SURAH AL-A RAAF (AYA 31 to 40)

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ {7:31}

[Q7:31] Yaa Banneee Adama khuzoo zeenatakum 'inda kulli masjidinw wa kuloo washraboo wa laa tusrifoo; innahoo laa yuhibbul musrifeen. 

[Q7:31] O children of Adam! Attend to your embellishments at every time of prayer, and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant.
[Q7:31] Wahai anak-anak Adam! Pakailah pakaian kamu yang indah berhias pada tiap-tiap kali kamu ke tempat ibadat (atau mengerjakan sembahyang) dan makanlah serta minumlah dan jangan pula kamu melampau; sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) tidak suka akan orang-orang yang melampaui batas. 

Zinat refers to adornment or clean, graceful and dignified style of living. When one solemnly applies one's mind to being in the presence of ALLAH (SWT) one must honour the most honourable Lord by presenting oneself in the best of his available adornments.

v  According to Imam Hasan bin Ali: "ALLAH (SWT) is absolute beauty, therefore He loves beauty."

Along with physical manner of presentation, zinat also implies **PURITY AND REFINEMENT OF CHARACTER, **SPIRITUAL EXCELLENCE AND **FULL ATTENTION TO ALLAH (SWT).

»    "But waste not by excess" refers to luxury and extravagance which ALLAH (SWT) does not like.

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(7:31) Children of Adam! Take your adornment at every time of Prayer; *20 and eat and drink without going to excesses. For Allah does not like those who go to excess. *21

*20. The word zina which occurs in this verse refers to full and proper dress. While performing Prayer people are required not only to cover the private parts of their body, but also to wear a dress that serves the two-fold purpose of covering and giving one a decent appearance.
The directive to pray in a proper and decent dress is aimed at refuting the misconception entertained by ignorant people down the ages that man should worship God either in a nude or semi-naked state, or at least have a shabby and unkempt appearance while worshipping. In this verse people are being told the opposite of this. At the time of worship they should not only be free from all kinds of nudity and indecency, but should also be in a decent dress.
*21. God does not want to subject man to want and misery or starvation or to deprive him as such of the good things of this worldly life. On the contrary, it pleases Him that man should appear in good decent dress and enjoy the clean food provided for him by God. There is nothing sinful in that. As for sin, it consists in transgressing the bounds set by God. This transgression could be committed in both ways: by making the unlawful lawful, or by making the lawful unlawful. 

SECTION 4

The guidance through Apostles and their rejection

The Apostles coming with the guidance---The fate of the disbelievers---The guilty ones shall accuse each other and shall themselves witness against themselves.

قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ ۚ قُلْ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ {7:32}

[Q7:32] Qul man harrama zeenatal laahil lateee akhraja li'ibaadihee wattaiyibaati minar rizq; qul hiya lillazeena aamanoo fil hayaatid dunyaa khaalisatany Yawmal Qiyaamah; kazaalika nufassihul Aayaati liqawminy ya'lamoon. 
[Q7:32] Say: Who has prohibited the embellishment of ALLAH (SWT) which He has brought forth for His servants and the good provisions? Say: These are for the believers in the life of this world, purely (theirs) on the resurrection day; thus do We make the communications clear for a people who know.

[Q7:32] Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): Siapakah yang (berani) mengharamkan perhiasan ALLAH (SwT) yang telah dikeluarkanNya untuk hamba-hambaNya dan demikian juga benda-benda yang baik lagi halal dari rezeki yang dikurniakanNya? Katakanlah: Semuanya itu ialah (nikmat-nikmat) untuk orang-orang yang beriman (dan juga yang tidak beriman) dalam kehidupan dunia; (nikmat-nikmat itu pula) hanya tertentu (bagi orang-orang yang beriman sahaja) pada hari kiamat. Demikianlah Kami jelaskan ayat-ayat keterangan Kami satu persatu bagi orang-orang yang (mahu) mengetahui.

ASCETICISM often means the negation of beauty. Zinatallah means those beautiful things made lawful by ALLAH (SWT).

THE BEAUTIFUL AND BEAUTIFYING THINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN THIS WORLD FOR A SHORT TIME TO THE BELIEVERS AS WELL AS DISBELIEVERS; BUT the eternal beauty and grace in the life of hereafter has been reserved for those who have **believed and **done good deeds in the life of this world.

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(7:32) Say (0 Muhammad): 'Who has forbidden the adornment which Allah has brought forth for His creatures or the good things from among the means of sustenance?' *22 Say: 'These are for the enjoyment of the believers in this world, and shall be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.' *23 Thus do We clearly expound Our revelations for those who have knowledge.

*22. Since it is God Himself Who has created all good and pure things for man, it obviously could not have been His intent to make them unlawful. Now, if there is any religion, or any ethical or social system which forbids those things, or considers them an insurmountable barrier to man's spiritual growth, it has an intellectual orientation which itself is evident proof of its not having been prescribed by God.
This is an important argument which the Qur'an advances in refutation of false creeds. An appreciation of this argument would help one understand the Qur'anic line of argumentation as such.
*23. All the clean and beautiful things created by God are meant, in principle, for the believers even in this world, for they are God's faithful subjects, and it is fidelity to God that makes one deserve enjoyment of the things which are God's. However, all men are under a test in this world. Hence even those who are disloyal to God have been granted respite to mend their ways and are, therefore, not denied His worldly bounties. In fact with a view to testing those disloyal to God these bounties are at times lavished upon them even more abundantly than on God's faithful servants. But the character of the Next Life will be totally different. For one's station there will be determined entirely by one's righteousness and justice. God's bounties in the Next Life, therefore, will be for the faithful alone. As for the unfaithful, those who were disloyal to God even though every fibre of their being was nourished by the sustenance provided by Him, they will have no share whatsoever of those bounties in the Next Life. 

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَنْ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَنْ تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ {7:33}

[Q7:33] Qul innamaa harrama Rabbiyal fawaahisha maa zahara minhaa wa maa bataa wal isma walbaghya bighairil haqqi wa an tushrikoo billaahi maa lam yunazzil bihee sultaananw wa an taqooloo 'alal laahi maa laa ta'lamoon. 

[Q7:33] Say: My Lord has only prohibited indecencies, those of them that are apparent as well as those that are concealed, and sin and rebellion without justice, and that you associate with ALLAH (SWT) that for which He has not sent down any authority, and that you say against ALLAH (SWT) what you do not know.
[Q7:33] Katakanlah: Sesungguhnya Tuhanku hanya mengharamkan perbuatan-perbuatan yang keji, samada yang nyata atau yang tersembunyi dan perbuatan dosa dan perbuatan menceroboh dengan tidak ada alasan yang benar dan (diharamkanNya) kamu mempersekutukan sesuatu dengan ALLAH (SwT) sedang ALLAH (SwT) tidak menurunkan sebarang bukti (yang membenarkannya); dan (diharamkanNya) kamu memperkatakan terhadap ALLAH (SwT) sesuatu yang kamu tidak mengetahuinya.

THIS VERSE CONTAINS SOME OF THE DIVINE PROHIBITIONS. "Do not say that which you do not know" refers TO THE CONJECTURES PUT FORWARD TO AMEND OR DENY THE COMMANDMENTS OF ALLAH (SWT).

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(7:33) Tell them (0 Muhammad): 'My Lord has only forbidden indecent acts, whether overt or hidden; *24 all manner of sin; *25 wrongful transgression; *26 and [He has forbidden] that you associate with Allah in His divinity that for which He has sent down no sanction; and that you ascribe to Allah things of which you have no sure knowledge that they are from Him.'

*24. For an elaboration of hidden and overt indecencies see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. 11, al-An'am, 6: nn. 128 and 131, pp. 290-2.
*25. The word ithm denotes negligence, dereliction of duty. Athimah signifies the she-camel which, though capable of running at a fast pace, deliberately moves slowly. The meaning of the word, therefore, carries the idea of sin. Viewed in the context of man, the word convey's the sense of man's deliberate neglect of his duty to God, his failure to pursue God's good pleasure despite his having the capacity to obey and follow Him. 
*26. To exceed the limits set by God and to enter an area which has been declared out of bounds for man constitute rebellion and transgression. According to this definition of baghy, the charge of rebellion will apply to all those who act according to their whims rather than in accordance with the directives of God. It is applicable to those who behave as though they are the true masters of God's Kingdom, claiming for themselves the prerogatives of God. It also applies to all those who usurp the rights of others. 

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ {7:34}

[Q7:34] Wa likulli ummatin ajalun fa izaa jaaa'a ajaluhum laa yastaakhiroona saa'atanw wa laa yastaqdimoon. 
[Q7:34] And for every nation there is a doom, so when their doom is come they shall not remain behind the least while, nor shall they go before.

[Q7:34] Dan bagi tiap-tiap umat ada tempoh (yang telah ditetapkan); maka apabila datang tempohnya, tidak dapat mereka dikemudiankan walau sesaatpun dan tidak dapat pula mereka didahulukan. 

THE time is limited for an individual or for a group of people. IF THEY DO NOT DO GOOD AND BELIEVE DURING THAT TIME OF PROBATION, THE CHANCE IS LOST, AND IT CANNOT COME BACK.

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(7:34) For every community there is an appointed term; and when its term arrives, they cannot tarry behind a moment, nor can they get ahead. *27

*27. The expression 'fixed term' used in the verse should not give rise to the misconception that the term of a nation expires on a definite day, month or year. What the statement really means is that God has laid down a minimum proportion between the good and evil deeds of a nation. As long as that nation is able to maintain that minimum proportion, its existence is tolerated in order that it might be able to show its performance. Once a nation crosses that minimum limit, it is denied any further respite. (For further explication of this point see Nuh 71: 4-10 and 12.) 

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِنْكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي ۙ فَمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ {7:35}

[Q7:35] yaa Banee Aadama immaa yaatiyannakum Rusulum minkum yaqussoona 'alaikum Aayaatee famanit taqaa wa aslaha falaa khawfun 'alaihim wa laa hum yahzanoon. 
[Q7:35] O children of Adam! If there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My communications, then whoever shall guard (against evil) and act aright-- they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.

[Q7:35] Wahai anak-anak Adam! Jika datang kepada kamu Rasul-rasul dari kalangan kamu yang menceritakan kepada kamu ayat-ayat (perintah) Ku, maka sesiapa yang bertakwa dan memperbaiki amalnya, tidak ada kebimbangan (dari berlakunya kejadian yang tidak baik) terhadap mereka dan mereka pula tidak akan berdukacita. 

Refer to the commentary of al Baqarah 2:38. PIETY AND SELF-DEVELOPMENT ARE NOT POSSIBLE UNLESS ONE FOLLOWS THE TEACHINGS OF THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) AND HIS AHLUL BAYT.

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(7:35) Children of Adam! If Messengers come to you from amongst yourselves who rehearse to you My signs, then those who shun disobedience and mend their ways shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.

وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْهَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ {7:36}

[Q7:36] Wallazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wastakbaroo 'anhhaaa ulaaa'ika Ashaabun naari hum feehaa khaalidoon.
[Q7:36] And (as for) those who reject Our communications and turn away from them haughtily-- these are the inmates of the fire they shall abide in it.

[Q7:36] Dan orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat (perintah) Kami dan yang angkuh (merasa dirinya lebih) daripada mematuhinya, merekalah ahli Neraka, mereka kekal di dalamnya. 

"Signs" refers to the guidance made available by ALLAH (SWT) AND the divinely appointed guides.

Was-takbaru refers to those who arrogantly defy and belie the divinely appointed guides -the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and the Imams among his Ahlul Bayt. Those who had persecuted or killed them are the inmates of the fire, wherein they shall abide for ever.

THESE VERSES DESCRIBE that which will be the fate of the beliers of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and his Ahlul Bayt, for whom to enter the gate of paradise will be as impossible as for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

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(7:36) And those who reject Our revelations as false and turn away from them in arrogance, they shall be the inmates of Hell; and there shall they abide. *28

*28. Reference to the continuous unremitting punishment of the unbelievers occurs invariably on occasions where the Qur'an narrates the coming down of Adam and Eve from Paradise. (See al-Baqarah 2: 38-9 ; Ta Ha 20: 123-4.) What has been said here should be considered in relation to the fact that at the very start of man's earthly life he was informed of the evil results of unbelief. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. 1, AI 'Imran 3: n.69, pp.268-9 - Ed.) 

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ قَالُوا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ قَالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا وَشَهِدُوا عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كَافِرِينَ {7:37}

[Q7:37] Faman azlamu mimmanif taraa 'alal laahi kaziban aw kazzaba bi Aayaatih; ulaaa'ika yanaaluhum naseebuhum minal Kitaab; hataaa izaa jaaa'at hum rusulunaa yatawaf fawnahum qaalooo aina maa kuntum tad'oonaa min doonil laahi qaaloo dalloo 'annaa wa shahidoo 'alaaa anfusihim annahum kaanoo kaafieen. 

[Q7:37] Who is then more unjust than he who forges a lie against ALLAH (SWT) or rejects His communications? (As for) those, their portion of the Book shall reach them, until when Our messengers come to them causing them to die, they shall say: Where is that which you used to call upon besides ALLAH (SWT)? They would say: They are gone away from us; and they shall bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.
[Q7:37] Maka tidak ada yang lebih zalim daripada orang yang berdusta terhadap ALLAH (SwT) atau yang mendustakan ayat-ayatNya. Orang-orang itu akan mendapat bahagian mereka (di dunia) dari apa yang telah tersurat (bagi mereka), hingga apabila datang kepada mereka utusan-utusan Kami (malaikat) yang mengambil nyawa mereka, bertanyalah malaikat itu (kepada mereka): Manakah (makhluk-makhluk dan benda-benda) yang kamu sembah selain ALLAH (SwT)? Mereka menjawab: Semuanya itu telah hilang lenyap daripada kami dan mereka pula menjadi saksi terhadap diri mereka sendiri, bahawa mereka adalah orang-orang yang ingkar.  

(see commentary for verse 36)

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(7:37) Who is more unjust then he who invents a falsehood, ascribing it to Allah, or who rejects His revelation as false? Their full portion of God's Decree shall reach them, *29 until Our deputed angels come to them to take charge of their souls, and say: 'Where are the deities now, those whom you invoked besides Allah?' They will say: 'They are all gone away from us.' And they shall bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers.

*29, All men, whether good or bad, have been granted a definite term in this world which they will spend and obtain their share of worldly happiness and misery.

قَالَ ادْخُلُوا فِي أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ فِي النَّارِ ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا ادَّارَكُوا فِيهَا جَمِيعًا قَالَتْ أُخْرَاهُمْ لِأُولَاهُمْ رَبَّنَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَآتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِنَ النَّارِ ۖ قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَٰكِنْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ{7:38}

[Q7:38] Qaalad khuloo feee umamin qad khalat min qablikum minal jinni wal insifin naari kullamaa dakhalat ummatul la'anat ukhtahaa hattaaa izad daarakoo feehaa jamee'an qaalat ukhraahum li oolaahum Rabbannaa haaa'u laaa'i adalloonaa fa aatihim 'azaaban di'fam minan naari qaala likullin di funw wa laakil laa ta'lamoon.
[Q7:38] He will say: Enter into fire among the nations that have passed away before you from among jinn and men; whenever a nation shall enter, it shall curse its sister, until when they have all come up with one another into it; the last of them shall say with regard to the foremost of them: Our Lord! These led us astray therefore give them a double chastisement of the fire. He will say: Every one shall have double but you do not know. 

[Q7:38] ALLAH (SwT) berfirman: Masuklah kamu ke dalam Neraka bersama-sama umat-umat yang terdahulu daripada kamu, dari jin dan manusia. Tiap-tiap satu umat yang masuk, mengutuk akan saudaranya (golongannya sendiri); hingga apabila mereka semua berhimpun di dalamnya, berkatalah golongan yang akhir mengenai golongan yang pertama di antara mereka: Wahai Tuhan kami, mereka inilah yang telah menyesatkan kami; oleh itu berilah kepada mereka azab seksa yang berlipat ganda dari (azab) Neraka. ALLAH (SwT) berfirman: Kamu masing-masing disediakan (azab seksa) yang berlipat ganda tetapi kamu tidak mengetahui. 

(see commentary for verse 36)

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(7:38) Allah will say: 'Enter the fire of Hell and join the nations of jinn and men that have gone before You.' As a nation enters Hill, it will curse the one that went before it, and when all are gathered there, the last of them shall say of the first: 'Our Lord! These are the ones who led us astray. Let their torment be doubled in Hell-Fire.' He will answer: 'Each will have a doubled torment; although you do not know.' *30

*30. As it is, each group of people is followed, even as it is preceded, by others. A group which inherits an error of outlook and conduct from its predecessors passes on the same, in turn, to future generations. In addition, whereas a group owes its wrong-doing partly to the wrong-doing of its predecessors, it will also be held responsible for leaving behind an evil legacy for the future generations. The Qur'an, therefore, pronounces a double punishment on such a group: it will incur punishment for its own misdeeds and also for leaving behind such a legacy for the coming generations. A number of traditions elucidate this point. According to one such tradition the Prophet (peace be on him) said: 'He who introduces a misleading innovation which does not please God and His Messenger shall be held guilty for the sins of all those who follow that innovation without lessening in the least the burden [of sins] of those who followed the innovation,' (Cf. Ibn Majah, Muqaddimat Bab Man Ahya Sunnah qad umitat, where the words are slightly different - Ed.) According to another tradition, he said: 'The responsibility for all the murders committed in the world is shared by the first son of Adam [i.e. Cain] for he was the first to have innovated murder.' (See Bukhari, Kitab al-Jana'iz, Bab Qawlih 'alay al-Salam Yu'addhab al-Mayyit bi Ba'd Buka'i ahlih 'alayh - Ed.)
WE THUS KNOW THAT THE INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR INTRODUCING A WRONG IDEA OR PRACTICE IS NOT ONLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE EXTENT OF THOSE SINS, BUT SHARES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SINS OF ALL THOSE WHO ARE INFLUENCED BY HIM. As long as the evil effects of that influence continue, their sins will be continually added to his account. This also shows that a person is not only accountable for the good or bad deeds that he commits. In fact he is also accountable for the influence of those deeds on others.
This may be illustrated by considering the case of someone who indulges in unlawful sex. All those whose bad examples, evil company, and inducements to evil caused a man to indulge in such an act have a share in the sin that he committed. The persons who influenced him in turn had been influenced by others. Were this chain of influence traced back to its ultimate origin, the blame would be fixed on the first person who demonstrated this unlawful way for satiating the sexual urge.
This does not detract from the fact that anyone who indulged in fornication is also accountable for the sin he committed. This is so because when he committed a sin he did so because he failed to make proper use of his capacity to distinguish between good and evil with which he had been endowed. He also did not pay due heed to the voice of his conscience, and mobilize the power of self-control given him. Nor did he benefit from the knowledge of good and evil transmitted to him by pious men nor was he inspired by the noble examples of the God-fearing. Nor did he learn any lesson from the evil consequences of sexual misconduct. Instead, he totally succumbed to blind sexual lust which sought gratification at all cost. This much relates to the responsibility of the person who indulged in sexual misconduct.
But there is another dimension of that person's evil conduct - his propagation of that same evil among others which ruined the lives of countless people belonging to his own generation and to the generations that follow. It is also possible that he might have been afflicted by some general disease which he then communicated to his own generation and also to the generations that followed. His sexual misconduct might also have given birth to illegitimate children, unjustly passing on the burden of their upbringing to others, and making his offspring - without any justification - co-sharers in the fortunes and even the inheritance of others. The wrong that is thus perpetrated persists for many generations. Likewise, it is also possible that the said criminal might, by his cunning, have led an innocent girl to sexually corrupt behaviour. That in turn is likely to awaken evil propensities in her which wreck the lives and homes of countless families, even generations. Also, by setting an evil example for his children, relatives, friends and the society at large a fornicator is likely to cast a bad influence on people around him and infect others with moral corruption. The evil consequences of such an act thus linger on for a long time. The moral corruption that ultimately, engulfs the society owes its origin to the person who initially introduced an evil. Justice, therefore, demands that such a culprit should also be held responsible for the subsequent evils which may be traced back to his initial act of corruption.
The same holds true for good deeds. The reward for the heritage of goodness left behind by our predecessors from the earliest times should inevitably go to the credit of those men of the past who have continually transmitted that heritage to posterity down to our own time. If our own generation takes good care of that heritage, enriches it and passes it on to the coming generation, it also deserves due reward for that. As long as our good acts leave a trace of good influence on history and continue to cast a good influence on people, mankind will reap the benefits of those acts.
This is the Qur'anic view of retribution. Every sensible person will agree that such a dispensation alone can ensure perfect justice. Appreciation of this concept should dispel the idea of those who believe that men can be fully rewarded or punished for their deeds within the confines of this worldly life. Likewise, such an appreciation should also dispel the views of those who believe that the transmigration of souls alone can ensure full justice to all men. Such people have blundered because they have neither grasped fully the nature and consequences of human acts nor the nature and requirements of perfect justice. It is obvious that the consequences of individuals' acts are not visible during their life-span - say sixty or seventy years or so. Instead, human activities, both good and evil, influence the lives of countless people belonging to countless generations. One cannot, therefore, be brought to justice during one's own lifetime, since only a small part of the consequences of those acts have yet come to the surface. Moreover, the limited possibilities available in the present world are quite inadequate for bringing people to justice. Just consider the hideous crime of someone who pushes us to a world war. As things stand, the catastrophic consequences of such a crime would affect the lives of billions of men through the ages. Is there any punishment - physical, spiritual or material - which can be deemed even remotely, proportionate to that crime? Likewise, no worldly reward, however valuable, can adequately recompense for the noble services rendered by a philanthropist which will benefit numerous people for thousands of years.
Having viewed the question from this angle. one readily, concludes that there must necessarily be life in the Hereafter such that full justice can be meted out to everyone. Here all human beings are brought together, their full records are made available, and the reckoning is made by God Himself Whose knowledge embraces literally everything. Additionally, men should be granted unlimited spans of life, and infinite possibilities should be made available for receiving compensation.
A little reflection on this will help us see how false the doctrine of the transmigration of souls is. Those who subscribe to this doctrine fail to realize that eternal life is needed to mete out recompense to people for the deeds they commit during their relatively brief spans of life. If one were to believe in the unending cycle of life and death it would become impossible to reward or punish anyone for his actions, for each span of life would go on accumulating endlessly. The arrears would never be cleared. 

وَقَالَتْ أُولَاهُمْ لِأُخْرَاهُمْ فَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ فَضْلٍ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ {7:39}

[Q7:39] Wa qaalat oolaahum li ukhraahum famaa kaana lakum 'alainaa min fadlin fazooqul azaaba bimaa kuntum taksiboon. 

[Q7:39] And the foremost of them will say to the last of them: So you have no preference over us; therefore taste the chastisement for what you earned.
[Q7:39] Dan berkatalah golongan pertama (ketua-ketua), di antara mereka, kepada golongan yang akhir (pengikut-pengikutnya): (Jika demikianlah hukuman Tuhan), maka tidak ada bagi kamu sebarang kelebihan atas kami. (ALLAH (SwT) berfirman): Oleh itu rasalah kamu azab seksa disebabkan apa yang kamu telah usahakan.  

(see commentary for verse 36)

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(7:39) Then the preceding ones will say to the succeeding ones: 'You were in no way superior to us; taste, then, this torment for your deeds.'  *31

*31. In addition to the above verse, the Qur'an elsewhere recounts the mutual incriminations of the dwellers of Hell. For example, it occurs in Sarah al-Saba' in the following words: 'Could you but see when the wrong-doers will be made to stand before their Lord, throwing back the word (of blame) on one another! Those who had been abased will say to the arrogant ones: "Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!" The arrogant ones will say, to those who had been abased: "Was it we who kept you back from Guidance after it reached you? Nay, rather it was you yourselves who transgressed" ' (al-Saba' 34: 31-2). This means that since the misguided people themselves were not keen on receiving the right guidance, they fell victims even more to the forces of misguidance. Out of their own excessive worldliness they chose to follow their ungodly leaders. Granted that it was the forces of misguidance which had invented ideologies such as materialism, excessive worldliness, and nationalism. But when people were attracted to these false ideologies, they did so out of their own weaknesses. These forces of evil achieved success because what they offered was to the utmost liking of the people. Again, the people who were tempted to embrace counterfeit religious ideologies were themselves to blame for falling prey to them since there was an inner urge in them to accept such ideologies. Rather than submitting to the One True God and to rigorous moral discipline, they looked for deities that would help them to achieve their worldly purposes. Naturally, they invented deities of their own liking. They also desired the intercession of those who would let them grow in worldiness and godlessness, and yet who would also ensure their redemption in the Next World. As they preferred a religion that would not make their life a bit dry, permissive religious cults which did not object to any kind of self-indulgence were developed. This establishes clearly that the external forces of evil alone are not to blame. The people who succumb to evil and error equally share the blame. This neither condones the role of those who seek to mislead others, nor detracts from the responsibility of those who choose to be misled. 

SECTION 5

The Disbelievers shall not enter Paradise

No soul is charged with any responsibility but to the limits of its ability---The fate of the disbelievers and the reward the belivers will received.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْهَا لَا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَلَا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّىٰ يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِيَاطِ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُجْرِمِينَ {7:40}

[Q7:40] Innal lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wastakbaroo 'anhaa laa tufattahu lahum ahwaabus samaaa'i wa laa yadkhuloonal jannata hattaa yalijal jamalu fee sammil khiyaat; wa kazaalika najzil mujrimeen. 
[Q7:40] Surely (as for) those who reject Our communications and turn away from them haughtily, the doors of heaven shall not be opened for them, nor shall they enter the garden until the camel pass through the eye of the needle; and thus do We reward the guilty.

[Q7:40] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang mendustakan ayat-ayat (perintah) Kami dan yang angkuh (merasa dirinya lebih) daripada mematuhinya, tidak sekali-kali akan dibukakan bagi mereka pintu-pintu langit dan mereka tidak akan masuk Syurga sehingga unta masuk di lubang jarum dan demikianlah Kami membalas orang-orang yang melakukan kesalahan.  

(see commentary for verse 36)

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(7:40) Surely the gates of Heaven shall not be opened for those who reject Our signs as false and turn away ' from them in arrogance; nor shall they enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. Thus do We reward the guilty ones.