Saturday, August 13, 2005

Contradictions In The Quran: Jinns and men are created to worship or to go hell?

Question: Jinns and men are created to worship God or to go to hell?
I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. -- Sura 51:56
Many are the Jinns and men We have made for Hell: .... -- Sura 7:179
It would be no problem to say that all of them were created to worship and serve God, but because they have free will and some or many decided to disobey they will be punished in Hell. But to state that many were made for Hell is an obvious contradictions to the first statement - or else we must conclude that they were created in order to serve Allah in Hell, but this would require a serious shift in the understanding of the meaning of Hell as well as the issue of justice in who is sent to hell.
Answer: I see not contradictions. God created all Jinns and men to serve him in verse 51:56. Those of them who are many did decide not to serve him as in verse 7:179.
51:56 I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
7:179 Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لاَّ يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لاَّ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ