God Does Not Condemn People Without Cause — Essence of Islam Vol. 2
Introduction
In this discourse from Essence of Islam (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, expounds upon God Does Not Condemn People Without Cause, presenting profound spiritual insights and scriptural verities.
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 10: Divine Decree and Determination
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Man Will Have Nothing but What He Strives For | Next: Righteousness »
beyond the faculties that are bestowed upon him, nor can he live beyond his allotted span of life. It is a grievous mistake to imagine that the Holy Qur’an has adjudged some people as deserving of hell as a matter of compulsion and that they have been compulsorily subjected to the authority of Satan. On the contrary God Almighty had said in the Holy Qur’an, addressing Satan:
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيۡسَ لَكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ سُلۡطَٰنٌ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَاوِينَ
“‘Surely, thou shalt have no power over My servants, except such of the erring ones as choose to follow thee.’” (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:43)
O Satan! you will have no authority over My true servants. Behold how clearly does Allah Almighty proclaim man’s freedom. This single verse should be enough to satisfy a just minded person. However, the Gospel of Matthew tells a different tale. Matthew states that Satan took Jesus to tempt him. This would mean that Satan had so much authority that he led a holy Prophet by compulsion from place to place and directed him impertinently to prostrate himself before him. Again the devil took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory. See Matthew, 4:18.133
Reflection would show that these verses illustrate that Satan possessed Divine powers. He took Jesus who was unwilling, to a high mountain by his own authority and exercised the power which belongs to God Almighty alone to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth.133 This seems to be an error in the first edition. The reference should read: Matthew 4:1-8. [Translator]
لَأَمۡلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكَ وَمِمَّن تَبِعَكَ مِنۡهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ
“‘That I will certainly fill Hell with thee and with those who follow thee, all together.’” (Surah Sad, 38:86)
Addressing Satan, Allah says: “I will surely fill hell with thee and with those who follow thee from among them, all together.” This shows clearly that God Almighty will not condemn people to hell without cause. He will so condemn only those who would have earned such condemnation through their misconduct.
It is also said:۞إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَسۡتَحۡيِۦٓ أَن يَضۡرِبَ مَثَلٗا مَّا بَعُوضَةٗ فَمَا فَوۡقَهَا ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فَيَعۡلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمۡ ۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلٗاۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِۦ كَثِيرٗا وَيَهۡدِي بِهِۦ كَثِيرٗا ۚ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ
“Allah disdains not to give an illustration as small as a gnat or even smaller. Those who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord, while those who disbelieve say: ‘What does Allah mean by such an illustration?’ Many does He adjudge by it to be erring and many by it does He guide, and none does He adjudge thereby to be erring except the disobedient,” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:27)
He adjudges astray many through this world and guides aright many, but He adjudges astray only those who chose to go astray and are guilty of misdeeds. This means that man is judged by God according to his conduct; as when a person opens the window of his room that faces the sun the light of the sun naturally falls on his face, but when he shuts the window he creates darkness in the room by his own action. As God Almighty is the Causa Causans, He ascribes both these consequences to Himself, but He has repeatedly expounded in His Holy Word that the misguidance which a person conceives is the consequence of his own misconduct, God Almighty does not wrong anyone as is said:
وَإِذۡ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِۦ يَٰقَوۡمِ لِمَ تُؤۡذُونَنِي وَقَد تَّعۡلَمُونَ أَنِّي رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيۡكُمۡ ۖ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوٓاْ أَزَاغَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمۡ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهۡدِي ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ
“And remember when Moses said to his people, ‘O my people, why do you vex and slander me and you know that I am Allah’s Messenger unto you?’ So when they deviated from the right course, Allah caused their hearts to deviate, for Allah guides not the rebellious people.” (Surah Al-Saff, 61:6)
So when they deviated from the right course, Allah made their hearts perverse. At another place it is said:
فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضٗا ۖ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمُۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡذِبُونَ
“In their hearts was a disease, and Allah has increased their disease to them; and for them is a grievous punishment because they lied.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:11)
In their hearts was a disease, Allah caused their disease to grow worse. That is to say God tried them and made their condition manifest. Then it is said:
فَبِمَا نَقۡضِهِم مِّيثَٰقَهُمۡ وَكُفۡرِهِم بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتۡلِهِمُ ٱلۡأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيۡرِ حَقّٖ وَقَوۡلِهِمۡ قُلُوبُنَا غُلۡفُۢ ۚ بَلۡ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهَا بِكُفۡرِهِمۡ فَلَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلٗا
“Then, because of their breaking of their covenant, and their denial of the Signs of Allah, and their seeking to kill the Prophets unjustly, and their saying: ‘Our hearts are wrapped in covers,’ — nay, but Allah has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not but little —” (Surah Al-Nisa’, 4:156)
Allah set a seal on their hearts on account of their disbelief. This objection of compulsion can, however, be raised against your scriptures. In Exodus, 4:21, God said to Moses: I shall harden the heart of Pharaoh. If his heart was hardened its consequence was that he was condemned to hell. See Exodus 7:3; Proverbs 16:4; Exodus 10:3 and Deuteronomy 29:4 “Yet the Lord has not given you an heart of perceive and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day”.
Is this not a clear instance of compulsion? Then see Psalms I48:60: “He appointed a decree that cannot beaverted”; and Romans 9:18:139 “Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?” All these references show that your own scriptures are open to the objection that you have raised against the Holy Qur’an.
[Jang-e-Muqaddas, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 6, pp. 231-234]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 343]
139 This seems to be a mistake in the first edition. The references should be Psalms 148:6 and Romans 9:20 respectively. [Translator] 347
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2]
[Essence of Islam, Vol. 2, p. 346]
Book Series: Essence of Islam (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS)
Section: Part 10: Divine Decree and Determination
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: Man Will Have Nothing but What He Strives For | Next: Righteousness »