I remember that once an acquaintance from my city who was a practicing Muslim came to Tehran to visit me, and he raised this issue. Will the likes of Pasteur and Edison go to Hell while indolent holy people who have spent their lives idly in a comer of the mosque go to Heaven? Has God created Heaven solely for us Shias? Sometimes they ask whether the great inventors and scientists, with all the worthy services they have done for humanity, will go to Hell. In the interactions that I have and have had with students and the youth, I have frequently been faced with this question. Of course, this objection is not directly related to Divine justice it is related to Islam's viewpoint about human beings and their actions, and becomes related to Divine Justice inasmuch as it appears that such a viewpoint regarding human beings, their actions, and God's dealing with them is in opposition to the standards of Divine Justice. In this way, an issue which for years was the exclusive domain of the philosophers has entered the general conversations of people and has taken the form of an objection with regard to Divine Justice. On the other hand, since they used to think that the actions of non-Muslims are altogether null and void, they fall into serious doubt and uncertainty. ![]() When these people study the lives of inventors and scientists of recent times who weren't Muslim but who performed valuable services for humanity, they find such people worthy of reward. It has been nearly half a century that, as a result of easier communication among Muslim and non-Muslim nations, an increase in the means of communication, and greater interaction among nations, the issue of whether being a Muslim and a believer is a necessary condition for the acceptability of good deeds is being discussed among all levels of society, especially the so-called intellectuals. This was the background of the discussion among the philosophers. This is because the majority of people are strangers to the true religion and even those who are within the fold of the true religion are beset by deviation and digression when it comes to practicing. If humanity itself is to be created for the Hell-fire-that is, if the final abode of the majority of humanity is to be Hell-then one must grant that the anger of God supercedes His mercy. Humanity is the greatest of all of creation everything else is created for it (of course, with the correct conception of this idea that is understood by the wise, not the conception that the shortsighted commonly possess). ![]() However, the fact that felicity and good have primacy in the universe not evil and wretchedness-is an accepted and definitive principle. However, today it has entered the minds of all levels of society few people can be found who have not at least broached the subject for themselves and in their own minds.ĭivine philosophers would discuss the issue from the aspect that if all people who are outside the fold of religion are to face perdition and Divine punishment, it necessarily follows that in the universe, evil and compulsion are preponderant. In the past, this issue was only discussed by philosophers and in books of philosophy. ![]() ![]() And if the actions of such a person are not acceptable to God, how is that compatible with Divine justice? This same question can be asked from a Shia perspective within the bounds of Islam: Are the actions of a non-Shia Muslim acceptable to God, or are they null and void? If they are acceptable, what difference does it make if a person is a Shia Muslim or a non-Shia Muslim? What is important is to be Muslim a person who is not a Shia and doesn't believe in the wilayah (Divinely-appointed guardianship) of the Ahlul-Bayt (a) has not lost anything. And if their actions are not acceptable and are altogether void, with no reward or recompense from God, how is that compatible with Divine Justice? If a person is not a Muslim and practices no religion, he or she has lost nothing. If they are accepted, what difference does it make if a person is Muslim or not the important thing is to do good in this world. Today, the issue of whether the good deeds of non-Muslims are accepted by God or not is under discussion among the different classes, whether learned or unlearned, literate or illiterate. One of the issues that are discussed regarding “Divine Justice” is the issue of the good deeds performed by non-Muslims.
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