Will Allah reward the good deeds of Unbelievers?
- From: "Kangarooistan" <kanga@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 06:05:41 -0500
Qur'an Contradiction:
Will Allah reward the good deeds of Unbelievers?
All religions exhort their followers to do good deeds, i.e. to help the weak
and the poor.[1] Even people who do not believe in God at all, i.e. who do
not believe that there will be eternal reward or punishment for what they do
in this life, still make it a point that people should do good and help
those in need.
The topic of reward and punishment for all we do in this life is a very
prominent theme througout the Qur'an. Many passages speak about the good
deeds of the believers or the bad deeds of the unbelievers, and there is
little surprise when looking at the outcome of those. Things become more
difficult when we want to know what the Qur'an teaches regarding the good
deeds of those who reject Islam.
So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer (in the
Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), his efforts will not be rejected.
Verily! We record it in his Book of deeds. S. 21:94 Al-Hilali & Khan
This verse promises Muslims that their good deeds will not be rejected by
Allah. On the other hand, this condition implies that those who are not
(Muslim) believers are at least at risk that their good deeds will be
rejected. That this is indeed so, is made explicit in some other passages.
Unbelievers, i.e. those who rejected the message of Muhammad, cannot hope
that their good deeds will receive any reward from God:
It is not for the Mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers
in the Oneness of Allah), to maintain the Mosques of Allah (i.e. to pray and
worship Allah therein, to look after their cleanliness and their building,
etc.), while they witness against their ownselves of disbelief. The works of
such are in vain and in Fire shall they abide. S. 9:17 Al-Hilali & Khan
As in the case of those before you: they were mightier than you in power,
and more flourishing in wealth and children. They had their enjoyment of
their portion: and ye have of yours, as did those before you; and ye indulge
in idle talk as they did. They! - their work are fruitless in this world and
in the Hereafter, and they will lose (all spiritual good). S. 9:69 Yusuf Ali
The next verse states something similar, but this time the context deals
with the specific case of a Muslim who leaves Islam. It seems to be
irrelevant whether he subsequently becomes a polytheist, an atheist, or a
Christian:
... And they will never cease fighting you until they turn you back from
your religion (Islamic Monotheism) if they can. And whosoever of you turns
back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be
lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the
Fire. They will abide therein forever. S. 2:217 Al-Hilali & Khan
On the other hand, speaking of the last days and God's final judgment of
mankind, Sura 99 states:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
(1) When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake.
(2) And when the earth throws out its burdens,
(3) And man will say: "What is the matter with it?"
(4) That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over
it of good or evil).
(5) Because your Lord has inspired it.
(6) That Day mankind will proceed in scattered groups that they may be
shown their deeds.
(7) So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small
ant), shall see it.
(8) And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small
ant), shall see it. (Al-Hilali & Khan)
This whole sura is completely general, there is no restriction to (Muslim)
believers, but it says in verse 7 that everyone who does good, even if only
a little, will see it, and this certainly implies some kind of reward. The
passage speaks of all of mankind (6). This general promise is confirmed
again in Sura 4:40:
God is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He
doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward. (Yusuf Ali)
Surely! Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a small ant)
but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great
reward. (Al-Hilali & Khan)
Since S. 99:7 and 4:40 make absolute statements that apply to all people,
they contradict those other passages which explicitly state that there will
be no reward whatsoever for the good deeds of the unbelievers.
Apart from these very general statements found in S. 99:7 and 4:40, the
Qur'an also gives Jews and Christians an explicit promise of reward for
their good deeds:
Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and
Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good
deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor
shall they grieve. S. 2:62 Al-Hilali & Khan
This passage promises even more. "No fear" and "nor shall they grieve" can
only mean that they will go to Paradise and not to Hell, which is even more
than a certain reward for some good deeds.
Just as there are plenty of Muslims who do not truly believe and do not live
according to the rules of Islam, so there are plenty of people who consider
themselves to be Jews or Christians but do not truly believe in the
teachings of the Bible nor live according to its moral standards. Therefore
it makes sense that the Qur'an specifies some minimum requirements: (1)
Belief in Allah, (2) belief in the Last Day (the Final Judgment), and (3)
doing righteous good deeds. Whoever meets those three requirements among
those who are either Muslims, Jews, Christians or Sabians, they shall have
their reward for their good deeds. Even more, they shall not have any fear
or a need to grieve in regard to the life to come.
The very fact that this verse is formulated as it is, presupposes that -
according to the Qur'an - Jews and Christians believe in the same God as the
Muslims. The conditions (1) - (3) merely emphasize that this promise holds
only for those who are serious about their faith and live according to the
teachings of their scriptures. People of religions that worship other gods
are not included. Add to this the specific statement:
And argue not with the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and in good manner,
inviting them to Islamic Monotheism with His Verses), except with such of
them as do wrong, and say (to them): "We believe in that which has been
revealed to us and revealed to you; our Ilah (God) and your Ilah (God) is
One (i.e. Allah), and to Him we have submitted (as Muslims)." S. 29:46
Al-Hilali & Khan
Thus, Jews and Christians who truly believe and follow their scriptures
satisfy those first two conditions stipulated in S. 2:62, since the Bible
clearly teaches that there will be a Last Day on which God will judge
mankind (e.g., Joel 3:1-3, 11-13; Psalm 62:12, 96:13, 98:9; Isaiah 40:10,
62:11; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 25:31-46; Acts 10:42, 17:30-31; Romans 2:5-6,
16, 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Revelation 20:11-15).
However, the Qur'an also calls the Jews and Christians unbelievers and
idolaters. The word for unbeliever comes from the term kafir, which refers
to one who makes kufr. According to the Quran, the Jews and Christians
(specifically the latter) fall under these categories of mushrik and kafir:
O ye who believe! surely, the idolaters are unclean (al-mushrikoona
najasun). So they shall not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year of
theirs. And if you fear poverty, ALLAH will enrich you out of HIS bounty, if
HE pleases. Surely, ALLAH is All-Knowing, Wise. Fight those from among the
people of the Book, who believe not in ALLAH, nor in the Last Day, nor hold
as unlawful what ALLAH and HIS Messenger have declared to be unlawful, nor
follow the true religion, until they pay the tax considering it a favour and
acknowledge their subjection. And the Jews say, 'Ezra is the son of ALLAH,'
and the Christians say, 'the Messiah is the son of ALLAH;' that is what they
say with their mouths. They only imitate the saying of those who disbelieved
(kafaroo) before them. ALLAH's curse be on them! How they are turned away.
They have taken their priest and their monks for lords besides ALLAH. And so
have they taken the Messiah, son of Mary. And they were not commanded but to
worship the One God. There is no God but HE. Holy is HE far above what they
associate (yushrikoona) with Him! They seek to extinguish the light of ALLAH
with their mouths; but ALLAH refuses but to perfect HIS light, though the
disbelievers (al-kafiroona) may resent it. HE it is Who has sent HIS
Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that HE may make it
prevail over every other religion, even though the idolaters
(al-mushrikoona) may resent it. S. 9:28-33 Sher Ali
The above passage claims that not only are Christians idolaters (or of those
who associate partners with God) and blasphemers (or disbelievers), but the
Jews are as well. It even classifies the Jews and Christians as unclean!
They indeed have disbelieved (kafara) who say, `Surely ALLAH - He is the
Messiah, son of Mary.' Say, `Who then has any power against ALLAH, if HE
desired to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother and all those
that are in the earth?' And to ALLAH belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and
the earth and what is between them. HE creates what HE pleases and ALLAH has
power over all things. S. 5:17 Sher Ali
They are unbelievers (kafara) who say, 'God is the Messiah, Mary's son.'
For the Messiah said, 'Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord.
Verily whoso associates with God anything (innahu man yushrik biAllahi), God
shall prohibit him entrance to Paradise, and his refuge shall be the Fire;
and wrongdoers shall have no helpers.' S. 5:72 Arberry
Certainly they disbelieve (kafara) who say: Surely Allah is the third
(person) of the three; and there is no god but the one God, and if they
desist not from what they say, a painful chastisement shall befall those
among them who disbelieve. S. 5:73 Shakir
To summarize, the Qur'an makes the following statements:
1.. Christians will (a) have reward for their good deeds and (b) will have
nothing to fear for the life to come (S. 2:62).
2.. Christians are mushriks and kafirs (S. 9:28-33; 5:17, 72-73)
3.. Mushriks will (a) have no reward and (b) will abide in Hell forever
(S. 9:17)
The contradiction is glaringly obvious.
.
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