Children: Are they questioned for
misjudgment of the parents?
Q96 :It is often said that the followers of any
religion other than Islam will be questioned on the Day of Judgment for
following that religion. A Buddhist may give such an answer: “I was
born in a Buddhist family and surroundings, by Your will. My parents
taught me the religion they were taught by their own parents and in
which they themselves grew up, so I worshipped You with full faith and
devotion according to what I have been taught by superiors, teachers
and parents. It was not my choice to be born in that netmunity or
family, so where is my fault?” Please netment.
A96 : It is true that in the majority of cases,
people tend to follow in matters of faith, the direction set for them
by their parents and their netmunities. Indeed, the same argument was
put to the Prophet by the idolaters of Makkah when he called on them to
abandon the idolatrous practice they inherited from their forefathers
and to accept the faith based on the Oneness of Allah. However, the
Qur’an denounces them for making such an argument and rejects it
altogether. It replies to them with another question: “Say. What if
your forefathers have been devoid of knowledge and had no guidance?”
This brief Qur’anic answer is highly significant. It points out the
course of action worthy of man, on whom Allah has bestowed the greatest
honor of giving him an independent mind and granted him the
intellectual faculty. This aspect of Allah’s grace which distinguishes
man from all His creation is not meant to be used only in improving
man’s material well-being and to be disregarded when a person chooses
the faith to follow. We may accept the traditions and practices we
inherit from our parents in all material things, but we constantly try
to improve them and accept new ideas and new practices. Why should
matters of faith be confined to what is inherited or what is socially
acceptable? Indeed, religion and spiritual matters are far more
important to human well-being than other human affairs. However, the
mind must have its own say in these. It is the consistent Islamic
argument that when a human being uses his mind, free from traditional
and social shackles, he is bound to accept the basic principle of the
Oneness of Allah as the cornerstone of his faith. That will inevitably
lead him to submit himself to Allah’s will and this is the essence of
the Islamic message. Someone may protest that a person born in a Muslim
family has thus an advantage over others. The answer is that Islam
requires everyone, even those born to Muslim parents, to accept its
message on the basis of personal, free choice after deep thinking and
serious questioning. When a person accepts Islam merely because he has
been brought up in a Muslim family, he has not done his Islamic duty of
proper thinking and deep questioning. Moreover, Muslims are required
to convey the message of Islam in the clearest and most lucid form to
all people in the world. If they do not do so, they have not fulfilled
their duty and they are accountable for their shortnetings. They bear
the blame for all those who remain ignorant of the message of Islam
throughout their lives. Having said that, I must add that Allah is the
most fair of all judges. He does not condemn any person to suffer in
hell unjustly. When He determines the faith of any person on the Day of
Judgment, He takes all factors into account. He then makes His judgment
allowing His mercy to supersede His displeasure.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )