Tuesday, December 09, 2008.

a reply i came up with on FB in response to someone's question of forgiveness in Islam. i think this applies more to me than anyone else. i need to return to Him and seek forgiveness.

"It hardly seems just or merciful that one good deed wipes out ten bad deeds. How can one be compared or weighted more or less than the other?"

How do you define the terms 'good deeds' and 'bad deeds'? Assuming that you are referring to things that are perceived favourably like charity, donations, acts of goodwill, I have to say that is inaccurate.

My understanding of the process of seeking forgiveness from the Almighty and receiving it ('taubat') is based on sincerity and stolid reformation.

The sincerity of your repentance is between you and God, as is the case with most issues to do with faith, not just the Muslim faith. The stolidness lies in the adherence to the five pillars of Islam, aka the instructions of God that all Muslims practice. I won't call this a commandment, but it is the closest thing we have to it. Unlike the commandments, they are the duties of every Muslim, not a form of warning/advice. They are "Thou shall" instead of "Thou shalt not".

The five pillars are pronouncing the Shahadah (the confirmation of your faith), performing regular prayers, the fulfilment of fasting, reading the Quran regularly and performing the Hajj at least once etc.

It is in fulfilling his duties that the repentant believer is able to prove his stolidness and his sincerity to repent. He is returning to the path of the believer. God will then choose to accept his repentance and forgive him. It is not the believer's place to doubt or question the effectiveness of his 'trial'. It is for the believer to trust his ability to be strong in his faith (not stray or be lured to do 'bad things') and to also trust God.

So when you say how can this be 'just' or 'merciful', I say, how can it not? Do you expect justice, as defined by the Western judicial system, to be cold, all facts, to be without empathy? Even that system as things such as pleas, "in view of", bargains with the authorities, shortened time in lieu of good behaviour.

Repentance is part of forgiveness, in the Western judicial system forgiveness by society and its acceptance of the repentant man, in Islam, forgiveness by God and His acceptance of his follower.

--

"If I killed a man and then was honestly sorry (perhaps years later) and he was with out family how am I to be redeemed and be reconciled to God? By doing good to others? My offense against him and God still remain.
So then God has mercy on me, but I still need deeds to get into heaven, If I was sorry but didn't do good deeds then I would go to hell."

I am unsure myself, but what I have learned from my theology classes has led me to conclude that if the man you have wronged has no relatives you can apologise or go good to, you are dependant on God's forgiveness and should also, in memory of the man you have wronged if he is no longer alive, pray for him, do good deeds for him, fast for him etc. Yes you are taking on another man's burden, but that is part of your struggle to seek and be deserving of God's forgiveness.

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"But still the biases into getting into heaven is biased on a balance and scale of deeds. Having that balance of good and bad deeds negates Gods forgiveness."

Like I said, your definition of good and bad deeds seem to be excluding the fact that 'good' deeds are more like duty, 'bad' deeds are sin. Hence, if you fulfil your duty and are deserving of God's forgiveness, He will forgive you. It is the very possibility that you can work your way and redeem yourself to God and seek His good favour that demonstrates His mercifulness.

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"Him just forgiving you and clearing all offenses does demonstrate His forgiveness, but it would also prove He is not Just because He has placed Laws for which there are punishment He said sinners would have on their heads, but then does not follow through with the punishment."

When do you believe this 'punishment' happens? What are the punishments of sinners? The Quran repeatedly states that as long as you have your life, you have a chance at redeeming yourself, at proving to God that you are deserving and that you are repentant. He will not hit you with a bolt of lightning immediately, if you excuse the hyperbole.

Your life is your chance. If you waste it, the punishment WILL come on Judgement Day. If you work for forgiveness, Insyaallah God will forgive you and help you along the path of believers.

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"The person who has murdered the other person has broken a law of Allah and is now a criminal and justice must be served. So how is it served?"

I believe that is between that individual and God. Secular laws will punish the man yes, either by jail term or the death penalty. But within the time given, either in jail or before death, the individual should take steps to redeem himself and repent. Justice will be served if he does not repent.

You may argue that one person may say he has repented but may not pray or fast or pronounce his Shahadah- this person has not fulfilled the duties of a Muslim and hence has not truly repented to God, only to his fellow Man.

Should such a thing happen, justice may come in a myriad of forms. It is not for one to question and delve into the forms of justice, God is too Great for us to imagine the sheer scale of his power.

When you question this, question too how it would benefit you to know such an intimate detail between a fallen believer and his God? Question how you can avoid it, how you can prove to your God and yourself that you may be deserving of better treatment.