Quran Garden

Session 360

Chapter 3

Verses 24 & 25

That is because they said, "The Fire shall not touch us, except for a few days," and so the lies they forged in their religion have deluded them. (Chapter 3: Verse 24)

Let's take a moment to study the verb "deluded." The Arabic origin غَر (Ghar) comes from الْغَرُورُ (Al-Gharour), which refers to the desire to attain something unattainable or inappropriate to have.  The word مغرور (Maghrour) is used to describe someone arrogant and egotistical.  An inexperienced, naive person is called غر (Ghar) because he or she can easily be fooled.  In fact, Allah uses the word الْغَرُورُ (Al-Gharour) to describe Satan in the Quran.  The Devil is the master deceiver.  God says:

People! God's promise is true, so do not let the present life delude you, and do not let the Deceiver delude you about God: Satan is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy. He invites his followers so that they may become the inhabitants of blazing fire. (35:5-6)

Satan adorns sin to people and urges them to chase after insatiable desires only to end up in misery.  How many celebrities do you know who fulfilled every desire only to fall into depression or worse? All they pursued turned to be the delusion of happiness.  God says:

Know that the present, worldly life is but a play, vain talk and ostentation, and mutual boasting among you while competing in wealth and children.  It is like when the rain comes down, and the vegetation grown by it pleases the farmers, then it dries up, and you see it turning yellow, then it becomes straw.  In the Hereafter, there is a severe punishment, but also forgiveness from God and His good pleasure, whereas the present, worldly life is but a transient enjoyment of delusion. (57:20)

God called Satan "the Deceiver" because he tempts us into chasing after illusions against our interest.  Allah paints for us the picture on the Day of Judgment where Satan disowns those who followed him.  God says:

When everything has been decided, Satan will say, "God gave you a true promise. I, too, made promises, but they were false: I had no power over you except to call you, and you responded to my call, so do not blame me; blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I reject the way you associated me with God before." A bitter torment awaits such wrongdoers. (14:22)

The phrase "I had no power over you except to call you" gives you valuable insight about your battle with the devil.  Always keep in mind that Satan does not possess the authority to compel you to do what you do not want, nor does he have the power to make you feel comfortable with sin.  In fact, Satan does not have any power or authority over any human being. 

Authority is of two types. The first type is forcing one to do an act he or she does not want to do; this is known as the "power of compulsion."  The second type is convincing a person to voluntarily do an act while he or she is content; this is known as the "power of persuasion." Satan does not have the power of compulsion nor the power of persuasion.  Sadly, his whispers often find an inclination and a desire within us, and thus we lend them an attentive ear and pursue them.  However, we should always keep in mind the end result of this struggle.  Satan will declare the facts to his followers on the Day of Resurrection, after it is too late.  He will say, "I had no authority over you, I had no arguments to convince you to do sins, nor did I have the power to force you to act, but you were flirting with sin and all I had to do was to give you a little nudge."  Perhaps even more devastating, Satan will confirm that he will not come to the aid of any of his followers. 

This brings us back to the verse.  God says, "and so the lies they forged in their religion have deluded them." In order to hoard wealth and power, some of the people of the book resorted to deception.  They fabricated words, attributed them to God, and then believed their own lies.  This is a terrible calamity because their lies involved people's faith.  Let me clarify.  If you deceive people in worldly matters and scam them out of their money, for example, the damage is limited.  But if you deceive people in their religion and change God's teachings, the damage is eternal.  Allah sent the scriptures to run the affairs of His creation.  Corrupting the scriptures ruins the lives of millions in this world and the next. 

Look at how the actions of a few corrupt clergies destroyed the lives of the Jews of Medina centuries later.  God says:

Didn't you see those who were given a share of the scripture? When they are called to God's Book to arbitrate between them in their disputes, a group from them turns away objecting.  That is because they said, "The Fire shall not touch us, except for a few days"; and so the lies they forged in their religion have deluded them. (3:23-24)

             The Jews of Medina rejected Prophet Muhammad's call to resort to God's Book in their disputes.  They reasoned that "The Fire shall not touch us, except for a few days." This was one of the fabrications added to the scriptures by their ancestors.  They further claimed that the number of days they would suffer in the Hereafter would be equal to the number of days their ancestors worshipped the golden calf.  These were all lies, and many of them knew it.  God answers:

How will they then fare when We gather them together for a Day of which there is no doubt, when every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and they will not be wronged? (Chapter 3: Verse 25)

All lies will come to an end.  God will expose every liar, cheater, and corrupt preacher.  He asks, "What will all these people do on the Day of Judgment?"  Throughout life, God had given them freedom of choice.  They did as they wished and were well aware of the consequences of their actions.  God made the reward for those who implement His teachings very clear and the punishment for those who do not clear as well.  How will such people behave when the Almighty will take away their freedom of choice on the Day of Judgment? 

Your freedom to do as you like is a great blessing from Allah.  But it is also a heavy responsibility.  Allah made your body parts subject to your will.  You can use your hand to give charity, or you can use it to steal or strike an innocent person.  On the Day of Judgment, however, your body parts will no longer obey your commands.  Instead, they will act independently and report your actions to God.  He says:

On the Day when their own tongues, hands and feet will all bear witness against them in regard to what they used to do.  On that Day, God will pay them in full their just due, and they will come to know that God is the Absolute Truth. (24:24-25)

The disbeliever's tongue was the instrument that proclaimed disbelief, but on the Day of Resurrection it will testify against him or her.  Similarly, the hand that was an instrument of disobedience will testify against its previous owner.  The skin, eyes, legs will all reveal to God the sins they were forced to do.  What a terrible scene!  Allah treats people justly based on their actions.  It is the people who treat themselves unjustly in this world.  God says:

How will they then fare when We gather them together for a Day of which there is no doubt, when every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and they will not be wronged?

(Chapter 3: Verse 25)