Is Hell Not Counter-intuitive ?
Question:
Salaam!
Thank you for being open to questions. My question today is: Doesn't the idea of Hell seem counter-intuitive? Personally, it doesn't make much sense to me that an all-knowing God would create us just as a test to see who worships Him (and does good deeds), when there is so much reasonable doubt in this life and knowing that there will be many people who fail. Additionally, the idea that our limited lives are subject to eternal damnation and, frankly, torture seems to run counter to the notion of a compassionate and merciful God.
Answer:
Salam,
I might be able to clear your mind about this if I can make two points clear:
1. God does not test us. This is a very inaccurate translation of the word ibtila in the Qur'an. Ibtila can be more accurately translated as 'putting to challenge'. This life is full of challenges so that we can bring out our good potential and become better people. Read this for more detail: Test or Challenge.
2. All the references to the hereafter are allegorical ones. It is beyond our comprehension to understand what exactly happens in the hereafter. The allegorical description of the hereafter is provided in a way that it would work for the primary addressees of the Qur'an, that are the Arabs at the time of the prophet (pbuh). This allegorical description includes references to an eternal hell. The primary purpose of these descriptions is to effectively warn the primary addressees of the Qur'an to be mindful of the challenge that they are facing and to leave their ungodly and immoral ways of life. As the history shows, for the primary addressees of the Qur'an, and for many Muslims, this allegorical description worked and was by no means counter-intuitive.
If you feel that the description of hell does not work for you then you just need to remind yourself that this description is an allegorical one. What really matters is that the way we run our lives in this world determines our status in the hereafter. A bad way of living can cause such a bad state in the hereafter that can be described allegorically as an eternal hell.
I hope this helps.
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Farhad Shafti
June 2017
Salaam!
Thank you for being open to questions. My question today is: Doesn't the idea of Hell seem counter-intuitive? Personally, it doesn't make much sense to me that an all-knowing God would create us just as a test to see who worships Him (and does good deeds), when there is so much reasonable doubt in this life and knowing that there will be many people who fail. Additionally, the idea that our limited lives are subject to eternal damnation and, frankly, torture seems to run counter to the notion of a compassionate and merciful God.
Answer:
Salam,
I might be able to clear your mind about this if I can make two points clear:
1. God does not test us. This is a very inaccurate translation of the word ibtila in the Qur'an. Ibtila can be more accurately translated as 'putting to challenge'. This life is full of challenges so that we can bring out our good potential and become better people. Read this for more detail: Test or Challenge.
2. All the references to the hereafter are allegorical ones. It is beyond our comprehension to understand what exactly happens in the hereafter. The allegorical description of the hereafter is provided in a way that it would work for the primary addressees of the Qur'an, that are the Arabs at the time of the prophet (pbuh). This allegorical description includes references to an eternal hell. The primary purpose of these descriptions is to effectively warn the primary addressees of the Qur'an to be mindful of the challenge that they are facing and to leave their ungodly and immoral ways of life. As the history shows, for the primary addressees of the Qur'an, and for many Muslims, this allegorical description worked and was by no means counter-intuitive.
If you feel that the description of hell does not work for you then you just need to remind yourself that this description is an allegorical one. What really matters is that the way we run our lives in this world determines our status in the hereafter. A bad way of living can cause such a bad state in the hereafter that can be described allegorically as an eternal hell.
I hope this helps.
--------
Farhad Shafti
June 2017
