Muslims’ Philosophical Debates, Part II

The main controversial points around which debates ensued:

• Seeing Allah on the judgment day:

Allah says in the Qur’an: “On that day (i.e. judgment day), some faces shall be radiant and shining, looking towards their lord” [The Qur’an (75:22-23)].

Prophet Muhammad said, “Do you compete among one another to see the sun when the sky is clear?” the companions said, “No.” The prophet then said, “And so shall you see Allah on the judgment day.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim].

1. Based on the previous verse and tradition, Salafists affirmed that on the judgment day all believers shall be granted special abilities which will enable them to see Allah with their own eyes.
2. Mu‘tazilies denied this vigorously, and stated that seeing Allah means that He could be confined in a certain place and in a certain direction that eyes can perceive, which is impossible for His rank as this necessitates that Allah has some kind of a physical body like creatures. They interpreted verse (75:23) to mean “waiting for their Lord’s grace and blessings.” They said that seeing Allah could only happen spiritually and mentally but not physically. They took as evidence on their opinion the verse which says: “Vision cannot perceive Him but He perceives all vision.” [The Qur’an (6:103)]. Salafists responded to this saying that this verse is speaking about this worldly life not the hereafter, while verse (75:23) is speaking about the hereafter that has different laws and nature.
3. Ash‘aries and Matureedies adopted the same view of Salafists in this issue, they also affirmed that believers shall be able to see their Lord with their own eyes on the judgment day. They took as evidence the logical fact that anything that exists could be seen in a certain fashion befitting its existence, and Allah shall grant the believers the ability to see Him on the judgment day, He is capable over all things.

• Do we create our own deeds:

Allah says in the Qur’an: “On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be repaid according to whatever it has done, and they will not be wronged.” [The Qur’an (16:111)].
“We shall set up scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul can be in the least wronged. And even if actions were as small as a mustard seed, they shall be weighed. Sufficient are We as Reckoner (of every deed).” [The Qur’an (21:47)].
“On that Day people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds: whoever has done good, even equal to the weight of an atom, he shall see it, and whoever has done evil even equal to the weight of an atom, he shall see it.” [The Qur’an (99:6-8)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that people were created having free wills. Their actions are the result of their own choices, for if it weren’t so, then how come that they shall be rewarded for their good deeds, or punished for their bad ones?! This view entailed a tough philosophical debate between the Mu‘tazilies and the Ash‘aries. It all started with this question: “Do we create our own deeds through the freewill which Allah has granted us, or do we just gain those deeds based on our intentions, while Allah is the one who actually creates them?!”

1. Mu‘tazilies divided Allah’s will into two kinds, the first is that of fate and predestination, whatever happens through fate is something that we cannot evade or control, nor do we get rewarded or punished for it. Example: the time of birth, our parents and relatives, the time of death, the manner of death, the people whom we encounter during life, the places we visit, the amount of money which we earn, our sickness and health, etc. The second kind is that of authorization, meaning that Allah authorized us to make our own actions. Based on this kind, we were entrusted to abide by Allah’s messages and obey His messengers, and we shall be judged and later on, either rewarded or punished based on our own choices and actions. Mu‘tazilies affirmed that this is not done outside the will of Allah, on the contrary, it was His will to create us able to choose and create our own deeds in order to test us. They placed as evidence on this opinion the fact that Allah desires truthful faith and righteous lives for His servants, but He does not force them to embrace any of that, He says in the Qur’an: “Say (O Muhammad), ‘This is the truth from your Lord. Let whoever wills believe in it, and whoever wills deny it’.” [The Qur’an (18:29)]. And Allah also says: “Blessed is He in whose hand is the Kingdom: He has power over all things, He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of you are best in conduct. He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving One.” [The Qur’an (67:1-2)]. And the opposite of that, Allah is not pleased with disbelief, but still it happens, which further proves that we have freewill, and are able to create our own deeds.
2. Ash‘aries refused this opinion and said that nothing of what we do is actually created by us, but Allah is the sole creator of everything. What happens is that whenever we make a choice and have enough determination to actually undertake a certain action, Allah creates a temporary power in our bodies that enables us to do it (Al-Kasb). Consequently, we are judged based on our intentions, which is confirmed by what the prophet P.B.U.H. said, “Actions are but by intentions.” They took as evidence on their opinion the verse which says: “Allah created you and what you do.” [The Qur’an (37:96)]. Mu‘tazilies responded saying that the mentioned verse’s context implies another meaning, Allah says: “(Abraham’s) people came rushing towards him, but he said, ‘How can you worship things you carve with your own hands, when it is Allah who has created you and all your handiwork?” [The Qur’an (37:94-96)]. From the context, Prophet Abraham was referring to the fact that they utilized wood and stones in craving idols which they worshipped, while they denied Allah who created them and the materials they were using in carving their idols. This is made obvious in the verse which says: “Glory be to Allah, the best of creators.” [The Qur’an (23:14)]. Of course, there is no creator but Allah; what the verse here implies is that Allah is the best creator for He creates the materials and elements from which everything is made. Unlike us, we need tools and materials to invent or create anything, and all of these materials are Allah’s creation. Ash‘aries stated another verse: “That is Allah your Lord, there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him, He is the disposer of all things.” [The Qur’an (6:102)]. Mu‘tazilies responded to this verse saying that there is no conflict between it and their opinion, for Allah is the one who created us having the ability to create our own deeds.
3. Matureedies adopted a similar view to that of Ash‘aries but they divided the effective power behind any action into two halves, the first is the power which creates the deed itself and this is from Allah, while the second is the power which affects the mode and manner of its occurrence and this one is from ourselves.
4. Salafists adopted a similar view to that of Ash‘aries in this issue, they denied any ability for humans to create their own deeds outside the will of Allah. They agreed that Allah is the one who creates our deeds and that we are judged based on our intentions, Prophet Muhammad said, “Actions are but by intentions,” so our main task is to adjust our intentions.

Sheikh Abd-Ur-Rahman Al-Jezery said, “Actually the verses (tackling this issue) could be understood according to all of the previous views which makes it impossible for any of the arguing teams to make its opinion prevail.”

• Bringing the Qur’an to existence:

Allah says in the Qur’an: “To some of them (i.e. the prophets) Allah spoke” [The Qur’an (2:253)].
“And Allah spoke to Moses directly” [The Qur’an (4:164)].
“And if any of the polytheists seeks your protection, grant him your protection may he listen to the words of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an), then let him reach his sanctuary.” [The Qur’an (9:6)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that Allah speaks, and the Qur’an which we have between our hands conveys to us His speech in the form of verbal words. They differed in understanding the second half of the previous sentence.

1. Mu‘tazilies said that the Qur’an is Allah’s speech in meaning, He created it in words and sentences to communicate with His creatures. Their evidence on this is that the verses of the Qur’an are formed of sentences, words and letters, by logic these were created at a certain time, they are not infinitely preexistent.
2. Ash‘aries differentiated between self-speech, and the actual speech in words and sentences. They said that the actual speech in words is created because it ends as soon as the utterance of the words is finished, while self-speech is one of Allah’s eternal attributes, its existence is connected to His infinite preexistence. They said that Allah can create the ability in whomever He likes among His prophets to hear and understand this infinitely preexistent speech, and this is how they interpret verse (4:164). Their evidence on the division of any speech into self-speech and actual uttered words is that we all practice it, and the Qur’an testifies for it in the verses which say: “and inwardly they say, ‘Why doesn’t Allah punish us for what we say?’ “ [The Qur’an (58:8)], and “Whether you speak inwardly or aloud, He knows what is in every heart.” [The Qur’an (67:13)].
3. Salafists did not indulge into the matter or differentiate between self-speech and verbal speech. They insisted that the Qur’an is Allah’s speech uncreated, as anything related to Allah’s attributes cannot be created.
4. Matureedies adopted a similar view to that of the Ash‘aries, but when they interpreted verse (4:164) they said that Allah created the voice which Moses P.B.U.H. heard from the blessed tree, and this voice related to Moses Allah’s preexistent eternal speech.

• Those who commit major sins:

Allah says in the Qur’an: “Those who when they have committed atrocity or have wronged their souls, remember Allah and pray that their sins be forgiven—for who but Allah can forgive sins?—and do not knowingly persist on their misdeeds while they know” [The Qur’an (3:135)].
“Indeed, Allah shall not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wills. Whoever ascribes partners to Allah, he has indeed done a monstrous sin.” [The Qur’an (4:48)].
“Say (O Muhammad), ‘(Allah says), “O my servants, who have transgressed their limits by committing evil sins, do not despair of Allah’s mercy,” verily Allah forgives all sins. He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful’ “ [The Qur’an (39:53)].
“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whomever He pleases, and punishes whomever He pleases. Ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [The Qur’an (48:14)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that Allah forgives all sins, major or minor for whoever asks for His forgiveness on the condition that this person is a believer who does not associate any partners with Allah. Associating partners with Allah is a fatal sin in Islam. They also agreed that the believer who dies before repenting from making major sins shall be judged by Allah, If He wills He shall punish Him, and if He wills He shall forgive Him; Allah is Most-Forgiving, Most-Merciful. If this person was to be punished by Allah–may Allah save us all–then he shall receive his proper punishment, then he shall be brought out from the hellfire, and admitted into paradise. No believer or even a person with one jot of faith in his or her heart shall ever remain in the hellfire forever. Mu‘tazilies had a different opinion, they said that those who commit major sins are not considered believers. If they die before repenting, they shall be admitted into the hellfire and dwell therein forever. Their punishment shall be less than that of those who never believed during their lives. The main reason behind those different opinions was the definition of faith, and whether deeds and actions are part of faith or not.

1. Ash‘aries considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, while deeds and actions are the fruit of sincere faith.
2. Matureedies adopted the same opinion but set uttering the testimonies a condition for truthful faith.
3. Mu‘tazilies considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, the tongue and the deeds altogether. This is why they considered the one who commits major sins to be in a middle rank between believers and disbelievers. If he dies before repenting sincerely, then he won’t be considered a believer and shall dwell in Hell forever.
4. Salafists adopted an intermediate position between all sects, they considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, the tongue and the deeds altogether. They stated that submission of the heart entails submission of the body. They took as evidence the fact that Allah always describes the believers in the Qur’an through their deeds and actions, but they refused the claim of the Mu‘tazilies, that Allah shall punish those who commit major sins by casting them into the hellfire forever. Their opinion in this point was like that of the Ash‘aries and Matureedies. Their opinion was built upon the Qur’anic verses alongside some prophetic traditions like the one in which Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said, “Faith has more than 60 parts, the highest of which is to confess that there is no deity but Allah, and the least of which is to remove harmful objects from the roads, and decency is part of faith” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim]. In this tradition the prophet made it clear that some deeds, ethics and morals are considered parts of faith.

I would like to conclude this point with this part of a very long tradition speaking about the judgment day: It was recorded by Imam Muslim that Companion Abu-Sa‘eed Al-Khudri reported that the prophet P.B.U.H. said,

“The bridge would be set up over Hell, intercession would be allowed, and believers shall keep on uttering this supplication: ‘O Lord, protect us and keep us safe’
It was asked: “O Prophet, what is this bridge?”
He said, “It’s a passageway above the void in which one is likely to slip. There would be hooks, tongs, and spits like the thorn found in Najd deserts, known as Sa‘dan. Believers shall pass over it within the twinkle of an eye, like lightning, like wind, like a bird, like the fastest horses and camels. Some will be saved, some will be lacerated and let go, and some will be pushed into the Hellfire, until believers are rescued from the Fire. I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, there will be none more eager to invoke Allah for (saving their) brethren from the Hellfire than the believers on the Resurrection Day. They shall say: ‘O Lord, they used to fast, pray and perform pilgrimage with us.’
It will be said to them: ‘Take out those whom you recognize.’
Those people shall be saved from Fire, and they would take out a large number of people who had been overtaken by the Flames up to the middle of their shanks or up to their knees. They would then say: ‘O our Lord none remains therein from the ones whom you commanded us to bring out.’
Allah shall then say: ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find the weight of one dinar of goodness.’
So they will take out a large number of people, then they would say: ‘O our Lord, not one of those whom You commanded us to save have we left therein.’
Allah would then say: ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of goodness.’
Then they will take out a large number of people, and would say: ‘O our Lord, not one of those whom You commanded us to save have we left therein.’
Allah would then say: ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as one jot of goodness.’
They would bring out a large number of people, and would then say: ‘O our Lord, now we have not left anyone having any good in his or her heart.’ “

Abu-Sa‘eed Al-Khudri then said, “If you don’t accept this tradition, then recite if you wish the verse which says: ‘Verily Allah never wrongs (any soul), not even the weight of an atom, if it is a good deed, He multiplies it and grants from Himself a great reward.’ [The Qur’an (4:40)].
Then Allah, the Exalted, the Great, would say: ‘The angels have interceded, the apostles have interceded, and the believers have interceded, and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the Most-Merciful of all those who are merciful.’
He will then take a handful from Fire, and bring out people who never did any good (during their lives) and had been turned into charcoal. He will cast them into a river called the river of life on the outskirts of Paradise. They will come out like the seed comes out from silt carried by flood. They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of Paradise would recognize them (and say): ‘Those are the ones who have been saved by the Most-Compassionate One, He has admitted them into Paradise without having done any good deeds in advance.’
Then Allah shall say: ‘Enter Paradise, whatever you see in it is yours.’
They would say: ‘O Lord, You have bestowed upon us favors which You have not bestowed upon anyone else.’
He would say: ‘There is still a favor kept for you that is better than all of this.’
They would say: ‘O Lord! What could be better than all this?’
He would say: ‘My Content. I will never be angry with you after this.’ “

O Allah, fill our hearts with the light of truth, and grant us your pardon in this life and the next as well. O Allah, don’t forsake us for ourselves without any guidance or we shall perish. O Allah, grant us your blessings in each and every step we take on the righteous path, and let us not go astray till we return to You, Amen.

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Written by: Ehab Shawky