Answer
Asalaamu alaykum,
In part one of this question, we talked about the story of Ibrahim and the real purpose of Hajj: increasing our consciousness of Allah.
Ask yourself this: if God is The Just, why would He accept that I throw my sins on someone/something else?
If He is Al-Ghany (The Free of Need) why would the blood, flesh, etc. benefit Him?
How could blood remove my sin or how could it realistically fix the problem or make me sincerely lead a righteous life as God ordered?
True Justice
Imagine if a judge in your district—instead of imprisoning and punishing a rapist/criminal/thief—imprisons and punishes an innocent person.
Does this make him a good judge? More importantly, will this really solve the problem when the innocent is punished and the wrongdoers are spared? Wouldn’t this spread more corruption?
The best thing to do is to have the wrong-doers rectify what THEY have done. This is beneficial to them and to everyone else.
How would someone else’s blood, or some animal’s blood, change my heart? It’s like we wish to delegate our own work to someone else or something else to avoid taking responsibility and sincere actions to fix our lives.
Allah won’t allow injustice by having someone else who is innocent carry other’s sins. It goes against God’s Justice and Mercy.
He says:
If you disbelieve, then God is not in need of you; He likes not disbelief for his slaves. And if you are grateful, He is pleased therewith for you. No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you what you used to do. He is the All-Knower of that which is in the breasts (Of men). (Quran 39:07)
Allah is capable of forgiving easily, and He is not in need of spilled blood.
He wants to see His slaves working sincerely in rectifying their affairs because when they lead a righteous meaning life as He prescribes, they’ll be able to learn more about Him and connect with Him, know and love Him deeply and yearn for the eternal life near Him.
So, each person is responsible for his/her own action, no one carries any body’s burden or sins,Allah who created each and every person with love, dignity and honor wants to see His created beings living up to the purpose they were created for.
No Original Sin
The Quranic perspective illustrates that human beings are innocent in nature, not sinful.
Allah doesn’t judge you on how bad you’ve been in the past or how bad your ancestors have been, but on how good you strive to become.
This goes back to the story of Adam and Eve- peace be upon them both. Take a look at what their story says in one location in the Quran for example:
And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”
But Satan caused them to slip out of it and removed them from that [condition] in which they had been. And We said, “Go down, [all of you], as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time.”
Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. (Quran 2:35-37)
So, as you see, repentance is important, and acceptance of repentance is based on correcting one’s acts and leading righteous life with sincerity and perseverance.
God Wants Piety
God wants piety in that He wants His creations to lead righteous life out of true knowledge of Him, true understanding, genuine love of Him, and patience and perseverance on His path.
So, salvation in Islam is through knowledge and action, not symbolic terms. It is a life journey. It’s a process. Repentance and God’s Mercy and Forgiveness are essential to understanding this point.
Allah’s Names include The Perpetual Forgiver. He forgives sins so long as people do the following:
1- Repent sincerely and wholeheartedly.
2- Stop the sin and do not go back to doing it.
3- Regret it and acknowledge how wrong it was.
4- Continue to do righteous deeds and remain on the path of righteousness.
This is how one rectifies his own life and make conscious intellectual, emotional and physical effort to stop a sin.
The Doors of Forgiveness Are ALWAYS Open
Allah said in a Hadith Qudsi:
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it. ”
The doors of forgiveness are always open, but you’ll notice here that the key is sincerity in continuing on the right path. If you slipped, you repent again and again.
God wants His creations to lead righteous lives out of true knowledge of Him, true understanding, genuine love of Him, and patience and perseverance on this path.
And this is what we’re living for and striving to achieve.
This is why we celebrate and commemorate Prophet Ibrahim as a noble Prophet who proved his true and sincere belief, commitment and faith in the Creator and perseverance on His path.
I hope this answers your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.
(This is from AboutIslam’s archives and was published previously)
Read more…
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/blood-sacrificed-animals-forgive-sins/
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/the-messiah-in-judaism-christianity-and-islam/
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/hajj/what-is-the-concept-of-animal-sacrifice-in-islam/
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/innocence-original-sin/
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/jesus-die-sins/