The Day of Judgment - Q & A Series

MOHAMMED REZA ISFAHANI

 

My readers may be surprised to see and actually question the presence of a section on Ma’ad or the Day or Judgment on this web site. The reason for this is simple - it is in the nature of Baha’is to manipulate the fundamental concepts of Islam by playing around with the verses of the Quran and traditions. To their detriment, they have attempted to do the same with the concept of the Day of Judgment. In doing so, they have gone so far away from the reality that it is difficult for any sane person to accept their concept of the subject.

The basic concept of the Day of Judgment is shared uniformly with divinely inspired religions - that after death, man with be questioned about his actions in this world and will be rewarded and punished accordingly. It is undeniable that this world does not offer opportunities for complete reward or punishment for man’s actions. For example, if we take the case of a person who serves society by building a university or a hospital, which will be used productively by generations much after, he has left this world. Can this world or its inhabitants reward such a person comprehensively - reward him the way he should be rewarded? Or alternatively, take the example of a dictator who has the blood of innocents on his hands. Will a single instance of taking his life by hanging him be sufficient for punishing him for his crimes in this world? Can taking a person life once compensate for the millions of lives lost in an instant through an atom bomb? Nay, this argument will not hold any water with any intelligent person.

It is clear from the verses of the Holy Quran and traditions that just as the concept of Unity of God (Tawheed) is found in the basic innate nature of man, in a similar fashion the concept of the Day of Judgment is ingrained in man’s psyche. In fact, at times, it is reported that both of these are available together in man. Pay attention to the following verses of the Holy Quran which talk about this subject –

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ

\"Do you consider that We have created you (man) in vain and that you will not be returned to Us?\" 
(Ref: Chapter of Mo’menoon, verse 115)

While the above verse emphasizes the absolute Mastership of Allah, it reminds man that his creation is not in vain and that in his final journey, he will return to Allah. The style and the tone of the verse appears to be a question from Allah to the innate nature of man (fitrat). If any person puts this question to himself, he will get the answer that at the end of the day, he is answerable to the Almighty for his actions. This question and the subsequent answer will be a cause for his reformation in this world and the hereafter.

وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَاطِلاً ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ النَّارِ

\"And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them in vain. That is the opinion of those who disbelieve. And woe unto those who disbelieve, from the Fire!\" 
(Ref: Chapter of Suad, verse 27)

In this verse, the Almighty reminds man of his creation and invites him to reflect upon it and accept its purpose. And if man does not do so, Allah not only is terms as one who is a denier (of reality), but also indicates his final destination - that the punishment of the fire of Hell awaits him.

Therefore it is clear that just as the concept of Tawheed is ingrained or rather \"pre-programmed\" into man’s innate nature, in the same manner, the concept of the Day if Judgment is embedded too. Consequently, it follows that if a person places his belief in Allah, then he must believe in the Day of Judgment as well. And if a person denies Allah, then the belief in the Day of Judgment or Retribution will not benefit him - he will reject it as well.

Reasons for denying the Day of Judgment

1. Probably, one the most compelling reasons for denying the Day of Judgment, ironically, is sins. A person who engulfed excessively in sins will find that his sins become a barrier between him and his innate nature. He denies the Day of Judgment and finds it difficult to accept that there will be such a day when he will he have to give an account of his deeds. He consequently leaves no stone unturned to spread corruption on the earth. The end result of this is that he stands in opposition to his true Creator, who will ultimately disgrace him in this world. Pay attention to these examples -

(a) Firaun: He claimed to be God and under the garb of Divinity, he spread oppression and corruption on the earth. He claimed that his reign extended to the seas. Allah humiliated him by drowning him in those very seas.

(b) Abraha: He intended to destroy the Holy Ka’aba and brought with him an army of elephants. Allah foiled his plans by sending birds with stones in their beaks which annihilated his army. However an interesting point to note is that the elephants themselves were blessed with recognition of Allah - when Abdul Muttalib, the custodian of the Kaaba came to meet Abraha to release his camels which were confiscated, the elephants who were trained to stamp him with their feet, actually bent down to pay obeisance to him. Thus not only did the elephants not harm the Kaaba and the custodian of the Kaaba, but by laying down their lives, they turned the attention of the people to this verse –

الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً
وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

\"Who hath created life and death that He may try you which of you is best in conduct\" 
(Chapter of Mulk, verse 2)

Thus, when man’s innate nature is veiled on account of his sins, he openly opposes Allah and His messenger.

2. Oppression - of any kind is fuelled by pride and pride is nothing but a sense that I am superior to everything else. This sense overpowers his sense of reasoning. An example of this is that of a child who despite having witnessed with his own eyes and experienced the benevolence of his worldly parents, ignores everything and misbehaves with them. Allah is hidden from our eyes - how will such a person accept the bounties of his Creator and the fact that one day he will return to Him. The case of the Baha’is is something like this only.

Human nature tends to remember and easily grasp those discussions which are presented in a question and answer format. And this pattern is seen in the Quran itself. I will therefore use the question and answer format to explain the beliefs of the Baha’is regarding the Day of Judgment. My heart beats with the prayer that this effort may be worthy of the pleasure of Allah.

The verses and traditions which will be provided in this series are few amongst many which one can find about the Day of Judgment. Just as it is not necessary to check each grain of rice while it is being cooked, in the same manner, it is not necessary to reply to each and every question. My readers will appreciate that the objective is to present the nature of the arguments placed by the Baha’is and a general response. Further discussions can be responded to in a similar fashion.

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