1. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims
  2. Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

19 Questions

I have heard that those born blind in this world will be so greatly rewarded and compensated for it in the Hereafter that they would wish they had more handicaps in this life. Is this true?
Zaid Alsalami

Bismihi ta'ala

I would like to just share one beautiful hadith we have that speaks about the abundant reward of a blind person. In our Islamic traditions and culture, we do not see the word a'maa, or blind being used to describe a person who does not have the sense of sight. In honouring and empowering them, more positive words are used, like baseer, makfuf, and so on, with each one having a great meaning. 

This hadith is from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.):

 مَنْ لَقِيَ اَللَّهَ مَكْفُوفاً مُحْتَسِباً مُوَالِياً لآِلِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ لَقِيَ اَللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ لاَ حِسَابَ عَلَيْهِ

Whoever meets Allah, being blind, but tolerating it with patience, and devoted to the Progeny of Muhammad (a.s.), he/she will be meeting Almighty God and will not be judged for anything. 

Yes, we understand that this does not mean a blind person man sin as he/she wishes, but it means that the Almighty has assured the believer who is deprived of something in this world, that they will be compensated and rewarded for it in this world, in other things, and also in the Hereafter.

With prayers for your success.
Is a criminal still liable for punishment in the hereafter if he has already served the judicial sentence in this world for his crime?
Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

If the criminal gets his Islamic punishment in this life, no punishment will be on him in the Day of Judgment for that crime. 

If the criminal repents and compensates the victim and seeks forgiveness from hem and from Allah (SW), Allah is The Most Merciful and Best Forgiver.

Wassalam.
What do the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (as) teach about seeing Allah either in this world or the hereafter?
Zoheir Ali Esmail

Thank you for your question. While the scriptural sources refer to the possibility of seeing Allah, they also establish that God is above physical sight, as that would limit Him. Hence, the references in the scriptural sources can be understood metaphorically, meaning that seeing God refers to seeing the bounties of God for example.

The other way to understand these references is to say that God cannot be seen with the physical eyes and nothing of His Essence can be known, but His manifestations can be comprehended with the eyes of the heart. Therefore, these references to seeing Allah are to do with the sight of the heart. 

In the Nahj al-Balagha, Sayyid Radi narrates that when Imam Ali (as) was asked by Dha'lab al-Yamani if he had seen his Lord he replied by saying:

"Should I serve what I don't see?!"

Da'lab continues to ask the Imam (as) how he sees God and the Imam replies:

"Eyes do not perceive Him by the witnessing of things, but the hearts percieve Him by the realities of faith! [He is] close to things but not associated, far from them but not separated."

May you always be successful.