Torture within Quranist Viewpoint (7): The Disbelievers and Their Asking for the Infliction of Torture/Torment of the Hereafter

Published in September 17, 2017

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Firstly: disbelief in the Hour (i.e., the Last Day) is of various types:

1- Disbelievers who are outspokenly declaring their denial of the Last Day: This is shown in their words (unsurprising repeated by extremist secular persons of today who deny the metaphysical realm) which are refuted in the Quran: "And they say, "There is nothing but this our present life; we die and we live, and nothing destroys us except time." But they have no knowledge of that; they are only guessing." (45:24). God describes such people as ignorant and as lacking knowledge, and He said the following about them and their punishment in the Hereafter: "In fact, they have denied the Hour, and We have prepared for those who deny the Hour Hell-Fire." (25:11). God has commanded Muhammad to respond that way to those who deny the Hour: "Those who disbelieve say, "The Hour will not come upon us." Say, "Yes indeed, by my Lord, it will come upon you..." (34:3).    

2- Disbelievers who fashion and formulate the Last Day as per their whims: The Egyptian common proverbs include one which indicates utter disbelief: (those who are happy and wealthy in this life are like this in the Hereafter). This proverb is refuted by the Quran; some disbelieving wealthy people, in all era as their hearts are the same, reflect this dominant culture of being resurrected as a wealthy person with many children. The Quran refutes such a notion of disbelief that reflects how criminals fashion the Last Day as per their whims to feign they would be among the winners in Paradise. God says in the Quran: "Have you seen him who denied Our revelations, and said, "I will be given wealth and children"? Did he look into the future, or did he receive a promise from the Dominant Lord? No indeed! We will write what he says, and will keep extending the torment for him." (19:77-79). We notice here that 19:78 refutes in advance corrupt notions of the Muhammadan clergymen and imams who fabricated hadiths of the so-called intercession to create a Last Day tailored to their tastes as per their whims! Thus, they ascribe lies and falsehood to God's religion and to the metaphysical realm that pertains to Him only, as if they were making a covenant with God or making Him give them a certain promise! Shame on them!          

3- Disbelievers who deny the Last Day while assuming that if it ever occurs, they would be among the winners: This type of deniers combine between denying the real Last Day (i.e., the one described in the Quran) and fashioning a one as per their whims as if they were bound to enter into Paradise however enormous their crimes and injustices are. Within such corrupt notions, clergymen thrive as they sell indulgences; i.e., they take money of the gullible ones and promise to get them tickets to enter into Paradise, but this is a vain promise, because they are NOT the owners of the Last Day beside, or instead of, Almighty God. The fancy words and mythical tales of clergymen about their fabricated Last Day are maintained by most people who keep injustices in life; thus, the wishes of Satan are fulfilled, because Satan and devils combine misguiding people with making them wish in vain: "And I will mislead them, and I will entice them with false wishes..." (4:119). God says the following about Satan and his followers: "He promises them, and he raises their expectations, but Satan promises them nothing but delusions. These-their place is Hell, and they will find no escape from it." (4:120-121). God warns all people against delusions and false promises of the arrogant Satan: "O people! Be conscious of your Lord, and dread a Day when no parent can avail his child, nor can a child avail his parent, in anything. The promise of God is true. Therefore, do not let this life deceive you, nor let illusions deceive you regarding God." (31:33). On the Last Day, Satan will disown his followers while he is inside Hell with them, as he forced no one to obey and worship him or to reject God's true promises: "And Satan will say, when the issue is settled, "God has promised you the promise of truth, and I promised you, but I failed you. I had no authority over you, except that I called you, and you answered me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot come to your aid, nor can you come to my aid. I reject your polytheism caused by me in the past. The unjust ones will have a most painful torment."" (14:22). There are tens of Quranic verses that refute the notion that any mortals would interceded on behalf of human beings on the Last Day; yet, the Muhammadans disbelieve in all these verses as they choose to believe devilish discourses/narratives of hadiths authored by Al-Bokhary and his likes. This makes them deserve the torment of the Dominant Lord in this world and the next. The victims of illusions and delusions of Satan combine between denying the Last Day and imagining one as per their desires and whims; their stance is described precisely in this verse: "...and I do not think that the Hour is coming; and even if I am returned to my Lord, I will have the very best with Him." We will inform those who disbelieve of what they did, and We will make them taste a harsh torment." (41:50).         

4- Arguing in vain: Some disbelievers deny the Last Day and argue heatedly to refute it at any cost; the example of this is the ignorant man who asked, in mockery, about how decayed bones of the dead would be resurrected and the Quran responded to this stance: "And he produces arguments against Us, and he forgets his own creation. He says, "Who will revive the bones when they have decayed?" Say, "He who initiated them in the first instance will revive them. He has knowledge of every creation."" (36:78-79). Their argument of these arrogant, disbelieving mortals includes challenging believers and prophets to revive or resurrect their forefathers: "These people say: "There is nothing but our first death, and we will not be resurrected.Bring back our ancestors, if you are truthful."" (44:34-36).  

5- Thus, the extreme disbelief of those who deny the Last Day makes them (in mockery) to hasten the coming of the Hour and its torment against which they are warned.

Secondly: the response to their hastening of the torment of the Hereafter:

1- Disbelievers combine their hastening the infliction of torment upon them in this world with hastening the torment of the Hereafter as well; this is shown in the Quran within the repeated queries posed to Muhammad about the timing of the Hour (and the torment of the Hereafter in Hell) and how many times he told them that he did not know the answer as he did not know the future; he could not bring harm or benefit to himself or to others. "And they say, "When will this promise be fulfilled, if you are truthful?"Say, "I have no power to harm or benefit myself, except as God wills. To every nation is an appointed time. Then, when their time arrives, they can neither postpone it by one hour, nor advance it. Say, "Have you considered? If His torment overtakes you by night or by day, what part of it will the criminals seek to hasten?" "Then, when it falls, will you believe in it? Now? When before you tried to hasten it?"" (10:48-51). This is about their hastening the torment in this world, and the very next verse is about their torment in the Hereafter: "Then it will be said to those unjust ones, "Taste the torment of eternity. Will you be rewarded except for what you used to do?"" (10:52).

2- The Quranic responses to their hastening the torment of the Last Day vary, as explained in the points below.

2/1: God commands them not to demand to hasten the Hour, as the divine decree of it has been issued already from God, but it will take time within the Barsakh-realm time to occur actually within the earthly time: "The command of God has come, so do not rush it. Glory be to Him; exalted above what they associate." (16:1).

2/2: We read this verse about the difference between the Barsakh-realm time and the earthly time, within the context of talking about hastening the torment of the Hereafter by disbelieving mocking ones: "And they ask you to hasten the torment. But God never breaks His promise. A day with your Lord is like a thousand years of your count. " (22:47).  

2/3: Our lifetime on Earth is but a transient, fleeting day, and after resurrection comes the Last Day of Judgment and the Eternal Day of the Eternal Life. We read about this in the Quran within the context of talking about hastening the torment of the Hereafter by mocking disbelievers who ridicule God's message: "A questioner questioned the imminent torment. For the disbelievers; none can avoid it. From God, Lord of the Ways of Ascent. Unto Him the angels and the Spirit ascend on a Day the duration of which is fifty thousand years. So be patient, with sweet patience. They see it distant. But We see it near. On the Day when the sky will be like molten brass. And the mountains will be like tufted wool. No friend will care about his friend." (70:1-10). This duration of this transient world is merely a day within God's time (and NOT the Barsakh-realm time), and this day is 50 thousand years, and within this duration, Gabriel; i.e., the Holy Spirit, and other angels responsible for fates decreed on people by God ascend and descend with such decrees of the Lord until the Hour comes, and the universe is destroyed, and on the Last Day, an Eternal Realm is created, as God comes and all humanity stands before Him: "On the Day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens, and they will emerge before God, the One, the Irresistible." (14:48). And then, we read in the next verses about the torment of sinners and disbelievers in Hell and how God warns them beforehand in the Quran: "On that Day, you will see the sinners bound together in chains. Their garments made of tar, and the Fire covering their faces. That God may repay each soul according to what it has earned. God is Quick in reckoning. This is a proclamation for the humankind, that they may be warned thereby, and know that He is One God, and that people of understanding may remember." (14:49-52)    

Lastly: preaching and warning the disbelievers:

1- This preaching and warning comes within the context of talking about disbelievers who (in mockery) hasten the torment of Hell: "The human being was created of haste. I will show you My signs, so do not seek to rush Me. And they say, "When will this promise come true, if you are truthful?"" (21:37-38). Preaching focuses here in the next two verses on showing an image of Hell torment/torture: "If those who disbelieve only knew, when they cannot keep the fire off their faces and off their backs, and they will not be helped. In fact, it will come upon them suddenly, and bewilder them. They will not be able to repel it, and they will not be reprieved." (21:39-40). When they are tormented/tortured in Hell, they will scream and they will be rebuked by reminding them of their hastening (in mockery) of the infliction of this torment on them: "Until, when We seize the affluent among them with torment, they begin to scream." (23:64); "The Day they are presented to the Fire. "Taste your ordeal. This is what you used to hasten its occurrence."" (51:13-14).

2- The Quranic preaching addresses sinners and disobedient ones so that they repent: "Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves: do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives all sins. He is indeed the Forgiver, the Clement." And turn to your Lord, and submit to Him, before the torment comes upon you. Then you will not be helped." (39:53-54). God shows to sinners the path of sincere repentance that will make them be spared from the torment of Hell in the Hereafter: "And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord, before the torment comes upon you suddenly, while you are unaware.So that a soul may not say, "How sorry I am, for having neglected my duty to God, and for having been of the mocking ones." Or say, "Had God guided me; I would have been of the pious." Or say, when it sees the torment, "If only I had another chance, I would be of the virtuous." Yes indeed! My Verses did come to you, but you called them lies, turned arrogant, and were of the disbelievers." (39:55-59). As always, God says nothing but the Absolute Truth.