Can a Disbeliever Be a Denizen of Paradise or a Saint?

What is right after all?

Can a disbeliever be a denizen of Paradise or a Saint?

(Part 2)

Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari

As the actions of the disbelievers are void, on the Day of Judgement, their deeds will be erased and rendered as worthless as motes of dust in the sunbeam. Hence, it was declared:

وَ قَدِمْنَاۤ اِلٰى مَا عَمِلُوْا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنٰهُ هَبَآءً مَّنْثُوْرًا(۲۳)

And whatever [apparent good] deeds they have done, We have purposely made them scattered floating particles of dust that are visible in the sunlight of a ventilator.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 19, Surah Al-Furqan, Verse 23)

On account of their disbelief and the subsequent wrath of Allah Almighty, their actions will be akin to ash that is blown away, leaving no trace or impact whatsoever, as stipulated in the Glorious Quran:

مَثَلُ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا بِرَبِّهِمْ اَعْمَالُهُمْ كَرَ مَادِ ﹰ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّیْحُ فِیْ یَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍؕ-لَا یَقْدِرُوْنَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوْا عَلٰى شَیْءٍؕ-ذٰلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلٰلُ الْبَعِیْدُ(۱۸)

The state of those who disbelieve in their Lord is such that their deeds are like ash, upon which a strong blast of wind came on a stormy day; they got nothing from all that they earned; this is deep misguidance.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 13, Surah Ibrahim, Verse 18)

As for the positive acts of disbelievers, which according to liberal ideologues guarantee the disbelievers salvation and entry into Paradise, they are nothing short of a mirage in the desert, giving false hope of water when not even a drop is to be found. Such are the actions of the disbelievers which despite being positive in this world, do not afford them any rewards in the Hereafter. Hence, Allah Almighty states:

وَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْۤا اَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍۭ بِقِیْعَةٍ یَّحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْاٰنُ مَآءًؕ-حَتّٰۤى اِذَا جَآءَهٗ لَمْ یَجِدْهُ شَیْــٴًـا وَّ وَجَدَ اللّٰهَ عِنْدَهٗ فَوَفّٰىهُ حِسَابَهٗؕ-وَ اللّٰهُ سَرِیْعُ الْحِسَابِۙ(۳۹)

And those who became disbelievers; their deeds are like a mirage in the desert, the thirsty may hence think it to be water; to the extent that when he came close to it, he found it to be nothing and found Allah close to him, He henceforth filled his account in full; and Allah is Swift in taking account.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 18, Surah Al-Noor, Verse 39)

This verse and many others unequivocally confirm that disbelievers will not receive rewards in the Hereafter for their actions, and to think otherwise is delusional. The divine law is abundantly clear: when those who perform deeds do not have faith in the divine book, the Quran, and in the Hereafter, all of their actions are ruined, and on the Day of Judgement, such people’s deeds will not amount to anything on the scale of deeds, as Allah Almighty said:

قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِالْاَخْسَرِیْنَ اَعْمَالًاؕ(۱۰۳) اَلَّذِیْنَ ضَلَّ سَعْیُهُمْ فِی الْحَیٰوةِ الدُّنْیَا وَ هُمْ یَحْسَبُوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ یُحْسِنُوْنَ صُنْعًا(۱۰۴) اُولٰٓىٕكَ الَّذِیْنَ كَفَرُوْا بِاٰیٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَ لِقَآىٕهٖ فَحَبِطَتْ اَعْمَالُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِیْمُ لَهُمْ یَوْمَ الْقِیٰمَةِ وَزْنًا(۱۰۵)

Say you (O Beloved), ‘Shall we inform you as to whose actions are the worst?’ ‘Of those whose every effort is lost in (the pursuit of) the life of this world, and they perceive that, “We are doing good work.”’ These are the people who disbelieved in the verses of their Lord and meeting Him, all their deeds are therefore in vain, We shall henceforth not establish any weight (of good deeds) for them on the Day of Resurrection.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 16, Surah Al-Kahf, Verses 103-105)

If the actions, for which they strove day and night and faced many hardships, were complemented with faith and sincerity, then they would have held such significance that their hearts would be at peace. However, due to their obstinate disbelief in Allah Almighty, His messenger, and the Hereafter, and because they remained upon disbelief, considering it an insult to submit themselves before Allah Almighty, their efforts and struggles will be fruitless; they will be disgraced on Judgement Day as a punishment for their disbelief, and ultimately, they will enter Hell forever. Hence, it is stated in the Quran:

وُجُوْهٌ یَّوْمَىٕذٍ خَاشِعَةٌۙ(۲) عَامِلَةٌ نَّاصِبَةٌۙ(۳) تَصْلٰى نَارًا حَامِیَةًۙ(۴)

Many faces (of disbelievers) will be disgraced on that Day. Labouring (uselessly by worshipping false deities), striving hard. (Yet they are) going into the blazing fire.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Surah Al-Ghaashiyah, Verses 2-4)

After the aforementioned Quranic verses, read the following hadith on this topic:

Sayyidatuna ‘Aaishah رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا narrates:

I said, ‘Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! Will Ibn-e-Jud’aan, who used to maintain ties of kinship and feed the needy during the Age of Ignorance, benefit from his actions?’ The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, ‘His actions will not benefit him, for he never proclaimed: ‘O my Lord! Forgive my sins on the Day of Judgement,’’ (Sahih Muslim, p. 111, Hadith 518).

Explaining this hadith, Imam Al-Nawawi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:

This means that the actions of Ibn-e-Jud’aan will not benefit him because he was a disbeliever. Qadi ‘Iyaad adds that the entire Ummah has unanimously agreed that the actions of the disbelievers will not benefit them, they will not receive any reward for their actions, and their punishment will not be reduced due to them. Their punishment will however vary in respect to their sins and crimes, (Sharh Nawavi ‘Alal Sahih Muslim, vol. 3, p. 87).

Doubts and whispers

Liberals, who masquerade as Muslims, and atheists claim it is unjustified to punish people or deprive them of reward when they have served humanity, discovered the cure for a deadly disease, developed a vaccine, carried out tremendous work, or spent their life in research, solely because they are not Muslims.

The first response to this is that every believer has faith in the grace and justice of his Lord. And so, it is Allah’s right that He:

فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا یُرِیْدُؕ(۱۶)

(He) always does whatever He wills.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Surah Al-Burooj, Verse 16)

And He decrees that:

لَا یُسْــٴَـلُ عَمَّا یَفْعَلُ وَ هُمْ یُسْــٴَـلُوْنَ(۲۳)

He (Allah) is not to be questioned what He does, and they (the people) will all be questioned.

[Kanz-ul-Iman (translation of Quran)] (Part 17, Surah Al-Ambiya, Verse 23)

Everything that Allah Almighty has stipulated in the Quran and the judgement that He will pass on the Day of Reckoning, without any doubt or uncertainty, we accept to be true with our hearts and minds.

The second response is that the enormity of their disbelief outweighs the goodness of their deeds and it is the former for which they will be punished, not the latter - the two are completely unrelated. To get a real sense of this, imagine an active philanthropist who murdered someone or misappropriated public assets. We all know that despite his good works and activism, the law will punish him because his crime of murder outweighs and nullifies the goodness of his philanthropic works.

The divine laws of Allah Almighty have this very principle; disbelief, polytheism, and atheism are deemed unforgivable crimes and acts of ingratitude and rebellion against Allah Almighty who is the greatest reality of the universe, the creator, and one who provides all bounties. Therefore, it is only natural that we should be duty-bound to believe in Him, be grateful for His bounties, and obey His laws and commands. In contrast, to deny His existence or to associate partners with Him, while enjoying His bounties, are ultimate acts of disloyalty, rebellion, and ingratitude.

The disbeliever found time to study the cosmos, and send missions to Mars, but chose to not learn about the creator of the cosmos and or bring faith in Him and worship Him. Hence, despite the humanitarian services of such people, they will certainly be punished for their crimes, as ordained in the Quran and all previous divine canons.

To be continued in next month’s issue.