After speaking about the reward for the pious in Surah Qalam God says “Shall we then treat the wrongdoers like the believers?” Is it correct that they should be equals? Is this what justice demands?

No intelligent person believes that the end of the believer and the disbeliever, the obedient and the disobedient, the unjust and the just to be the same and that too in the court of God where every thing is done with justice.

Some commentators have spoken of two doubts in the explanation of this verse:

Firstly, and that is that this verse may be connected with the hereafter for in this world the believers and the sinners are practically equals or some criminals usurp more rewards. So the superiority of the pious over the sinners will be evident in the hereafter. Secondly, is the answer of the disbelievers who said that if there was a Day of Judgment then their condition will be the same as in this world ( A good year is evident from the spring only) . Qura’n tells them: “Is it possible that God consider the believers and the sinners in the same manner.

There is seemingly no difference between these two interpretations and the verse may contain both. Even after overlooking the Shariah the intellectual domination of this verse is evident from its beauty and logically presentation. (Reflect)

This point is notable because Fakhr Razi begins his interpretation by the declaring this verse to be the proof of beauty, error and logic. He says: We have learn’t from the writings of the Ahle Sunnah that it will be correct if God sends the pious to Hell and the sinners to Paradise and this is against the logic and is wrong. But since he was an Ashari so he was a denier of beauty, error and logic so he says:

“The denial of this equality and parity is because of God’s beneficence and not that it is the right of anyone.” (1)

Qura’n asks them to judge logically and then admonishes them: “What is the matter with you? How do you judge?’ It means this decision cannot be that of a sane and learned person and is a proof about rule of logic on things.

The matter is discussed more widely in the second verse and God says:

“Is it possible that we consider those who believed and do good deeds equal to the sinners who create mischief on earth?” or “Should we treat the pious as equal of the sinners?” the point to be noted is that the verse preceding this verse of Surah Saad has described all that exists in the heavens and the earth as having some purpose. It said, “ We have created the heavens and the earth and all that is in between not without purpose”

On the one side is the creation not without purpose of the heavens and earth and on the other the pious and the mischief makers not being equal demands that there should be a Day of Judgment with justice. In the two verses the proof of wisdom and the proof of justice are merged.

He who denies the Day of Judgment disbelieves that God is wise and also His justice because he does not see any purpose in the creation of this world nor does he see the difference between the pious and the mischief maker.

It should also be noted that the mischief makers are compared with the obedient and the sinners with the pious . This is a subtle hint that if a person is not armed with belief and good deeds then he will eventually join the ranks of the mischief makers.

 If he ignores piety which saves him from sins then he will eventually join the dis- believers

The word “Fajjaar” is derived from Fajr which means creating a wide split and we can say that a “Fajir” person tears apart the screen of religion and obedience.

This verse too is a valid proof of the control of intellect and speaks about the validity of beauty and error. It is also a vivid proof that intellect understood the good and the bad before the implementation of the Shariah.

The strange thing is that Fakhr Razi has accepted this totally but had denied it in the previous discussion. (1)

We learn that if mankind turns towards his conscience then the screens of bias will be removed and he will feel that in the core of his heart that he is aware of this happening.

In the third verse the same meaning has been conveyed in another manner. It is said:

“Do the evil doers believe that We will treat them equally to those who believed and did good deeds in life and in death?”

This is far from the justice of the Just God and such an action from the Holy Persona of God is impossible.

“How badly they judge!”

Is it possible that the pure and impure, the pious and the sinner, the believer and the disbeliever and the light and darkness all be the same? This can never be.

What does the term “in their present life and after their death” mean? The commentators have expressed many doubts and given various interpretations: they sometimes say that it means the worldly death and life because the true belief and good deeds have a positive effect on man’s existence, they enlighten the heart and the pious person receives God’s guidance, support and help while the disbelief and sin darken the heart and blackens the soul and prevents man from receiving the beneficence of God.

Some commentators say that this verse means the death of this world and the life in the hereafter or when the first group dies then the angels of mercy come down to them praise and wish them and speak to them about their entry into Paradise. Verse 32 of Surah Nahl says:

“Those whose life the angels take in a state of purity saying to them, “Peace be on you, enter the Garden, because of the good that you did.”

When the sinners die the angels of punishment descend on them and strike them on their backs and faces and tell them about the painful punishment from God. Verse 27 of Surah Mohammad says:

“When the angels take their souls at death and smite their faces and their backs.”

Other interpretations have been noted about this verse that need not be read but the above two interpretations can be combined though the next verse is more suitable to the second interpretation because it is said: “in order that each person may be rewarded for what he has earned and they will not be wronged.”(1)

We should note that on the one side we say that God is just, the creations of the heavens and the earth it truth, each one will get the best recompense for his deeds in rewards and punishments and on the other side as we have said this will not be totally fulfilled in this world. So it is important that there should another life after the death in this world so that justice prevails and perfect justice rules everywhere.

1. Tafsir Kabeer vol. 30 page 96

2. Tafsir Kabeer vol. 26 page 201.