Soteriology Paper

SALVATION IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE Author(s): MUZAMMIL H. SIDDIQI Source: Islamic Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring 1993), pp. 41-48 Published by: Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20840106 Accessed: 08-11-2016 18:58 UTC

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SALVATION IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

MUZAMMIL H. SIDDIQI

Is there a concept of salvation in Islam? Some modern Muslim writers have denied completely that Islam has any concept of salvation. The late Ismail al-Faruqi, may Allah have mercy on him, was most emphatic in his rejection of this term. He wrote:

Therefore, in the Islamic view, human beings are no more "fallen" than they are "saved". Because they are not "fallen", they have no need of a saviour. But because they are not "saved" either, they need to do good works?and do them ethically?which alone will earn them the desired "salvation". Indeed, salvation is an improper term, since, to need "salvation", one must be in a predicament beyond the hope of ever escaping it. But men and women are not in that predi cament. Humans are not ethically powerless. They are not helpless puppets capable of neither good nor evil. They are capable of both. To "save" themselves by deeds and works is their pride and glory. To miss the chance and pass all the opportunities by is pitiable neglect; to miss the calling deliberately and to do evil is to earn punishment, to deserve damnation.1

The learned author here seems to hold that there cannot be a concept of "salvation" without the concept of "fall". Since Islam has no concept of "fall", so according to him, there cannot be any concept of salvation in Islam. I tend to disagree with the learned author on this point. The Qur'?n itself has used this term and there is ample evidence in the basic sources of Islam to prove that Islam has a concept of salvation, albeit somewhat different

from such concepts in other religions.

SOME QUR'?NIC TERMS FOR SALVATION

What is salvation? Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary2 gives the following literal meaning of the word 'salvation' as "the act of saving

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42 Islamic Studies, 32:1 (1993)

or being saved; preservation from destruction; rescue".

If we take this literal meaning as a basis for our understanding of the word 'salvation', then we find two words in the Qur'?n that give basically the same meaning. These are the verbs waq? and najj?, and mean "to save and protect" and "to save and deliver" respectively. The transitive verb waq? has also another intransitive form ittaq? from which is derived the noun taqw? and the participle mattaqi. There are more than two hundred verses in the Qur'?n where these words occur in their different forms. Several

times the Qur'?n mentions the believers' prayer, "Our Lord, give us good in this life and in the life to come and save us (qin?) from the punishment of the Hellfire" (2:201; 3:16; 3:191; 40:7). Ittaq? as an intransitive verb means "to save oneself and to protect oneself. The Qur'?n exhorts the believers to protect themselves from evil, from sin, from the anger and wrath

of God. Ittaq? and taqw? are the most comprehensive ethical terms of the Qur'?n.3 It is very difficult to translate them with any one word or expression in English. Various translators of the Qur'?n have wrestled with the idea as to what is the proper meaning of this word in different contexts.4

From the verb najj? comes the verbal noun naj?h. This word occurs only once in the Qur'?n (40:41). It is often translated as "salvation" or "deliverance".5 But the verbal form najj? is much more frequent and has occurred about sixty-four times. It means "saving from destruction, rescuing and delivering". God saved His prophets and their followers from the im pending doom which engulfed the non-believers (cf. 11:8; 26:94; 41:18). God will also save the believes in the Hereafter from the punishment of the Hellfire (cf. 19:72; 36:81; 61:10; 10:103). It is also used to indicate God's saving acts such as His saving people from the stormy occeans and delivering them safely to the shores or from other disasters and difficulties.

Two other terms of the Qur'?n: fal?h and/awz are also often translated

as "salvation" in the meaning of "success", "felicity" or "victory". The word fal?h occurs more than forty times in its various forms in the Qur'?n. Sometime it means eternal bliss and success in the Hereafter (cf. 7:8; 23:102; 9:88). The word fawz in its various forms also occurs about twenty-eight times and it means "success and achievement" (cf. 33:71).

The Qur'?n thus seems to have emphasised two aspects of salvation. It is salvation from evil, harm, difficulties and finally from the Hell in the

Hereafter. It is also salvation to goodness, virtue, well-being, felicity, success and finally the divine bliss and eternal happiness in Heaven. Let us see how this works within Islamic religious thought. What is the nature of salvation in Islam? Who obtains it and how? What roles humans play in achieving this salvation and what is the role of God and His prophets, especially

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lamie Studios, 32:1 (1993) 43

ophet Muhammad? In answering these questions we shall focus mainly the Qur'?nic data and some Hadiths.

\SIC ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES

lam has three basic principles:

1. Al-tawhid, the unity of God. 2. Al-ris?lah, the apostleship or the divine guidance through His

ophets and messengers. 3. Al-?khirahy the hereafter or the divine judgment in the life to

>me.

Unity of God (al-Tawhid)

lam is a monotheistic faith. The first and the most important principle of lam is tawhid. It means to recognise and to maintain that there is only ne God. Allah is not a special God of Muslims, but He is the God of all ?ople. The word "Allah" means "the God" or "God" with a capital G. he Qur'?n says that Allah is the God of humankind, the King of humankind id the Lord of humankind (114:1). God has no partner and no equal. He ?gets not nor is He begotten (112). He has no incarnation and He does 3t adopt any particular form or shape. He is unique in His being and in is attribute. "There is not in His essence His equal, nor in His equal His isence" said the most famous theologian and philosopher of Islam, al-Ghaz il?. God has beautiful names (al-asm?' al-husn?). There are ninety-nine

dutiful names of God and all these names illustrate some of His beautiful jalities and attributes.

God created everything, visible and non-visible. He is the Creator id He is also the Sov?reign. He rules His creation, and His authority is inding upon all His creation. Everyone in the heavens and the earth submits ) God willingly or unwillingly (3:83). Submission to God is Isi?m, and the hole universe lives in Islam.6

Divine Guidance Through Prophets (al-Ris?lah)

rod created this world and He loves and cares for this world. Among God's eation human beings have a unique place. They are given by God the osition of khal?fah (the master and ruler) of this natural world. God en owed human beings with intelligence ?aql). He also gave them knowledge Urn) and the use of pen. God taught them speech and articulation (bay?n).

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44 Islamic Studios, 32:1 (1993

These qualities are uniquely blended in the personality of the human being No other creature has all these qualities together. God also gave humai beings the freedom of choice (ikhtiy?r). They can choose between right an< wrong, between good and evil. This freedom is both the honour of huma beings and also their trial.

In order to help humans to manage their freedom and use it construe tively and positively, God has ingrained in their conscience a moral law alsc

Moral law is the law of truth, honesty, sincerity, and charity. Basic natur of all human beings is the same, because all human beings are created b the same God and through the same parents?Adam and Eve (4:1). Basi notions of the moral law are the same among all human beings. This called al-fitrah in the Qur'?n. Al-fitrah is the original divine element in evei human being.

Human beings are composed of two elements: the material elemen and the divine Spirit (r?h) that God blows into human being before his/h< birth (15:29; 28:72; 32:9). This divine spark exists only in human beings an it is for this reason that they are called the noblest of the divine creation?a

hraf al-makhl?q?t (17:70; 95:4). Human beings must follow the moral lav of God as they are embedded in their fitrah.

To remind the people (tazkir) about the moral law within them, strengthen their fitrah and to elaborate and articulate the moral laws, Gc sent prophets. Prophets were human beings chosen by God to guide the people. God gave them a special knowledge through revelation (wahy Prophets came to all people in every region (16:36; 35:24). Islam teach the respect of all the prophets of God. Prophet Muhammad was also prophet and a guide. The revealed guidance of God, however, came to completion with the advent of Prophet Muhammad. So he is the last proph of God and there will be no prophet or messenger after him. We belie that the Shartah (the law) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the sum total of the moral laws of God as ingrained in human nature.

3. The Hereafter (al-?khirah)

The Qur'?n teaches that the life in this world is not permanent. Every sc shall taste death, but the death is not the end of a person. Every pers shall be raised again after death. As individuals die so also this world ore will collapse and come to an end. God will create a new world and resurrt the human beings. The Day of Judgment will take place and those who h faith and lived by the laws of God will find peace in eternal heaven, wh those who denied God and refused to live by His commands will be thro*

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Islamic Studies, 32:1 (1993) 45

in eternal Hell. The Qur'?n says:

Every soul shall have a taste of death, and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. So he who is saved far from the Hell and admitted to the Garden will have attained success; for

the life of this world is nothing but goods and chattels of deception. (3:185)

The authority on the Day of Judgment will be totally God's. God is called "the Ruler of the Day of Judgment" (1:3). "Whose is the Kingdom today?" will be the question asked, and the entire creation will say: "Of

Allah, the One, the Irresistible" (40:16).

NATURE OF SALVATION IN ISLAM

In order to understand the nature of salvation one has to know what is sin

according to Islam. Not to follow the laws of God is sin. Sin is violation of the divinely established rules as given by His prophets. There are sins of omission and sins of commission. Not to do what God has commanded to do is omission and to do what God has forbidden is commission. A believer

should avoid both types of sins. Sin is committed when humans misuse their freedom. The source of sin is Satan who is the worst enemy of humankind. Satan and his cohorts mislead human beings by temptations. The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (2:30-39 et al) is mentioned in the Qur'?n as a paradigm of human weakness and vulnerability to be misled by Devil. Islam, however, does not accept any original sin. Every child is born innocent and Islam has no concept of inherited sin. A person is not a sinner unless he/she commits a sin.7 The prophets warned people and reminded them about the consequences of their sins.

Sin affects the people collectively as well as individually. From the Qur'?n and the Had?th we learn that sin brings anxiety, loneliness, alienation, physical and spiritual harm, contempt, ignominy, degradation, insignificance and shame. Sin leads to further sins and it may bring the punishment of God in this life and/or in the life to come. Living by the laws of God, on the other hand, brings goodness, peace, harmony, prosperity, physical and spiritual well-being and blessings of God in this life and in the life to come. Sin does not affect the individuals only but it also affects the society.

To overcome sin one must have repentance (tawbah). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "One who repents from sin is like one without sin."8 Repentance, however, must be sincere and true. The repentant person is a "returnee" to God and God rejoices when a person returns to him. God is most forgiving and merciful (Gha?r wa Rahim). God loves to forgive.

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46 Islamic Studios, 32:1 (1993)

He says in the Qur'?n:

O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of Allah's mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (39:53)

According to the Qur'?n, the punishment is not the necessary and unavoid able consequence of sin. If there is repentance then any sin, however, grave it may be, can be forgiven by the mercy of God (39:53). God is not bound to punish (4:147).9 The justice of God in Islam means that God does not ignore the righteousness of the righteous and does not punish a person beyond what he/she truly deserves. But justice does not mean that Allah has no power to pardon and forgive without taking a penalty or blood of expiation, as believed by many Christians.

Salvation is not futuristic only. The fruits of salvation can be realized here in this life. When an individual or a group repent and ask Allah's forgiveness, a transformation in their personality takes place. They start moving on the road of salvation. When an individual or community follow the SharVahy they establish justice and equilibrium in this world. The King dom of God thus moves in and it is realized here in this world before it is realized in the Hereafter. The eternal salvation will be in the Hereafter

when everyone will be saved from all pain, grief and death, and shall find the eternal bliss in the company of God.

Salvation here in this world is the work of human being. It is God's demand from us that we must work to reform and transform this world and

bring justice and peace, harmoney and goodness to all the inhabitants of this earth. For this reason God demands us to live according to His rules and commands us to establish a system based on these rules. The SharVah makes available to us the first fruits of salvation in this world, here and now.

Salvation in Islam is, however, not only here on this earth. There is also an eternal salvation. Righteousness in this world has a bearing on the salvation in the Hereafter, but we must keep in mind that eternal salvation is the act of God alone. No one can save except God. None can save himself or others, even prophets and the most righteous people cannot save them selves or others. To recognise a saviour other than God is blasphemy and a major sin. Islam emphasises righteousness and living according to the rules and laws of God, but even righteousness cannot save a person. It is also a blasphemy to believe that one's righteousness can save him. The Qur'?n says to the believers:

Were it not for Allah's grace and mercy on you all, none of you

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Islamic Studios, 32:1 (1993) 47

would have ever become purified; but Allah purifies whom He pleases. And Allah hears and knows all. (24:21)

The Prophet also explained the same point in one of his sayings:

Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and rejoice, for no one's deeds will put him in paradise. People asked him: "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Not even me unless Allah bestows His pardon and mercy on me."10

Although salvation is totally a divine act and gift, human action is, nevertheless, necessary. God has power to forgive even the worst sinner, but God's power also operates through His wisdom. God in His wisdom will not treat the righteous and the sinners alike. The Qur'?n says:

Shall we then treat the people of faith like the people of sin? What is the matter with you? How do you judge? (68:35-36)

Thus Islam in its concept of salvation keeps a balance between its theology and its moral vision and imperative. Moral factor and righteousness should never be ignored if we want to keep this world on the right track. The supremacy of God's authority, power and grace must also be kept in mind in order to keep our faith in God and not only in our own efforts and actions.

There is an interesting hadith in which the Prophet reported that God says:

I am as My servant expects Me to be. . . . If he draws near to me a hand's span, I draw near to him an arm's length; and if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. If he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. . . .n

NOTES AND REFERENCES

Isma?l R. Al-Faruqi, Islam (Niles, Illinois: Argus Communications, 1979), p. 9. Such is also the view of Fazlur Rahman, "For Islam, there is no particular "salvation"; there is only

"success {fal?h)" or "failure (Khusr?n)" (Major Themes of the Qur'?n, Minneapolis: Bib liotheca Islamica, 1980), p. 63. (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979 edition), p. 1602.

An excellent study of these concepts is done by T. Izutsu, Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur an (Montreal, 1966). See, for example, two new translators: Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Quran (Gib raltar: Dar al-Andalus, 1980), p. 3. Also T.B. Irving, The Qur?n: The First American

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48 Islamic Studies. 32:1 (1993)

Version (Brattleboro, Vermont: Amana Books, 1985), p. xxxi. 5. See Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'?n: Text, Translation and Commentary (Brentwood,

Maryland: Amana Corporation, 1989, New Revised Edition); Muhammad Marmaduke PIckthall, The Meaning of The Glorious Qur an (New York: Muslim World League Office, 1977).

6. We are using the word Islam here in a literal and generic sense. The word isi?m is an active verbal noun. It means the act of submission or surrender. Its simple trilateral form is salimah

from which also comes the word sal?m (peace). It means to be safe, sound, and wholesome, so islam also means giving oneself wholly and totally to God.

7. The Qur'?n has a number of words for sins. Sayyi'?t are evil actions (7:153). Dhunub are offenses to the laws of God (3:31). Khati'?t are mistakes, or actions in which one misses the

mark by not doing the right thing (2:286). Junah is an action that brings rebuke and blame (33:5). Uhm is a misdeed and it could be a serious crime (4:112; 5:29) and zallah is a lapse and an error (2:209).

8. Sa/ij/i Sunan Ibn M?jah, ed., Nasirai-Din al-Albani (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, 1st edition, 1986), vol. 2, p. 418.

9. See my paper on ' The Doctrine of Redemption: A Critical Study", in Khurshid Ahmad and Zafar Ishaq Ansari, eds., Islamic Perspectives: Studies in honor ofMawlana Sayyid Abul A la Mawdudi (U.K. Islamic Foundation, 1979), pp. 99-102.

10. Al-Bukh?r?, al-J?mi' al-Sah?h, Kit?b al-Riq?q, B?b al-Qasd wa'1-Mud?wamat 'ala'l-'Amal, Had?th No. 6102.

11. Al-Bukh?r?, al-J?mC al-Sahih, Kit?b al-Tawh?d, Bab Qawl Allah Ta'?l? "wa Yahadharikum Allah Nafsah," Had?th No. 6970.

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