I have always thought that the purpose of religion is to regulate societal interaction; to make the society work better. In my opinion, it is more important to treat people well than to pray. Through changes in religious belief from a regular joe to fundamentalist (the pacifist kind) to agnostic and finally to my current very personal concoction of Islam, this is one belief that has been pretty much constant.
Which brings me to the question of who will go to hell or heaven. Al-Muhajabah blogged about her understanding of whether all non-Muslims will go to hell according to Islamic teachings.
Most non-Muslims would say that according to Islam the answer is yes. Many Muslims would say so as well. But the correct answer is not necessarily.
According to actual Islamic teachings, a person who has been given a true and complete understanding of the basics of Islam and knowingly rejects it, then dies without repenting, is destined for hell.
But a person who has not received a true and complete understanding of the basics of Islam will be tested on Judgment Day. If they disobey God and fail the test, then they will go on to hell. On the other hand, if they obey God and pass the test, they will enter Paradise.
Notice the phrase “true and complete understanding of the basics”. This applies not only to people who lived before the coming of Islam and people who have never heard of it at all, but also to people who may have heard about it but what they learned was not correct or was not enough information for them to understand the basis of the religion or to make a proper judgment of it.
Those who have faith in God will be rewarded, even if they didn’t convert to Islam, as long the reason they didn’t convert is that they never received a true and complete understanding of the basics of Islam, and as long as they obeyed what did come to them from God.
My own viewpoint is very different from the orthodoxy and it springs from my belief about the purpose of religion. I think that if the purpose of religion is to foster a moral and ethical socity (I use these terms in purely secular context here), then it is clear that God should reward or punish people based on that. After all, it seems to me to be egoistic of God to require belief in Himself. If the purpose is to encourage good deeds, why not send everyone with good deeds to heaven regardless of whether they are Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu or atheist? That has always seemed to me to be the logical and right thing to do.
These thoughts were inspired by Burhan’s post about the importance a lot of people place on rituals and other minor do’s and don’ts of religion while forgetting the spirit.
We are given four heads [regarding morality]:
- Our faith should be true and sincere,
- We must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellow-men,
- We must be good citizens, supporting social organizations, and
- Our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances.
So why is it that people focus on such questions as:
- “Is it ok for a woman to wear sandles (exposing her toes and tops of feet) when praying or being in a mosque?”
- “is plucking ur eyebrows considered a sinful act?”
- “Is it permissible to drink milk with honey?”
It is so easy to get caught up in the do’s and don’ts that you loose sight of the forest for the trees..
I, the damned
According to Al-Muhajabah, as quoted in this post by Zack of Procastination, my best chance of entering paradise is to stop learning about Islam before I cross the critical threshold of “receiving a true and complete understanding of its basic…
you ask….
So why is it that people focus on such questions as:
well, you state:
I have always thought that the purpose of religion is to regulate societal interaction; to make the society work better.
that is the answer-sometimes the proximate utility of a law or regulation is less important than having a shibboleth that one can cohere around. for instance, pharisaec judaism was the only religion to survive the onset of christianity, partially because of their 612 commandments and cleanliness taboos put up a wall between them and the rest of society.
read darwin’s cathedral for an interesting view of the sociology of religion.
Thoughtful post, Zack. I didn’t know you were a lapsed agnostic!
Your viewpoint actually sounds a bit like the early Christian leader Pelagius. He denied original sin and considered goodness to be a matter of human will, so you didn’t have to be saved through Christ so long as you did good deeds. He was condemned as a heretic, although I think a lot of modern Christians hold aspects of his beliefs without realizing it.
I don’t know about Muslims, but it seems increasingly unpopular among Christians these days to declare who’s going to heaven and who isn’t. The Pope said recently that we really don’t know if anybody is in hell, even Judas.
The Pope said recently that we really don’t know if anybody is in hell, even Judas.
modern catholic doctrine has turned away from the position that grace can only be found within the church-though it does assert that its most fullest expression can be found there.
Muslim voices 8/9 to 8/16
Annie shares her thoughts about the blackout. Abdullah posts a reminder about emotions that are bad for us. Adnan reflects…
razib: Thanks, the book looks interesting. I might order it though interlibrary loan. One problem with studying in a technical school is the lack of other books.
The distinctive characteristics may help somewhat in creating a group but at the cost of a lot fo adherents.
Andrew: 🙂
Camassia: Thanks for the info. Most Muslims do realize that it is not up to them to declare who’s going to heaven or hell but some do have the habit of declaring anyone who differs with them as hell-bound.
Zack, there’s an Islamic answer to this question. It comes from Ala’uddin al-Bukhari al-Attar, one of the great Shaykhs of the Sufi Naqshbandi school.
Joe: Very interesting. Thanks for that quote.