have lost hope in
Alla^h's mercy; therefore, they have been comforted by being informed that Alla^h can
forgive all sins provided man ensures serious attempts at correction of his attitude:
“Say, O my servants who have sinned against their souls, 'despair not' of
the mercy of Alla^h, surely, Alla^h forgives all sins. Indeed He is Most Forgiving, Ever
Merciful. And turn to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him, before there comes unto you
the punishment; for then you shall not be helped. And follow the best Teaching that has
been revealed to you from your Lord, before the punishment comes upon you suddenly, while
you perceive not.” (39: 53-55)
These verses show beyond doubt that if a
person wants himself to be regarded as deserving of the mercy of the Almighty, it is
imperative that he should incline himself towards Alla^h and correct his attitude. It is
noticeable that even after the emotionally moving mention of His mercifulness, Alla^h has
still warned those who are not obedient to Him of grave consequences. This shows beyond
doubt the fact that only those people deserve Alla^h's mercy who show through their
conduct that they are genuinely looking for it and are not just pretending.
The Prophet's Intercession: There is no
doubt that the Qur'a^n indicates that Alla^h Almighty shall grant the privilege of
intercession to some of His chosen people. However, a proper understanding of the
conditions laid down in the Qur'a^n for the administration of intercession should
preclude an individual is genuinely seeking success in the hereafter from pinning his
hopes on that arrangement. The conditions laid down in the Qur'a^n for the
administration of intercession are the following:
1. No one shall dare to speak out on the Day
of Judgement without Alla^h's leave.
2. The intercessor shall be able to intercede only for
individuals specified for the purpose.
3. The intercessor shall speak nothing but the truth.
The Qur'a^n says, “On the day when
the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they shall not speak, except he whom the
Gracious God will grant leave, and who will speak only what is right.” (78: 38) The
very next verse warns that the Day of Judgement is an undeniable reality, therefore,
whosoever wants his real welfare should leave aside the strategy of pinning hopes on false
supports and should, instead, adopt the path outlined by God Almighty so as to save
himself from the ignominy of that day: ” That day is sure to come. So whosoever likes
may prepare a way to his Lord.” (78:39) A similar clarification has been offered in
another verse of the Qur'a^n thus: “And who can intercede with Him except by His
leave?” (2:255).
Authentically transmitted traditions of the
prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, also inform that the prophet had warned some
of his very close relatives individually of the grave consequences they were likely to
face if they would not prepare themselves for their accountability, for on the day of
judgement no soul shall be able to come to the rescue of another. A tradition mentions
that when the verse carrying the message “And warn your near relations” (26:214)
was revealed, the prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, stood up and said: “O
people of Qura^ish! save your skins from the Hell-fire because I will not be able to come
to your rescue on the Day of Judgement. O 'Abd Muna^f! I won't be able to save
you an inch from (the wrath of) Alla^h Almighty. O 'Abba^s, son of 'Abdul
Muttalib! I will not be able to help you out (from the punishment of ) Alla^h. O Safiyyah,
the messenger of Alla^h's Aunt, I wouldn't be able to help you ( on the day of
judgement) from the punishment of Alla^h. O Fatima^h daughter of Muh#ammad! You can ask
anything from my (worldly wealth; as for the hereafter, however,) I will not be able to
save you from Alla^h's grip.”(Bukha^ri)
The Qur'a^n has categorically denied in
two different passages in su^rah al-Baqarah - one of the two addressing Children of
Israel, and the other one, Muslims - all possibilities of intercession coming to the
rescue of individuals, in order to emphasize that it is faith and good deeds alone that
are going to help one out on the day of judgement. In the absence of these, none shall be
allowed to interfere in the Divine proceedings of implementation of Justice. The
Qur'a^n says, “O Children of Israel! … And guard yourselves against the day
when no soul shall serve as a substitute for another soul at all, nor shall intercession
be accepted for it, nor shall ransom be taken from it, nor shall they be helped.” (2:
47-8) The second passage says, “O you who believe! Spend out of what we have
bestowed on you before the day comes wherein there shall be no buying and selling, nor
friendship, nor intercession, and it is those who disbelieve that do wrong to
themselves.” (2:254)
After these references from the Qur'a^n
and Sunnah the only question that remains to be answered is that if there is such
categorical negation of intercession in the original sources, what then is the context of
those narrations which give considerable details of intercession that will be done by the
prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, for the benefit of his followers. What emerges
on reflecting upon the information in the original sources of Islam in this regard is that
on the Day of Judgement when the good and the bad deeds will be weighed, some people would
succeed with flying colours, while others would face the ignominy of failure. However, it
appears, that there would still remain one group of people who would be falling on the
margin. Alla^h's mercy would necessitate that they be spared from punishment.
Therefore, the Almighty, in order to elevate the status of some of the noblest people on
that day will permit them to intercede for such individuals who will be found on the
margin. The intercession, it is reported, will be duly accepted. This intercession will
not necessitate the violation of any of the inviolable principles of justice of God
Almighty.
Salvation for the Reciter of Kalimah : The
confusion on the question of salvation for the reciter of Kalimah owes itself to the
improper understanding of the Qur'a^n and H#adi^th. The Qur'a^n makes it
unmistakably clear that Alla^h Almighty has not made salvation in the hereafter incumbent
upon an individual's formal association with a particular group. The Book stresses
that the success in the hereafter is guaranteed only for those who fulfil the criterion of
faith (i^ma^n) and righteous deeds ('amal s@a^lih@#). The Qur'a^n says:
“Sure the believers and the Jews and the followers of Christ and the Sabians,
whoever believes in God and the last Day, and whoever does right, shall have his reward
with his Lord and they will neither have fear nor regret.” (2:62) This verse
clarifies that there are only two preconditions for salvation in the hereafter: faith in
Alla^h, the hereafter, and the prophets and righteous deeds. A person satisfying
these conditions, whenever he lived, shall stand successful in the eyes of Alla^h. As for
those who relish the prospects of residing in the pleasures of the Paradise merely on
getting enrolled in the list of the followers of a prophet, they have been clearly
informed about the impertinence of their expectations in the following verse: ”
Neither your wishes (O Muslims) nor the wishes of the people of the Book (are going to
matter); whosoever does ill will be punished for it, and will find no protector or friend
apart from God; but he who performs good deeds, whether man or a woman, and is a believer,
will surely enter the Paradise, and none shall be deprived even of an iota of his
reward”. (5: 123-4)
One comes to learn on reading the
Qur'a^n that much the same way as the present-day Muslims, a group of people
belonging to the Children of Israel also believed that reciting the Kalimah was enough for
their salvation. Their intransigence not to accept the prophethood of Mohammed, may
Alla^h's mercy be on him, owed a great deal to this creed. The Book of Alla^h rejects
their claim in such clear terms that the divine words remain an eye opener for all people
who care to read it: “They say: 'The fire will not touch us for more than a few
days.' Say 'Have you so received a promise from Alla^h so that Alla^h will not
withdraw His pledge or do you impute things to Alla^h for which you have no knowledge at
all?'” (2:80)
The unequivocal verdict of the Qur'a^n,
however, leaves the relevance of the promise to the reciters of Kalimah in h#adi^th
unanswered. Although narrations carrying a similar message are numerous, the following one
from the book of Ima^m Muslim clearly explains the proper context of most of them carrying
a similar message: “The one who dies knowing that there is no God but Alla^h shall
enter the Paradise.” Two clarifications would facilitate the understanding of these
narrations:
First, the very recitation of the kalimah for
those who were the audience of this statement necessitated defying the contemporary
system, abandoning the faith of their forefathers, earning the hatred of all those who had
turned against the prophet. The recitation of the same Kalimah now is done invariably by
people who mindlessly utter the words without making any effort to find what their
meanings entail. Nothing could be more naive than the expectations of people
who believe that they are the worthy receivers of the good tidings of the Paradise
on the basis of a mere utterance of this statement. The Qur'a^n, on the contrary
repeatedly affirms that it is not mere utterance of the claim to faith that is desired of
an individual; what is required, on the contrary, is the attitude that proves that his
claim is not just a hollow utterance but, instead, is based on real sincerity: “Do
men think they will get away by saying:'' 'we believe,' and they will
not be tried? We had tried those who were before them so that Alla^h knew who spoke the
truth, and who were liars”. (29:2-3)
Second, if a person accepts Alla^h as His
God, it is not possible for him to continue to remain disobedient to Him. It is indeed
possible for him to falter morally, may be every now and then, owing to his human
failings. However, if he is a true believer, he would certainly correct his behaviour on
realising his fault and would feel ashamed of what he had done. The Qur'a^n clarifies
quite clearly that Alla^h's favourite servants do not deliberately insist on their
sinful behaviour: “Alla^h loves those who are upright and those who, when they commit
a shameful act or wrong themselves, remember Alla^h and implore forgiveness for their sins
- and who can forgive sins except Alla^h - and do not knowingly persist in what they
do.” (3:135-6) Another passage of the Qur'a^n informs that for the pious, sins
appear by default, not by design; for them, sinning is not a rule; it is only an exception
that is immediately succeeded by feelings of embarrassment. The Qur'a^n says,
“To Alla^h belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, that He may requite
those who do evil, in accordance with their deeds, and those who do good with good. As for
those who avoid the greater sins and shameful acts, except minor trespasses, your Lord is
Master of vast forgiveness”. (53:31-2)
On appreciating the above two clarifications,
one realises that the happy tidings given by the prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on
him, were exactly consistent with the Qur'a^n which confers him with the status of a
bearer of happy tidings (Mubashir). The Qur'a^n says, “O prophet, we have sent
you as a witness and a bearer of happy tidings and an admonisher.” (33:45) It
was important that this tiding be communicated for the benefit of specially those
believers who are particularly sensitive about their sins and, therefore, have a
propensity to fall into a psychological abyss of profound despair even on committing only
a few sins. Such devoted believers have been consoled by being informed that the
all-important objective of finding a niche in the heaven is not unachievable. The only
requirement for an individual to be able to achieve that goal is a firm commitment with
the Kalimah. However, since it was a likely possibility that the less discerning minds
would not be able to pick the real spirit from the context of the message and could, as a
consequence, relinquish their commitment to following the message, the prophet of Alla^h,
on the urging of his companion 'Umar, desired that the message not be communicated to
the common people. The relevant passage of a narration from the book of Ima^m Muslim says,
“'Umar said, 'O prophet of Alla^h, for you be sacrificed my close kin, did
you send Abu^ Hurairah with your shoes so that he may give glad tidings of the heaven to
all those he comes across who say, 'There is no god except Alla^h' from the core
of his heart? He, may Alla^h's be on him, said 'I did'. 'Umar said:
'(I would suggest you) don't do that way, because I fear people might rely
unnecessarily upon its apparent meanings (and stop practicing Islam). So (I suggest you
just) leave them to practise. The prophet, may Alla^h's mercy be on him, said,
'Then, leave them (and let this message not be communicated to them)'.
Repentance: There is little doubt that
repentance cleanses an individual of all his sins. Alla^h Almighty forgives an individual
when he decides to correct his attitude. The Qur'a^n confirms that if repentance is
done with all conditions properly fulfilled, God Almighty accepts it as matter of
principle: “Alla^h does accept repentance, but only of those who are guilty of an
evil out of ignorance yet quickly repent, and Alla^h turns to them again, for Alla^h is
All-Knowing and All-Wise. But he does not accept the repentance of those who continue
indulging in evil until death draws near and they say: 'We now repent;” nor of
those who die disbelieving. For them We have a grievous retribution in wait”. (4:
17-8) Thus writes Ami^n Ah@#sen Is@#la^h@#i^ in his commentary of these verses: “On
reflecting upon these verses, one finds two conditions for the acceptability or otherwise
of repentance. Those who sin under the influence of emotions and then repent immediately
(on realizing their error) and correct their attitude, Alla^h Almighty has vowed to accept
their repentance. On the contrary, repentance is not accepted of such who continue to sin
and care to repent only when the angel of death reaches them, nor is it accepted in the
case of those who die in a state of disbelief. One question that still remains even after
the clear delineation of the two extreme cases is regarding the fate of those individuals
who, although they do not get the opportunity of repenting immediately after committing a
sin, yet they do not delay untill the appearance of death to perform it. The verse is
silent regarding such cases, which evinces both hope and fear. That seems to be the very
purpose behind the absence of a mention of the treatment of this category, so that people
belonging to it should continue to remain between the conditions of fear and hope.
However, it does occur in one's mind occasionally that people from the Muslim ummah
belonging to this category shall get the benefit of the intercession of the prophet, may
Alla^h's mercy be on him, because there does not seem to be any reason why such
people should not be entitled to intercession”.
What exactly is the repentance that satisfies
all conditions to justify for the doer a clear case for being forgiven? The author of
Ria^d@us S@#a^lih@#i^n has responded to this question by drawing from the opinions of a
large number of scholars. He writes thus:
Thus say the scholars: 'To repent on
committing a crime is mandatory. If a sin is committed against Alla^h alone, then there
are only three conditions: First, man should desist from repeating the crime; second, he
should regret his action; and third, he ought to make a firm commitment that he is not
going to repeat the crime in the future. If any one of these three conditions is not met,
the repentance done shall not be valid. If the sin committed has to do with a fellow human
being, then in addition to the afore-mentioned three conditions a fourth one is for the
sinner to compensate the aggrieved individual against whatever loss has been inflicted
upon him. For instance, if he has deprived an individual of his valuables, the sinner
should duly return them to the rightful owners. If pain has been inflicted upon a person,
he should be allowed to respond with a similar injury or else he should be requested to
forgive. If a person has been backbitten against, he should be approached by the sinner to
get the apology accepted from him.
A sinner must repent for all his crimes. If
he repents in the case of some and stays away from doing it in the case of others, he will
continue to remain obliged to repent for the remaining crimes. The verdict of
Qur'a^n, the Sunnah, and the agreement of all the scholars of the Muslim ummah is
unequivocal on the obligatory nature of the need to repent is obvious beyond doubt.
The attitude of many of the Muslims, however,
is quite to the contrary. They continue to violate with impunity the unquestionably
obvious injunctions of the shari^'ah and yet take refuge in the comforting thought
that they shall be pardoned. How very similar this attitude is to that of the unworthy
successors of the early generations of the Children of Israel about whose behaviour the
Qur'a^n informs us thus: “Then after them a new generation inherited the Book.
They took to the goods of this base world, and said: 'We shall surely be forgiven
this.' Yet they will accept similar things if they came their way again.”
(7:169)
Differentiating Important Injunctions from
Unimportant Ones: Injunctions of Islamic shari^'ah, if viewed from a peculiar point
of view can be divided into two categories: the rights of Alla^h and the rights of the
fellow human beings. However, one would need to be a complete ignorant on matters of
Islamic understanding to claim that whereas the real desirable injunctions are those
belonging to the former and as for the rights of Alla^h, their status is only secondary.
The truth is that the one injunction of Islamic shari^'ah which has been described as
the most significant requires Muslims to hold fast to the unity of Alla^h and stay away
from ascribing partners to Him. The Qur'a^n says: “Surely, Alla^h will not
forgive that a partner be associated with Him; but He will forgive whatever is short
of that to whomsoever He pleases. And who so associates partners with Alla^h has indeed
devised a very great sin.” (4:48) It goes without saying that to uphold the
requirements of the unity of Alla^h is a right of Alla^h to the complete exclusion of the
human beings.
The most important right of the human beings
is that of the parents. The Qur'a^n has mentioned this extremely important right only
after mentioning the right of Alla^h, thus clarifying the relative significance of the
different injunctions within the scheme of the teachings of Islamic shari^'ah. The
Qur'a^n says: “So your Lord has decreed: Do not worship any one but Him, and be
good to your parents.” (17:23) Likewise, the commonly held view amongst the masses
that man was created by Alla^h to care for his fellow human beings, otherwise angels were
enough to take care of the objective of worshipping Him is a misleading contention. The
Qur'a^n declares that: “And I have not created the jinn and the men but that
they may worship Me.” (51:56) Alla^h Almighty desires from His believers that,
instead of getting involved in the unnecessary debate of the important and the less
important injunctions, they should adopt Islamic shari^'ah completely: “O you
who believe, enter the fold of Islam completely, and do not follow in the footsteps of
Satan; he is indeed your open enemy.”(2:208) This verse clearly shows that those
people who do not enter the fold of Islamic injunctions fully but are instead inclined to
have simultaneous allegiance with both Islam and kufr, they are following the footsteps of
Satan. Satan, indeed is man's declared enemy. The attitude of Muslims towards Islamic
injunctions is no different from that of the Children of Israel of the time when the
Qur'a^n was being revealed in that they too used to pick and choose from the
shari^'ah at will. The injunctions that were found easier to follow, acceptable to
the people, and in accordance with the fashion of the times were followed wholeheartedly;
however, those injunctions which did not appear to be easy to follow were conveniently
ignored by them. The Qur'a^n condemned their behaviour thus: “Do you then
believe a part of the Book and reject a part? There is no other award for them who so act
but disgrace in the world, and on the Day of Judgement the severest of punishment; for
Alla^h is not heedless of all that you do.” (2:85)
Conclusion: The Qur'a^n tells us that
whosoever desires the pleasure of Alla^h and success in the hereafter, he should ensure
that he believes in all aspects of Islam, makes an earnest attempt to follow it as far as
is possible, stays away from disobeying Alla^h and His messenger, and attaches more
importance to the considerations of life of the other world than those of the present one.
The Book of Alla^h doesn't guarantee success in the next life to any one falling
short of fulfilling these conditions. The Qur'a^n says: “Then the one who had
been rebellious and who preferred the life of the world, will surely have Hell for his
abode. But he who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained his self from vain
desires, will surely have Paradise for abode.” (79:37-41)
Muslims would do well to stay away from the
futile exercise of living under the cloud of misleading delusions and to stick to the task
of making every possible effort to meet the conditions necessary for success in the
hereafter. In that case they can justifiably hope for the mercy of Alla^h. Alla^h, it is
earnestly hoped, will be kind and merciful to them.
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