notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
#Addendum3067
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1. Why must idols enter Hell alongside their leaders?
2. Another point I am particularly interested in is that, in verse 74 of Surah al-Baqarah, stones are described as having awareness and tumbling down out of fear of God. So is a stone used to make an idol different from one that tumbles down out of fear of God? Does this difference determine the stone’s fate in the hereafter?
Simply entering Hell does not mean that they are being punished. The idols worshipped by the polytheists fall into two categories: first, those that were content to be worshipped, such as stone idols or people like Pharaoh; and second, those that were not content to be worshipped. The first category will be punished alongside their worshippers, while the second will not be punished.
Merely entering Hell is not, in itself, a sign that someone is being punished. All human beings, for example, will enter Hell, as will the angels assigned to serve there.
Maryam 71: وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا
There is none of you who will not enter it. This is a decree your Lord has made irrevocable.
The things the polytheists worshipped as idols can be divided into two categories:
First, those who consented to being worshipped, whether they were stone idols or otherwise—for example, human idols such as Pharaoh and Nimrod.
Second, those who became idols but did not consent to being worshipped; indeed, some may themselves have been monotheists who worshipped only God. This category will bear no blame, whether they were made of stone or some other material, or were human beings, such as Jesus (peace be upon him).
Undoubtedly, the idols that consented to being worshipped will burn in the Fire alongside their worshippers and be punished. The other category, however, will not be punished, even if they enter Hell.