Section Al A’raf – Part 50

We will continue our study of section Araf (Cognizant) and will focus on one particular phrase from the following verse: 

وَٱخْتَارَ مُوسَىٰ قَوْمَهُۥ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلًۭا لِّمِيقَـٰتِنَا ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ قَالَ رَبِّ لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّـٰىَ ۖ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا فِتْنَتُكَ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَهْدِى مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَا ۖ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْغَـٰفِرِينَ

7:155 Moses chose seventy men for Our appointment. When they were seized with violent trembling, he prayed, “My Lord, had You willed, You would have destroyed them, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the fools among us did? This is a trial from You, whereby You allow whomever You will to go astray and guide whomever You will. You are our protector. Grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us for You are the most forgiving of all.

The phrase “ أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ مِنَّآ ۖ” translated as “Will you destroy us for what the fools among us did?” Why would the honest people be destroyed as well? This is concerning and bothers many of us as to why the innocent people are also destroyed along with the foolish ones. There are many verses in the Quran discussing this topic that we will try to comprehend.

Let us look into another verse from section Al Anfal  which explicitly indicates that the punishment from God is severe:

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ فِتْنَةًۭ لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةًۭ ۖ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ

8:25 Beware of discord [seduction-alluring] that harms not only the wrongdoers among you: know that God is severe in His punishment.

We will try to tackle two questions that come from these kinds of verses. We will see how they are applicable to our lives right now.

First question: Why are we punished because of others’ wrongdoings?

I wouldn’t accept the punishment for something I didn’t do so why would I be punished for someone else’s wrongdoings?

In principle, the Qur’an teaches us that no one should be punished because of the other’s wrong doings. Here is this principle clearly stated in the Qur’an on many occasions:

مَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

“Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish [a people] until We have sent a messenger [to warn them].” (17: 15)

If the people who received the message of the prophets do not bother to help others in the society. If they do not help them  get out of a meaningless life and have a pleasurable and hopeful future with the guidance they received and are enjoying it only for themselves, then, the punishment of their remaining in ignorance of the truth and as a result wrong actions will be shared with them. If we really reflect on this matter seriously we can understand that these “wrongdoers among” them may be in this situation because the believers did not spread the message to them and they were not aware that they were doing something wrong. These kinds of verses of the Qur’an include the message to the believers to encourage them to spread the message to others who did not know it.

We can understand this matter nowadays if a nation does not educate its people, inevitably this society will never make progress and everyone living there will suffer the lack of benefitting from the opportunities that otherwise they would have gotten. Another example: If parents do not teach and prepare their children for the real living conditions and let them remain lazy with no sense of responsibility, what happens at the end? The child will be lazy and will take care of his/her life and will be a burden on the parents. Although the lazy one is the child, the parents will carry the result of his/her laziness. Yet another example: If the innocent members of the society do not try to stop the wrong doers and try to educate them and establish justice, then, the number of the wrong doers will increase and be spread all over the society and will damage the rights of the innocent people as well. 

This is how the order of the universe is teaching us how God treats us in this world and in the hereafter.

Being harmed bodily is a temporary thing but the spiritual harm is permanent. Spiritual destruction ruins our life. What if we don’t do anything to the false ideas, ideological attacks and propaganda? It is not only others who will be misled but the believers also will suffer. How? The mind gets confused with the false rhetoric, the younger generation is under the influence of fashion and current propaganda and fall into the same mistakes of wrongdoings. We are being warned in this verse as to why we are punished along with the fools. We did not do our part to spread the truth, we did not try to follow the prophetic exemplary life which was to spread the message. We have to learn the message of the Quran in order to spread the truth. The general public does not study much to be able to present the truth. Most of us are busy improving our material living conditions. We see that the majority of the immigrants come here to have a better life standard and not to have a better understanding of Islam, seek the truth and learn the purpose of life. We spend most of our time and energy to secure our financial life and that of our children. If I don’t learn the truth then how would I teach it? This is the reason why we are punished along with the fools, the wrongdoers. 

One would oppose such a judgment that someone does something wrong and we are punished for it. We can experience the punishment in this world not necessarily physically but spiritually. Spiritual destruction can become permanent. For example, a student enrolled in a school learns and that learning stays with him after graduation from school. If the student doesn’t learn, the ignorance also stays with him after graduation. Learning and not learning are both permanent. Belief and Disbelief are important and also permanent. The spiritual ruin is important; the physical ruin is important as well but secondary.

Everyone is treated according to what one deserves and we don’t know what is in the hearts of people but God, the Creator of body and the feelings of human beings definitely does. These kinds of verses are warnings to us to be careful in our living. In the way the order of the universe is established, if I don’t defend the truth, try to spread the truth then at the end, the result would be harmful to me. We should at least try our best to spread the truth.

The Quran reminds us that we cannot do anything physically unless we are authorized. For example, I must be authorized by the administration to stop someone physically when he is doing or done something wrong. One thing we need to be reminded of based on the prophetic narration is that we have to try to stop the wrong by our tongue, if not possible then by hand when authorized, otherwise by the heart. If something goes wrong in society, something that is not acceptable, a reasonable person following the truth would definitely be concerned.  Regardless of one’s belief, anything deemed wrong in society is concerning for law abiding people. If we are not authorized then we cannot do anything physically but the authority must take care of it.

In the example of the prophets, when they were not authorized by society they never tried to stop the mistakes of what the wrongdoers were doing by force. In the example of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) during his life in Mecca, he never tried to stop anyone by force. What did he do? He himself was patient and advised his followers to be patient, without physically counteracting the opposition. Left them alone but continued ceaselessly to deliver the message by using every possible way. Before he was not appointed by God to deliver His message to people he secluded himself at home or in a cave. All of the prophets after being appointed to the mission of prophethood tried to teach the truth to people, unless authorized by the people, they never tried to get involved in physical struggle with their opponents. We should do the same and bring the people to the truth by teaching them. In the Medinan period, although the prophet (pbuh) was authorized by the society as the chief administrator, never used force to stop wrongdoings unless it was damaging someone bodily. If someone attacks the other person physically then one has the right to defend themselves. Another example is if some stranger enters my house without my permission, I would use whatever power is possible for me to get him out. If I don’t have the power, I will use the power of the authorities to handle the situation. In the life of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Medina, he was the administrator appointed by the society willingly. When they were attacked physically or the enemy side got into preparations to attack them, he would defend the community with power. However, if someone attacks ideologically to the message that he brought then we do not hear any reports where he used power upon anyone as many scholars agree upon. This matter is confused with an event where a man was causing “ فِتْنَةًۭ” i.e. discordance in society by encouraging the enemy forces to prepare to attack the Medina people and spreading seduction and he was executed by the command of the prophet (pbuh). . It was not that this person opposed the teachings of the prophet (pbuh). The event also mentions that the same person was working with the administration in Taif city trying to instigate a physical war with the Medinan administration. This animosity was not based on opposing the teachings of prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The matter was about having peace  with the people who may not accept his mission as a prophet as long as there is no physical attack from them. The Prophet never attacked any people because of their disagreement with his mission but only defended the Medinan community mixed with the believers in his message, some remnants of Arab pagans and some jewish tribes living inside the city and suburbs of Medina. Physical attack needs physical defense. Although war criminals deserve physical punishment the prophet as an administrator most of the time did not apply physical punishment.  In Islamic teaching, the principle is defensive war as opposed to offensive war. 

What about the ideological attacks? Anything attacking belief needs to be countered with the ideology and teachings to disseminate the wrongful attacks by providing reasonable explanation and a satisfactory reply to them. The problem is when we stay indifferent to those wrongful ideological attacks. For example, people are spreading wrong ideas such as denying God, promoting disbelief, accusing believers as terrorists in society. If we remain indifferent and do not counter the false ideas, and do not make the effort to present the truth, no one will be able to realize that those accusations are false and baseless. Unfortunately, nowadays most of the believers do not even invite questioning people to come and see what Islam stands for, do not open our houses and mosques to expose them to the teachings of Islam. But, we see in the lives of the prophets they never stopped spreading the truth of belief to the people they lived together in the society as much as they could do.

Islam is an open religion to everyone, it cannot be kept as secret as long as there is no oppression. The prophet practiced administration of the society openly in the mosque in Medina and in Mecca as much as possible. War conditions and meetings regarding war strategies are a different matter. Everyone in Medinan society was aware how the budget was being distributed among the people. All legal and financial matters were discussed and practiced openly. For example, an unbeliever comes and wants to stay with a believer, the Quran says to welcome him, give him protection and let him hear the message of the Quran and at the end if he does not accept the message and wants to leave the believers community, then, the community is responsible to take him/her to the place he feels secure. Islam orders the believers to provide for everyone, regardless of their belief, security, and help them, although some of them may not agree with the Muslim community. If they want to leave the believers help them to go safely to the place where they feel secure. This is what an open society must represent as presented by the teachings of the Quran. Here is an example of the Qur’anic teachings about these kinds of matters:

وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ٱسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَـٰمَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُۥ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ

“If any one of the idolaters should seek your protection [Prophet], grant it to him so that he may hear the word of God, then take him to a place safe for him, for they are people with no knowledge [of it].” (9: 6)

Second Question: Why is God severe in His punishment? Is He not Merciful?

Let’s say a student is enrolled in school but did not learn anything. After 4 years, the student can no longer go back to the school. Since the student did not study, the result is that he did not get the degree. Can the student say that the school is unfair, horrible for not giving him the degree after spending 4 whole years? Does it make sense to say that the administration of the school is not showing any mercy by denying him the degree? Does he deserve a degree? 

The order of the school is that if I attend and learn, I will benefit. It is not the school administration that benefits. If I don’t learn, I harm myself. Is it the school punishing me or am I punishing myself by not learning? That is how the order in the universe works where everything is created for me to learn and benefit from. The Lord of the universe is setting all the learning for me, taking care of everything for me out of His mercy. When I don’t learn and see His mercy all around me, I will be bringing in my own destruction. The punishment is not something extra, it is how the order in the universe is where if I don’t learn, the order is that I would be punishing myself. The fuel of hell is not God’s wrath, but human beings themselves by depriving themselves of the truth, and their stones (Quran 2:24). The stones are all the waste and trash we may value in this life. In the analogy of the student, all the time wasted by not studying, gossiping and talking trash in the cafeteria become the stones for the fuel of hellfire. We may bring home meaninglessness by our actions and choices which become the fuel for hell. 

I have to appreciate the way the universe is created which is teaching me that this order is perfectly arranged for me to learn. I am given the message of the prophets employed to teach me my purpose in existence, the speech of the Lord of the universe is there as well to guide me in this world. I have to take care of my human side by using consciousness, reasoning and feelings to perceive the truth, to confirm the reality of this universe. By examining and investigating, I will understand the purpose of the existence of the universe and myself. 

There is no extra wrath from God. Some people attack the message of the Quran saying that “the God of the Quran is very severe.” The Quran uses severe language to warn us not to fall into the wrong category, not to be negligent in taking care of the needs of our spirit and not to fail in our purpose of existence. The Lord of the universe knows what we are going to lose when we don’t listen to His message. His cry of warning is nothing but the result of His love and caring for us. For example, if a careless child is playing on a street where cars pass by. The parent wouldn’t be talking in a soft voice like, “please my dear, be careful as there are many cars that pass by and you can get hurt.” It makes more sense to sternly say to the child: “Watch out, be careful, stop being careless, you will get hurt”. The child would say, “hey parent, why are you panicking and shouting at me.” We may treat these warning verses in the same way as a child to his parents saying “God, why are you shouting and angry?” It is a serious message for me to see that I may be running after bodily satisfaction when I should be worried about my spiritual satisfaction which is permanent. The Quranic language has to be understood within its own context and cannot be read literally.

The universe is so clear in the message that it carries. The order does not change. There are many verses warning human beings severely that “God will never ever forgive”, “God will severely punish the wrongdoers”. Those are the descriptions of hell which is depriving oneself of paradise.  Paradise is described in the best possible way by giving the examples for this world that are enjoyable for those people who try their best. Although the person cannot be perfect but tries his best, the perfection will be from the mercy of God as long as I stay on the course to the right path. No one deserves paradise, but God says that I will give it to them even in many more degrees than they deserve. No one can use their potential to the fullest. For example, no one can say that I studied one subject and know everything about it. Potentially we can study more but we may not, but even if we try our best we cannot never reach the end of any discipline. God says that as long as you stay course, you will be rewarded immeasurably. However, when it comes to punishment, it is one to one. God says that it is only what you deserve that you will be treated with, there will be no addition to it, no extra wrath to top it off.