Imam Laiq Ahmed Atif | Read this article in Maltese

“He who follows the right way follows it only for the good of his own soul: and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his own loss. And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another.” (17:16) “And no soul acts but only against itself; nor does any bearer of burden bear the burden of another.” (6:165)

Both these verses of the Holy Quran shed sufficient light when we discuss the subject of ‘religion, disability and suffering’. Both these verses categorically reject the notion that any illnesses or disabilities in babies born are due to the sin or burden of any other soul. This notion has nothing to do with religion and Islam also in clearest terms rejects this ideology or stigmatisation.

The above mentioned verses purport to say that every man shall have to carry his own cross and bear his own burden; and that man himself has to face the consequences of his actions.

What is Sin?

Before, going further, let us discuss: What is Sin? Sin is an activity which renders the human soul spiritually sick and incapable of truly viewing the face of God or gaining his nearness.  When the soul moves towards the purpose of its creation, challenges must be encountered through this undertaking. Activities which amount to sin are either physical, whose dangers are visible to oneself as well as to others, or are spiritual.

According to Islam, “Every child is born true to nature.” The children who have not yet reached an age of understanding remain innocent and are not liable to any punishment, nor can their misbehaviour or any wrongdoing on their part be called a sin. For example, if a young child steals a bar of chocolate, he will not be charged with theft and will be considered innocent due to his understanding not having matured enough to make the distinction between right and wrong or virtue and sin, or what is legal and illegal. Furthermore, if God forbid, that child dies at an early age, he will go to heaven as according to Islam, a child that dies before their understanding of sin and virtue, their every deed will qualify as being innocent.

So, how does Islam see the situation of someone who was born with any particular condition?

First of all we must acknowledge that the blessings God has bestowed upon us are innumerable and that our knowledge is incomplete in comparison to God, therefore, we are unable to fully comprehend the wisdom of every action of God the Almighty.

Secondly, if there wasn’t any suffering, how would we have understood what happiness and contentment is? Suffering was crucial for humans to evolve into conscious beings and in understanding happiness. Another aspect of the existence of suffering is that human beings learnt the lesson of benevolence as well as the values of humanity through it. Had there not been any suffering, how would we have learned the values of gratefulness, kindness, and empathy?

Now, imagine a world where terrible diseases do not exist and that all humans are equal. This would again mean that life comes to a complete halt and there would be no need for human progress. The burning inner desire of every human in striving to bring about improvements within themselves and their conditions is undoubtedly the result of coexistence of suffering and happiness.

A driving force for scientific investigation

Furthermore, there are many secrets of human progress hidden in the divine decree of Allah the Exalted. Suffering becomes a driving force for scientific investigation, discovery, and progress for mankind. Very recently, we have witnessed with our very eyes and experiences how the Covid-19 pandemic drove humanity to a complete standstill and there was unspeakable suffering all over the world. It moved humans towards an unprecedented struggle to get rid of human suffering and discomfort. This hardship and affliction led to the invention of vaccinations that have provided cure, health, and comfort to mankind along with better ways of thinking and working.

Factually speaking, many defects that exist are due to genetic disorder or human negligence but the important thing to note is, it still has nothing to do with the sin. For instance, medical science has proven that certain weaknesses of parents affect their children. If full care is not taken during pregnancy, it can sometimes have a detrimental effect on the health of the unborn child. Mothers who are dieting sometimes have weak babies.

Similarly, if a mother uses illicit drugs during her pregnancy, naturally it will also have negative effects on the child. This is why doctors advise women to avoid alcohol consumption, smoking and sugary drinks during their pregnancy and should instead eat healthy and adopt a healthy lifestyle for the sake of their child’s health and their own. It is therefore a law of nature that children inherit both good and bad aspects from their parents, they take good health and genetics from them as well as illnesses. If they did not inherit diseases or ailments from their parents, they would also not inherit the good things.

True inheritors of Allah’s unlimited reward

I would like to conclude with a quotation of the Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad^aba, from his Friday Sermon delivered on 2^nd October 2015; he says:

“Those who persevere through hardships and remain patient are the true inheritors of Allah’s unlimited and incalculable reward. Therefore, it is necessary for a believer to understand the meaning of patience. Patience does not mean that a person should not feel sorry for any loss, but rather that one should not let any loss or pain overwhelm them to the point of losing their senses, becoming hopeless, and not utilising their practical abilities. So, to some extent, it is okay to allow ourselves to feel regret or sadness, but it is important to channel those emotions into positive actions even more than before and move forward with renewed determination to achieve even higher goals.”