In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the Questions of the Visitors of his Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
To Mutaz Qawasmi
Question:
Our honorable Sheikh... Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah bless you and grant victory through you. There is a question regarding the subject of Al-Qada wal-Qadar (Divine Decree and Destiny) in the book, The Islamic Personality, Volume 1.
When discussing actions that occur within the sphere that dominates man, specifically the part not necessitated by the laws of existence, it states on page 94, after mentioning examples: "Therefore, he is neither rewarded nor punished for them."
How do we reconcile this statement with the Hadiths mentioning that the one who dies of a stomach ailment, the one who drowns, and the one who dies under a collapsed building are among the martyrs (Martyrs of the Hereafter)—meaning they are rewarded and have a great status—even though the action occurred to them without their will? May Allah bless you. Abu Hamdi, Palestine.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
My brother, the subject concerns the entitlement to reward and punishment based on voluntary actions. This means that actions occurring within the sphere that man controls are the subject of reward and punishment; if he commits a prohibition (haram), he is punished, and if he performs an obligation (fard), he is rewarded... by the permission of Allah.
As for the actions that occur within the sphere that dominates man—meaning those that happen to him by compulsion—these actions were not performed by the person by his own choice. Thus, they are not a subject for the entitlement of reward or punishment, because the person did not perform them by choice.
However, for Allah (swt) to bestow an honor (makrumah) upon a person due to an event occurring without their choice is a different matter. This does not fall under the category of earning or deserving reward and punishment through one's deeds, but rather it is a mercy and a favor from Allah (swt)... this is the crux of the matter.
Accordingly, the fact that the one who dies of a stomach ailment, the one who dies of the plague, etc., are made martyrs by Allah (swt) is not because they performed a voluntary act to draw closer to Allah (swt) and thus earned the reward. That is, it does not fall under the principle mentioned in the saying of the Messenger ﷺ:
الْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ وَالسَّيِّئَةُ بِمِثْلِهَا إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَجَاوَزَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا
"...a good deed is recorded as ten times its like up to seven hundred times, and an evil deed is recorded as it is, unless Allah overlooks it." (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
Rather, it is a special honor and bounty from Allah.
I hope this is sufficient, and Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
16 Ramadan 1441 AH 09/05/2020 CE
Link to the answer from the Ameer's Facebook page: Facebook
Link to the answer from the Ameer's website: Web