[IslamCity] ISL: Muslims' Duty: Judge People or Convey the Message?

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 14:44:48 -0800

 
 
Name Murad  - Iceland
Title

Muslims' Duty: Judge People or Convey the Message?  

Question

Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. Some of my Canadian friends always ask me about Islam. Their most confusing question is: Why would a good non-Muslim person go to hell when all he did in this life was good deeds? Why would God punish a Christian or a Jew if he/ she was born into his/her religion? Jazakum Allah khayran.  

Date

16/Feb/2005  

Mufti  

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty  

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear brother, thanks a lot for your question and the interest you show in becoming well acquainted with the teachings of Islam. May Allah bless your efforts in pursuit of knowledge!

It is to be stressed first that it is Muslims' duty to convey to all mankind the message of Islam – the message of mercy sent through Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a confirmation of all prophetic messages. Muslims, however, are not appointed as judges. Therefore, they must be forewarned against the temptation of saying which person goes to heaven or hell.

Responding to the question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states the following:

In the Qur’an, Allah tells us Muslims that our duty is simply to convey the message; we are not appointed as judges; we have no authority to send people to heaven or hell. Allah says in Surat an-Nahl: (Call to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kindly exhortation, reason with them in the most courteous manner. For your Lord knows best who have strayed from His path, and He knows best who are rightly-guided.) (An-Nahl 16: 125)

Concerning the age-old controversy of various religious communities as to who is saved, Allah settles the dispute by saying: (And they say: 'None shall enter the Garden unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' These are their wishes. Say: 'Bring your proof if you are truthful!' No, but whoever surrenders his face to Allah, while acting with excellence, his reward shall be with his Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, neither shall they grieve.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 111-112)

Furthermore, the Qur’an emphatically states that the Prophet Muhammad is the last in the series of Prophets and Messengers; he has come to affirm the pristine truth that all Prophets and Messengers had proclaimed before him. The Qur’an confirms, guards, and preserves this pristine message free from all human tampering and alterations. The Qur’an further states unequivocally that the mission of Prophet Muhammad is addressed to all of humanity and not merely to a particular nation or tribe, and therefore, it is the duty of everyone to respond to his message: (Say (O Muhammad): 'O Mankind! Truly I am the Messenger of Allah to you all; (the Messenger of Him) to whom belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. There is no god save Him. He gives life and He gives death. So believe in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be rightly guided.) (Al-A`raf 7: 158)

Allah also tells us elsewhere in the Qur’an that He has sent Messengers to each and every nation on the face of the earth to convey the message of truth and that these Prophets spoke the language of the people they were sent to. The reason for this has been explained by saying: (Nor do We punish until We have sent a messenger.) (Al-Israa’ 17: 15)

Therefore, if someone did not receive the message of Muhammad, he will definitely be judged by whatever message of truth he has received from Allah.

Based on what has been stated above, Muslims must be forewarned against the temptation of saying which person goes to heaven or hell. We must rather stick to our mandate to convey the message of mercy sent through Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a confirmation of all prophetic messages. We must leave such judgments to Allah, and Allah alone. In this regard we can do no better than repeat the words of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) who is quoted in the Qur’an as saying concerning those who worshipped him: (If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, You, only You, are the August, the Wise.) (Al-Ma'idah 5: 118)

Excerpted, with slight modifications from: www.islam.ca

You can also read:

'There Is Not a Nation but a Warner Sent to Them'

Fate of Non-Muslims

People Having no Access to Divine Messages (Ahl al-Fatrah)

Does the Term “Ahlul-Kitab” Still Apply Today?

Allah Almighty knows best.

http://www.islamonline.net/fatwaapplication/english/display.asp?hFatwaID=92960

 

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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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