Another Qur'an Lesson for Christians

Surah 9: 38-39

O you who believe! What (excuse) have you that when it is said to you: Go forth in Allah's way, you should incline heavily to earth; are you contented with this world's life instead of the hereafter? But the provision of this world's life compared to the hereafter is but little.

If you do not go forth, He will chastise you with a painful chastisement and bring in your place a people other than you, and you will do Him no harm; and Allah has power over all things.

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This is from the only chapter in the Qur'an that does not open with the basmala ("In the name of God, the Mercy-giving, the Merciful). The chapter (surah) is called "Repentance" and has some of the harsh admonishments toward idolaters, Jews, and Christians, that many of you have probably heard about on the talk shows. The two passages I quote above provide some illumination as to their belief and hardness. As you can see in (38) Muslims believe that when God (Allah) orders humans to follow his way, there are many who turn away from Allah's will and plan and only concern themselves with "this world's life." The Qur'an warns in (39) that people who put the affairs of earth before the will of Allah will not only be chastised, but they will also be replaced as an entire people, be it a religion, a community, or a nation of peoples.

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115. It is not (attributable to) Allah that He should lead a people astray after He has guided them; He even makes clear to them what they should guard against; surely Allah knows all things.

116. Surely Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He brings to life and causes to die; and there is not for you besides Allah any Guardian or Helper.

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The purpose of (115) is that obviously it is God's will that all be saved, because that is the whole point of guiding them and making clear the things they should not do. People cannot blame God (Allah) for being led astray. The purpose of (116) is, like (38), to remind the faithful that the Kingdom of God (Allah) is both heaven and earth, and that one should always remain focused and believing in the One God.

There is description of heavenly reward for those faithful to God (Allah):

72. Allah has promised to the believing men and the believing women gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual abode; and best of all is Allah's goodly pleasure - that is the grand achievement.

Throughout the Qur'an comfort with Allah in heaven is often described as a goodly place to live among many beautiful gardens and flowing water, and the "grand achievement" of being in Allah's eternal benevolent presence.

The description of hell is blunt:

34. O you who believe! most surely many of the doctors of law and the monks eat away the property of men falsely, and turn (them) from Allah's way; and (as for) those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah's way, announce to them a painful chastisement,

35. On the day when it shall be heated in the fire of hell, then their foreheads and their sides and their backs shall be branded with it; this is what you hoarded up for yourselves, therefore taste what you hoarded.

Like the Bible these passages emphasize that leading people away from the word of God (Allah) and of hoarding wealth when there is need are the fundamental reasons for going to hell. Being a generous atheist is not a smart hell hedge fund. Scandalous wealth for a believer, but one who does not spend in harmony with Allah's wishes is also not a smart hell hedge fund (and alms giving that is against "Allah's way" results in the painful chastisement.)