Essay 1
Essay 1
Essay 1
What can
we say about the nature of the God of the Qur’an based solely on the Qur’anic text itself?
HIKMA
Habib University
INTRODUCTION:
I will be discussing about how God is described in Qur’an briefly as well as argue whether Allah
is most just or not based on the description in some of the verses of Qur’an, also whether Allah
is merciful or the punisher. Our first and foremost task should be to understand and be able to
comprehend the qualities of God. This is important as it will help us make sense of why we
should put our faith and trust unto Allah. Until we have had a vision of him high and lifted we
will not properly understand how it is that we can be conformed to his image and remain within
ARGUMENT:
In Qur’an it is mentioned in several places that Allah is the most merciful and forgiving. But on
the other hand it is also mentioned that if we commit sins or do wrong then we will face the
wrath of Allah and be punished accordingly. So does this mean that justice will be served to us
by presenting to us fair rewards or fair punishments according to the deeds that we perform?
Or since Allah is most merciful we will be pardoned of the sins we commit upon repentance, in
which case is God really being just? To try to answer this I would first like to begin with
establishing a better understanding of what it means when Allah is described as being the most
merciful.
Allah describes himself as Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem in Surah Al – Fatihah [Qur’an 1:3]. Ar
Rahman means merciful beyond imagination while, Ar Raheem means the one who’s always
loving and caring. When we hear the word mercy we immediately think of being spared from
something, perhaps some sort of punishment was on its way and it was inevitable but through
the act of mercy that punishment was averted. Though, if we try defining the word Ar Rahman
through its Arabic root, its meaning fundamentally goes back to the womb of a mother.
When I think of the womb of a mother, I think of a baby inside and how the mother goes
through all of the trouble, and all of the caretaking of the baby while the baby has no idea what
is going on. And as the years pass by and the child grows, all they do is cause the mother pain
and make their life more difficult and all she does in return is love the baby even more. That is
some glimpse of the love, care and concern Allah has for his creations. But this love is described
as being immediate and for everyone, however it will not last forever. What this indicates is
that Allah extends this very love, care and mercy for all people and not just for the believers.
Moreover, additional verses regarding the mercy of Allah can be found in Qur’an, such as this:
“Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and
the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He restrains the sky
from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah, to the
According to this, even the sky would have collapsed onto earth had it not been for Allah’s
mercy, it is him who alone holds the whole universe, in case it collapses onto itself. In another
verse it is mentioned, “He is God: there is no god other than Him. It is He who knows what is
hidden as well as what is in the open, He is the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy” [Qur’an
59:22]
What this attribute of Allah signifies is that even though we commit so many sins and are
covered with flaws, and Allah knows of our every single deed yet still he forgives us day in and
day out and he hides our flaws every day from our loved ones. But when I said that this love will
not last forever, it meant that we are given a chance to redeem our sins within this world, as in
the hereafter we will be judged according to our deeds and punished if we are one of the
wrongdoers.
However, the punishments are not just ascribed for the hereafter, rather some consequences
will also be faced in this life. For example, if someone does murder and is caught then that
person will be charged with a death penalty, unless perhaps the person is forgiven by one of
the immediate family members of the victim; and the likelihood of that happening is extremely
low as we humans cannot bear to forgive the ones who do wrong by us. This is another instance
where the mercy and forgiveness of God can be witnessed, it says in the Qur’an: “Whoever
repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, then verily God will accept his repentance
and verily God is the Forgiving, the Merciful” [Qur’an 3:59] and in another place it says, “But
whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in
forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” [Qur’an 5:39]. As described above most of
us cannot even imagine or comprehend of forgiving such crimes as it is not within human
capacity to do so, indeed which is why God can be seen as being the most merciful and
forgiving, who after knowing all our wrong doings still forgives us. In counter to this though,
the like of it with it by which to ransom themselves from the punishment of the
Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted from them, and for them is a painful
punishment. They will wish to get out of the Fire, but never are they to emerge
therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment. [As for] the thief, the male
and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed
as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is exalted in Might and Wise.”
Thus for those who refuse to believe in Allah and do wrong to others, a punishment is
surely in place for them, “He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and
Allah is over all things competent” [Qur’an 5:40]. So as I have been trying to clarify, Allah
has both roles (punisher and forgiver) and we will be served justly conferring to our
actions.
CONCLUSION:
Therefore, as mentioned in the various verses I have quoted, I believe Allah indeed is most just
with his creations even though sometimes it may not be evident to us, though this is because
our wisdom and knowledge is very limited compared to Allah. It is obvious as to why these
punishments are required, Islam aims to protect itself from the threats of crime. This is
common knowledge that if offences are gone unpunished by extreme penalties then society
can be in serious danger. Islam seeks to expand social order and security, and to make life safe
and prosperous in society. Additionally, Allah has provided us with many signs regarding his
existence and many reasons why we should put our faith in him, still people choose to stay
away from the guidance of Allah and thus this act shall be punished on the day of resurrection.
In contrast, a believer is given hope and incentives that their good deeds will be rewarded justly
and reminded constantly about the mercy of Allah so they keep repenting if they sin and to the
best of their ability abstain from doing acts which may not please Allah.
References
Abdel, H. M. A. (2010). The Qur'an: English translation and parallel Arabic text. Oxford: