Boreal
Alice Visits a Mosque to Learn About Judgement Day
Tattletale Gods
I am not aware in the entire history of civilisation of a more gracious, more loving, more vibrant society than that of the Arabs before Islam
… [it was a time] … of unbound freedom, lofty sentiments, a nomadic and chivalrous way of life, [a land] of fantasy, joy, mischievousness, bawdy impious poetry, refined love-making …
Ernest Renan, cf. Robert Montagne, La Civilisation du désert
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They were a limited, narrow-minded people, whose inert intellect lay fallow in curious resignation. Their imaginations were vivid, but not creative.
This people was black and white not merely in clarity, but in apposition. Their thoughts were at ease only in extremes … they never compromised; they pursued the logic of several incompatible opinions to absurd ends, without perceiving the incongruity.
They were a limited, narrow-minded people, whose inert intellect lay fallow in curious resignation. Their imaginations were vivid, but not creative.
T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Allah, like the Arabs of Lawrence, is also comfortable with incongruities and is blessed with a vivid imagination and a single-minded narrow mindedness. Nowhere is this kinship more evident than in His Magnificence's recollection of future events where He will invite the non-existent gods He railed against to bear witness on Judgement Day against those who worshipped them.
Alice: Is it true that the Devil also will be sitting in judgement with Allah on Judgement Day?
Imam: Perhaps not sitting, but on Judgement Day the Devil will be with Allah and the Prophets mocking the poor souls who allegedly followed his advice, and he will agree with Allah that they all should suffer a painful punishment. Allah said:
14:22 And the Devil said when the issue was settled: “Allah has surely given you a true promise; and I made you a promise but did not keep it. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you answered me. Do not blame me then, but blame yourselves; I cannot help you and you cannot help me. I deny your associating me [with Allah] before. The wrongdoers will have a very painful punishment.”
Alice: Anybody else?
Imam: Yes. For the big Day, Allah will invite all the other gods that unbelievers believed in.
Alice: So these others god, which Allah constantly warns about worshiping are real, they actually do exist?
Imam: Allah will reproduce, for the occasion, the gods the unbelievers imagined. In fact, He told the Prophet, the peace and blessings of God be upon him, to tell those who think they have gods interceding on their behalf with Him, that they are badly mistaken for He is not aware of their existence, and an All-Knowing God would have known. Allah said:
10:18 They worship, apart from Allah, what neither harms nor benefits them, and (the unbelievers) say: “These are our intercessors with Allah.” Say (O Muhammad): “Do you inform Allah about what He does not know in the heavens or on earth?” Glory be to Him, and may He be exalted above what they associate [with Him]!
Alice: That is logical, if you believe in an All-Knowing, Omnipresent God. But still, it’s weird that Allah would, in one revelation have unbelievers believe that these lesser gods are a figment of their imagination, and in another, in fact, in more than one revelation give these assumed non-existent competing deities center stage on Judgement Day.
Imam: It is not at all weird. Allah does not do weird!
Alice: Are these lesser gods of someone's imagination there to try to convince Allah not to send those who believed in them to Hell?
Imam: Of course not! They are there to disown those who believed in them. In the surah Jonah, a surah being a chapter of the Koran, they will say that they were unaware that they were being worshipped: Allah said:
10:28 On the Day We will muster them all together; then We will say to those who set up associates with Allah: “Stay in your places, you and your associates.“ Then We shall separate them, and their associates will say: “You were not worshipping us.
10:29 “Allah is a sufficient witness between us and you; for we were unaware of your worshipping us.”
In the surah The Bees, they will call those who worshipped them liars to their face, as Allah always knew they would. Allah said:
16:86 And when those who associated other gods with Allah see their associates they shall say: “Our Lord, these are our associates whom we used to call upon besides you.” But their associates will retort: “Surely you are liars.”
In the surah Mary, Allah again reveals that the other gods repudiated and turned against those who worshipped them. Allah said:
19:81 And they took, besides Allah, other gods, to be for them a source of strength.
19:82 No, they shall repudiate their worship and turn against them.
Alice: Why would these non-existent claimants to the godhead call those who worshipped them liars to their face and so on?
Imam: By agreeing with Allah that those who worshipped them should spend an eternity in Hell these lesser gods hope to avoid their worshippers' fate. Allah said:
28:62 On the Day He shall call them saying: “Where are my associates that you used to allege?”
28:63 Those upon whom the sentence will be passed shall say: “Lord, those whom we induced into error, we induced into error just as we were induced. We proclaim our innocence to You. It was not us they were worshipping.”
28:64 And it will be said to them: “Call your associates”; and so they call them, but the associates will not answer. They saw the punishment and they wished they had been well guided.
(As the conversation goes on Alice's scepticism and deception grows and is reflected in her attitude.)
Alice: Imaginary gods afraid of going to Hell. Unbelievable! Talking imaginary gods which everyone can see and hear; and Allah will believe these gods when they say that those who worshipped them are liars?
Imam: They may be lesser imaginary gods, but gods nonetheless, and gods tell the truth, so why should the one and only God not believe them?
Alice: Allah will accept the self-serving testimony of what you say are figments of an unbeliever's imagination, but send men, women and children to burn in Hell for eternity for believing in these same alleged make-believe gods. Isn't Allah applying a double standard here: do as I say, don't do as I do, or I am sending you all to Hell?
Imam: Allah does as Allah pleases, He is Allah! Allah said:
17:54 Your Lord knows you best. If He pleases, He will have mercy on you, and if He pleases He will torture you ...
Alice: Please remind me again on whom Allah will have mercy.
Imam: Allah's Mercy is for unwavering believers who have committed offenses such as stealing, killing another without just cause and so on, repented and made amends and remained steadfast in their belief in Allah’s Mercy.
Alice: Am I to understand that a steadfast believer will be forgiven his transgressions if he believes he will be forgiven his transgressions?
Imam: Despairing of Allah's Mercy is not only the second greatest sin in Islam, but it is a sin against God, just like believing in other gods, and he who commits such an unforgivable, like women who commit adultery, will burn in Hell for an eternity.