From: Rashid Mungur

Sent: Saturday, Sep= tember 04, 2010 11:58 AM
To: Dr. Baher Salem Foad
Subject: Question re 7:179

Asalam alaykum Dr. Foad,

I hope you are having a good Ramadan this year.

I have attended several of your Sunday lectures, and b= rought my daughters along on occasion.

You said if we had any questions, to e-mail you...

I have been studying and working on a paper about the = heart, and Allah's guidance towards righteousness and contrasting it with the seal= ing or hardening of hearts. I hope to then look at the same idea in Judaism and Christianity (and possibly elsewhere too).

I am also consulting several translations into English= , any trying to really learn from the footnotes and contextual notes as much as I can, to get a coherent picture, and then go through the books I have on Isl= am that touch on this subject.

Now, this leads me to the purpose of this e-mail. I am reading in 7:179 (Yusuf Ali) "Many are the Jinns<= /span> and men We have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherew= ith they hear not. They are like cattle, - nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)."

Yusuf Ali's footnote likens such individuals as being = made for Hell because "they have apparently all the faculties of reason and= perception, they have so deadened them that those faculties do not work, and they go headlong into Hell."

The way Yusuf Ali presents this verse, it sounds like = these people were born for Hell, with no way out, although in other passages it clearly indicates that it is the choices and decisions that are leading one towards Paradise and away from hellfire, rather than one's birth. Yet, the passage remains in apparently clear and unambiguously stated (in English). One of the other translations I am using= is the Muhammad Maulana Ali (I know who he was, the movement, and their ideas about the mahdi, but his Shakespearean English is so eloquent that I do love it all the same= ). The Muhammad Maulana Ali footnote emphasiz= es the choices and decisions made by the individual, and the English translation of 7:179 reads, "And certainly We have created= for hell many of the jinn and the men - they have hearts wherewith they underst= and not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not. They are as cattle; nay, they are more astray. They are the heedless ones."

Would you mind explaining 7:179 from your understandin= g, and how it fits into the rest of the verses on the topic?

I would be very grateful.

Best regards,

Rashid Mungur

From: B. S. Foad Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 7:25 AM
To: 'Rashid Mungur'
Subject: RE: Question re 7:179

Dear Rashid, ASAK

The beauty of the Qur’an and our Islam is that it allows = us to think about its verses and reflect and try to reach conclusions. The Qur’an gives us guidelines and concepts, then it is up to human being= s to interpret these concepts and how best to apply them in their lives. There a= re certain “constant” or “Basic” , “Firm” concepts that do not change and are valid at all times, such as the Oneness= of God and our accountability to Him; “Moral and ethical values like bei= ng kind to our parents, being truthful and honest, being kind and forgiving, b= eing just; our obligations to perform rituals of worship, which benefit us like = our prayers, charity and fasting; and our obligation in serving and worshipping= God by being of service and helping others who need our help. These are what is referred to in the Qur’an as “Ayat Muhkamat”. Oth= ers are less clear and some may find in them a little of ambiguity, like the verse = you are referring to the Qur’an referring to Eisa (Jesus) (PBUH) as God’s word and His spirit. When trying to understand these verses we must do so in the cotext of wha= t is clear, definite and basic.

What is clear and basic is that God knows what we are going to = do and that He wants to guide us and turn to us in mercy and forgive our sins = and shortcomings.

“Allah does wish to make clear to you and to guide you into the ways of those before you; and He does = wish to turn to you in mercy, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise”

An-Nesa’a 4: 26

“Allah guides to Himself those who turn to Him” Ash= -Shura 42: 13

Those who are destined to Hell Fire are those who have chosen t= o ignore God’s guidance and deprived themselves of His mercy and blessing. They have turned away and having known them as such, Allah has left them in their misguided way and allowed them to stray from His path: “Do you see such a one who has taken as his god his own vain desires? Allah knowing him as such left him astray, and sealed his hearing = and his heart (and understanding( and put a cover on= his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah= has withdrawn guidance? Will you not then receive admonition” Al-Jatheya 45: 23

This debate about “predetermined” or “being g= iven a choice” causes confusion in the minds of many. To my understanding = God is Just and Wise. He does not condemn any person but gives each person many chances. He wants to help us, guide us and show His mercy and forgiveness, despite our shortcomings and mistakes: “Your Lord is full of forgiven= ess for mankind for their wrong-doing, and indeed your Lord is also strict in punishment” Ar-Ra’d 13: 6. Some peo= ple avail themselves of God’s guidance, obey His orders and live their li= ves as He has commanded. They are guided and are protected. Others chose to ign= ore this warning, and live their lives as they please, denying themselves God’s guidance because they feel self-sufficient. They become easy pr= ey to Satan and to their own vain desires and human weakness. They have chosen= and chartered their own way of life. God reminds them, but they ignore the warn= ing and keep on their own mery way. After a while t= heir hearts become hardened and unable to receive guidance. They can hear, but a= re not able to listen to reason or to the truth; they can see but are not able= to discern or truly understand or comprehend what they see. They think they are intelligent and can make rational decisions, but they are blind to the truth and are in spiritual darkness : “Can he wh= o was dead, to whom We gave life (knowledge and faith), and a light (of faith and proper understanding) whereby he can walk among mankind, be like him who is= in the depths of darkness (ignorance and lack of faith and proper understandin= g) from which he can never come out? Thus to those without faith their own dee= ds seem pleasing” Al-An’am 6: 122=

To me the question is not that everything is predetermined beca= use God knows what will happen. The question is whether we accept and chose God’s guidance and live our life as He told us to do, or whether we ignore His warning and refuse His guidance, thereby confirming His will tha= t we are indeed destined for Hell fire. The know how of God’s knowledge is not clear to us and = is one of His secrets that no human being is allowed to know. The opposite view th= at God does not know what will happen has been espoused by other philosophers throughout history. This gives the concept of a God who has no knowledge and has no power and His will is not enforced. Then He waits for things to happen , and He changes his mind, and may regret His mistakes. Such a God can be seen in the pages of the current Torah, but is = in contrast to the God in the Qur’an, a God whose knowledge is comprehen= sive, all encompassing, and His will is enforced as He pleases, yet He is wise, <= span class=3DGramE>Just and gives us chance after chance to correct our misconduct.

I hope these comments make this a little bit clearer, and puts concepts in proper prospective

Sincerely

BS Foad, M.D