The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 122
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 122 affect both of them, that is, both the body and the soul should have, each corresponding to its own condition, their share of the recompense in the Hereafter. But strange indeed is the case of the Christians for they accept this principle as it is applied to punish- ment. They concede that the punishment of those who incurred the displeasure of God through ignominious deeds and faithless actions would not be confined only to the soul. Rather, both the soul and the body shall be cast into Hell, and the bodies shall be scorched with the flames of sulphur and there will be much wail- ing and gnashing of teeth, they shall burn with thirst but will not be given any water. And when Christian gentlemen are asked why the bodies shall burn in fire, they reply that both the soul and the body worked like labourers in this world. Hence, when they both acted dishonestly in their Master’s work jointly, they both became deserving of punishment. So, O ye who are blind and derelict in pondering over divine scriptures! I indict you by your own statement that when God, whose mercy prevails over His wrath, did not spare the body at the time of punishment, was it not necessary that He should have remembered this principle at the time of dispensing the reward? Is it really becoming for us to entertain this suspicion against the Merciful God that though at the time of punishing He will be so wrathful as to cast even our bodies into the inferno, but that when it comes time to dispensing reward His mercy will not be of the same degree as His wrath will be at the time of dispensing punishment? Had He set aside the body from punishment, then He could very well set it aside from the reward too. But when He cast the body into the blazing fire, considering the body to be the