Author: "Abu Aisha"
Mu’tazila Sect (16th part)
Mu’tazila reasons
In order to prove that the Debauchers deserves blame and punishment and can’t be exempted from it, the Mu’tazila argue from verses and hadiths that indicate the obligation of the Doom and its fulfillment on the Day of Judgment. They say: If this punishment isn’t obligatory, then promises and threats are of no use, and in the words of Allah Almighty, opposition and lies are necessary. Judge Abdul Jabbar writes in this regard: “Allah Almighty has promised reward to those who obey and punishment and punishment to sinners. If this reward and punishment isn’t obligatory, then the promise isn’t appropriate here.
Among them are these verses:
Allah Almighty said: «والسارق والسارقة فاقطعوا أیدیهما جزاء بما کسبا نکالا من الله» »; (And cut the hands of the male and female thief as punishment for the act they have committed as a lesson from [the side of] God.)
The way of reasoning from this verse is that Allah the Almighty has ordered to cut off the hand of the “thief” as a punishment and reward when valid conditions are provided in the issue of hand amputation, so it is necessary that this person deserves this thing.
Allah Almighty said: «الزانیة والزاني فاجلدوا كل واحد منهما مائة جلدة ولا تأخذكم بهما رأفة في دين الله إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر وليشهد عذابهما طائفة من المؤمنين» »; (Give each adulterous man and woman a hundred Whips, and if you believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment, you shouldn’t feel sorry for them in [implementing] Allah’s religion, and a group of believers should be present at their punishment.)
Qazi Abdul Jabbar writes about this verse: “This verse indicates what we say about the Wae’d, this verse indicates that the adulterer deserves punishment; Because if adultery wasn’t a great sin that destroys the reward of its perpetrator, there wouldn’t be a limit on him as a punishment.
So it turns out that Ther are hellish; Because it isn’t permissible for him to deserve torture and punishment in this world despite his faith, while here he has avoided the punishment of the hereafter; Because the thing that removed the punishment must remove it like repentance always, so it was necessary that the limit shouldn’t be imposed on an Adulterer, except for testing , if that was the case, then their limit would not be called punishment, so if the limit wasn’t in the direction of punishment. It was necessary to be kind to them, when it isn’t permissible for them to be kind and compassionate, it became obligatory to ignore them, and this in itself indicates the invalidity of this statement.
Allah Almighty says: «إن الذین یرمون المحصنات الغافلات المؤمنات لعنوا في الدنیا والآخرة ولهم عذاب عظیم»
(Those who attribute adultery to chaste women who are unaware [of wrongdoing and] believers, they are cursed in this world and the next, and they have a great punishment [ahead]).
The way of reasoning from this verse is as follows: In this verse, Allah Almighty has stated the punishment of those who accuse chaste women, and the punishment for these people is curse, and its meaning is rejection and distance from Allah Almighty’s mercy and reward; When the issue is like this, then it becomes clear that they deserve punishment from Allah Almighty.
Mu’tazila believe: whoever entered hell fire will remain there forever; Because this person is either a disbeliever or a perpetrator of a great sin who died without repentance; Because an innocent, repentant person who commits minor sins when they avoid major sins, they aren’t among those in hell; Because according to their principles, unbelievers and those who commit major sins who die without repentance are eternally and forever in hell, and this has two reasons:
1. These people deserve punishment, and punishment is a pure and permanent loss, so it contradicts the reward, which is a pure and permanent benefit.
2. Texts that indicate eternity: God says: «ومن یقتل مؤمنا متعمدا فجزاؤه جهنم خالدا فیها» (And whoever kills a believer on purpose will be punished in Hell, where he will live forever) and«ومن یعص الله ورسوله ویتعد حدوده یدخله نارا خالدا فیها (And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses his limits, he will enter the fire [hell] where he will be eternally.) And in another place, he says: «من کسب سیئة وأحاطت به خطئیته فأؤلئک أصحاب النار هم فیها خالدون» (Those who commit evil and their sin overtakes them, they are in Hell. They will be eternal there.)
Allameh Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him, stated these reasons for the Mu’tazila, and he also mentioned the answer to each of these reasons, and we, inshallah, will mention it in the topics of “Answers of the Sunnis to the Mu’tazila”.
Among the hadiths that the Mu’tazila have argued to emphasize the silence of the perpetrator of a major sin in hell, this is the saying of the Messenger of Allah, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him: «عن أبي بكر الصديق رضي‌الله‌عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلی‌الله‌عليه‌وسلم، يقول: إن الله عزّوجل حرّم على الجنة جسدا غذي بالحرام. (It is narrated From Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, that I heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him): Allah Almighty has forbidden Paradise to anybody that has been fed with forbidden food.
As long as Allah has made heaven forbidden for this body, then it will definitely remain in hell forever; Because there is no other place in the hereafter except heaven and hell, so if it is not in the first, it must be in the second.
It isn’t possible for any arrogant person to enter Paradise, even if his arrogance is very limited. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said in this regard: “He who has Arrogant in his heart even like the weight of a sandalwood grain of arrogance will not enter Paradise.”
