BURDENS

BURDENS:

2:286 - On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): "Our Lord! condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against faith." 340 341 342

340 Cf. ii. 233. In that verse the burden was in terms of material wealth: here it is in terms of spiritual duty. Assured by God that He will accept from each soul just such duty as it has the ability to offer, we pray further on for the fulfilment of that promise. (2.286)

341 We must not be arrogant, and think that because God has granted us His favor and mercy we have no need to exert ourselves, or that we are ourselves superior to those before us. On the contrary, knowing how much they failed, we pray that our burdens should be lightened, and we confess our realization that we have all the greater need for God's mercy and forgiveness. And so we end the whole argument of the Sura with a prayer for God's help, not in our own selfish ends, but in our resolve to uphold God's truth against all Unbelief. (2.286)

6:31 - Lost indeed are they who treat it as a falsehood that they must meet Allah until on a sudden the hour is on them and they say: "Ah! woe unto us that we took no thought of it"; for they bear their burdens on their backs; and evil indeed are the burdens that they bear!. 854

854 Grievous is the burden of sins which the wicked will bear on their backs when they become conscious of them. Some commentators personify Sins as ugly Demons riding on the backs of men, while the men's Good Deeds become the strong and patient mounts which will carry the men on their backs. If the Good Deeds are few and the Sins many, the man and his Good Deeds will be crushed under the load of the Evil which they carry. (6.31)

6:164 - Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)?" Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is toward Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed. 987

987 The doctrine of personal responsiblility again. We are fully responsible for our acts ourselves: we cannot transfer the consequences to someone else. Nor can anyone vicariously atone for our sins. If people have honest doubts or differences about important questions of religion, they should not start futile disputes. All will be clear in the end. Our duty here is to maintain unity and discipline, and do the duty that comes to us. (6.164)

7:42 - But those who believe and work righteousness no burden do We place on any soul but that which it can bear they will be companions of the garden therein to dwell (for ever).

16:25 - Let them bear on the Day of Judgment their own burdens in full and also (something) of the burdens of those without knowledge whom they misled. Alas how grievous the burdens they will bear! 2048

2048 Their responsibility or crime is twofold: (1) that they rejected Allah's Message, and (2) that they misled others. Their Penalty will also be double. In vi. 164, we are told that "no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another". This is against the doctrine of vicarious atonement. Every man is responsible for his own sins; but the sin of misleading others is a sin of the misleader himself, and he must suffer the penalty for that also, without relieving those misled, of their responsibility. (16.25)

17:15 - Who receiveth guidance receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle (to give warning). 2190 2191

2191 The doctrine of vicarious atonement is condemned. Salvation for the wicked cannot be attained by the punishment of the innocent. One man cannot bear the burden of another: that would be unjust. Every man must bear his own personal responsibility. Cf. vi. 164. But Allah never visits His wrath on anyone until due warning is conveyed to him through an accredited messenger. (17.15)

23:62 - On no soul do We place a burden greater than it can bear: before Us is a record which clearly shows the truth: they will never be wronged. 2913 2914

2914 The record speaks clearly, and shows exactly what each soul has done and thought, and what is due to it in justice. The worst will receive full justice. The best will receive far more than their due: xxviii. 84. (23.62)

29:13 - They will bear their own burdens and (other) burdens along with their own and on the Day of Judgement they will be called to account for their falsehoods. 3436

3436 Besides the burden of their own infidelity, they will bear the burden of deluding others with falsehood. (29.13)

35:18 - Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burden. If one heavily laden should call another to (bear) his load not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other) even though he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord unseen and establish regular Prayer and whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to Allah. 3900 3901 3902 3903

3901 Natural relationship may be considered as a reasonable cause or opportunity for bearing each other's burdens. For example, a mother or a father might offer to die for her or his child, and vice versa. But this does not apply to spiritual matters. There the responsibility is strictly personal and cannot be transferred to another. In xxix. 13 we are told that the misleaders "will bear other burdens along with their own"; but the context shows that the "other" burdens are the burdens of deluding others with their falsehoods. Both sins are their own, viz., their original sin, and the sin of deluding the others. But the responsibility will be doubled. (35.18)

39:7 - It ye reject (Allah) truly Allah has no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end to your Lord is your return when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). For He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts. 4254 4255

4255 Cf. vi. 164. The account is between you and Allah. No one else can take your burdens or carry your sins. Vicarious atonement would be unjust. You have to return to Allah in the Hereafter. You will find that He knows all that you did in this life, and its full significance. He will explain to you even better than you can understand yourself; because all your secret hidden motives, which you sometimes tried to ignore yourself, are fully known to Him. (39.7)

47:4 - Therefore when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight) smite at their necks; at length when ye have thoroughly subdued them bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah's Will He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you some with others. But those who are slain in the way of Allah He will never let their deeds be lost. 4820 4821 4822 4823 4824

4823 The Believers are tested in Faith by the extent to which they are willing to make sacrifices, even to the laying down of their lives; and the enemies are tested as to whether they would repent and let the righteous live in freedom and security. (47.4)

53:38 - Namely that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another; 5113

5113 Here follows a series of eleven aphorisms. The first is that a man's spiritual burden-the responsibility for his sin must be borne by himself and not by another: Cf. vi. 164. There can be no vicarious atonement. (53.38)

Sahih Muslim Hadith
Hadith 229 Narrated by
Abdullah ibn Abbas

When this verse: "Whether you disclose that which is in your mind or conceal it, Allah will call you to account according to it" (ii.284) was revealed, there entered their minds something (of that fear) such as had never entered their hearts (before). The Apostle (peace be upon him) observed: Say: We have heard and obeyed and submitted ourselves. He (the reporter) said: Allah instilled faith in their hearts and He revealed this verse: "Allah burdens not a soul beyond its capacity. It receives every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. Our Lord, call us not to account if we forget or make a mistake. He the (Lord) said: I indeed did it. Our Lord! do not lay on us a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us. He (our Lord) said: I indeed did it. And pardon us, have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector (ii.286). He said: I indeed did it.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
Hadith 6.147 Narrated by
Said bin Al Musaiyab

Bahira is a she-camel whose milk is kept for the idols and nobody is allowed to milk it; Sa'iba was the she-camel which they used to set free for their gods and nothing was allowed to be carried on it. Abu Huraira said: Allah's Apostle said, "I saw 'Amr bin 'Amir Al-Khuzai (in a dream) dragging his intestines in the Fire, and he was the first person to establish the tradition of setting free the animals (for the sake of their deities)." Wasila is the she-camel which gives birth to a she-camel as its first delivery, and then gives birth to another she-camel as its second delivery. People (in the Pre-Islamic periods of ignorance) used to let that she-camel loose for their idols if it gave birth to two she-camels successively without giving birth to a male camel in between. 'Ham' was the male camel which was used for copulation. When it had finished the number of copulations assigned for it, they would let it loose for their idols and excuse it from burdens so that nothing would be carried on it, and they called it the 'Hami.' Abu Huraira said, "I heard the Prophet saying so."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
Hadith 6.432 Narrated by
Abu Salama

A man came to Ibn 'Abbas while Abu Huraira was sitting with him and said, "Give me your verdict regarding a lady who delivered a baby forty days after the death of her husband." Ibn 'Abbas said, "This indicates the end of one of the two prescribed periods." I said, "For those who are pregnant, their prescribed period is until they deliver their burdens." Abu Huraira said, "I agree with my cousin (Abu Salama)." Then Ibn 'Abbas sent his slave, Kuraib to Um Salama to ask her (regarding this matter). She replied, "The husband of Subai 'a al Aslamiya was killed while she was pregnant, and she delivered a baby forty days after his death. Then her hand was asked in marriage and Allah's Apostle married her (to somebody). Abu As-Sanabil was one of those who asked for her hand in marriage."