Quran Garden

Session 417

Chapter 3

Verses 90 & 91

Indeed those who turn faithless after their faith and then advance in faithlessness, their repentance will never be accepted, and it is they who are the astray. (Chapter 3: Verse 90)

In the previous verse, Allah highlighted the way to salvation through repentance and good deeds to erase the mistakes of the past.  In this verse, He speaks about those who disbelieved after faith and then went even further.  Such people have lost all access to God's mercy. 

Here you may wonder, how could a disbelieving person increase in disbelief? We answer that some people are not satisfied by rejecting faith; they want others to join them, so they try to corrupt their family and friends.  This is an increase in disbelief. 

This verse addresses some of the Jews who believed in the glad tidings which foretold the arrival of our beloved Jesus, yet, when he came, they disbelieved and fought him.  They did the same regarding Muhammad.  They disbelieved in Jesus first and then increased in disbelief by denying Muhammad; at the same time, they claimed to be God's chosen children and beloved.

A common adage says, "The person who breaks the promise of repentance is a person who ridicules his Lord."  In other words, some people declare repentance with their tongue but never correct their mistakes or embrace faith sincerely.  May God protect us all.

Now we move to the next verse in Al-Imran.  God says:

Indeed, those who disbelieve and die as disbelievers, no ransom even if it were as much gold as to fill the earth will be accepted from any of them.  For them, there will be an agonizing punishment, and they will have no helpers. (Chapter 3: Verse 91)

God points out the disbelievers who never repent and then die as such.  Here, we should take a moment to explain the phrase "no ransom even if it were as much gold as to fill the earth will be accepted from any of them." Does it refer to this life or the hereafter?  We answer that the phrase applies to both. 

Suppose a disbeliever died but spent enough gold to fill the entire earth on good causes during his life.  We say that such spending will not benefit you in the hereafter because you have committed the greatest disloyalty.  Since you were not a believer in God, then you did not spend this money for His sake but had some other goals in mind.  So do not expect a reward or even recognition from the One you denied.  Thus, Allah will not accept this person's charity even if it equals the weight of the earth in gold. 

Some people wonder, is it conceivable that a person who comes up with an invention that saves millions of lives will not benefit from it on the Day of Judgment?  Could great inventors and philanthropists end up in Hellfire if they are disbelievers?  We answer that you earn your reward from the one you worked for.   We gave the example of an engineer who works for BMW and designs an outstanding safety feature. Would he or she expect to get a salary from Mercedes Benz or Pepsi? Of course not; that is not who he or she worked for.  Similarly, disbelieving inventors and philanthropists do not work with God in mind, so they should not expect any reward from the Lord.  They worked for humanity, money, and fame, and they have received their compensation in full.  University halls were named after them; they have statues and books commemorating their work, and some have earned great wealth.  God says:

But the actions of the disbelievers are like a mirage in the desert.  A thirsty man mistakes it for water but, when he reaches it, he finds it to be nothing at all, and he finds God there. He will pay him his account in full.  God is swift at reckoning. (24:39)

A mirage is an optical phenomenon where the reflection of sunlight off of the desert sand appears as a pool of sparkling water.  The thirsty traveler rushes towards it filled with hope to only find more sand and heat.  Similarly, the disbeliever is deceived by the illusion that life will end at death, only to be surprised by the hereafter and the existence of God.  Even then, there is hope that the charity and good deeds he or she did in life will be enough for salvation, but that too is an illusion.  Such a person will not be saved by good deeds, nor by anyone who steps up to intercede, even with enough gold to fill the earth.  God says:

The Day when they will come forth, with nothing of them being hidden from God. Whose is the absolute Sovereignty on that Day? It is God's, the One, the All-Overwhelming. (40:16)

And in another chapter:

If the evildoers possessed the earth's assets twice over, they would offer them to ransom from the terrible suffering on the Day of Resurrection: God will show them something they had not reckoned with. (39:47)

Lastly:

And beware of a Day when no soul can stand in for another. No compensation will be accepted from it, nor intercession is of use to it, nor will anyone be helped. (2:123)

The verse ends with, "For them, there will be an agonizing punishment, and they will have no helpers." We have explained before that the severity of an action is directly proportional to the power of the doer.  In this case, the punisher is the Almighty, so the severity of the punishment is proportionate to His power.  Can anyone withstand such a penalty?