Allah said,
[وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا
لِجَهَنَّمَ]
(And surely, We have created for Hell) We made a share in the Fire for,
[كَثِيرًا مِّنَ
الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ]
(many of the Jinn and mankind) We prepared them for it by their performance
of the deeds of its people. When Allah intended to create the creation, He knew
what their work will be before they existed. He wrote all this in a Book, kept
with Him, fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and earth. Muslim
recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّ اللهَ قَدَّرَ
مَقَادِيرَ الْخَلْقِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِخَمْسِينَ
أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاء»
(Verily, Allah decided the destination and due measurement of the creation
fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and earth, and His Throne was
over the water.) There are many Hadiths on this subject, and certainly, the
matter of Al-Qadar is of utmost importance, yet this is not where we should
discuss it. Allah said,
[لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لاَّ
يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لاَّ يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌ
لاَّ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَآ]
(They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith
they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not.) meaning, they do not
benefit from these senses that Allah made for them as a means of gaining
guidance. Similarly, Allah said,
[وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ
سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلاَ
أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلاَ أَفْئِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ
بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ]
(And We had assigned them the (faculties of) hearing, seeing, and hearts; but
their hearing, seeing, and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to
deny the Ayat.) [46:26]. Allah also said about the hypocrites,
[صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌ
فَهُمْ لاَ يَرْجِعُونَ ]
((They are) deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not (to the right path))
[2:18], and about the disbelievers,
[صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌ
فَهُمْ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ]
((They are) deaf, dumb and blind. So they do not understand.) [2:171]
However, they are not deaf, dumb or blind, except relation to the guidance.
Allah said;
[وَلَوْ عَلِمَ
اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُم
مُّعْرِضُونَ ]
(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen;
and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away with
aversion (to the truth).) [8:23],
[فَإِنَّهَا لاَ
تَعْمَى الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَلَـكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِى فِى الصُّدُورِ]
(Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are
in the breasts that grow blind.) [22:46], and,
[وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن
ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَاناً فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ - وَإِنَّهُمْ
لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ ]
(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious
(Allah), We appoint for him Shaytan to be an intimate companion to him. And
verily, they hinder them from the path, but they think that they are guided
aright!)[43:36-37] Allah's statement,
[أُوْلَـئِكَ
كَالأَنْعَـمِ]
(They are like cattle), means, those who neither hear the truth, nor
understand it, nor see the guidance, are just like grazing cattle that do not
benefit from these senses, except for what sustains their life in this world.
Allah said in a similar Ayah,
[وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً
وَنِدَآءً]
(And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of one who shouts to
those who hear nothing but calls and cries.) [2:171] meaning, their example,
when they are called to the faith, is the example of cattle that hear only the
voice of their shepherd, but cannot understand what he is saying. Allah further
described them
[بَلْ هُمْ
أَضَلُّ]
(nay even more astray), than cattle, because cattle still respond to the call
of their shepherd, even though they do not understand what he is saying. As for
the people described here, they are unlike cattle, which fulfill the purpose and
service they were created for. The disbeliever was created to worship Allah
alone in Tawhid, but he disbelieved in Allah and associated others in His
worship. Therefore, those people who obey Allah are more honorable than some
angels, while cattle are better than those who disbelieve in Him. So Allah said;
[أُوْلَـئِكَ
كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ]
(They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless
ones.)
[وَللَّهِ
الأَسْمَآءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِى
أَسْمَـئِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ]
(180. And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by
them, and leave the company of those who belie His Names. They will be requited
for what they used to do.)