Unity (1/2)
Dr. Asra Rasheed
One God
If it is accepted that there is a Creator, it is necessary to understand who He expects of human beings. The Qur’an reveals much about the nature of God, and Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final messenger to mankind, has explained in the great details the qualities and attributes of God. But to have complete knowledge of God is beyond man’s ability. Man is finite, and Allah is infinite, and Allah has revealed only limited amount of knowledge about Himself. Created beings cannot comprehend the Creator. God states:
“They (humans) cannot encompass Him (Allah) with their knowledge.” [Qur’an, Surah Ta-Ha (20):10]
Islam teaches that humans should only refer to God in terms in which He has referred to Himself. There is no scope whatsoever for inventing new ideas about Him in a matter that suits our personal opinions. Humankind must adhere to the knowledge about God as conveyed in authentic revealed text, since innovation in such matters corrupt the purity of the knowledge and will likely impart to God attributes which are not His.
Divine Mercy
One of the most prominent qualities of God, mentioned time and time again in the Qur’an and by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his oral traditions, is that of mercy. For example, God says:
“O my servants who have wronged your own souls.[1] Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah can forgive all sins. He is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Qur’an, Surah Az-Zumar (39):53][2]
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was also quoted as saying, “Allah says: My mercy supersedes My wrath.” [3]
But will God shower His Mercy on every human beings on the Day of Judgement regardless of his/her deeds on earth? Much is mentioned in the Qur’an about that Day so that people can try to understand how terrible it will be. The following are a sampling of the descriptions:
“When the sky is torn apart in obedience to its Lord-as indeed it must be, the earth will be flattened, casting its content until it becomes empty in obedience to its Lord-as indeed it must be.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Inshiqaq (84):1-5]
“When the sun is enveloped in darkness, the stars will fall and the mountains will vanish...” [Qur’an, Surah At-Takwir (81):1-3]
“When the seas are burst forth.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Infitaar (82):3]
“When the earth is shaken with its [final] convulsion and it throws out its contents, man will cry out, “What is the matter with it?” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Zalzalah (99):1-3]
On this day, all of humankind will resurrected as God said: “When the graves are overturned,” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Infitaar (82):4] “and the souls will be joined with their bodies.” [Qur’an, Surah At-Takwir (81):7]
God will assemble all human beings who existed on the earth in the past, present and future:
“Remember the Day on which I will cause the mountains to vanish and you will see the earth flattened. I will gather them all together without any of them behind.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Kahf (18):47]
God will then judge men and women for what they did in his life:
“I have fastened every human’s deed around his neck and on the Day of Resurrection I will bring out a book for him, which he will find wide open. He will be told, “Read your book. Today your own self is enough to hold to account.” [Qur’an, Surah Al-Isra' (17):13-14]
Shirk [Idolatry]
On that day, only a few will receive God’s mercy. Most will not warrant God’s mercy and forgiveness because they indulged in the great sin of inventing lies against the Creator. The biggest of these lies against God is that of assigning Him partner who helped or helps Him create, govern, sustain, or judge His creatures. The severity of the assigning partners to God is so immense that it is the only unforgivable sin. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained:
“Allah says: The descendants of Adam tell lies against Me through they have no right to do so, and they abuse Me, though they have no right to do so. As for telling a lie against Me, it is their claim that I cannot re-create them as I created them before (on earth). And as for abusing Me, it is their claim that I have a son. No, Glorified be Me! I am far beyond taking a wife or a son...”[4]
(Continued)
[1] Because the harm of committing sins ultimately affects the sinner, God refers to it as wronging oneself.
[2] See also Surah An-Nisa’, 4:110
[3] Sahih Muslim, vol. 4 no. 6627
[4] Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 6, no.9.