Question
I have following questions:
1 – Why is “shirk” been declared as a sin which will not be forgiven in any case. A Buddhist friend of mine says that isn’t God very selfish while declaring this? Kindly, respond and also tell the effect of “shirk” on worldly life?
2 – My second question is regarding the act of zina. A person who is committing zina or (in second case) going near zina, answerable to God only or the society as well? Can some body say, to the person who is committing zina or going near, that you are answerable to us as well?
3- Thirdly, if one comes to know that an individual near him or in his community is doing something wrong, what should be the right approach towards his correction?
Answer
1. The reason that the Almighty has called shirk a heinous sin is that a person has no means to know whether God has partners or not. Only God could have revealed this information to man and since He has not, ascribing partners to God is like imputing falsehood to Him.
2. A person who is doing zina is answerable to God only if the matter has not been reported to the law/police. He or she should repent after this act and others should hide their sin. However, if the matter is taken to the court of law, then even if he or she repents the law will takes its course, and in this case the repentance might be able to save them from punishment in the Hereafter.
3. There is no rule of thumb in this regard. It depends on the person who is to be corrected and his circumstances. At times, talking to him helps and at others setting an example before him is useful. In some cases, it is better for an elder to talk and in some cases, children too can play a role. In short, it is a case to case issue.
Answered by: Dr. Shehzad Saleem
Date: 2015-02-21
