Suleiman Hani – How is Hellfire Fair
AI: Summary ©
the fair punishment and the evil punishment. They also discuss the difference between fair and evil punishment and how it is not just a punishment but also a crime.
AI: Transcript ©
How is Hellfire a fair punishment? And motor presents q&a with Solomon Hani let's start with a few assumptions and by assumptions, what do we mean? A lot of people have assumptions about things, and then they start to look for something to conform to that assumption. What's an example? People have assumptions that they know what fairness? How do you determine what is or is not fair in any situation? When you're making a judgement. By this, we mean, we start off with the premise that there's a reference point for fairness. For example, we say Allah subhanaw taala is Al Hakim, the all wise, and because his wisdom is perfect and complete, and that's one of our starting points in
this discussion. We say therefore, I recognize that Allah subhanaw taala is fair beyond my comprehension is wise beyond my comprehension, and I'm not really in a position to make claims that something is or is not fair. Otherwise, I'm making a claim that I know and I don't have that knowledge none of us do as human beings. Furthermore, we know, just want to add to that point, right. Okay, fine, we don't have knowledge. That's why we're asking how is it a fair punishment? Because from one perspective, we can look at it from the past from the fact just logically, somebody commits shirk for 60 years, and they die. So what didn't fair and equal punishment be that they are?
That they would be punished in the Hellfire for 60 years, and that entire eternity? Okay, so that's a separate matter. Right. So first, let's talk about fairness. In one, there's one more thing we want to add to the fairness discussion, which is that we need the premises the starting points. One of the starting points is I'm not in a position to know I'm not all wise. The second is Allah subhanaw. Taala tells us so it's a fact. Allah subhanaw taala tells us when a young bilimora buka had, Allah will never treat any of his creation with anything unfair. Any kind of injustice. So we recognize Okay, I have starting points. Allah subhanaw taala is Al Hakim, he is Rahim He is the Most
Loving is the Most Merciful. He's also just a he'll never treat his creation with any kind of unfairness. That's one fact. So it's the foundational aspect of understanding fairness is looking at and understanding who Allah subhanaw taala is who Allah subhanaw taala is and also challenging our assumptions. A lot of people make claims or think certain things, and they don't realize that they are utilizing or using assumptions, and they don't know where these assumptions came from. There is this idea some people have that they should know what's fair one for one, somebody did this, they should get that. How do you know that? So let's challenge our assumptions, and also have a little
more intellectual humility. When we approach these topics that I simply do not know. However, I might feel a certain way. Let me start off with the facts. Because we say, you know, you said logical, we say, let's look at the concept of the hellfire and admit, in the end, I don't know what's a fair punishment in the next life. And any two people might say, I think it shouldn't be this or that. Ultimately, we leave that to Al Hakim. And we know that it's not going to be unfair, because Allah subhanaw taala gave us the starting points. And then after that, if we have feelings or interpretations that are not based on these facts on these premises, and we know that the feeling
or the interpretation is misapplied, it's wrong. It's based on a false assumption of what is or is not fair, in the context of hellfire, and hereafter, and Paradise.
Is there a difference between fair injustice? So when we talk about fair and specifically when we talk about hellfire, we're usually referring to the fact that it is fair, that it is fair in terms of the punishment and the crime? Who determines that? What's the reference point, it has to go back to the one who knows, and it's not us as human beings. In fact, even in our legal systems here is all around the world. We don't really always agree on what we think is or is not a fair punishment. Even amongst a family, the mother or the father might want to discipline their children differently and say, this is fair, this is not fair. And the child might say, you grounded me for a week. That's
not fair. So going back to the discussion on the hellfire, who determines what is or is not fair, right? How bad is a crime, for example, some people see the act of killing an innocent person, which could take just half a minute or a few seconds, they see it as fair that the consequence the punishment for that is not a half of a minute of a consequence. It's something that maybe 30 years life in prison, depending on the country. So who determines what is a fair punishment for a crime. And if we don't approach this with a humility, if we have any amount of pride or arrogance, thinking that we are in a position to know and to make conclusive statements that I am so certain that I am a
judge of what is or is not fair, then we've exceeded a line that we really we really have to reconsider. We submit our limitations to Allah subhana wa Tada. We start off with the basic beliefs that I know who Allah actually is it
If you form the wrong idea of Allah in your mind based on assumptions or wrong beliefs, you're going to lead yourself to the wrong conclusions. As for how long in the Hellfire the question of whether or not the Hellfire is eternal, even in accordance with the scholars who say, and they are minority, but they say that the Hellfire is not eternal. Even in accordance with that view, someone might still challenge you and ask, well, how is the Hellfire fair, even for a day, even for a year when you say it's 70 times hotter than the fire of this world? And again, I recognize my limitation and we recognize our limitations as human beings humbly so and we leave it to Allah subhanho wa taala,
who promises us that there's not going to be any unfairness and injustice to his creation? Well, hula, you alone will nobody will be given a compensation on the Day of Judgment. That's unfair. In fact, for those who are righteous, not only is it a matter of justice, that they're given some kind of rights that are restored, but also it's the Mercy of Allah subhanaw taala that they're getting so much more than that. So good deeds are multiply, whereas the sin is only punished for the sin it's only recorded as one and Allah Subhana Allah knows best. And
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