The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 112
T HE L IGHT OF T HE HOLY Q U R’AN—NUM BE R T WO T HE L IGHT OF T HE HOLY Q U R’AN—NUM BE R T WO 112 coerced—and then they strive very hard in the cause of God and show perseverance in the face of hardships; then God shall forgive their sin, for He is the Most Forgiving, Ever Merciful. ’ Now, it becomes clear from all these verses that even a per- son who hides the declaration of the faith of Islam in the face of unbearable torture at the hands of the enemy is still a sinner in the eyes of the Almighty God. However, after performing honourable deeds, and after leaving such an environment or country wherein coercion is used, and after showing perseverance and steadfast- ness, his sin shall be forgiven, and God shall not let him go to waste, for He is Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. In short, God does not speak of this concealment [of one’s faith] as something praiseworthy; rather, He has designated it a sin and has described the means to atone for it in the above verse. And, as I have already written, God praised believers at many places who do not conceal the testimony of faith even if they lose their lives for it. On the other hand, He also does not desire to cast aside a person who, due to the limitation of his capacity and unbearable torture, conceals the testimony of his faith while being tortured. Rather, He accepts such an individual on the condition that in the future he parts from such an environment and such a country where he is coerced, and seeks to win the pleasure of his Lord through sincerity, steadfastness, and spiritual striving. Then the sin of concealing one’s faith shall be forgiven, for the God who created mere mortals is most Benevolent and Merciful and does not cast anyone away from Himself for minor shortcomings. This, indeed, is the Quranic teaching which perfectly corre- sponds to the Divine attributes of Graciousness and Forgiveness.