Quran Garden

Session 436

Chapter 3

Verses 107 & 108

But those with brightened faces will be in God's mercy, there to remain.

(Chapter 3: Verse 107)

In the previous verse, Allah spoke of the people whose faces will change on the Day of Resurrection to reflect their deeds.  He says,

On the Day when some faces brighten, and others darken.  It will be said to those with darkened faces, "How could you reject your faith after believing?  Taste the torment for doing so." (3:106)

However, only the destination of the disbelievers was mentioned.  In the verse under study, Allah talks about the destination of those whose faces are bright: the believers.  He says,

But those with brightened faces will be in God's mercy, there to remain.

(Chapter 3: Verse 107)

Take note that when God talks about the believers' rewards, it comes in one of two ways.  Listen to the following two examples: 

And those who believe and do good, righteous deeds – We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity – they are the companions of Paradise; and therein they will abide.  (7:42)

And in another chapter,

As for those who have faith in Allah, and hold fast to Him, He will admit them into His mercy and grace, and He will guide them on a straight path to Him. (4:175)

What is the difference between being admitted into paradise or into God's mercy?  The answer depends on the intentions of the believer.  A believer who worships God seeking the bliss of heaven will be admitted into it.  Whereas, the believer who worships God because He deserves to be worshipped -regardless of the reward- will be admitted into God's mercy. 

Here you may be wondering, what is the difference between heaven and mercy?  Heaven is created by God and will remain as long as He wills whereas mercy is one of God's attributes; being admitted into mercy is being in God's company.  Where would you rather be?  In God's blessing, or with God Himself?  

Keep in mind that all the pleasures of paradise from food to drink and amazing gardens are not required for the sustenance of life.  In paradise, you enjoy eternal youth that does need nourishment.  The only longing you will have is to be in God's company.  Listen to the following verses.  God says:

On that Day there will be radiant faces, gazing at their Lord.  (75:22-23)

Those who were preoccupied with the Lord in life attain a superior level of paradise called 'illiyoun.' It is a place where there is only the one over-consuming pleasure: being with Allah.  Those who followed God's teachings to earn the luxuries of Paradise will attain them, and those who obeyed God because He is worthy of worship will be granted the pleasure of seeing Him.  Seeing the One who blesses is far superior to all other enjoyments.  The precise words of the Quran explain that mercy surrounds those righteous servants and encompasses them.  They are a part of it.      

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

These are God's revelations: We recite them to you with the truth.  God does not will any injustice for His creatures.  (Chapter 3: Verse 108)

God's revelations –translated from the Arabic Ayat- are the verses of the Quran, the magnificent creations in the universe, and the proofs that point to the existence of God.  He says, "We recite them to you with the Truth."  Here we ask, what makes a person lie?  There must be a reason, and more often than not, it is because the truth is inconvenient.  It may bring you troubles, or burden you with extra work and explanation.  So you choose to lie because it is easier.  But is there anything that burden the Creator?  Is there something that is difficult or inconvenient for God?  No, God is free from any need or defect and He does not fear any consequences.  Thus, Allah speaks nothing but the truth.  

The verse continues with, "God does not will any injustice for His creatures." He Almighty negates injustice from himself as He said:

Whoever does good does it for his own soul and whoever does evil does it against his own soul: your Lord is never unjust to His creatures.  (41:46)

Injustice can take many forms.  You can be unjust to others by punishing them for something they did not commit, or you can punish a person more severely than they deserve for the crime.  You can also be unjust by not paying a person for a service they did, or pay them less than they deserve.  All such actions reflect injustice.  Here we ask, why do people commit injustice?  Because they wants to gain a benefit or satisfy a desire.  For example, you may punish an innocent person to satisfy your hatred, or falsely accuse someone to remove your business competition out of the way.  Many people do not pay for services they received to save money and so on. 

Again we ask, does God stand to benefit from anything you and I do?  Does he need or fear anything we have?  Of course not.  Allah is just in all His actions.  He says in a sacred narration -Hadith Qudsi-: "O my servants, I have forbidden injustice for myself and I have forbidden it among you, so do not oppress one another."

I would like to take a few moments to explain how the unjust person is stupid.  When you commit injustice against another person, you actually make them stronger.  I know that the motivation behind injustice is to take something that is not yours and, thus, make yourself stronger and the other weaker, but in reality the opposite happens.  I will give you an example from everyday life.  Let's say that you have two children, and you are sitting watching them play with Legos.  Your youngest child seems jealous of the nice car the older one built, so he goes and starts bothering his brother.  He takes a few Lego pieces first and then steps on the car and breaks it.  The youngest kid has satisfied his feeling of jealousy, but how did that make you feel as a parent?  More specifically, how do you feel about the older child who was wronged?  You are very likely to sympathize with the oppressed child and try to make it up for him.  You may buy him a new toy, or sit down with him to build an even better car.  In short, the unjust child may have temporarily harmed his brother but he brought him closer to you.  The oppressed child is now much stronger because they have you in their corner. 

We are all God's children.  What does God do when he sees one of his creations oppressing another?  The Almighty takes the oppressed under his care, and in this way the oppressor strengthens their enemy.  Had the oppressor been smart, he would have left everyone alone.  The immediate benefit or satisfaction you get from wronging others will pale in comparison to your loss of God's compassion. 

An unjust ruler may escape punishment in this world, but he or she will not escape from the Creator.  Allah is the the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful.  Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him.  He says,

The disbelievers should not think that it is better for them that We give them more time: We give them rein only that they may grow in sin and wickedness.  For them is a humiliating punishment.  (3:178)