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Human Accountability and the Concept of Sin
From an ethical perspective, there are three significant views prevalent in the world about man: 1. That man is born with a mind or nature that is like a white paper. This is the materialists' view of man, as they maintain that inherently he is neither sinful nor innocent. 2. That man is born a sinner. This is the Christian view of man, as they believe that the original sin committed by the first man, Adam, is inherited by all his children. 3. That man is born without sin and is basically innocent. This is the Islamic view of man, which is in keeping with the Qur'anic position that all humans are in a state of fitrah (innate purity) until they are mature enough to exercise a conscious and deliberate choice of good or evil. In order to keep humans accountable for their actions, religious teachers have instituted certain codes of law drawing on sacred texts, apart from giving homilies on the importance of leading a virtuous life. Halakhah (Hebrew for the Jewish law), for instance, is particularly noteworthy in this regard. In Halakhah, there are the original Ten Commandments given in the Torah (enshrined in the first five books of the Bible) as well as the laws instituted by the rabbis, based on long-standing customs. The Christians believe that YHWH (Jehovah – God), Who gave those laws, eventually came down to the earth in the form of a "Son of God" called Jesus and "saved" humanity from sin by dying on the Cross. They also claim that by the death of Jesus on the Cross, the Mosaic Law of the Jews lost its validity.1 The Muslims believe that from the beginning of mankind on earth, God had been sending His messengers to lead mankind along the right path. The essential message of all these prophets was the same: The people should live by the divine guidance they brought. And all the prophets brought laws suitable for their times only, except the last prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), through whom the earlier laws were amended or confirmed to finalize them for the whole of mankind for all time. It is particularly important to note that the message of the earlier prophets was distorted in the course of time; and even the books of God had been corrupted. Thus, it was necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff and re-affirm the truth contained in the older scriptures, brought by the earlier prophets. Muhammad's mission was unique in this respect. Unlike Christianity, Islam emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability. In other words, the core of Islamic ethics is justice and freedom of choice. That is why the doctrine of vicarious atonement is abhorrent to Islam as sinners cannot be "saved" by punishing the innocent. Because the judgment of an action is dependent, first and foremost upon the motive derived from the faith of the person, only God can be the true judge of our actions, as other humans cannot know of the real motive and the impelling faith or philosophy behind it. This is evident from a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention. Thus, he whose migration was to God and His Messenger, his migration is to God and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Also note the following verses of the Qur'an: [Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and whoever goes astray, goes astray to his own loss; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another's burden. Moreover. We would never punish (any community for the wrong they may do) ere We have sent a messenger (to them)] (Al-Israa' 17:15) [On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns] (Al-Baqarah 2:286) The points stressed in the above verses are: 1. We get the benefit for whatever good we do, and we get the punishment for whatever evil we do. 2. Nobody is made to carry the burden of another. This means that the sins of our parents are not visited upon us. 3. God will not punish a person or community unless a messenger came to them earlier, warning them of the consequences of their evil deeds. The Qur'an teaches clearly that this world is a testing ground for us. God says that He will test us by good fortune and bad fortune to reward those who are best in deeds: [He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.] (Al-Mulk 67:2) [Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss of wealth and lives and crops, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere] (Al-Baqarah 2:155) On the basis of the foregoing, we should view the birth defects or the calamities we face in life as opportunities to earn God's pleasure. We can do so by being grateful to God when we are fortunate and by being patient when we face misfortunes. It is by our own willful choice that we earn our reward from Allah or the punishment we deserve: We build our own heaven or hell. We know for sure that God will not let us free if we follow our lusts, forgetting His commandments. The reason is that God does not do the injustice of punishing an innocent person in the place of the guilty: [No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.] In short, in Islam, man is accountable for his beliefs and actions, as Allah is the God of perfect justice.
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