Part 22

From the previous discussion it follows that wrong is of three kinds: the wrong of polytheism, for which no intercession can be offered, and which is done by people to each other. It is necessary that the person wronged be granted his rights. Indeed, the right of the wronged party cannot be nullified either via intercession nor by any other means. But the wronged individual may get (something) from the wrongdoer or he himself may forgive the wrongdoer via intercession. Accordingly, the absolute wrongdoer [the polytheist] has no effective intercessor, whereas whoever believes in the oneness of Allah is not an absolute wrongdoer but a person who wrongs himself via his sincerity to Allah; thus he benefits from intercession. Indeed, the negation of intercession cited in the Quran is a negation of

polytheism. Namely, one must not rely on the intercessor to the point of praying to him instead of praying to Allah. It follows that prohibition of the intercession that leads one to polytheism is a prohibition of polytheism. This means that nothing but Allah must be worshiped, prayed to, or relied on, either in intercession or in other matters. Thus, one must not rely on any [but Allah] to provide him with the means of his own sustenance, which Allah provides through various means.

Similarly, he must not rely on any [but Allah] to forgive and grant him mercy in the Hereafter, even if Allah forgives and grants him mercy through different means, such as intercession. For the intercession absolutely repudiated in the Quran implies polytheism, which is also repudiated. Hence, Allah permits intercession in some situations that the Prophet (pbuh) indicated are only to benefit the sincere who believe in the oneness of Allah: To put it differently, sinners who believe in the oneness of Allah will benefit, as He permits, from intercession.

The muqayyad, conditioned, wrong includes wronging one’s soul and wronging other people, as indicated in the sayings of Adam (pbuh) and Eve. Allah says: “... Our Lord! We have wronged our souls . . .” (7:23); and Moses said: “. .. Oh my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul . . .” (28:16). Allah says: “And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins . . .” (3:135). In these verses, Adam and Moses are talking about well-known, specific, but not widespread events that surely do not reflect unbelief. And thus it became known that this is not unbelief, Praise be to Allah.

As for the saying of Allah: “And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls . . .” (3:135).This is an indefinite condition that is generalized to include every single thing that implies wronging one’s soul. If one Tepents, after having been a polytheist, Allah forgives him. As previously mentioned, wronging one’s soul includes all sins, whether they are major or minor. Allah says: “Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our servants as We have chosen: but there are among them some who wrong their own souls; some who follow a middle course; and some who are, by Allah’s leave, foremost in good deeds . . .” (35:32). Wronging oneself is connected with something else and does not include the major wrong [polytheism]. It is narrated on the authority

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of Ibn Mas‘iid that when this verse: “It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong . . .” (6:82) was revealed, the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) found it difficult to believe. They said: “Who among us [is so fortunate] that he does not wrong himself?” Upon this the Prophet answered: “This is polytheism: do you not hear the saying of the righteous person [Luqman]: ‘Indeed, polytheism is a grave wrong” (31:13). Indeed, the Prophet’s Companions thought that the conditional wrong mentioned in the verse “it is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong” meant wronging one’s soul and that whoever wrongs his soul is insecure and misguided. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) explained to them that polytheism is one kind of wrong [whereas there is also insecurity and misguidance], as cited in the Book of Allah. Thus, whoever does not confuse his belief with wrong is someone who enjoys security and guidance. He is also among those whom Allah has chosen, as indicated in His saying: “Then We have given the Book for inheritance to such of Our servants as We have chosen: but there are among them some who wrong their own souls; some who follow a middle course; and some who are, by Allah’s leave, foremost in good deeds; that is the highest Grace. Gardens of Eternity will they enter . . .” (35:32-33). However, this is not to deny the fact that Allah will blame whoever [among them] wrongs himself if he does not repent, as indicated in the following verses. Allah says: “Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it” (99:7—-8) and: “. .. Whoever works evil will be requited accordingly . . .” (4:123).

Abu Bakr [al-Siddiq] once asked the Prophet (pbuh) about the verse “whoever works evil will be requited accordingly,” saying: “Oh, Messenger of Allah, who among us does not commit evil?” He [the Prophet] answered: “Oh, Abu Bakr, do you not feel fatigue? Do you not grieve? Does not calamity befall you? These are what you will be requited for [Allah rewards you for them].” Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) indicated that a believer who enters Paradise, if he repents, he may be requited for his evil deeds by calamities that befell him in his life, as indicated by the Prophet’s sayings (recorded in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari): “The believer is like a bouquet of plants that is surrounded [controlled] by the wind. The wind sometimes makes it stand erect and other times bends it. The hypocrite is like a cedar tree which remains rooted in the ground then, all of a sudden, it is uprooted; and: “Whatever the believer suffers such as illness, fatigue, calamity,

sadness, grief, harm, even if a thorn pricks him, Allah purges him of his sins.” Likewise, Sa‘d Ibn Abi Waqqis said: “Oh, Messenger of Allah, who among the people bears the most affliction?” He [the Prophet] replied: “The Prophets, then the righteous ones, then those closest to perfection, then the typical. A man is afflicted according to the degree of his faith. If he has a strong belief, Allah strengthens his affliction. However, if he has a weak belief, Allah reduces his affliction. The believer will remain afflicted until the time comes when he walks on the street without sin” (recorded by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and others). The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “Sickness purges sins as a dry tree casts down its leaves.” There are many such hadiths on this topic.

It follows that whoever safeguards himself against the three kinds of wrong’ is [truly] secure and rightly guided, But, whoever wrongs his soul is [truly, but not wholly] secure and rightly guided [namely, the sinners who believe in the oneness of Allah are secure, and the guided enter Paradise, but only after punishment]. That is, whoever safeguards himself, will enter Paradise as Allah promises. For He [Allah] shows the straight path, the result of which is Paradise. However, he is not [wholly] secure and rightly guided, for he commits evil. The deficiency in security and guidance is in accordance with the deficiency in his belief due to wronging his soul. The Prophet (pbuh) does not mean by his saying: “Indeed it is polytheism” that if this type of polytheism is not the major polytheism, then one has true security and true guidance. For many verses of the Qur’an and many sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) indicate that the people who commit major sins have reason to fear. Thus, they are neither [truly] in security nor under right guidance, by which they see the right path. This is the way of those—the Prophets, the sincere, the martyrs, and the righteous ones—on whom Allah bestows His Grace with no punishment; these will enter Paradise. However, if by the phrase “Indeed it is polytheism” the Prophet (pbuh) meant the major polytheism, then his intention was that whoever is not a polytheist is secure from the penalty that Allah warns polytheists with [in the earth and Hereafter] and is rightly guided. However, if the

7 ‘The three kinds of wrong are: the absolute wrong, which is polytheism, and two kinds of conditioned wrong: wronging one’s soul and wronging others. The phrase “{true] security and right guidance" refers to the following verse: "It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong that are [truly] in security, for they are under right guidance" (6:82).

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Prophet (pbuh) intended polytheism [in general], then it can be said that wronging one’s soul is like being a miser, for the love of property due to his abandoning of an obligation is a minor sort of polytheism. So also is one’s preference for his own desires over the love of Allah. Thus he will prefer liking himself over the love of Allah, and this is a minor polytheism. Such a man lacks [true] security and [right] guidance due to his sin. And that is why the pious ancestors used to consider the sins that may lead to wronging one’s soul.

The Meanings of the Terms Righteousness and Corruption

This chapter focuses on the terms al-salah, righteousness, and al-fasad, corruption. If the word “righteousness” is applied in an absolute manner, then it refers to all good; likewise, “corruption” refers to all evil. The same applies to the terms: “the righteous ones” and “the corrupt ones,” as indicated in the following verses of the Qur’an. As Allah says in the story of Moses: “. . . Is it your intention to slay me as you did to another soul yesterday? The intention is none other than to become a powerful, violent man in the land and not to be one of the righteous ones” (28:19); and “. . . Moses had charged his brother Aaron: ‘Act for me among my people: do right, and follow not the way of the corrupt ones” (7:142); and “When it is said to them: ‘Make not corruption on the earth,’ they say: “Why, we only want to make peace! Surely, they are the corrupt ones, but they do not realize it” (2:11~12). In the following, the pronoun “man,” who, refers to the hypocrites. Allah says: “Among the people there are some who say: ‘We believe in Allah and the Last Day;’ but they do not [really] believe” (2:8). This reference [to the people] is used in a general way which refers to people at and after the time of the Prophet (pbuh). For this reason Salman al-Farisi' said that by this verse, Allah means a people that were not yet created when the verse was revealed. Al-Suddi said, on the authority of his teachers, that the word fasad, corruption, is to be interpreted to mean both unbelief and rebellion. And Mujahid said that corruption means not following the commands and avoiding things that are prohibited. Both of these statements mean one and the same thing. However, according to Ibn “Abbas, corruption means unbelief. The following is the statement by those who