Accountability: The Life Hereafter
Mankind is created with a purpose. It is to worship Allah, to live up to His Will. Man is the vicegerent of Allah on Earth. Being the noblest creation of Allah, man is endowed with that six sense that enables him distinguish good from evil. A dignified agent of Allah , he has a moral responsibility towards the society he lives in. He should render his wholehearted service for it social, economic and spiritual welfare and desist from harming it in any way. The paramount importance given to morality is best illustrated by the following Quranic verse.
Lo! Men and women who submit unto Allah, and
men and women who believe, and
men and women who are devout, and
men and women who are truthful, and
men and women who are patient and constant men and women who are humble, and
men and women who give in charity, and men and women who fast, and men and women who guard their chastity, and men and women who remember Allah much, to them Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward. (33:35)
But man is very often found to be not utilizing his sixth sense: he becomes a threat to even those having one or two senses. Humanism is the duty enjoined by Allah. We, however, find people doing just the opposite and enjoying happy and luxurious lives, at the expense of others. We also witness their victims, those humble and honest Common Men, living subdued, humbled and humiliated. And sometimes, alas, eliminated! Modern Penal Codes are extremely inadequate and completely submissive to money and muscle power. But ‘Allah knows and hears all’. There exists a court, the Supreme Court of God, to which all are ultimately accountable. Human existence is ephemeral (ash-shahada) and is nothing but ‘amusement and play’ (29:64). The ultimate reality is something inaccessible to human faculties (al-Ghayb). Yet, our ‘real home is in the Hereafter’ (29:64).
Muslim cosmology is not cyclic. A terrific cataclysm ends the world and everybody will be judged according to his actions in this life on the Day of Judgment. Those who followed the path will be rewarded an eternal bliss. Those who followed the trajectory path will be awarded a grievous abyss. For Muslims, belief in the Life Hereafter is an article of faith. This constantly reminds one of what awaits in the Other Life. And fear of punishment awaiting there is the best guarantee against immorality here!
On the Day of Judgment ‘Whoever has done an atom of good will see it; and whoever has done an atom of evil will see it; (99:7,8) man may fool a thousand courts presided over by humans, but nothing is sub-judice in the divine ‘due process’. The only insurance against being banished to Hell is a good track record. Unlike Hinduism and Christianity, Islam holds that man is born in a natural state of purity (fitrah). The unparalleled infancy marks unparalleled innocence precisely because of fitrah . The baby, as he grows, is often subjected to influences that are not compatible with his innocence, and his moral framework gradually gets corroded. But he cannot escape from the responsibility for the amoral corrosion. The Quran which is the ultimate revelation gives clear direction how to lead a pious, moral and virtuous life in this world. He should make use of it as his guide, and failure to do so would be a sin: Man cannot plead innocence out of his ignorance, since through all ages he had been provided with a guide (scripture) and a Warner (Prophet) by Allah. He should always be aware of his ultimate accountability to Allah and should not commit sins. When a comprehensive code of conduct is available, why commit sins?
Though the ‘Rule of Law’ ultimately prevails, a sinner is entitled to seek forgiveness. Allah forgave all the sins of a prostitute, so goes a story told by Prophet Mohammed, just because she nourished an ailing and almost dying dog. Sincere prayers, coupled with an unequivocal commitment not to repeat past mistakes, reinforced by doing good things throughout the rest of life will lead sinner to salvation. The only unforgivable sin is shirk, associating others with Allah ’s divinity.
The idea of original sin or hereditary criminality has no place in Islamic philosophy. Sin is acquired, not inherited. the expiation of sin is seeking forgiveness of the Lord with a sincere commitment not to repeat it. Man needs no intermediary to pray for him or to seek forgiveness from his Creator on his behalf, for according to the Quran.
‘He is nearer to man than his own jugular vein.’ (50:16), and again in the Quran: No soul earns but what is due to it’. (6:164)
The role of ones own self is the most important factor. ‘Allah will not change the prosperous state of a people unless they first change their own hearts and selves’ (8:53). Yes, to be perpetually accountable to the dictates of our own reason is a decentralized judicial process which will have a cumulative effect in our favour on the Day of Judgment!
