1. May I refer to verse 85 of the third Surah, which states that anyone who wishes to follow any religion other than Islam will not have it accepted and that he will be a loser in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, it is stated in several Surahs that those who believe and do good deeds will be highly rewarded by God whether they are believers, Jews, Christians, Sabians, etc. It appears that the first verse limits salvation to Muslims only while the others ensure salvation for anyone who fulfils certain criteria. Please comment.
2. Some non-Muslims appear to appreciate Islamic values and principles. In practical life, they maintain good behavior and they are kind to others. They refrain from sinful and evil actions. Yet, they are not Muslims. The idea of converting to Islam does not appeal to them because of what it may entail within their social circle. Will such good people earn reward in the Hereafter? Or, will their good deeds be of no avail?
The term “Islam” is used in the Qur’an most of the time to indicate the religion preached by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as he conveyed the message entrusted to him. In this sense, Islam means the declaration by a person that he believes that there is no deity save God and that Muhammad was His last messenger to mankind. He commits himself to the fulfillment of his duties as outlined by this message and taught by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The other sense is the more general one which indicates “submission or self-surrender to God.” This is indeed the essence of all divine messages preached by all prophets and messengers, ever since Adam and continuing with the line of Prophethood until Muhammad, the last Prophet and messenger. In reference to Prophet Ibrahim, the Qur’an says: “His Lord said to him: Submit. He said: I submit myself to God, the Lord of all worlds.” The Arabic equivalent to the word “submit” in this Qur’anic verse is the verb “aslama” from which the terms Islam is derived. We are also told in the Qur’an that it was Prophet Ibrahim who named the believers ‘Muslims”, meaning “those who submit to God.”
The two senses of the word are closely related since this religion of Islam has the principle of total submission to God as its cornerstone. When a person betrays any doubt about submitting totally to God, he is considered not to be a Muslim, because he does not fulfil the most basic criterion of Islam.
There is more than one reference in the Qur’an, to the type of religion which is acceptable to God. In all these references, the term Islam occurs. One clear example is found in verse 19 of Surah 3, entitled “The House of Imran [or Aale Imran]”. God says: “Indeed, the only true religion in the sight of God is Islam.” Many scholars are of the opinion that this verse and similar verses refer to Islam in its final form taught by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as he conveyed his message. Equally numerous are the scholars who take such verses as referring to Islam in its general sense, namely, self-surrender or total submission to God. To them, the aforementioned verse should be translated in English as: “Indeed the only true religion in the sight of God is (man’s) self-surrender to Him.” The two views are not contradictory since the final version of the divine religion, i.e. Islam, emphasizes the principle verses in their general sense of the term Islam. We give them a broader scope so as to include the followers of earlier prophets who responded to divine messages and submitted themselves to God. As it is well known, all prophets preached essentially the same message, calling on their nations to surrender themselves to God. The foregoing applies to verse 85 of Surah 3, to which you have referred. If we translate it in the stricter sense, we may say that it means: “If anyone seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him and, in the life to come, he will be among the losers.” If we take the broader sense of the term Islam, we say that the verse means: “If anyone seeks a religion other than self-surrender to God, it will never be accepted from him..” I personally tend to prefer this latter rendering. It must be clear to us, however, that since Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has conveyed to mankind the religion of Islam as the last and complete version of the divine faith, this is the only acceptable form of self-surrender to God.
The other verses to which you have referred speak of different communities who shall have nothing to fear in the life to come. Let us take one example from verse 62 of Surah 3, which may be translated as follows:
“The believers, as well as those who follow the Jewish faith and Christians and Sabians — all who believe in and the last day and do righteous deeds shall have their reward with their Lord. And no fear need they have and neither shall they grieve.” [62: 2]
These verses should be taken in a historical sense. We know for certain that the message of Islam as preached by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, abrogates previous messages.
Thus, it is the only form of religion acceptable to God. However, those people of old who followed Judaism, Christianity or other faiths preached by earlier prophets and have submitted themselves to God alone will certainly have their reward with God and they will have nothing to fear on the Day of Judgement. After Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, mankind does not have any choice other than to believe in his message or to deny it. If he denies it, he is among the losers, no matter what creed he follows. However, it is the responsibility of Muslims to convey the message of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to mankind. We cannot condemn those who do not come to know of it, or who learn about it in a distorted way. God will judge them, as He knows of their situation.
Of course there are good people among the followers of other religions. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has recognized this. When he was asked about the best people, he answered: “The best among them in pre-Islamic days are the best in Islam, provided they understand it properly.” In the first major battle, the Muslims fought against the unbelievers, the Prophet, peace be upon him, named a number of people in the enemy camp and ordered that their lives be spared. Muslim soldiers were under strict orders not to kill them even if they could, but rather they should take them prisoner. These were people who did not take part in active hostility against Islam. When we know good people among the followers of other religions, we should maintain good relations with them. You speak of some of them accepting the principles of Islam but are unable to become Muslims due to social pressures. This may be so, but we cannot condone such an attitude.
Ultimately, accepting Islam is setting one’s relationship with God on the right footing. That takes priority over all other considerations. You ask what will happen to such people on the Day of Judgement. You have to remember that on that day God is the absolute sovereign.
He determines what happens to every single one of His creations. It is not our job to decide what will happen to any person, whether he is the best or the worst of people. It is God alone who determines that. However, since we know Islam, the word of truth and the message God has given to mankind, through his last messenger, we do not deviate from it. We cannot condone the practice of these people in giving too much weight to their social considerations. We say that the relationship with God is paramount. How will God treat them on the Day of Judgement is His own business, not ours. ~
Going through a difficult period, a person finds weak in the face of temptation and commits a serious sin. When he comes to realize, he is very sorry and feels ashamed of himself, having disobeyed God in such a way. He weeps repeatedly and seeks God’s forgiveness, but he is not sure whether God will forgive him. How could he be reassured?
The door of repentance after committing a sin, even the most serious one, is open all the time. God does not close the door in the face of anyone who turns to Him with sincerity and true repentance. Therefore, sinners need not lose hope. God may forgive all sins, as He has promised. The only important requirement for the acceptance of repentance is that it should be made seriously and sincerely, coupled with a resolve that one will not repeat his sin.
Perhaps the worst situation is that of a person who today commits a sin, and repents tomorrow. One week later, he finds himself facing strong temptation and repeats the same sin. Yet even then, repentance is acceptable, provided that at the time it is meant seriously and with all sincerity. The resolve not to repeat the sin should be real. Still, if this happens repeatedly, every time God may forgive His servant his errors, provided that he is always sincere when he makes his repentance and pledges to stop finally and completely. [God indeed knows what is in our hearts.]
This man has been tormented by his uncertainty that his repentance might not be accepted. Well, he should ask himself whether his repentance is made with sincerity and the seriousness required in pledge made to God. If so, then his repentance is accepted, because God has told us so, and He does not fail to honor His promise.
Even if he finds himself repeating his sin, he should resolve anew not to go back to it, declaring a new repentance. He should be sure that it is accepted and forgiveness is forthcoming, God willing, when he is firm in his resolve not to go back to sinning ways. ~
Having read a Hadith in Al-Bukhari that a pilgrim will be rewarded in proportion to the amount of money he spends and the physical effort he undertakes, my rich friend plans to spend very generously on his pilgrimage and to cover the distance between the different places walking
While God rewards us richly for doing what He has assigned to us as duties, He also takes into account the trouble we take in order to fulfill these duties. A person who is in difficult circumstances, trying to save a little every month in order to pay for his journey to offer the pilgrimage, is rewarded for his persistence and determination to fulfill this duty. An old man who is physically weak and finds the tawaf and Sai’e very tiring, particularly when the area is overcrowded earns more reward for the extra physical effort he makes. But this does not mean that we should try to tire ourselves out in order to earn more reward. There are plenty of other ways, which ensure greater reward.
If we take the case of this rich man, he may decide to fly first class in order to increase his spending on his pilgrimage. But this is wrong. He may get more reward if he flies on a cheaper ticket and gives the difference as Sadaqah or charity. [It is acceptable, however, if he travels first class because he can afford it and it is his normal mode of travel as he finds it more comfortable.]
Similarly, he gains little by walking from Makkah to Arafat, particularly if he is not used to walking. He could travel in a more comfortable way and, if he wants more reward, he may offer night worship after the pilgrimage is over. What is important to realize is that there is no virtue in deliberately tiring ourselves out. If we have to make a greater effort because of our circumstances, God gives us reward for that, but we do not need to cause ourselves discomfort for that.