Pars Today

The Almighty Creator of the universe has based the order or discipline of the world of creation on the basis of justice, by regulating all matters from the heavens to the earth in a fair and rational manner, to the extent that before punishing a person or a group, the All-Merciful clarifies His plans.

The great contemporary exegete of the Holy Qur’an, Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli, in his exegesis of Surah ar-Rahman elaborates on several points regarding Divine mercy, justice and chastisement.

In accordance with a narration on Divine justice from Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the 4^th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), he emphasizes the above-mentioned points by referring to the following Ayah of the Holy Qur’an: “There is life for you in retribution, O you who possess intellects” (2:179).

He adds, “Yes, the chastisement for the murderer for the grave crime he has committed may appear as painful, but on closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that such a punishment is a form of justice and mercy for the whole society.”

In other words, whenever God punishes a person, it is not due to any grudge, but is to awaken his conscience, or to take back someone’s right from him. He the Almighty is All-Pure and All-Just, which means justice is part of his mercy.

Ayatollah Javadi Amoli points out that the reason Surah ar-Rahman is known as the “Bride of Qur’an”, is because it sets everything in their exact places. For example, if God glorifies Heaven and its blessings, He also warns about Hell and emphasizes patience, which means both the tidings and the warnings are praiseworthy.

He concludes that the Ayahs regarding chastisement are not few in this Surah, and if Hell didn’t exist, then there would be a defect in the dynamics of creation. Then, how justice would be done to the oppressors who took the rights of the oppressed in the transient life of the mortal world? Thus, Heaven and Hell have been created at the same time by our All-Merciful Lord to be the basis of justice and mercy.

SS/MG