An-Najm 53:38–42

Scriptures of Musa and Ibrahim علیہما السلام Special Guidance and Teachings

Whenever any command, statement, action or teaching of Allah is quoted in the Qur'an from the scriptures of the former Prophets (علیہم السلام) it means that it is obligatory for this 'Ummah to act upon it, unless there is an explicit text abrogating the previous teachings. Forthcoming eighteen verses elaborate on the special teachings of the scriptures of Holy Prophets Musa and Ibrahim (علیہما السلام) . Of them only two of the previous teachings are concerned with practical life. The rest are meant to advise, warn and draw attention to the Signs of Allah. The two verses [ 38] and [ 39] concerned with prescriptive teachings are as follows:

None shall carry the Burden of Any Other on the Day of Resurrection

أَلَّا تَزِرُ‌ وَازِرَ‌ةٌ وِزْرَ‌ أُخْرَ‌ىٰ ﴿38﴾ وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ ﴿39﴾

(It was) that no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of the other, [ 38] and that a man shall not deserve but (the reward of) his own effort, [ 39]

The word wizr originally means a burden, and the verse purports to say that every man shall have to carry his own wrongdoings, whether disbelief or sin, and none else shall carry his burden of sin, as Allah states in [ 35:18].

وَإِن تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَىٰ حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ

And if a person carrying a heavy load calls (someone) to (share) his load, nothing from it shall be carried (by the latter), even though he be a near of kin [ 18]

By load or burden is meant the load or burden of sin and its punishment, signifying that on the Day of Resurrection the punishment of one will not be given to another, nor will anyone have the choice to pay for another's sin as the verse quoted above clearly indicates.

This verse also refutes the thinking of the person which was narrated above as Background of Revelation: He had become a Muslim or was going to become one, and his friend rebuked him, saying that if any punishment is meted out to him, he guarantees him that no harm will come to him. The friend assured him that he would bear the burden of his punishment, and save him. This verse further clarifies that in matters, such as these, there is no possibility that one person may commit the sin and another is held accountable to pay the price.

As for the Hadith of Ibn ` Umar ؓ ، as recorded in Sahihain, that the dead are punished because of the weeping and wailing of their families on his death, it relates to the person who himself used to weep and wail for the deceased and was wont to it, or who had advised his heirs to weep and wail for him after his death. (Mazhari). In this case he is punished for his own deed, not on account of other people's deed.1

(1). It should be noted here that if one weeps on the death of a person in a way that he or she cannot control his or her emotions, it is not a sin in Shari'ah. The wailing that has been prohibited is a particular type of wailing that was customary in Pre-Islam Arab society, and is still in vogue in some areas, in which one would cry loudly, often in an artificial manner, and would invite others to weep, slapping his face, tearing his clothes and complaining of the destiny. It is this type of formal wailing that is meant here by the esteemed author. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

The second injunction is contained in verse [ 39[وَأَن لَّيْسَ لِلْإِنسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ

(and that a man does not deserve but [ the reward of ] his own effort,....53:39) The summary of this verse is that just as no person shall carry the burden of sin of any other, so shall he benefit only from the good that he himself has done. It is not the case that a person performs a righteous act instead of someone else, and the latter is absolved of his responsibility. For example, if a person performs the obligatory prayers and fasts on behalf of somebody else, the latter will not be absolved of his religious duties and obligations. He is still liable for them. Likewise, if a person embraces faith on behalf of somebody else, the latter cannot be regarded as a believer.

Thus interpreted, no juristic problems arise in connection with this verse. However, some superficial questions do arise regarding Hajj and Zakah. In times of necessity Shari` ah permits to perform Hajj on behalf of somebody else, or pay Zakah on his behalf with his permission. How is this possible? A careful analysis of the two situations does not pose any problem: In the case of Hajj-e-Badal, the sender of a person to perform this type of pilgrimage bears the expenses himself, 2 and thus it is his [ the sender's ] own act for which he will be rewarded. In the case of Zakah, appointing someone to pay is also the act of the person who made the appointment, and not that of the appointee. Therefore, the two cases are not in conflict with verse [ 39].

(2). It should be kept in mind that this is allowed only when one is unable to perform Hajj due to a physical constraint, and therefore his obligation becomes limited to sending someone else with his own expense. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

Offering Reward of Good Deeds to others

In the foregoing section we have explained that verse [ 39] means that no person can perform an obligatory act, such as faith, prayers and fasts, on behalf of some other person to free him of his religious duties. He will be able to benefit only from the good he himself has done. This, however, does not imply that a person cannot perform supererogatory acts and proffer their reward to someone else. There is ample textual evidence of Shari'ah that a person can supplicate or give charity or do any other good deed and proffer its reward to others. Further, there is an overwhelming consensus of the Ummah on this issue. (Ibn Kathir)

However, only Imam Shafi` i (رح) differs on this issue. He says that the reward of recitation of the Qur'an cannot be proffered to anyone else. He takes the above verse in a general sense and argues that the rewards of the purely bodily acts of worship, such as the prayer, fasting and recitation of the Qur'an and so on, cannot be passed on to any other person. According to Imam Abu Hanifah (رح) and majority of the leading jurists, it is permissible. They are that just as it is possible to pray for and proffer the reward of charity to another person, so likewise it is possible to recite the Qur'an and perform other voluntary prayers to pass the reward to another person who will receive it. Qurtubi says, in his Tafsir, a large number of Traditions bear testimony to the fact that a believer will receive the reward of the righteous acts of another person. Tafsir Mazhari has, on this occasion, collected all the relevant Traditions which prove that another person does receive the benefit of اِیصِالِ ثَوَاب Isal-e-Thawab (proffering the reward of good acts).

The foregoing verses have elaborated on two issues with reference to the scriptures of Prophets Musa and Ibrahim (علیہما السلام) [ 1] No one will bear the burden of another's sin and punishment; and [ 2] No one shall be freed of his Shar’ i obligations, unless he himself performs them. These two rules of law were available in the Shari’ ah of all the Prophets. However, they are especially mentioned in relation to Musa and Ibrahim (علیہما السلام) probably because in their days an evil custom had taken deep root that the son used to be killed instead of the father; and father, brother, sister or some other member of the family used to be killed instead of the son. The Shari’ ah of these prophets abolished all the evil customs of the Dark Age.

وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَ‌ىٰ (and that his effort will soon be seen...53:40) In other words, outer actions of a person are not sufficient. Allah will take into account the real, inner motive and driving force behind them whether they were performed with the sincerity of purpose, or they were done with some ulterior motive. The Holy Prophet t is reported to have said:

اِنَّمَا الاَعمَال بِالنِّیَّاتِ

"Actions shall be judged only by the intentions."

That is, the outer aspect of actions is not sufficient. The inner aspect is also necessary. Actions must be performed purely for the good pleasure of Allah and in compliance with His command.

وَأَنَّ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّكَ الْمُنتَهَىٰ (and that to your Lord is the end [ of every one ],... 53:42) This means that ultimately everyone will return to Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and give an account of his actions.

Some of the commentators interpret that this statement purports to say that the access of human thought and imagination ends with Allah. The reality of His Being and attributes cannot be discovered by human imagination, because they are beyond conceptualization. Thus we are clearly prohibited from deliberating (See Ma’ ariful Qur’ an, Vol.2/pp 277-280 [ Tr.]) in His Being and His Attributes. There are narrations that tell us to ponder over the manifestation of His Attributes and bounties, and not to conceptualize His Being and His Attributes or Qualities, the reality of which should be left to the Divine Knowledge only.