Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 154
Islam as the Ultimate Goal of Religious Teachings 153 Accountability and Inherited Sin In Islam we find a teaching of perfect justice, not only between one man and another, but also between one age and the next. Examining the same principle as reflected by religious history, one can come to the conclusion that man of all ages has been treated with the same principle of justice by God. We read in the Quran: Those are a people who have passed away; for them is what they earned, and for you shall be what you earn; and you shall not be questioned as to what they did. (S u rah al-Baqarah; Ch. 2: V. 135) As far as the question of answerability is concerned, each generation is answerable for its deeds and each age will be held accountable for its conduct. This Quranic style further enlightens us on the issue of relative states of advancement of men of different ages. Thus accountability will be with reference to the capabilities of human beings at a certain period of their history. They will be judged in view of their aptitudes, as we shall be judged in view of ours. This aspect presents the Quranic teachings as being universal in both planes of space and time.