Ever since my arrival in Saudi Arabia three years ago, I have been learning more about Islam. However, I find it difficult sometimes to reconcile statements in the Qur’an, which may appear to my beginner’s eye to be in conflict with each other. Could you please clarify the following examples?
Verse 2: 123 states that no intercession is accepted from anyone on the Day of Judgment. Another Verse 2: 255 makes it clear that no one can intercede except by God’s permission. Yet another Verse 21: 28 says that God’s servants do not intercede on behalf of anyone “except those with whom He is pleased.” How is it that intercession is negated and then confirmed in certain cases? Verse 6: 103 states that eyesight cannot grasp God and this to me means that He is invisible, and that we do not know how He looks. Yet many verses speak about God’s hand, His face, eyes and movements.
Islam does not accept the principle of original sin, and holds that every child is born pure of sin. But I read a Hadith in Al-Bukhari stating that for every murder committed on Earth a share of punishment is added to Cain, Adam’s son who killed his brother. How is it that he is punished for a crime he did not commit?
It is clear to me that what the reader needs is to refer to a good interpretation of the Qur’an. If English is the reader’s preference then she may consult Toward Understanding the Qur’an, by A. Maudoodi, which is published by the Islamic Foundation, Rathy Lane, Marksfield, Leicester LE67 9SY U.K. She may also consult In the Shade of the Qur’an, by Sayyid Qutb, also published by the same publishers. If she prefers in other languages of the Muslim community, then they are available in other languages as well. For example, above referred two are also available in Urdu language in Pakistan.
There is no conflict between the verses she cites. In the first example, the first verse is an address to the Children of Israel saying: “Fear a day when no soul shall avail another in any way, when no ransom shall be accepted from it, when intercession shall not be allowed on its behalf.” This is a clear statement that on the Day of Judgment no one can manage to do anything on his or her own behalf. There can be no ransom or intercession offered. The only sure way to save oneself is to believe in God and to have a record of good deeds. He or she can offer nothing else.
However, verse 255 of the same Surah 2 makes it clear that any intercession must be sanctioned by God. Unless He permits such intercession, it cannot be done. We know that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is granted such a privilege on behalf of his community. Also children who die in childhood are said, in one Hadith to appeal to God to save their parents.
When they are told to enter heaven, they cry out to God that they would not go in alone, unless they have their parents with them. God in His mercy will accept their plea and allow their parents to join them in heaven.
The other verse from Surah 21 tells us that the believers would not intercede except on behalf of people with whom God is pleased. This means that they would intercede with His permission on behalf of people He wishes to forgive.
Thus it is all connected with God’s will. No one can, on his or her own behalf, seek or offer intercession. It is done only by God’s leave, by people whom He allows on behalf of ones to whom He wishes to extend His mercy.
That there is no original sin is correct. If Cain, the first murderer is punished further for every additional murder, it is on the lines of the Hadith: “Whoever starts a good practice will have its reward and a similar reward to that of everyone who follows that practice until the Day of Judgment. And whoever starts an evil practice bears responsibility for it and a similar burden to that of everyone who follows his evil practice until the Day of Judgment. As Cain was the first to resort to murder for personal gains, he bears the burden of his own crime and shares in that of everyone who follows his example.
This is part of the burden for having started an evil practice.
It is true that we cannot see God. We are not equipped with the faculties to enable us to see His light. When Moses appealed to God to allow him to see Him, God told him to look at Mount Sinai. If the mountain stays in its position, then Moses would be able to see Him. When God revealed Himself to the mountain, it fell down and Moses was unconscious (See Verse 7: 143) But He is not invisible. That is something different. Why should the fact that we cannot see Him be in conflict with Him having a hand, face, and eyes? Etc.? He certainly has these and He has so stated so in the Qur'an. However, we do not know what His face, hand or eyes are like. May be these are only names and the reality is so different for God. May be they are exactly like that, but we cannot tell. The important point to remember is the Prophet’s advice not to think about God’s nature because such thinking is not likely to get us any satisfying result. ~
Wearing charms or talismans is considered a form of shirk, or associating partners with God. Does this also apply to hanging verses of the Qur’an on walls, or placing a very small copy of the Qur’an in one’s car?
You are right when you say that the wearing of a charm or a talisman is a form of associating partners with God. Hence, it is a very grave sin. This is due to the fact that the person who wears such an article believes that it has a power of its own and that it can benefit him. When people hang some beautifully written verses of the Qur’an on their walls, they do not entertain such a belief. They normally feel that the verse carries highly significant meaning which, they want themselves and other people to remember.
Having said that, I should add that if a person places a copy of the Qur’an in his car, believing that it will protect him against accidents, he is treating the Qur’an as a charm, which is strictly forbidden in Islam.
I have decided not to learn the Qur’an until I have practiced as many obligatory and recommended practices as possible. I feel that God has revealed the Qur'an, to be implemented, not to be learnt by heart. Please comment.
It is true that the Qur’an is meant for implementation in the first place. However, implementation can only come as a result of learning and understanding. How is it possible that someone who has not read the Qur'an, or learnt any part of it can implement it?
While the reader’s desire to act on the teachings of the Qur’an and implementing them in real life is highly commendable, he cannot do that without reading the Qur’an regularly and learning the meaning of its verses. The two go hand in hand.
Moreover, to read the Qur’an is an act of worship. God rewards us for reading the Qur’an, crediting us with 10 good points for each letter of every word. God says in the Qur’an:
“Keep up prayers when the sun is on its decline, in the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur’an at dawn, for the recitation of the Qur’an at dawn is indeed witnessed. At night, rise from your sleep to recite in prayer, as an additional bonus for you.” (17: 78-79)
In this verse, reading the Qur’an is ranked with prayers at the same level. Just as God commands us to offer prayers at the beginning of the night and the early hours of the day, He tells us to recite the Qur’an at dawn, because such a recitation is witnessed by the angels. At night, we are meant to recite it, just like we are recommended to offer prayers in the depth of the night as voluntary worship.
Needless to say, the Qur’an is not meant for absent-minded reading, without understanding or implementation. But even then, if a person does not know Arabic, and reads the Qur’an as an act of worship, he is rewarded for his reading.