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Contradictions in the Qur'an
He punishes whom He pleases,
and He grants mercy to whom He pleases, ...
-- Sura 29:21
Allah leads astray whom he pleases,
and he guides whom He pleases, ...
-- Sura 14:4
Does Allah "take pleasure" in punishing people and leading them astray?
A Muslim's Response by Randy Desmond
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 13:07:27 PDT
The Arabic word used in these verses means "he wills" (NOT he pleases).
Does the then mean his own will is not pleasing to Allah? Any way
you turn it, Allah's action in the above verses seem very arbitrary
and it is Allah's will or pleasure to lead some astray and punish
them and nothing can be done on our side to counter this decision.
The question of free will and predestination is difficult in Christian
theology as well. But Muslims need to find an answer for themselves
and cannot be consoled that Christians are struggling in this area too.
Ultimately the question is: Who is responsible for my life and is
punishing me for something God has "forced" me to do still possible
to be called "justice"? Both Christianity and Islam uphold that God is
sovereign and that God is just.
Contradictions in the Qur'an
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Last edited: January 8, 1997