[Born Crippled: Is It Because Sins Are Inherited?!]
It is true that Islam does not believe in inherited sin or curse.
Muslims do not accept the view that someone's physical defect is a
punishment given to him/her instead of their father. Islam teaches that
the justice of God is all-pervading and that there is no question of His
punishing one person for the sin of another. This fact is emphatically
and categorically stated in the Qur'an, where God says what means:
*{Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own
good; and whoever goes astray, goes but 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 an apostle (to them).}* (Al-Israa' 17:15)
The points stressed in the above verse are:
1. You get the benefit for whatever good you do; and you get the punishment for whatever evil you do.
2. Nobody is made to carry the burden of another. This means that the sins of your father are not visited upon you.
3. God will not punish a person or community unless a messenger came to
them earlier, warning them from the consequences of their evil deeds.
Here you ask why God creates some people as eunuchs, dwarfs and
cripples, etc. The Noble 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. The Qur'an says what
means:
*{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
in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings
to those who patiently persevere.}* (Al-Baqarah 2:155)
On the basis of the above verses, Muslims view birth defects or
calamities we face in life as opportunities to earn God's pleasure. They
do so by being grateful to God when they are fortunate and by being
patient when they are faced with misfortunes. For instance, when we see a
blind man, we become thankful to God for giving us sight; and we help
the blind man in his misfortune in whatever way we can.
This is how we strive to pass the test Allah, the One and Only Creator
of all of us, has set for us. At the same time it is a test for the
blind man too. He is patient about his blindness and strives as best as
he can, to gain the reward he deserves from his God.
Unlike Christianity, Islam teaches us that it is we ourselves who have
to earn our heaven by doing good; as it is not given gratis. Nor does
God do the injustice of making an innocent person suffer for your sake
while you are having fun. The Qur'an clearly states what means:
*{… no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another...}* (Az-Zumar 39:7)
In short, in Islam, Allah is a God of Perfect Justice.
And Allah knows best.
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