Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 156
Islam as the Ultimate Goal of Religious Teachings 155 load, naught of it shall be carried by the other , even though he be a kinsman… (S u rah F at ir; Ch. 35: V. 19) If a bearer of a burden seeks the help of another to carry its burden, it will not be carried, even if the call is made to the nearest of kin. This verse of the Quran refutes the Christian doctrine of atonement, (i. e. that Jesus as died on the cross to atone for the sins of others), by declaring that no present or future generation would be expected to bear the burden of the sins of previous generations. The burden of an individual’s sins can in no way be transferred to another, even if the other is willing to accept such a load. In fact to punish one for the sins of another is declared to be contrary to the minimum demands of Divine justice. If the question were that of justice only, then the verse in the New Testament (Luke 9:23) 12 seems similar to the above verse of the Holy Quran. It would appear that the Prophet Jesus as had no hand in the tales of atonement attributed to him by the future generations. In fact, Jesus’s as teaching was basically the same as the simple and straightforward teaching of the Quran, justice where justice is due, and mercy where mercy is appropriate. This unequivocal declaration of the Quran presents an important aspect of the issue of crime and punishment which is in exact keeping with human nature. Another verse of the Quran presented above in