An interesting feature of human psychology is that man regards only those things as true which come within the scope of his mental understanding. The modern secular thinking is based on two fundamental principles: scientific truths and cause-and-effect relationship, which implies that everything that happens in the world has some plausible reason behind it. As far as scientific truths and facts are concerned, it should be remembered that the scientific rules and formulas taught in one century, assume the form of white lies in the next.
But science continues to teach them as truths to the people who are in search of knowledge throughout the world. As mentioned above, the second principle of secularism is that there is always some reason for everything that happens in the world. For instance, water vapours rising up from the oceans take the form of clouds that cause rain. The process that begins with the sowing of the seeds in the soil culminates in the ripening and harvesting of the crops. Minerals present in the mountains make the water warm or poisonous. Lava within the earth gushes forth from soft ground. Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Germs and viruses cause different diseases. If no logical reason is discovered for some phenomenon, it is described as an unanswerable query or mystery.
It is further claimed that as the process of scientific inquiry goes on, this mystery will also be resolved one day or another. Modern secular minded people wish that somehow or the other, God Almighty should also be fitted into the framework of this basic concept or philosophy. Allah on the other hand claims that He is the Original Creator (Prime Mover) and far from being dependent on causes, He is the Creator of all things including their causes. Every creator in the world is dependent on causes but Allah Himself is the Creator of all causes.
Probing into the secrets and mysteries of the universe is one of the attributes of pious and righteous people, but all their endeavours to unveil the mysteries of the universe are aimed at getting a better understanding of God, who is the creator of the universe and all its mysteries. Praising such people Allah says in the Quran “Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): “Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.” (Surah Aale Imran, verse 191)
But science continues to teach them as truths to the people who are in search of knowledge throughout the world. As mentioned above, the second principle of secularism is that there is always some reason for everything that happens in the world. For instance, water vapours rising up from the oceans take the form of clouds that cause rain. The process that begins with the sowing of the seeds in the soil culminates in the ripening and harvesting of the crops. Minerals present in the mountains make the water warm or poisonous. Lava within the earth gushes forth from soft ground. Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Germs and viruses cause different diseases. If no logical reason is discovered for some phenomenon, it is described as an unanswerable query or mystery.
It is further claimed that as the process of scientific inquiry goes on, this mystery will also be resolved one day or another. Modern secular minded people wish that somehow or the other, God Almighty should also be fitted into the framework of this basic concept or philosophy. Allah on the other hand claims that He is the Original Creator (Prime Mover) and far from being dependent on causes, He is the Creator of all things including their causes. Every creator in the world is dependent on causes but Allah Himself is the Creator of all causes.
Probing into the secrets and mysteries of the universe is one of the attributes of pious and righteous people, but all their endeavours to unveil the mysteries of the universe are aimed at getting a better understanding of God, who is the creator of the universe and all its mysteries. Praising such people Allah says in the Quran “Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): “Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.” (Surah Aale Imran, verse 191)
If today, we are reluctant to beg forgiveness for our sins collectively, its only reason is our false pride and arrogance. We are afraid that people will describe our attitude as foolish, fundamentalist, ignorant and unscientific.
Thus, the more we understand the wonders and blessings of Allah, the more should we realise His Glory and Grandeur. But the problem with the modern secular thinking is that every increase of knowledge fills the human mind with the false notion of the greatness of man and, therefore, instead of saying “Allah is Great” he forgets Him and announces “Man is great”. The modern secular man has devised certain rules and principles for leading his life and quite interestingly, he uses the same rules and principles as a yardstick for judging God. For instance, God is Just, but man tries to make Him sit on the seat of the Chief Justice and wants Him to exercise only those powers which the constitution of a country grants to the Chief Justice.
While doing so, man is utterly oblivious of the fact that Allah claims that He can conceal, forgive or write off all sins and can even change the vices of a person into virtues. He repeatedly declares that true repentance can make a man pure and blameless. But no constitution of the world can ever grant such absolute powers to any Chief Justice. The natural consequence of this approach is that when people attempt to understand the concept of Divine Punishment, they treat God as an ordinary Chief Justice and then expect Him to penalise the innocent and protect the guilty.
It is in sharp contrast with the concept of justice and punishment given by Allah in the Quran. It must be kept in mind that the world in which we live, is a place for trial and tribulation, not for ideal justice and punishment. Real justice will be done on the Day of Judgement. It will be the day of Divine reward and punishment. Instead of appearing before God collectively in the form of families, political, religious, or sectarian groups, everyone will appear individually. As Allah says in the Quran, “And everyone of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgment.” (Surah Mariam, verse 95)
The Quranic philosophy of punishment has been beautifully summed up in the following verse of Surah Sajda: “And indeed We will make them taste of the Penalty of this (life) prior to the supreme Penalty, in order that they may (repent and) return.” (Surah Sajda verse 21)
When a whole group of nation goes astray and adopts the course of evil and disobedience, the punishment is also collective sparing no individual. “And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment.” (Surah Anfal, verse 25)
“While the wicked and the sinful people are punished, the virtuous and the pious are saved and particularly those who go on urging the evil doers to abstain from evil.” (Surah Anfal, verse 165)
In the same story, Allah also mentions those people who remained silent and did not try to prevent the sinners from committing more sins. They were of the view that there was no use of advising them and that Allah Himself would deal with them. But they were wrong, because they were also included in those who were punished by Allah, who saved only those who earnestly performed their duty of preaching till the last moment. “When some of them said: “Why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?”- said the preachers:” To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.” (Surah Anfal Verse 164)
Allah alone has the complete and absolute authority to punish, forgive or protect whomever He likes. Death is not the end of life. It the transfer or shifting of a person from one world to another. On the Day of Judgement, all those who were killed during Divine Punishment will appear individually before God. Evil doers and transgressors will be dispatched to Hell, while the noble and the righteous will enjoy the blessings of Heaven. According to the Quranic philosophy, Allah sends down His penalty to awaken the people from their slumber of unheedfulness so that they may turn to Allah in repentance and remorse.
All troubles, trials and tribulations whether big or small, come from Allah, so that people may remember Him earnestly in order to secure their next life. Cruel and oppressive rulers are also a form of punishment for the people from Allah. Thus, Allah tells the Israelites to remember how He saved them from the dire oppression and brutality of the Pharaoh. “And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord.” (Surah Baqara, verse 49)
But those who cannot rise above scientific truths and cause-and-effect relationship, regard such happenings as ordinary and routine worldly matters. For this very reason, when someone tells such people to turn to Allah at the time of punishment and to beg forgiveness from him collectively, they make fun of him. But from the story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) as narrated in the Quran, we come to know that Allah has an intense desire to see the sinful nations begging forgiveness and turning to Him in repentance collectively.
When the people of Jonah fell before Allah collectively, with the feelings of utmost submission and sincerity, He canceled their punishment which had come almost within sight. “Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed, – so its faith should have profited it, – except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the penalty of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.” (Surah Yunus, verse 98)
All the prophets of Allah, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and their companions often begged for Allah’s mercy, blessings and forgiveness collectively. Thus, whenever there were no rains for a long period, they would come out of their homes for collectively offering a special prayer known as Salatul Istasqa, to request Allah to send down the much needed rain. This particular prayer is also a form of repentance and begging for forgiveness collectively.
Another type of Divine Punishment is dividing a nation into groups and sects, who fight against each other, resulting in massive bloodshed. Early Muslims fully understood it and thus, when there was a bitter political row between Hazrat Ameer Muavia and Hazrat Hasan, reconciliation efforts were made in line with the instructions given in Verse 8 of Surah Hujurat. But when mediation attempts proved in vain, Hazrat Hasan voluntarily stepped down as Caliph, to save the Muslim Ummah from division and civil war. “Say: ‘He hath power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance – each from the other.’ See how We explain the signs by various (symbols); that they may understand.” (Surah Anaam, verse 65)
The early Muslims were fully conscious of this type of punishment and always tried their best to stay away from divisions and disputes. Hazrat Ali’s willingness to make peace with his enemies by accepting the Quran as a mediator and Hazrat Ayesha’s life long regret over the unfortunate battle against Hazrat Ali were the manifestations of their desire to keep the Muslim Ummah united. But when Muslims lost sight of this tradition, they were bitterly divided among themselves resulting in endless bloodbath.
If today, despite Allah’s strong desire, we are reluctant to beg forgiveness for our sins collectively, its only reason is our false pride and arrogance. We are afraid that people will describe our attitude as foolish, fundamentalist, ignorant and unscientific. They will condemn and criticise us for believing that it is Allah who establishes peace and ensures economic progress and prosperity. We are afraid that people will make fun of us and say that we have wasted all the time and money spent on our education. In the Quran, Allah urges the people of Quraish to worship the Lord of the Kaaba, for two particular reasons. “Let them adore the Lord of this House, Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger). (Surah Quraish, verses 3 and 4)
But those whose minds are nurtured on secular ideas, always describe it as non-scientific. The reason is that they cannot believe that it is Allah who provides food and security to the people in the real sense.
Orya Maqbool Jan is a Lahore-based senior analyst. He can be reached at oryamaqbooljan @ gmail.com
While doing so, man is utterly oblivious of the fact that Allah claims that He can conceal, forgive or write off all sins and can even change the vices of a person into virtues. He repeatedly declares that true repentance can make a man pure and blameless. But no constitution of the world can ever grant such absolute powers to any Chief Justice. The natural consequence of this approach is that when people attempt to understand the concept of Divine Punishment, they treat God as an ordinary Chief Justice and then expect Him to penalise the innocent and protect the guilty.
It is in sharp contrast with the concept of justice and punishment given by Allah in the Quran. It must be kept in mind that the world in which we live, is a place for trial and tribulation, not for ideal justice and punishment. Real justice will be done on the Day of Judgement. It will be the day of Divine reward and punishment. Instead of appearing before God collectively in the form of families, political, religious, or sectarian groups, everyone will appear individually. As Allah says in the Quran, “And everyone of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgment.” (Surah Mariam, verse 95)
The Quranic philosophy of punishment has been beautifully summed up in the following verse of Surah Sajda: “And indeed We will make them taste of the Penalty of this (life) prior to the supreme Penalty, in order that they may (repent and) return.” (Surah Sajda verse 21)
When a whole group of nation goes astray and adopts the course of evil and disobedience, the punishment is also collective sparing no individual. “And fear tumult or oppression, which affecteth not in particular (only) those of you who do wrong: and know that Allah is strict in punishment.” (Surah Anfal, verse 25)
“While the wicked and the sinful people are punished, the virtuous and the pious are saved and particularly those who go on urging the evil doers to abstain from evil.” (Surah Anfal, verse 165)
In the same story, Allah also mentions those people who remained silent and did not try to prevent the sinners from committing more sins. They were of the view that there was no use of advising them and that Allah Himself would deal with them. But they were wrong, because they were also included in those who were punished by Allah, who saved only those who earnestly performed their duty of preaching till the last moment. “When some of them said: “Why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?”- said the preachers:” To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.” (Surah Anfal Verse 164)
Allah alone has the complete and absolute authority to punish, forgive or protect whomever He likes. Death is not the end of life. It the transfer or shifting of a person from one world to another. On the Day of Judgement, all those who were killed during Divine Punishment will appear individually before God. Evil doers and transgressors will be dispatched to Hell, while the noble and the righteous will enjoy the blessings of Heaven. According to the Quranic philosophy, Allah sends down His penalty to awaken the people from their slumber of unheedfulness so that they may turn to Allah in repentance and remorse.
All troubles, trials and tribulations whether big or small, come from Allah, so that people may remember Him earnestly in order to secure their next life. Cruel and oppressive rulers are also a form of punishment for the people from Allah. Thus, Allah tells the Israelites to remember how He saved them from the dire oppression and brutality of the Pharaoh. “And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord.” (Surah Baqara, verse 49)
But those who cannot rise above scientific truths and cause-and-effect relationship, regard such happenings as ordinary and routine worldly matters. For this very reason, when someone tells such people to turn to Allah at the time of punishment and to beg forgiveness from him collectively, they make fun of him. But from the story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) as narrated in the Quran, we come to know that Allah has an intense desire to see the sinful nations begging forgiveness and turning to Him in repentance collectively.
When the people of Jonah fell before Allah collectively, with the feelings of utmost submission and sincerity, He canceled their punishment which had come almost within sight. “Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed, – so its faith should have profited it, – except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the penalty of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while.” (Surah Yunus, verse 98)
All the prophets of Allah, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and their companions often begged for Allah’s mercy, blessings and forgiveness collectively. Thus, whenever there were no rains for a long period, they would come out of their homes for collectively offering a special prayer known as Salatul Istasqa, to request Allah to send down the much needed rain. This particular prayer is also a form of repentance and begging for forgiveness collectively.
Another type of Divine Punishment is dividing a nation into groups and sects, who fight against each other, resulting in massive bloodshed. Early Muslims fully understood it and thus, when there was a bitter political row between Hazrat Ameer Muavia and Hazrat Hasan, reconciliation efforts were made in line with the instructions given in Verse 8 of Surah Hujurat. But when mediation attempts proved in vain, Hazrat Hasan voluntarily stepped down as Caliph, to save the Muslim Ummah from division and civil war. “Say: ‘He hath power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance – each from the other.’ See how We explain the signs by various (symbols); that they may understand.” (Surah Anaam, verse 65)
The early Muslims were fully conscious of this type of punishment and always tried their best to stay away from divisions and disputes. Hazrat Ali’s willingness to make peace with his enemies by accepting the Quran as a mediator and Hazrat Ayesha’s life long regret over the unfortunate battle against Hazrat Ali were the manifestations of their desire to keep the Muslim Ummah united. But when Muslims lost sight of this tradition, they were bitterly divided among themselves resulting in endless bloodbath.
If today, despite Allah’s strong desire, we are reluctant to beg forgiveness for our sins collectively, its only reason is our false pride and arrogance. We are afraid that people will describe our attitude as foolish, fundamentalist, ignorant and unscientific. They will condemn and criticise us for believing that it is Allah who establishes peace and ensures economic progress and prosperity. We are afraid that people will make fun of us and say that we have wasted all the time and money spent on our education. In the Quran, Allah urges the people of Quraish to worship the Lord of the Kaaba, for two particular reasons. “Let them adore the Lord of this House, Who provides them with food against hunger, and with security against fear (of danger). (Surah Quraish, verses 3 and 4)
But those whose minds are nurtured on secular ideas, always describe it as non-scientific. The reason is that they cannot believe that it is Allah who provides food and security to the people in the real sense.
Orya Maqbool Jan is a Lahore-based senior analyst. He can be reached at oryamaqbooljan @ gmail.com
