Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Burhan Brother

Assalama-el-iukum
I have perused your reply and it does not satisfy me in term of logic or reasoning. I have personally witnessed around and also experienced with me that chain rings of human fate (of both types i.e. one with in scope of struggle and other beyond that) is inter knitted by Allah in such a way that events keep taking place accordingly.

Human being is made of chemical composition of which ratio proportion differ from individual to individual and so is the brain, a vital body organ. Brain consists of numerous fluids & tissues and the combined effect of these constituents lead to to different brain rays, actions  and reactions. It causes and lead to different behaviours and attitudes of man kind.

Major part of brain behavior relates to genetic transfers from parents, enviorments in which groomed  and the thoughts / nature of inter-relationship between parents during the days when inter-course was performed. A man goes to a shop to buy some thing and finds another associate at that shop who (associate) tells the first man to go to certain office as there is a vacancy. He goes next day and gets the job. Who gave that thought to both to go to same shop at a synchronised timings. Who created the need or shortage of certain items to be purchaed from that shop. Nothing but Allah. Allah creates all those links.

Similarly in case adverse happens in terms of worldy matters or obedience of Islamic lines, it is all either by brain cells functions or circumstances automatically developed in a manner that a certain event (good or bad) takes place.  Both factors are beyond the scope of human limitations. Having possessed with proportionate / unproportionate brain cells or automatic development of circumstances resulting favourable / unfavourable way, both are not with in the control of man. So why man is punishable on day of judgement.

Kindly reply me individually as I do not want you to publish it for all on your mail. Beacuse it is a sensitive issue / delegate matter and I do not want some reader to be misled or go astray by my question. I have, by the grace of Allah, more than srong faith in HIM and normally avoid such questons but seeing you on mail for quite some time and visualising your command over Islamic knowledge, I have come up with this question to you.

Thanks and High Regards

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Brain has no control of the nafs

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Statement: Kindly reply me individually as I do not want you to publish it for all on your mail. Beacuse it is a sensitive issue / delegate matter and I do not want some reader to be misled or go astray by my question. I have, by the grace of Allah, more than srong faith in HIM and normally avoid such questons but seeing you on mail for quite some time and visualising your command over Islamic knowledge, I have come up with this question to you.
Beloved brother, may Allah Subhanah increase yours and our faith in Him, and give us the wisdom to understand His Teachings and Guidance, and give us the courage and patience to obey and follow His Commands.

My beloved brother, since you have specifically instructed us not to publish your question on the forum, we will abide by your instruction. But we humbly request you to reconsider your position, as the question you have asked might indeed be in the hearts of other people (believers and non-believers alike); and maybe, just maybe, they have not been able to ask this question to any Islamic scholar in the fear of being rebuked. Beloved brother, the deen of Islam is so Vast and so Logical, that there is absolutely no question which cannot be asked or answered from the Truth of the Quran and Sunnah. Allah Subhanah sent His Messenger (saws) with the Truth, so that he (saws) may declare its teachings and guidance to all of mankind. If your intention is indeed to understand and follow the Truth, never ever should you hesitate to ask a scholar a question in Islam; and if the scholar is truly answering from the Quran and Sunnah, he should never ever rebuke or ridicule anything asked by a believer who is sincerely seeking the knowledge of Truth.

We thus humbly request you to give us your permission to post this answer on our forum so that some other brothers and sisters might benefit from it; but if you still think that your question might be the reason for someone’s misguidance, then we will abide by your instruction.

May Allah Subhanah help you and us, have mercy on you and us, guide you and us, and give you and us the wisdom, courage, and patience to follow this path of Truth to His satisfaction. Ameen.

Your Question: Having possessed with proportionate / unproportionate brain cells or automatic development of circumstances resulting favourable / unfavourable way, both are not with in the control of man. So why man is punishable on day of judgement.

It is indeed true that using the faculty of the brain, each person evaluates the environment he is born into in a favorable or unfavorable way. Brains and its proportionate cells are not bestowed by the Creator on mankind alone; for Allah has given brains even to the animate beings. An animal too perceives, accepts, and reacts using his brain cells, but there is a major difference in the construction of man and animals! Allah Subhanah has given man two things which He has not given any amongst His creation, except the Jinns:

1.      Intelligence and the Power of Reasoning,

2.      A Free Will to choose what path he wants to follow.

Animals will perceive and accept his environment using his brain cells, and will react with the natural instinct bestowed upon them by the Creator to live their life. They do not have the capacity to use their intelligence, or reason; nor do they have a free will to choose between virtue and evil. They just simply react with the instincts the Creator has bestowed upon them.

A dog will always remain faithful to his master, no matter how evil, dishonest, or a tyrant his mater may be; for the dog does not have the capacity to choose between good and evil and choose a better master for himself who is righteous!

A tiger when hungry will attack and eat whatever prey that comes his way; even if the prey happens to be the man who reared and fed him since he was a cub! The animals, although they too have a brain are driven by their instincts, rather than intelligence or reason or free will.

But Allah has given man a ‘nafs’ or ‘soul’, and inspired it with what is good and what is evil.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 91 Surah Ash-Shams verses 7-10:(I Swear) by the ‘nafs’ and He Who proportioned it. Then enlightened it to its wickedness and its piety. Truly successful was he who purified it (his nafs); and a failure he who corrupts (or suppresses) it.!

Therefore, when one organizes the list of good and evil, no matter what religion or path one follows; the good will always be considered as the good, and the evil will always be considered as evil!

All of mankind, no matter what, where, and from which environment, culture, upbringing, or nation he comes from, are unanimous regarding the list of what is good. Charity is good, speaking the truth is good, taking care of children and orphans is good, honesty is good, humility is good, etc.

Similarly, all of mankind are unanimous regarding the list of evils; murder is evil, burglary is evil, dishonesty is evil, taking the rights of others is evil, telling lies is evil, etc.

There is an absolute agreement between mankind regarding the list of good and evil! If the development of the brain which (I quote from your statement) ‘consists of numerous fluids & tissues and the combined effect of these constituents lead to to different brain rays, actions  and reactions. It causes and lead to different behaviours and attitudes of man kind. Major part of brain behavior relates to genetic transfers from parents, enviorments in which groomed  and the thoughts / nature of inter-relationship between parents during the days when inter-course was performed’. If the brain alone was responsible for the actions of man, without any reasoning or a free will of its own, then man would have been just like an animal and acted upon it’s instincts!

But as we know from experience, man does not act solely on instincts! He evaluates every option available to him (good and evil), and of his own free will chooses to do what he decides!

Example: a murderer decides to murder some one, and his ‘nafs’ tells him it is an evil and wrong deed; but he corrupts and suppresses the judgement of his ‘nafs’, and of his own free will decides to murder someone for a personal or material gain!

Similarly an honest person finds a wallet on the road that does not belong to him. His ‘nafs’ gives him two options, (1) keep the wallet and the money that does not belong to him, and (2) return it back to its rightful owner. The honest person of his own free will, decides to give the wallet back to its owner and thus chooses to do the right and good deed, instead of doing evil.

When man does evil, his ‘nafs’ (soul or inner voice) tells him it is evil; and when man does good, his ‘nafs’ confirms with him that his deed is good!

That is the precise difference between the natural instinct of an animal, and the reasoning and free will a man has when doing a deed; although both have been bestowed with ‘brains’ by the Creator! And this is precisely the test Allah Subhanah has Decreed for mankind!

The All Mighty Lord sent His Messengers with His Guidance and Teachings to all of mankind. Whoever amongst mankind, with his given intelligence and the power of reasoning, and of his own free will, chooses to strive to find, believe, accept, and follow the approved Path and Law of Allah Subhanah for a period of one life-time, will earn the Pleasure and Good Will of the Merciful Lord. And whoever amongst mankind, with his intelligence and power of reasoning and of his own free will, chooses to deny, reject, and disobey the Path and Law decreed by his Creator, will have a severe accounting on the Day of Judgement!

Your Question: both are not with in the control of man. So why man is punishable on day of judgement.

Whatever is not in the control of man, he will have absolutely no accounting for that on the Day of Judgement! But whatever deed man does based on his intelligence and power of reasoning, and of his own free will; man will be held accountable for these deeds alone!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naaziat verses 34-41:

34 Therefore when there comes the Great Overwhelming (The Day of Judgement)

35 The Day, when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for

36 And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see

37 Then for such as had transgressed all bounds

38 And had preferred the life of this world

39 The Abode will be Hell-Fire;

40 And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal), and had restrained (their) ‘nafs’ from lower Desires

41 Their abode will be the Garden.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2:He (Allah) created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 29:Proclaim, “This (Quran) is the Truth from your Lord: now whosoever wills may accept it, and whosoever wills may reject it.” (As for those who reject it) We have prepared for such workers of iniquity a fire whose flames have encircled them. There, if they ask for water , they will be given a drink like the dregs of oil, which will burn their mouths! What an evil drink, and what an evil abode!

Thus, whoever with the bestowed intelligence and power of reasoning, and of his own free will chooses to follow the Path approved by Allah Subhanah, passes the test ordained upon mankind by His Creator; and whoever with the bestowed intelligence and power of reasoning and of his own free will chooses to follow any path other than the one approved by Allah Subhanah, fails the test of life miserably.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan