Allah Almighty says "...Every soul is accountable for its own actions;
and no soul shall bear the burden of another..."
[Surah al-Araf(6): v164]
This degree of accountability affects both mankind and jinn, for both,
mankind and jinn have been given 'souls' with which to live their
lives in this life, and in the end we will all return to Allah
Almighty our Creator.
Consider then responsibility and accountability. When we look at the
way Iblis lived his life: marked as one of the best amongst jinn, so
much so that he would spend his time in the company of angels. Yet
when Allah Almighty tell Iblis to bow down to man (as noted in Surah
al-Araf) Iblis demonstrated his arrogance, his perception of his self
importance. Citing his origin from the elements of fire as being
superior to the elements which make up Adam, clay, he refused to bow
down to Adam, a clear violation of the command of Allah.
As the story continues in the Surah, Iblis then says, "Because You
have misled me, I will wait for them on your straight path. I will
come before them, behind them, from their right and left; and You will
find most of them unthankful". And so Iblis and his partnership do
their best to mislead people from the simplicity of Islam.
However, when reading the story of Prophet Adam and Eve in the same
Surah and how in paradise they had been tempted by Iblis to eat from
the one tree which Allah Almighty prohibited them from eating. Both
Adam and Eve recognising their mistake said "Our Lord, we have made a
mistake, and if you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will
surely be amongst the losers".
Between Iblis who, when in arrogance made his mistake didn't seek the
forgiveness of Allah but instead sought to blame Allah by saying that
Allah misled him - when in fact he, given the faculty of freedom of
choice, assumed that fire is better than clay and that jinns are
better than humans, misled himself. Instead of taking responsibility
for his own actions, he blamed Allah Almighty. Yet, Adam and Eve, when
making their mistake instead of blaming Allah Almighty, recognised
their own fault, and asked Allah Almighty for forgiveness.
This distinction between taking responsibility for ones actions vs
blaming others for one actions, is a mark of the believer. So much so
that within this framework exists the notion of forgiveness that
prophet Muhammad said that if a person seeks the forgiveness of Allah
Almighty, then Allah will provide them with freedom from every want,
freedom from every worry and provide them with sustenance from sources
which they cannot even begin to imagine. [Mishkat ul Masabih, #524:
Ahmad & Ibn Majah]
May Allah Almighty make us less like Iblis whose arrogance led to his
own demise and more like Prophet Adam who when making a mistake sought
forgiveness for that mistake, taking responsibility for his own
actions, and may Allah Almighty have mercy and guide us all, amen.
In the protection of Allah, with peace, f
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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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