Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 15

(Ayah 15) ➊ { مَنِ اهْتَدٰى فَاِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِيْ لِنَفْسِهٖ … :} The meaning is that whoever walks on the straight path does not do a favor to anyone, rather its benefit reaches only him, and whoever deviates from it and walks on the wrong path, its consequence will also be upon him.

➋ {وَ لَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِّزْرَ اُخْرٰى…:’’ تَزِرُ ‘‘ ’’وَزَرَ يَزِرُ وِزْرًا‘‘} (ض) To bear a burden. {’’ وَازِرَةٌ ‘‘ } is an active participle and is the attribute of {’’نَفْسٌ‘‘} which is hidden here, meaning no soul will bear the burden of another soul, rather everyone will have to bear his own burden. There are several verses with this meaning; see Surah Al-An'am (164) and Surah Fatir (18), etc.

➌ In some verses, it is mentioned that some people will bear, along with their own sins, the sins of others as well, as in Surah An-Nahl (25) and Al-Ankabut (13): "They will bear their own burdens and also the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge." So, in reality, this is not the burden of others but their own burden due to misleading others; the sinner will bear his own burden. The meaning of the statement in Surah Al-Ma'idah (32) that a share of every murder's sin will be placed upon Adam's murderous son is also this. Similarly, the hadith narrated from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that "the deceased is punished due to the weeping of his family over him," the scholars have explained that this is when the deceased had made a will for it, or he knew his family would do so, but he did not stop them, because it was obligatory for him to save his family from Allah's disobedience. (See At-Tahrim: 6) If, despite his forbidding, someone wails or tears his collar, then he is free from it. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has made a chapter in {’’كِتَابُ الْجَنَائِزِ‘‘}: {’’ بَابُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَذَّبُ الْمَيِّتُ بِبَعْضِ بُكَاءِ أَهْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ ‘‘} meaning the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that the deceased is punished due to some types of weeping by his family. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: {’’ إِذَا كَانَ النَّوْحُ مِنْ سُنَّتِهٖ‘‘} meaning this is when wailing and listening to it was the deceased's way and habit, because Allah Almighty said: «قُوْۤا اَنْفُسَكُمْ وَ اَهْلِيْكُمْ نَارًا » [ التحریم : ۶ ] "Save yourselves and your families from the Fire." And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: [ كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤلٍ عَنْ رَّعِيَّتِهِ ] [ بخاري، النکاح، باب المرأۃ راعیۃ… : ۵۲۰۰ ] "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you will be questioned about his flock." So, when this was not the deceased's habit and way, then according to the statement of Umm al-Mu'mineen Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), «وَ لَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِّزْرَ اُخْرٰى » [ الأنعام : ۱۶۴ ] (and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another) will apply, meaning he will not be punished, and it will be like the divine statement: «وَ اِنْ تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ اِلٰى حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ » [فاطر : ۱۸ ] "And if a heavily laden soul calls to (another for) its load, nothing of it will be carried." [ بخاری، الجنائز، باب قول النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : یعذب المیت ببعض بکاء أھلہ علیہ…، قبل ح : ۱۲۸۴ ]

➍ {وَ مَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِيْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا :} This is a statement of Allah's mercy and His justice. He said that until We send a messenger who conveys Allah's commands to them and the proof is established, We never punish. Here, some commentators have discussed at length, with various opinions and their evidences, regarding those who die in childhood or in the time of ignorance, but such that a person cannot reach a conclusion, so I am writing this discussion in a clear manner.

From this verse, it is understood that children who die in childhood, whether they are of Muslims or polytheists, will not be punished. Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned in {’’بَابُ مَا قِيْلَ فِيْ أَوْلَادِ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ‘‘} the narrations of Ibn Abbas and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about the children of polytheists, so he (peace be upon him) said: [ اَللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوْا عَامِلِيْنَ ] [ بخاری، الجنائز : ۱۳۸۳، ۱۳۸۴ ] "Allah knows best what they would have done." After this, he narrated the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ كُلُّ مَوْلُوْدٍ يُوْلَدُ عَلَی الْفِطْرَةِ فَأَبْوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ، كَمَثَلِ الْبَهِيْمَةِ تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيْمَةَ، هَلْ تَرَی فِيْهَا جَدْعَاءَ؟ ] [ بخاری : ۱۳۸۵ ] "Every child is born upon the fitrah, then his parents make him a Jew, or a Christian, or a Magian, just as an animal gives birth to a complete animal—do you see any among them born mutilated?" From this hadith, it is understood that every child is born a Muslim. After this, he narrated the lengthy hadith of Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), in which it is mentioned that Jibreel and Mika'il (peace be upon them) took the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) one night and showed him many things. In this hadith, it is mentioned that we reached a lush garden in which there was a very large tree, at its root was an old man and many children. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked about the reality of these observations, the angels explained all of them at the end, and regarding this observation, they said that the old man was Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the children were the children of people. [ بخاری : ۱۳۸۶ ] Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated this hadith in more detail in {’’كِتَابُ التَّعْبِيْرِ، بَابُ تَعْبِيْرِ الرُّؤْيَا بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الصُّبْحِ [۷۰۴۷]‘‘}. In it, the angels said that the tall old man in the garden was Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the children around him were those who died upon the fitrah. Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that some Muslims asked: [ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ ! وَ أَوْلاَدُ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَ أَوْلَادُ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ ] "O Messenger of Allah! And the children of polytheists too?" So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "And the children of polytheists too." From the arrangement of Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), it is understood that until the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was informed by Allah about the children of polytheists, he left the matter to Allah's knowledge, but when he (peace be upon him) was informed, he explicitly stated that all children, whether of Muslims or polytheists, are destined for Paradise. However, in worldly rulings, the children of polytheists will have the same ruling as their fathers. Therefore, during battle or when taking slaves, their ruling will be that of the polytheists. However, if they recite the kalimah, they will be considered Muslims.

As for the people of the period of interruption and ignorance, i.e., those Arabs who died before the advent of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), it cannot be said about all of them that the message of Tawheed did not reach them from Allah, rather they considered themselves upon the religion of Ibrahim, and they were the descendants and nation of Ismail (peace be upon him). Due to the passage of a long time, it is possible that the detailed rulings of the religion were not known to them, however, despite the majority or even all people being involved in idol worship, there must have been some people among them who conveyed the message of Tawheed and the religion of Ibrahim, as even before the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), there were some people who did not worship idols; these people were called "Hunafa." Among them were Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail and Waraqah bin Nawfal. Thus, in Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated from Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them): [ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَقِيَ زَيْدَ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ بِأَسْفَلِ بَلْدَحٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّنْزِلَ عَلَی النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْوَحْيُ، فَقُدِّمَتْ إِلَي النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُفْرَةٌ فَأَبٰی أَنْ يَّأَكُلَ مِنْهَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ زَيْدٌ إِنِّيْ لَسْتُ آكُلُ مِمَّا تَذْبَحُوْنَ عَلٰی أَنْصَابِكُمْ، وَلاَ آكُلُ إِلَّا مَا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ زَيْدَ بْنَ عَمْرٍو كَانَ يَعِيْبُ عَلٰی قُرَيْشٍ ذَبَائِحَهُمْ وَ يَقُوْلُ الشَّاةُ خَلَقَهَا اللّٰهُ وَأَنْزَلَ لَهَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ الْمَاءِ، وَأَنْبَتَ لَهَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ، ثُمَّ تَذْبَحُوْنَهَا عَلٰی غَيْرِ اسْمِ اللّٰهِ ؟ إِنْكَارًا لِذٰلِكَ وَ إِعْظَامًا لَّهُ ] [ بخاری، مناقب الأنصار، باب حدیث زید بن عمرو بن نفیل : ۳۸۲۶ ] "The Prophet (peace be upon him) met Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail in the lower part of Baldah before Prophethood, and a tablecloth was presented before the Prophet (peace be upon him), but he refused to eat from it. Zaid said: 'I do not eat from that which you slaughter on your set-up idols, and I eat only that upon which Allah's name has been mentioned.' Zaid bin Amr used to criticize the Quraysh for their sacrifices and say: 'The sheep and goat are created by Allah, and He sent down water from the sky for it, and He caused plants to grow from the earth for it, then you slaughter it in the name of other than Allah.'" He would reject this act and consider it a great sin." Waraqah bin Nawfal, being disgusted with idol worship, became a Christian." [ بخاری، بدء الوحی، باب کیف کان بدء الوحی إلٰی رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ۲ ] And it is obvious that he became a monotheist Christian, not a polytheist of the Trinity, because then there would have been no need to leave idol worship and become a Christian, and it was due to this monotheism that he accepted the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). In Sahih Bukhari, Asma bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them) said: [ رَأَيْتُ زَيْدَ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ قَائِمًا مُسْنِدًا ظَهْرَهُ إِلَی الْكَعْبَةِ يَقُوْلُ يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ ! وَاللّٰهِ ! مَا مِنْكُمْ عَلٰی دِيْنِ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ غَيْرِيْ ] [ بخاری، مناقب الأنصار، باب حدیث زید بن عمرو بن نفیل : ۳۸۲۸ ] "I saw Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail standing with his back against the Ka'bah, saying: 'O assembly of Quraysh! By Allah, no one among you is upon the religion of Ibrahim except me.'"

In short, when even hundreds of years after Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them), there were people established upon Tawheed and openly delivering its message while standing at the Ka'bah, then the closer one goes to the time of Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them), there must certainly have been people established upon Tawheed and claiming to be upon the religion of Ibrahim. It was only after Amr bin Luhayy al-Khuza'i, who came from Yemen, that things were ruined, as he placed idols in the Ka'bah, after which the Quraysh also became involved in idol worship. Allah Almighty also said: «وَ اِنْ مِّنْ اُمَّةٍ اِلَّا خَلَا فِيْهَا نَذِيْرٌ» [ فاطر : ۲۴ ] "And there is no nation but that a warner has passed among them." This warner can also be a follower, as today, about 1421 years have passed since the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), yet his call continues in every region of the world, and the callers to Islam are fulfilling the duty of giving glad tidings and warnings. The summary of the whole discussion is that in the period of interruption, there can be two types of people, and even today both types exist: one, those to whom the call of Tawheed reached by some means, whether through someone established upon Tawheed or through his opponent, as Abu Sufyan, in his time of disbelief, presented the best summary of Islam before Heraclius, but then he did not listen attentively, nor did he bother to think, nor did he accept it, so there is no doubt about their being among the people of Hell. They cannot be called people of Paradise just because they are people of the period of interruption, as Allah Almighty said: «كُلَّمَاۤ اُلْقِيَ فِيْهَا فَوْجٌ سَاَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَاۤ اَلَمْ يَاْتِكُمْ نَذِيْرٌ (8) قَالُوْا بَلٰى قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيْرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَ قُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللّٰهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِنْ اَنْتُمْ اِلَّا فِيْ ضَلٰلٍ كَبِيْرٍ (9) وَ قَالُوْا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ اَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِيْۤ اَصْحٰبِ السَّعِيْرِ (10) فَاعْتَرَفُوْا بِذَنْۢبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًا لِّاَصْحٰبِ السَّعِيْرِ» [ الملک : ۸ تا ۱۱ ] "Whenever a group is cast into it (Hell), its keepers will ask them, 'Did there not come to you a warner?' They will say, 'Yes, a warner did come to us, but we denied and said, Allah has not sent down anything; you are only in great error.' And they will say, 'If only we had listened or used reason, we would not be among the companions of the blazing Fire.' So they will confess their sins, so away with the companions of the blazing Fire."

These are the people about whom Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [لَيَنْتَهِيَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ يَفْتَخِرُوْنَ بِآبَائِهِمُ الَّذِيْنَ مَاتُوْا، إِنَّمَا هُمْ فَحْمُ جَهَنَّمَ، أَوْ لَيَكُوْنُنَّ أَهْوَنَ عَلَی اللّٰهِ مِنَ الْجُعَلِ الَّذِيْ يُدَهْدِهُ الْخِرَاءَ بِأَنْفِهِ ] [ ترمذي، المناقب، باب في فضل الشام والیمن : ۳۹۵۵، حسنہ الألباني ] "Some people who take pride in their dead ancestors, who are merely coals of Hell, should stop taking pride in them, otherwise they will be more humiliated before Allah than the dung beetle that pushes dung with its nose." In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called those who died in the time of ignorance the coals of Hell. For more details, see the commentary of Surah At-Tawbah, verse (113), in any book of tafsir.

Now, as for the people of the period of interruption who truly did not receive the message, this is not limited to the people of the period of interruption only; even now, if there is truly a person in any part of the world who has not received the message at all, then under this verse {’’ وَ مَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِيْنَ حَتّٰى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلًا ‘‘}, he will not be punished until the proof is established, even if the proof is established on the Day of Resurrection. As far as I have studied, among the ahadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) regarding these people, the most authentic is the one narrated from Aswad bin Sari' and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Four people will present their argument on the Day of Resurrection: a deaf man who could not hear anything, a foolish man, an extremely old man, and a man who died during the period of interruption. The deaf man will say, 'O my Lord! Islam came but I could not hear anything.' The foolish man will say, 'O my Lord! Islam came and I had no sense, and children would throw dung at me.' The extremely old man will say, 'O my Lord! Islam came and I could not understand anything.' And the one who died during the period of interruption will say, 'O my Lord! No messenger from You came to me.' So Allah will take their firm covenant that they will obey whatever He commands. Then a message will be sent to them to enter the Fire. So whoever enters it, it will become coolness and safety for him, and whoever does not enter will be dragged into it." [ مسند أحمد : 24/4، ح : ۱۶۳۰۷۔ ابن حبان : ۷۳۵۷ ] In Sahih al-Jami' (881), Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it Sahih. Ibn Kathir said that Ishaq bin Rahwayh narrated it from Mu'awiyah bin Hisham in this way, and Bayhaqi narrated it in Kitab al-I'tiqad with the chain "Hanbal from Ali bin Abdullah" and said this chain is Sahih. Respected Zubair Ali Zai, in the referencing of the Urdu Tafsir Ibn Kathir, wrote a similar hadith regarding the people of ignorance as Hasan, referencing Hakim (4/449, 450).

From this hadith, it is understood that although Allah knows what a person would have done if the message had reached him, yet the excuse of these four will not be left, rather, on the Day of Resurrection, after their test, they will be dealt with according to its result. However, there is no authentic narration regarding the testing of children. [ وَاللّٰہُ أَعْلَمُ وَعِلْمُہُ أَتَمُّ ]

15. 1 However, those who are misguiders will have to bear, along with the burden of their own misguidance, the burden of the sins of those who were led astray by their efforts (without any reduction in the sins of those people), as is clear from other places in the Quran and from ahadith. In reality, this will be the burden of their own sins which they earned by leading others astray.

15. 2 Some commentators have taken this to mean only worldly punishment, i.e., they will not be exempt from the punishment of the Hereafter. However, it is clear from other places in the Noble Quran that Allah will ask people: "Did My messengers not come to you?" to which they will answer in the affirmative, from which it is understood that without the sending of messengers and the revelation of books, He will not punish anyone. However, the decision as to which nation or individual did not receive His message, He Himself will make on the Day of Resurrection; there, certainly, no one will be wronged. Similarly, there is the issue of the deaf, insane, those lacking intellect, and those who died in the period of fatrah (the interval between two prophets). Regarding them, some narrations mention that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will send angels to them and they will say to them: "Enter Hell." If they obey Allah's command and enter Hell, then Hell will become cool and peaceful for them; otherwise, they will be dragged and thrown into Hell. Musnad Ahmad. Allamah Albani has mentioned this in Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir. There is a difference of opinion regarding small children: the children of Muslims will go to Paradise, but regarding the children of disbelievers and polytheists, there is disagreement—some say to withhold judgment, some say they will go to Paradise, and some say to Hell. Imam Ibn Kathir has said that they will be tested on the Plain of Gathering; whoever obeys Allah's command will go to Paradise, and whoever disobeys will go to Hell. Imam Ibn Kathir has preferred this view and said that this reconciles the apparently contradictory narrations. For details, see Tafsir Ibn Kathir. However, from the narration of Sahih Bukhari, it is understood that the children of polytheists will also go to Paradise.

15. Whoever accepts guidance, it is only for his own benefit; and whoever goes astray, the burden is only on him. And no bearer of burden [14] will bear the burden of another. And We never punish until We have sent a messenger [15].

[14]
Accountability Will Be Individual; In Collective Sins, Each Individual Will Receive Their Share:

This is a very important part of the law of reward and punishment, that is, "whoever does, will bear the consequences." The burden of one person's sin cannot be transferred to another. And as much as someone's sin is, they will definitely receive that much punishment, and only that much—neither less nor more. The important point that is understood from this verse is that everyone will be questioned individually. No person will be able to absolve themselves by placing the burden of their sin on society; rather, it will be seen how much share that particular individual had in the collective crime. Accordingly, they will be punished. Therefore, every person should keep an eye on their own character. They should not look at what others are doing, nor should they take such support. Such support will be of no use; rather, one should keep an eye on their own deeds and actions.

[15]
Completion of Proof Before Punishment:

The second important part of the law of reward and punishment is that before punishing the criminal, completion of proof is necessary. This condition is necessary for worldly punishment as well as for punishment in the Hereafter. One form of completion of proof is the Covenant of Alast or the natural inclination, and the sending of prophets and books are things that highlight this natural inclination, reminding one of that same covenant. And that covenant is that the Lord of the entire universe is only Allah Almighty alone, who has no partner; therefore, only He should be worshipped.