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 Sahib,

In one of your recent answers you included in your list of shayateen Pharoah, Karoon, Hamaan, Abu Jahl, Hitler, Sharoon, Saddaam and George Bush.

You did not mention the names of monsters like Osama bin Laden and Aiman al Zawahiri. Do you sympathize with what these evil people do, or do you believe that they are slightly misguided naughty little boys who would be forgiven what they do. Do you believe that it is ok for us Muslims to commit attrocities against mankind but when other people do the same, they are acting like shayateen.

(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:

Why not include Ossama as shaytaan?

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.

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, by no means were the few names we listed from the history of mankind were meant to be the full list of all the ‘shayateen’ amongst mankind! If one wishes to list Osama bin Laadin and Aiman al-Zawahiri in the same list, they definitely have the freedom to do so!

Beloved Brother, it is not as if the All-Knowing, All-Wise Lord will decide who is successful and who is a failure in the Hereafter according to the lists made by man! Allah Subhanah, High and Exalted that He is, Knows very well the conditions and intentions of each and every one of His creation; and He Alone has the Sole Power and Right to decide and determine accurately who amongst His creation receive His Mercy, and who amongst His creation deserve His Wrath and Anger.

Neither was it our intention to produce such a list, nor does any man have the power and knowledge and information to make such a list!

Your Question: Do you sympathize with what these evil people do, or do you believe that they are slightly misguided naughty little boys who would be forgiven what they do.

Dear and Beloved Brother, Allah Subhanah Alone Knows the conditions and intentions of each in His creation, and He Alone will decide who amongst them are worthy of his mercy and forgiveness, and who amongst them deserve His Wrath and Anger and Unbearable Punishments!

Neither you, nor I, nor any amongst creation can save whom Allah Subhanah judges as guilty in the Hereafter; and neither you, nor I, nor any amongst creation can punish whom Allah Wills to honor in the Hereafter! It is Allah Subhanah Alone Who is the Majestic Master and Supreme Judge of the Day of Judgment.

Your Question: Do you believe that it is ok for us Muslims to commit attrocities against mankind but when other people do the same, they are acting like shayateen.

All human beings are the creation of Allah Subhanah, and He Alone Will Judge with Absolute and Perfect Justice amongst them on the Day that is sure to come.

If one is guilty of committing aggression and atrocities against mankind, regardless of whether one claims to be a Muslim or Non-Muslim, he will receive his due, just, and full punishment in the Just and Supreme Court of the Majestic Lord.

Thus, it would matter little, in fact it would matter none at all, what I believe, or what any amongst mankind believe or are made to believe; what transpires on that Day in the Presence of the Just Lord will be the only thing worthy of True Belief!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 99 Surah Zalzalah verses 6-8:

6 On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out to be shown the Deeds that they (had done).

7 Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good see it!

8 And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.

We sincerely seek your forgiveness and the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah if anything we said (and in this specific case ‘we did not say’) that prompted a misunderstanding in the understanding of the deen.

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