Torture within Quranist Viewpoint (9): Reasons for the Infliction of Torment in This World

Published in October 2, 2017

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

1- Torment comes suddenly while people are unaware, whether it is inflicted in this world, or upon dying, and eventually in Hell or eternity for sinners and disbelievers. Between the moment of one's death and the moment of one's resurrection, one will feel a state of timelessness as if one has slept for a while and then wake up, just as has been the case within the daily life on Earth. Those who focus only on this fleeting, transient life by hoarding possessions and amassing wealth, while engaging into conflicts and struggles with others, committing sins, and disobeying the Lord God, tend to forget the fact that they are mortals who will die eventually and inevitably. Those persons suffer losses in money, health, or family members, and they feel immensely surprised by such losses, and yet, they never lose their focus on life while forgetting the Hereafter as if they were immortal beings. This is why death comes to them suddenly as a saddening, frightening surprise, as angels of them rebuke and torment them: "If only you could see, as the angels take away those who disbelieve, striking their faces and their backs: "Taste the torment of the Burning."" (8:50); "How about when the angels take them at death, beating their faces and their backs?" (47:27). This type of torment will occur to them suddenly upon dying while they never expect it, and after the events of the Last Day of Judgment, they will be tormented in Hell for eternity.  

2- To be spared torment in this world and in the Hereafter, we should know the overlapping reasons for infliction of the torment in this world; they are (1) disbelief (to disbelieve in God and His Message and to never feel grateful/thankful for His bestowed bounties) and (2) committing injustices (against God by disbelief/polytheism and against people by wronging and harming them). Let us tackle some points below in detail.

Firstly: to disbelieve in God and to repel people away from His Path:

1- There are peaceful disbelievers who never harm or persecute people based on their religion, etc. and they never repel others away from God's Path. Those are Muslims in terms of peaceful behavior and their non-violence. We are not going to talk about this type of people here, as their judgment rests with God only on the Last Day. We focus in this article only on aggressive polytheists/disbelievers who repel people against the Path of God (i.e., the Quran) and this verse applies to them: "Those who disbelieve spend their wealth to repel from God's Path. They will spend it, then it will become a source of sorrow for them, and then they will be defeated. Those who disbelieve will be herded into Hell." (8:36). Thus, those sinners will be tormented in Hell in the Hereafter in case they die without repentance and atonement, and in this world, their torment will be their sorrow of defeat as their evil schemes will not succeed  

2- To repel people away from God's Path is to make oneself an enemy/foe of God who opposes Allah and His Word; this major crime/sin was perpetrated by Qorayish and they were tormented at first in this world when they were defeated during the Battle of Badr: "That is because they opposed God and His messenger. Whoever opposes God and His messenger - God is severe in punishment. "Here it is; so taste it." For the disbelievers there is the suffering of the Fire." (8:13-14); "Those who disbelieve, and hinder from the Path of God, and oppose the messenger after guidance has become clear to them - they will not hurt God in the least, but He will nullify their deeds." (47:32). The term "messenger" in these verses refers only to the Quran.

3- When some of the People of the Book repelled people from God's Path by committing military aggressions against early peaceful believers in Yathreb, God has tormented and punished them by seizing them with deep fright so that they ran away from their homes in Arabia; this was instead of an inflicted torment that would have occurred to them in this world (before the next world), as we infer from this verse: "Had God not decreed exile for them, He would have tormented them in this life. But in the Hereafter they will have the torment of the Fire. That is because they opposed God and His messenger. Whoever opposes God - God is stern in punishment." (59:3-4). Again, the term "messenger" here refers only to the Quran.

4- In addition, the feeling of disgrace and shame is a type of torment inflicted in this world upon those who misguide people and hinder them from God's Path and they will be tormented in Hell in the Hereafter and they will never be guided since they specialize in misguiding others; this applies to sheikhs/clergymen of the Muhammadans who appear on TV channels: "And among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, or guidance, or an enlightening scripture. Turning aside in contempt, to lead away from the Path of God. He will have shame in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection We will make him taste the torment of burning." (22:8-9); "Even though you may be concerned about their guidance, God does not guide those who misguide. And they will have no supporters." (16:37). 

5- The torment of disgrace and shame will befall those who control mosques and ascribe them to deified/sanctified mortals (i.e., dedicating mosques to 'saints'/imams like Hussein, Ali, Zeinab, Abou Hanifa, Al-Shafei, and to prophets like Muhammad) whose names are glorified and worshipped in such mosques beside the name of God. This violates this verse: "The places of worship are for God. So do not call, besides God, upon anyone else." (72:18). Thus, the Muhammadans are polytheists who destroy and ruin mosques as they prevent monotheism and worshipping of God only in these mosques; they impose on people to worship and glorify deified mortals beside Allah. This is sheer and utter polytheism. God says the following about such unjust sinners who will be tormented in this world (by disgrace and shame) and the next world as well: "Who is more unjust than him who forbids the remembrance of God's name in places of worship, and contributes to their ruin? These ought not to enter them except in fear. For them is disgrace in this world, and for them is a terrible torment in the Hereafter." (2:114). Let us tackle injustices as one of the reasons behind the infliction of torment in this world.

Secondly: injustices:

1- There are peaceful disbelievers who never harm or persecute people based on their religion, etc. and they never repel others away from God's Path. Those are Muslims in terms of peaceful behavior and their non-violence. We are not going to talk about this type of people here, as their judgment rests with God only on the Last Day. Those peaceful disbelievers commit injustice against God and not against people, as they worship male and female saints/gods/deities beside Allah or ascribe sons/daughters to Him, but they never harm, persecute, or wrong other persons. The other type of disbelievers are those aggressive, violent ones who commit injustices against both God and human beings. This type will be tormented in this world and in the next. 

2- This applies to tyrants; the Quran calls them as the affluent ones who are criminals and corrupt ones. The ordinary criminals might rob or kill someone, but tyrants oppress nations and murder thousands of people, because tyrants scheme, plot, and set plans/intrigues all the time to maintain their thrones, till these tyrants fall into the trap of their own schemes, and this is their torment in this world. To keep their thrones as well as their power and authority, they reject the Truth and persecute, kill, exile, incarcerate, or gag preachers of reform and those reformists who call for the application of justice. This is a general rule mentioned in the Quran; we must bear in mind that Moses' Pharaoh was not the first or the last tyrant of that type; the Muhammadans were ruled by hundreds of the likes of Moses' Pharaoh for hundreds of years. "And thus We set up in every city its leading wicked sinners, to conspire in it, but they conspire only against themselves, and they do not realize it.  When a sign comes to them, they say, "We will not believe unless we are given the like of what was given to God's messengers." God knows best where to place His message. Disgrace and shame from God and severe torment will afflict the criminals for their scheming." (6:123-124).   

3- Such tyrants have their affluent followers, attendants, ministers, henchmen, retinue members, clergymen, soldiers, troops, businesspersons, high-rank employees, etc. who form (the deep state) of injustice and oppression, as they confiscate power, authority, and wealth within a given country, while leaving the vast majority of citizens as impecunious and hungry. The affluent class adamantly refuse all calls for reform or change to the better and oppose the application of justice as they reject the Quranic Truth. The presence of such affluent class of unjust people indicates that this country will be destroyed sooner or later, internally or by external forces. This is a general Quranic rule about tormenting the affluent, unjust, corrupt ones in the past, present, and future: "When We decide to destroy a town, We command its affluent ones, they transgress in it, so the word becomes justified against it, and We destroy it completely. How many generations have We destroyed after Noah? Your Lord is sufficient as Knower and Beholder of the sins of his servants." (17:16-17); "There is no city but We will destroy before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe torment. This is inscribed in the Book." (17:58); "Until, when We seize the affluent among them with torment, they begin to scream." (23:64). Those affluent, corrupt, unjust ones live luxuriously within decadence and pomp, and they cannot bear pains suffered by the patient poor ones in this world, and when they are tormented by God, they will scream within higher, unimagined levels, as we infer from 23:64.      

Thirdly: being unthankful/ungrateful regarding bounties bestowed by God:

1- To preach the Quranic Truth (i.e., to proselytize Islam), this entails spending money for God's sake by those true believers: "Believe in God and His messenger, and spend from what He made you inherit. Those among you who believe and give will have a great reward." (57:7). Thus, God grants us money as a test and promises rewards for those who spend it for God's cause; see 57:8-10. God asserts further the idea of rewarding those who spend money for His sake: "Who is he who will lend God a loan of goodness, that He may double it for him, and will have a generous reward?" (57:11). We desire that readers would contemplate on this great verse 57:11 and these verses as well: 2:245, 5:12, 57:18, 64:17, and 73:20. These verses assert the great rewards granted by God in this world and the next to those who spend money for His sake. "Say, "My Lord extends the provision to whomever He wills of His servants, or withholds it. Anything you spend, He will replace it. He is the Best of providers."" (34:39).

2- In contrast, the stingy ones never like to spend from money bestowed on them by God, and this way, they never feel thankful or grateful for the bounties granted to them by God, and the money they have amassed will be the source of their torment in the Hereafter: "Those who withhold what God has given them of his bounty should not assume that is good for them. In fact, it is bad for them. They will be encircled by their hoardings on the Day of Resurrection. To God belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth, and God is well acquainted with what you do." (3:180).

3- As for the torment of the stingy ones in this world, they will feel the sense of loss and sorrow, like those men mentioned in the parable of the owners of the orchard who decided not to give fruits to the poor, and God punished them by destroying their orchard, and this was their torment: "Such is the torment; but the torment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew." (68:33). 

4- Within the Yathreb city-state of Muhammad, spending money for God's sake was voluntary without forcing anyone, unlike the case with many (democratic) countries of today. Some of the so-called 'companions' of Muhammad used to be stingy and never spend money for God's sake despite their being very rich; God has warned them in this verse: "Here you are, being called to spend in the cause of God. Among you are those who withhold; but whoever withholds is withholding against his own soul. God is the Rich, while you are the needy. And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people, and they will not be like you." (47:38). This replacing them means to be tormented and smitten/destroyed here in this world first. 

5- Muhammad and some of his believing companions strove for God's sake with their souls and money, and they will be among the winners in the Hereafter: "But the messenger and those who believe with him struggle with their possessions and their lives. These have deserved the good things. These are the successful. God has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great victory." (9:88-89).

6- The verses 9:88-89 come in the context of talking about hypocrites who refused to donate money for God's sake and to engage into self-defense fighting in Yathreb to stop the religious persecution of Qorayish tribesmen who launched military attacks against Yathreb. "The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They advocate evil, and prohibit righteousness, and withhold their hands. They forgot God, so He forgot them. The hypocrites are the sinners." (9:67). God has tormented them in this world by their children and money: "Let neither their possessions nor their children impress you. God intends to torment them through them in this worldly life, and that their souls depart while they are disbelievers." (9:55); "Do not let their possessions and their children impress you. God desires to torment them through them in this world, and their souls expire while they are disbelievers." (9:85).

7- Thus, to never spend money for God's sake is to feel ungrateful/unthankful for the bounties bestowed by God. this grave sin was committed by Moses' Pharaoh who bragged about ''owning'' Egypt: "Pharaoh proclaimed among his people, saying, "O my people, do I not own the Kingdom of Egypt, and these rivers flow beneath me? Do you not see?" (43:51), and he was tormented by seeing these bounties turn into a source of torment to him and his people when the plagues struck them; see 7:133-137.

8- It is noteworthy that some of these companions of Muhammad confessed their sins and atonement included to donate money for the poor (i.e., charity/alms) for the sake of God: "Others have confessed their sins, having mixed good deeds with bad deeds. Perhaps God will redeem them. God is Forgiving and Merciful. Receive contributions from their wealth, to purify them and sanctify them with it; and pray for them. Your prayer is comfort for them. God is Hearing and Knowing. Do they not know that God accepts the repentance of His servants, and that He receives the contributions, and that God is the Acceptor of Repentance, the Merciful?" (9:102-104). God rebukes stingy hypocrites who hated to donate for charity: "It is they who say: "Do not spend anything on those who side with God's Messenger, unless they have dispersed." To God belong the treasures of the heavens and the Earth, but the hypocrites do not understand." (63:7). God has urged them to spend for His sake before they feel the deepest sorrow and regret (upon dying) after it is too late for them: "O you who believe! Let neither your possessions nor your children distract you from the remembrance of God. Whoever does that-these are the losers.And give from what We have provided for you, before death approaches one of you, and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short while, so that I may be charitable, and be one of the righteous." But God will not delay a soul when its time has come. God is Informed of what you do." (63:9-11). 

Lastly:

 The Muhammadans never spend from their money for the sake of the Lord God; rather, they spend it to repel people away from His Path (i.e., the Quran), and they reject the Blessing of God (i.e., the Quran) as they replace it with devilish hadiths/narratives, declared by them as far more important than the Quran itself! They have made the blessing/bounty of oil revenues lead them to adhere to disbelief/polytheism instead of being thankful to God, as they buy arms/weapons to destroy one another and themselves (watch news of the Levant, Iraq, and Arabia now!). This torment of them in this world is being watched on TV worldwide. These verses apply to them: "Have you not seen those who exchanged the blessing of God with disbelief, and landed their people into the house of perdition? Hell - they will roast in it. What a miserable settlement.And they set up associates to God, in order to lead away from His Path. Say, "Enjoy yourselves; your destination is the Fire."" (14:28-30).