Creational Conditions and Conventional Conditions
Creational Conditions and Conventional Conditions
Usually, people compare the Divine rules in creation, reward and punishment, and salvation and perdition to the human societal rules, even though these affairs are in accordance with creational and actual conditions and are a portion of them, whereas social conditions and rules follow conventional, man-made rules. Social rules can follow conventional conditions, but the rules of creation, and among them Divine reward and punishment, cannot follow these conditions, and instead follow creational conditions. To clarify the difference between a creational system and a conventional system, we present an example:
We know that in social systems, every country has its own particular rules and laws. Social rules, in some issues, differentiate between two people who are equal in physical and creational conditions, but different with respect to conventional conditions.
For example, when they wish to hire someone in Iran, if an Iranian and an Afghani apply for the job and both are equal in terms of creational conditions, it is possible that the Iranian will be hired rather than the Afghani, simply because he is not an Iranian. In this case, if the Afghani says that I am completely equal in terms of physical conditions to the Iranian who was hired – if he is healthy, I too am healthy, if he is young, so am I, if he is a specialist in such-and-such a field, so am I – he will be given the answer that administrative rules do not permit us to hire you.
Based on a conventional and man-made decision, the position of this same Afghani individual can change and become like others; that is, he can apply for and receive Iranian citizenship. It is obvious that citizenship papers have no effect on his actual personality; but from the view of social rules, he has become another person. Normally, the observance of conventional conditions is concurrent with a lack of observance of equality in actual and creational conditions.
But in issues that do not follow social and conventional rules and instead follow only creational conditions, the case is different.
For example, if – God forbid – an illness or an epidemic comes to Iran, it will not differentiate between a citizen of Iran and that of another country. If an Iranian and an Afghani are equal with respect to temperamental, environmental, and all other conditions, it is impossible for the bacteria that cause illness to discriminate and say that since the Afghani is not a citizen of Iran, I have nothing to do with him. Here, the issue is of creation and nature, not society and societal conventions; the issue pertains to creation, not to legislation and rule-making.
The Divine rules with respect to reward and punishment and salvation and perdition of individuals are subject to actual and creational conditions. It is not the case that if someone claims, “Since my name is recorded in the register of IslÄm and I am Muslim by name, I must have special treatment,” it will be accepted of him or her.
Let there be no confusion; here we are concerned with the discussion of reward and punishment, salvation and perdition, and the conduct of God with His servants; we are not talking about the laws that IslÄm has legislated in the Muslims’ social life.
There is no doubt that the laws of IslÄm, like all other legislations of the world, are a series of conventional laws, and a series of conventional conditions has been observed within them. And in these laws which are related to their worldly life, human beings, out of necessity, must follow a set of conventional conditions.
But the actions of God, and the operation of Divine will in the system of creation – including the granting of salvation and leading to perdition of individuals and rewarding and punishing them – do not follow social rules, and instead are of another type altogether. God, in carrying out His absolute will, does not act on the basis of conventional rules. Conventional matters which naturally have a major effect on social systems have no role in the creational will of God.
From the viewpoint of the rules which IslÄm has legislated that pertain to the social conduct of human beings, whenever a person recites the two testimonies, he or she will be recognized as a Muslim and will benefit from the advantages of IslÄm. But with regard to the rules of the hereafter and from the viewpoint of God’s conduct, the laws of:
ÙÙŽÙ…ÙŽÙ†Ù’ ØªÙŽØ¨ÙØ¹ÙŽÙ†ÙÙ€Ù€ÙŠ ÙÙŽØ¥ÙÙ†Ù‘ÙŽÙ‡Ù Ù…ÙÙ†ÙÙ‘Ù€ÙŠ
“Whoever follows me, is from me…”
Ø¥ÙÙ†Ù‘ÙŽ Ø£ÙŽÙƒÙ’Ø±ÙŽÙ…ÙŽÙƒÙÙ…Ù’ Ø¹ÙÙ†Ù’Ø¯ÙŽ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‘ÙŒÙ‡Ù Ø£ÙŽØªÙ’Ù‚ÙŒÙƒÙÙ…Ù’
“Verily the most honourable of you near God is the most pious of you.”
The Messenger of God (S) said:
Ø£ÙŽÙŠÙ‘ÙÙ‡ÙŒØ§ Ø§Ù„Ù†Ù‘ÙŒØ§Ø³Ù Ø¥ÙÙ†Ù‘ÙŽ Ø£ÙŽØ¨ÙŒØ§ÙƒÙÙ…Ù’ ÙˆÙŒØ§ØÙØ¯ÙŒØŒ ÙˆÙŽØ¥ÙÙ†Ù‘ÙŽ Ø±ÙŽØ¨Ù‘ÙŽÙƒÙÙ…Ù’ ÙˆÙŒØ§ØÙØ¯ÙŒØŒ ÙƒÙÙ„Ù‘ÙÙƒÙÙ…Ù’ Ù„Ø¢Ø¯ÙŽÙ…ÙŽ ÙˆÙŽØ¢Ø¯ÙŽÙ…Ù Ù…ÙÙ†Ù’ ØªÙØ±ÙŒØ§Ø¨ÙØŒ Ù„Ø§ÙŒ ÙÙŽØ®Ù’Ø±ÙŽ Ù„ÙØ¹ÙŽØ±ÙŽØ¨ÙÙŠÙÙ‘ Ø¹ÙŽÙ„Ù‰ Ø¹ÙŽØ¬ÙŽÙ…ÙÙŠÙÙ‘ Ø¥ÙÙ„Ø§Ù‘ÙŽ Ø¨Ù’Ø§Ù„ØªÙ‘ÙŽÙ‚Ù’ÙˆÙ‰
“O people! Verily your father is one, and your Lord is One. All of you are from Adam, and Adam was from dust. There is no pride for an Arab over a non-Arab, except through piety.”
SalmÄn al-FÄrisÄ« , who strove to reach truth, reached such a station that the Noble Messenger (S) said of him,
Ø³ÙŽÙ„Ù’Ù…ÙŒØ§Ù†Ù Ù…ÙÙ†Ù‘ÙŒØ§ Ø£ÙŽÙ‡Ù’Ù„ÙŽ Ø§Ù„Ù’Ø¨ÙŽÙŠÙ’ØªÙ
“SalmÄn is one of us, the People of the House.”
There are some who have come under the influence of satanic whisperings and have contented themselves with the thought: “Our name is among the names of `AlÄ« Ibn AbÄ« Å¤alib’s (as) friends. However we may be, we are considered his subjects. Or we will make a will that a large sum out of the money that we have acquired through wrong means or that we should have spent in our lifetime in good causes – but didn’t – should be given to the caretakers of one of the holy shrines in order for us to be buried near the graves of God’s saints, so that the Angels don’t dare punish us.”
Such people should know that they have been blinded and the curtain of negligence has covered their eyes. Their eyes will open when they will find themselves drowned in Divine punishment and they will suffer from such regret that if it were possible to die, they would do so a thousand times. So let them awake from the slumber of carelessness today, repent, and make up for what has passed.
ÙˆÙŽ Ø£ÙŽÙ†Ù’Ø°ÙØ±Ù’Ù‡ÙÙ…Ù’ ÙŠÙŽÙˆÙ’Ù…ÙŽ Ø§Ù„Ù’ØÙŽØ³Ù’Ø±ÙŽØ©Ù Ø¥ÙØ°Ù’ Ù‚ÙŽØ¶Ù‰ Ø§Ù„Ø£ÙŽÙ…Ù’Ø±Ù ÙˆÙŽ Ù‡ÙÙ…Ù’ ÙÙÙŠ ØºÙŽÙÙ’Ù„ÙŽØ©Ù ÙˆÙŽ Ù‡ÙÙ…Ù’ Ù„Ø§ÙŒ ÙŠÙØ¤Ù’Ù…ÙÙ†ÙÙˆÙ†ÙŽ
“And warn them (of) the day of regret, when the affair will be decided while they are negligent and don’t believe.”
From the point of view of the Qur’Än and the IslÄmic traditions, it is definite that the sinner, even if Muslim, will be punished by God. True, since he or she has faith, he or she will in the end achieve salvation and liberty from Hell, but it may be that this salvation will only come after years of hardship and punishment.
Some people’s account of sins will be cleansed by the hardships of dying; another group will pay the penalty for their sins in the grave and barzakh (intermediary realm between this world and the next); another group will get their retribution in the horrors of Resurrection and difficulties of accounting for their deeds; and yet others will go to Hell and linger there for years in punishment. It has been narrated from the sixth ImÄm, Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-ÅœÄdiq (as) that the verse:
Ù„ÙŒØ¨ÙØ«ÙÙŠÙ†ÙŽ ÙÙÙŠÙ‡ÙŒÙ€Ù€Ø¢ Ø£ÙŽØÙ’Ù‚ÙŒØ§Ø¨Ø§Ù‹
“…lingering therein for ages…”
pertains to those who will attain salvation from Hell.
Here we mention some examples of traditions which talk of the punishments of the time of death and after death so that they may help us take notice, awaken, and prepare ourselves for the daunting and dangerous stations which we have ahead of us.
1. Shaykh KulaynÄ«narrates from ImÄm Ibn Muhammad as-ÅœÄdiq (as) that `AlÄ« Ibn AbÄ« Å¤alib (as) was once suffering from pain in the eye. The Prophet Muhammad (S) went to visit him at a time when he was crying out from the pain. He said, “Is this cry from impatience, or because of the severity of pain?” AmÄ«rul Mo’minÄ«n `AlÄ« Ibn AbÄ« Å¤alib (as) replied, “O Messenger of God, I have not suffered any pain like this until today.” The Prophet (S) began to narrate the terrifying account of what happens to unbelievers when they die. Upon hearing this, `AlÄ« (as) sat up and said, “Messenger of God, please repeat this account for me, for it made me forget my pain.” Then he (as) said, “O Messenger of God! Will anyone from your community face such a death?” He replied, “Yes: a ruler who oppresses, one who usurps the property of an orphan, and one who bears false witness.”
2. Shaykh ÅœadÅ«q narrates in the book ‘Man LÄ Yah°uruhu al-FaqÄ«h’ that when Dharr, the son of AbÅ« Dharr al-GhifÄrÄ« , died, Abu Dharr stood by his grave, put his hand on the grave, and said: “God have mercy on you; I swear by God that you were good to me and now that you have left me I am pleased with you. I swear by God that I am not worried because of your leaving; nothing has been diminished from me, and I am in need of none but God. And were it not for the fear of the time of notification, I would wish that I had gone in your place. But now I wish to compensate for what has passed and prepare for the next world, and verily my grief for your sake has prevented my grief over you. [That is, I am absorbed in thinking about doing something that could benefit you, and so I have no time to grieve at being separated from you.] I swear by God that I have not wept on account of your separation, but I have cried thinking about how you are and what you have gone through. I wish I knew what you said and what was said to you! O God! I have forgiven the rights that You had made obligatory on my son for me, so You too forgive him Your rights over him, for magnanimity and generosity are more befitting of You.”
3. ImÄm Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-ÅœÄdiq (as) narrates from his noble ancestors that the Prophet Muhammad (S) said, “The squeezing in the grave for a believer is an atonement for the shortcomings he or she has committed.”
4. `AlÄ« Ibn IbrÄhÄ«m narrates from ImÄm Ja`far Ibn Muhammad as-ÅœÄdiq (as) regarding the verse:
ÙˆÙŽ Ù…ÙÙ†Ù’ ÙˆÙŽØ±ÙŒØ¢Ø¦ÙÙ‡ÙÙ…Ù’ Ø¨ÙŽØ±Ù’Ø²ÙŽØ®ÙŒ Ø¥ÙÙ„Ù€Ù‰ ÙŠÙŽÙˆÙ’Ù…Ù ÙŠÙØ¨Ù’Ø¹ÙŽØ«ÙÙˆÙ†ÙŽ
“…and beyond them is a barrier until the day they shall be resurrected.”
that he said:
ÙˆÙŽØ§Ù„Ù„Ù‘ÙŒÙ‡Ù Ù…ÙŒØ§ Ø£ÙŽØ®ÙŒØ§ÙÙ Ø¹ÙŽÙ„ÙŽÙŠÙ’ÙƒÙÙ…Ù’ Ø¥ÙÙ„Ø§Ù‘ÙŽ Ø§Ù„Ù’Ø¨ÙŽØ±Ù’Ø²ÙŽØ®ÙŽ ÙÙŽØ£ÙŽÙ…Ù‘ÙŒØ§ Ø£ÙØ°ÙŒØ§ ØµÙŒØ§Ø±ÙŽ Ø§Ù„Ø£ÙŽÙ…Ù’Ø±Ù Ø¥ÙÙ„ÙŽÙŠÙ’Ù†ÙŒØ§ ÙÙŽÙ†ÙŽØÙ’Ù†Ù Ø£ÙŽÙˆÙ’Ù„Ù€Ù‰ Ø¨ÙÙƒÙÙ…Ù’
“I swear by God, I fear nothing for you except barzakh; as for when the affair is committed to us, we are more worthy of you.”
That is, our intercession is related to after barzakh; there is no intercession in barzakh.
In general, there are so many Qur’Änic verses and clear traditions regarding the punishment for sins such as lying, backbiting, false accusation, treachery, oppression, usurping other’s property, drinking, gambling, tale-bearing, defaming, abandoning prayer, abandoning fasting, abandoning pilgrimage, abandoning JihÄd, and so forth that it is beyond reckoning; none of them are exclusive to the unbelievers or non-ShÄ«`as.
In the tradition of the Mi`rÄj (Prophetic ascent to Heaven), we find many examples where the Prophet Muhammad (S) says: “I saw various groups of my community, men and women, in different forms of punishment, who were being punished on account of various sins.”
 Mustadrak al-WasÄ'il, Volume 1, Page 24
 al-KÄfÄ«, Volume 2, Page 464
 BihÄrul AnwÄr, Volume 12 (KumpÄnÄ« print)
 Ibid., Volume 11, Page 25, “Chapter on the Noble Morals of the Fourth ImÄm”
 BihÄrul AnwÄr (Ä€khÅ«ndÄ« print), Volume 21, Page 111, from Attributes of the ShÄ«`a by Shaykh ÅœadÅ«q.
 Sharh (Commentary) of Nahjul BalÄgha by ibn Abil Ä¤adÄ«d, Volume 2, Page 863
 BihÄrul AnwÄr (old print), Volume 10, Page 65
 Meaning that the person bears witness that there is no creature or entity worthy of worship except for AllÄh and that MuÄ¥ammad is His Prophet and Messenger. (Tr.)
 Al-Qur'Än, SÅ«rat IbrÄhÄ«m (14), Verse 36
 Al-Qur'Än, SÅ«ratul Ä¤ujurÄt (49), Verse 13
 TÄrÄ«kh al-Ya`qÅ«bÄ«, Volume 2, Page 110
 Al-Qur'Än, SÅ«rat Mariam (19), Verse 39
 Al-Qur'Än, SÅ«ratul NabÄ' (78), Verse 23
 BihÄrul AnwÄr (KumpÄnÄ« print), Volume 3, Page 376-7
 Shaykh `AbbÄs QummÄ« , ManÄzilul Ä€khirah (IslÄmiyya print), Page 5-6
 Ibid., Page 24-25
 BihÄrul AnwÄr (KumpÄnÄ« print), Volume 3, Page 153, from ThawÄbul A`mÄl and al-AmÄlÄ« of Shaykh SadÅ«q
 Al-Qur'Än, SÅ«ratul Mu'minÅ«n (23), Verse 100
 BihÄrul AnwÄr (KumpÄnÄ« print), Volume 3, Page 151, from TafsÄ«r `AlÄ« ibn IbrÄhÄ«m