Does Allah forgive shirk?
- From: "Kangarooistan" <kanga@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:00:18 -0500
Does Allah forgive shirk?
Allah does NOT forgive shirk:
Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He
forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah
is to devise a sin most heinous indeed. -- Sura 4:48
Allah forgiveth not (the sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He
forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods
with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right). -- Sura 4:116
Allah forgives shirk (even in the same sura):
... Yet they [the Israelites] worshipped the calf even after Clear Signs
had come to them; even so We forgave them; and gave Moses manifest proofs of
authority. -- Sura 4:153
See also Sura 2:51-52, describing the same specific event. [This holds not
only for the Israelites, Sura 6:76-78 asserts that even Abraham took the
sun, the moon, and the stars as idols. This is sheer polytheism; yet Muslims
respect Abraham as he is portrayed in the Qur'an as a great prophet, and
nevertheless they believe that prophets are sinless.]
I suppose a Muslim could say that God abrogated his previous approach of
granting forgiveness of idolatry but now does no longer forgive it. But is
that so? In 6:88, after speaking of Abraham (verse 83), Isaac and Jacob
(84), Moses, Job, Jesus, Joseph, Noah, David, Solomon, etc., Allah says,
"Had they served other gods besides Him, their labours would have been vain
indeed."
It seems obvious that since Abraham and Isaac are mentioned also (they
preceeded Moses and the Hebrew slaves), and who were under the same command
of "don't serve idols or your out of luck", that abrogation could not be
possible in this case, since otherwise we would have to assume oscillating
abrogations (no forgiveness, forgiveness, no forgiveness) suggesting that
God cannot make up his mind. This would be utterly unworthy of God, who is
eternally the same and as the All-wise does not need change his laws because
he is surprised by new developments.
On the other hand, we can even find a general statement about the
forgiveness of shirk, since Sura 25:68-71 speaks about people who worship
gods other than God and when they repent, believe, and work righteousness
then God not only forgives them but He even substitutes their sins
(sayyi'aat) with righteouss credit (hasannat).
Moreover, nearly all the Meccans of Muhammad's time had committed shirk.
They were basically all worshipping various idols. Nevertheless Muhammad
calls them to repentance and to faith in Islam. Some believed in Muhammad
early on, most of them converted only later after Muhammad came with a large
army. Most Muslims believe that Allah forgave these Muslims (the companions
of Muhammad!) their sins, including their shirk. Why then are there several
verses in the Qur'an that claim that the sin of shirk will never be
forgiven?
.
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