Blackness and whiteness, blindness and sight, ugliness and beauty, wisdom and lunacy; these things show lack of justice. The ugly one and the blind is deprived of many bounties of this world and such persons can perform fewer good deeds. Will they be compensated in the Hereafter? Would they be punished if they die as infidels? Should they be losers in both the worlds?

 Q: Blackness and whiteness, blindness and sight, ugliness and beauty, wisdom and lunacy; these things show lack of justice. The ugly one and the blind is deprived of many bounties of this world and such persons can perform fewer good deeds. Will they be compensated in the Hereafter? Would they be punished if they die as infidels? Should they be losers in both the worlds?

A: Difference in the creation of men, like deformity and beauty, perfection in stature and defects therein as well as all other drawbacks like poverty and wealth, health and illness etc. All these things carry wisdom and strategies behind them. Here we shall mention some of them:


Firstly: Things are known by their opposite. If there is no ugliness, how will one understand beauty? If there is no perfection, defectiveness will never be recognized and so on.


Secondly: Such differences are there so that the overall might of God may be manifested: that He is powerful over everything. In certain cases, this difference is to show God 's kindness or anger.


Thirdly: For some persons, their benefit lies in ugliness or blindness or, for instance, poverty and illness etc. If they really come to know the truth behind everything, they would prefer what Allah has destined for them.


It is narrated that one of the prophets was walking near the banks of a river when he observed some children; among whom was a blind child and other children were harassing him. Sometimes they also forced the blind child's head in water. That prophet was moved and he prayed to the Almighty Allah to bestow sight to that blind boy. His prayer was answered and the blind boy was given sight. But after that he began to drown the other children right away. The prophet exclaimed: "My Lord, You know the best! Please return him to his earlier condition." There are many examples testifying to this truth.


Fourthly: Differences between people are for their test and for manifestation of their righteousness and wickedness, because the afflicted are being tested in the matter of patience and submission to the will of God and thereby they are raised to the status of patient ones and those who are given bounties and abilities are tested in the matter of thankfulness and obedience to God with regard to their behavior with the disabled. It is, therefore, said:


وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ


"...and We have made some of you a trial for others; will you bear patiently?' "

(Al Furqan, 25:20)

As regards compensation of depravities, there is no doubt that such compensation will be made fully and in a nice way. One of the beautiful names of God is Jabbar, meaning: The Compensator. It is an established principle in religious philosophy that Almighty Allah compensates for every trouble, hardship, calamity and deprivation in proportion to the person’s contentment with divine will. But of course, this applies only to things, which are only from Allah, having no interference of anyone else.


It is narrated in Al- Kafi under the chapter of "Distress of the faithful" that lbne Abi Ya'fur once complained to Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about the pains, which he was suffering continuously. Imam (a.s.) replied:


··o Abdullah, if a believer comes to know the quantum of reward for a pain and calamity, he would wish to be shredded into pieces. "14


It is mentioned volume 11 of Biharul Anwar that Abu Basir, a visually challenged gentleman, once came to Imam Baqir (a.s.) and asked: "Is it true that you can enliven the dead and cure a leper?" The Imam replied: "Yes, by the command of Allah." Abu Basir asked the Imam to cure his blindness.


Imam (a.s.) said: Come near me. Then he passed his holy hand over Abu Basir's eyes and the latter was able to see. He said: "Now I can see everything."


Imam (a.s.) asked: "Would you like to remain like this (and get worldly benefits) and be Iikc others (bearing pains and hardshi s of Hereafter) or you would wish to return to your earlier condition and enter Paradise without accounting for anything?"


Abu Basir replied: "I prefer blindness," and the Imam returned him to his earlier state.


This tradition shows that in lieu of the trouble of blindness in this world, one will be spared hardships of accounting of life­ long deeds in the Hereafter.


It is also mentioned in many narrations that on Judgment Day, the Most Merciful God will show sympathy to those who suffered in the world and whose prayers were not answered due to some strategy and He would tell them: "'Today, I will give you whatever you ask for." The compensation will be so generous that everyone would wish that none of his wishes had been fulfilled in the world.


As regards the fate of those who were deprived due to general strategy of the world or for some special strategy, and who also died in a state of infideli ty; that can they be called as losers in both the world?


Our reply is: Since deprivation of such persons from divine compensation in the other world is because of their voluntary disbelief, this matter is out of question as a disbeliever has no share in the Hereafter.


إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئًا وَلَٰكِنَّ النَّاسَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ


"Surely Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves. "

(Surah Yunus, I 0:44)


Sayyid Abdul Husayn Dastghaib

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