The Law of Requital
Knowledge of invariable sequence
helps them make better adjustment to the world. They become
conscious of the casual nexus between events. They seek to know
them to predict the effects and also to control them. They become
aware that they themselves operate as causal agents producing
changes in the world. The knowledge that all their actions have
consequences gives them a sense of power and responsibility. They
realise that in choosing to act in a certain way, they are also
choosing the consequences of their action. If the consequences is
unpleasant and man wishes to avoid it. He can do so only by
refraining from the action which leads to it. The Law of Requital
states that every action of man has consequences and the doer
will have to bear them whether he likes them or not. But far more
important than external effect of the action is its effect on the
personality of the doer. All actions, however, do not necessarily
modify personality. An action which has been performed
inadvertently or carelessly has little influence on man’s
self. But an action performed deliberately for a set purpose, or
with a high degree of ego-involvement, changes personality for
better or for worse. It strengthens or weakens the moral
fibre. It furthers or hinders his progress towards self
fulfilment. This distinction between human actions is made by the
Qur’an and is of great importance to the moral life of man.
The Law of Requital is specially relevent to the changes in
personality which result from the voluntary actions of man. It
means that consequences of such actions are inevitably
incorporated in the personality of man, adding to or detracting
from it’s power.
Man and the Law of Requital
Gradually man realised that he lived in a world which was
not at the mercy of capricious spirits, but a world displaying a
definite orderliness. He could adjust himself to the world only
by discovering the laws which governed the events and processes
therein. He adressed himself to this task and slowly and
patiently acquired the knowledge which enabled him to exercise
effective control over the world. Next he turned his attention to
himself and to his own conduct. Here too, he discovered the rule
of law. He found that he was free to act and choose but the rule
of law required him to pay a price for the freedom he enjoyed. He
could not disown the results of his own actions. He might yield
to a sudden impulse and gain momentary satisfaction, but later
regret and remorse were sure to prey on his mind and make him
unhappy. He could not flout the Law of Requital with impunity.
This law is as fixed and inexorable as any natural law. However,
unlike the natural law which is confined to the physical sphere,
the Law of Requital operates in three different spheres. We will
now consider its mode of operation in each of these spheres.
By respecting it, he may protect himself
a. Of the relations existing between events in the world, the causal relation is the most important. Where two events are related to each other, the antecedent event or cause is invariably followed by the consequent event or effect. Cause and effect are relative terms. Each can be defined only in terms of the other. We are not concerned with cases where both the events are physical. These fall within the purview of physical sciences. But we have been seen that man too acts as a causal agent in the world and his actions also produce effects. From the point of view of ‘din’ (Islamic way of life as revealed in the Quran), man’s actions and their effect are seen as exemplifying the Law of Requital. The effect is what man earns by his action, whether he welcomes it as a reward or dislikes it as a punishment.
Actions, which threaten the
integrity of society, have to be punished
If a man puts his hand in fire it gets burnt; if he plunges it in
water, it gets wet. If he acts wrongly, the consequences are
harmful to him. He has to suffer because he has brought the
calamity on himself. It is own doing and he cannot blame others.
The child as it grows up, quickly learns how the Law of Requital
works in the physical sphere and how, by representing it, he may
protect himself against physical injury and pain.
b. In the social sphere, the Law of Requital operates in the form
of civil law. Society cannot exist without law and order. Actions
which threaten the integrity of society have to be punished. Men
often act in an antisocial way. Impelled by selfish desires, they
often act in such a manner as to disrupt the group to which they
belong. They can be restrained only by the knowledge that their
wrong actions will bring upon themselves highly unpleasant
consequences. A man may inflict injury on his fellow-being or rob
him of his property, but he knows that afterwards he will have to
serve time or pay a heavy fine. The prospect of suffering
punishment deters him from acting against the interest of
society. In well organised society man are usually law-abiding
because they see that everyone who transgresses the law is
invariably punished. However, we must not forget that even in a
well governed state, some criminals go unpunished while some
innocent men are unjustly condemned.
Every action leaves its
effect, good or bad, on the personality
Human laws are not perfect and there are, in every society,
serious defects in the administration of justice. Cunning men,
especially if they are wealthy, can often find some way of
evading the punishment which they deserve. That is why every
society has its criminals. The only remedy lies in perfecting the
machinery of the administration of justice. Thus we see that the
Law of Requital does operate in the social sphere, although its
working is not free from defects.
c. In the moral sphere, the Law of Requital is seen in its purest
form. Here it points to the necessary connection between
man’s action and the ensuing modification of his
personality. Man’s action, besides producing effects in the
world and in society, produces also effects within him, changing
his self for better or worse. External factors have no effect on
a man’s personality. Man can be free although he is confined
in a prison cell. On the other hand though outwardly free, he may
have cramped ad inhibited personality. Human personality is
keenly sensitive to the moral tone of his actions. Every
transgression of the moral law debilitates it in its ability to
play its proper role. The working of the Law of Requital is much
more subtle in this sphere than in other spheres. A man may
casually take a wrong turning and may go on committing trivial
misdeeds, without being aware of the gradual harm he is doing to
his personality.
External factors have no effect on a man’s personality.
One day, he will be shocked
when he realises the cumulative deterioration in his personality.
Though subtle, the working of the Law of Requital in this sphere
is relentless. Every action leaves its effect, good or bad, on
the personality. The effect at a time may be so slight as to be
hardly perceptible, but if the man continues to act in the wrong
way, the cumulative effect may transform his personality. The
infection of bad actions may be negligible at the beginning but
it works insidiously, and gradually undermines the self. The man
who is morally sensitive can perceive this effect coming about
and check himself in time and retrace his steps before
irretrievable damage is done.
All our actions are not subject to the Law of Requital.
Involuntary acts and those performed heedlessly or with little
ego-involvement may be regarded as morally neutral. But
deliberate acts, through which we express our real self and which
we can acknowledge as our own, are inevitably rewarded if right,
and punished if wrong. The moral order in the universe is based
on this law. We can claim only what is due to us. Only right
actions entitle us to reward. The Qur’an confirms this view
– ‘And unto Allah belongs whatsoever is in the heavens
and whatsoever in the earth, that He may (according to His Law Of
Requital) reward those who do bad deeds with what they have done,
and reward those who do good deeds with goodness (53:31)’
The Qur’an assures man that his actions are not like ripples on the surface of a lake, vanishing one after the other for good
God has granted man measure of
freedom but He keeps watch over man to see how he uses the
freedom – ‘And He it is Who created the heavens and
earth… that He might afford you opportunity to show which of
you is best in conduct (11:7)’. The Qur’an declares
that God ‘sees’ not only the overt actions of man but
also his inner motives and hidden intention, and his judgement of
man is on this broad basis – ‘Alike to Him is he among
you who hides his word, and he who hides by night and he who goes
forth openly in the day. He has pursuers from before him and from
behind him, who watch him by the command of God. Lo! Allah does
not change the condition of a folk until they (first) change
what’s in their own selves (13:10-11)’. Whatever man
desires, he must get through his own efforts. If it were offered
to him as a free gift, it would not benefit his personality. He
cannot hope to deceive God by a pretence of striving. He must
strive earnestly – ‘There are guardians over you, who
are honourable reporters (82:9-10).’ And again it said
– ‘We created man and We know what his mind whispers to
him; and we are nearer to him than his jugular veins
(50:16)’.
The Qur’an assures man that his actions are not like
ripples on the surface of a lake, vanishing one after the other
for good. On the contrary, they leave indelible imprint on his
personality. They are entered on the debit or credit side of the
ledger kept for him – ‘And on every man We have
fastened his record about his neck, and we will bring forth to
him, at the time of judgement, a book offered to him wide open
(17:13)’. Man bears responsibility for all those actions in
which his self was involved. If the action was wrong, he has no
option but to submit to the “punishment” which is the
necessary result of his action.
The Law of Requital works Unerringly
It will not avail him to offer
excuses, that he acted heedlessly in a fit of abstraction, or
with a good intention. His own heart will bear witness against
him – ‘Oh, but man is a telling witness against himself
although he tenders his excuses (75:14)’. The Law of
Requital works unerringly. There is a necessary connection
between acts and their effects. Good actions are necessarily
rewarded and wrong actions are invariably punished. In social
life, however, the connection between a socially approved act and
its reward is external and contingent. Let us illustrate this
point.
The requirements of ‘Spiritual’ health are different from those of physical health
A man undertakes to perform a
job on the understanding that he will be paid a agreed sum of
money on its completion. He may do the work but may not get the
reward. His employer may die, become insolvent or prove
faithless. On the other hand, the connection between moral
actions and their effects is internal and necessary. The effect
is on the personality of the doer. If the effect is good, the
doer is carried forward towards his goal of self realisations; if
it is bad he is necessarily thrown back. Every moral act works
consequential changes in the human personality. These changes may
be in the direction of greater intergation or of disruption. They
may or may not be conducive to ‘spiritual’ health. The
requirements of ‘spiritual’ health are different from
those of physical health. Suppose a man somehow finds himself in
possesion of sum of money and spends it to buy butter and eggs.
His health will improve on his nourishing diet.
Important conclusion
Whether he had honestly earned
the money or had stolen it. Makes no difference to the effect on
his health. But his ‘spiritual’ health is a different
matter. It will suffer if the money had been stolen, even if he
has put it to good use. We have, therefore, to distinguish
between the physical effects of our actions and their moral
effects. The Law of Requital, in the moral sphere, refers
exclusively to the moral effects, to the enhancement or
deterioration of the human personality.
The above discussion leads to the following conclusions:-
a. Man’s voluntary actions
directly influence his personality.
b. Dedication to a noble end results in the development of
personality.
c. Indifference to, or denial of; absolute values leads to the
disintegration of the self. d. Man is responsible for his actions
and must accept their consequences.
e. Man cannot shift the responsibility to any one else.
The Qur’an lays down stress on
this last point – ‘Whosoever commits a wrong, commits
it only against himself (4:111)’.
Again ‘Whoever goeth right, it is only for (the good
of) his own self that he goeth right, and whosoever erreth,
erreth only to its hurt. No laden self can bear another’s
load (17:15)’.
Man’s responsibility for his actions is again stressed in the following verse – ‘Each souls earns on its own account, nor does anyone bearing a load shall bear another’s load (6:165)’.
The following verse leaves no doubt on the point that man can attain his goal solely by his own efforts. No external help will avail him at all – ‘No self will in ought avail another, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will atonement be received from it, nor will they be helped (2:48)’.
It is not only individuals who are subject to the Law of Requital; nations too have to suffer if they fall into wrong courses. However, if nations adopts a wrong course of action, it may be years before it begins to experience its effects. The law may operate slowly in the case of nations, but sooner or later every nation will have to face the consequences of its wrong actions. (The point will be elucidated in a subsequent chapter).
Finally, for the questions as
to what actions are right and what actions are wrong, the answer
is supplied partly by reason and partly by Revelation. Revelation
gives general guidance and broadly indicates the difference
between right and wrong actions. Human reason acting in the light
of Revelation, cannot miss the right path. Revelation, again may
be tests by acting upon it and examining the results. The
Qur’an offers to be judges by this pragmatic test –
‘Say (O’ Muhammad)! O my people, work according to your
power (and plan). Lo! I too am working (according to mine). Thus
you will come to know for which of us will be the happy sequel!.
Lo! The wrong-doers will not be sucessful(6:136)’.
There is a place for ‘forgiveness’ and ‘mercy’
The Qur’anic concept of the Law of Requital raises a very vital question which requires serious consideration. We have seen that this law is based strictly on justice. The point for consideration is whether it has any place for ‘forgiveness’ or ‘mercy’? The reply is both no and yes. If I do some wrong to somebody else, he may forgive me, i.e may not take revenge from me; but if I do wrong to my own self, none can forgive me.
Similarly, mercy is an emotional reaction which can obviously find no place in the working of law and justice. Still, there is a place for ‘forgiveness’ and ‘mercy’ as will be seen from the following example. You put your finger in fire and it gets burnt. And you must suffer the consequences – the pain and agony which is its inevitable results. There is no question of anybody forgiving you or taking mercy on you. But the same God who has made the law that the fire burns and pain is its inevitable result, has made another law.
It is that a certain medicine
has the property of giving relief to the pain and effacing the
devastating result of burning. A recourse to this law God would
do away with the painful result of your former action. The
provision of this second law is ‘mercy’ from God, and
obedience of this law results in ‘forgiveness’ of our
wrong doing. This law is as universal as the former one and does
not work differently in different individual cases. Nor has it
any appeal to emotion. This is the Qur’anic concept of
‘forgiveness’ and ‘mercy’.