Allah is Just and Merciful, or: Proof That Islam is the Truth, and Muslims Are Not Perfect — But Islam Is Perfect
Imagine this scenario: A man who, throughout his entire life, never did a single good deed, killed 100 people, and surely committed other sins — since none of his actions were ever righteous. What awaits him? The correct answer is: Jannah — paradise filled with houris, beautiful pearl-like youths, rivers of wine and honey, the most exquisite cuisine…
But the question is — how did he earn such bliss?
Sahih Muslim 2766c:
Among those who lived before you was a man who had killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most learned man on earth and was directed to a monk. Coming to him, he said that he had killed ninety-nine people — was there any possibility of repentance for him? The monk said: no. So he killed him too, bringing the count to one hundred. Then he again asked about the most learned man on earth and was directed to a scholar. He told him he had killed a hundred people — was there any possibility of repentance? The scholar said: yes, and who can stand between a man and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land — there live people who worship Allah. Go and worship Allah with them, and do not return to your own land — it is an evil place. He set off, and when he had traveled half the distance, death overtook him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. The angels of mercy said: he came repentant, having turned his heart to Allah. The angels of punishment said: he never performed a single good deed. Then an angel came to them in the form of a man, and they made him their judge. He said: measure the distance to the two lands — whichever he is closer to, that land shall have him. Allah commanded the land he had left to move farther away, and the land he was heading toward to draw closer. He was found nearer to the land he had been heading for — and the angels of mercy took him.
Here is the short version:
Someone killed 99 people, went to a monk and asked: is there repentance for me? The monk said: no. He killed him — making it 100. Eventually, a knowledgeable man pointed him toward a righteous land. He went — but never arrived. The angels argued and decided to judge him by distance. He turned out to be a hand’s span closer to the land of the righteous — because Allah moved one land and pulled the other away.
And so our protagonist — let’s call him a righteous mujahid — ended up in paradise and is living his best life.
On the topic of predestination, Muslims love to use the analogy of a teacher who knows which student will pass and which will fail. The teacher’s foreknowledge supposedly doesn’t negate the student’s free will.
Now imagine: a student spent the whole year skipping class, disrupting others, ignoring the teacher, doing zero preparation. But the day before the exam, he formed the intention to score 100%. Just the intention — but that was enough. The teacher gave his favorite troublemaker the highest grade in absentia and held him up as an example for everyone.
Do you understand? A lifetime of sin, taking the lives of others, not performing a single good deed — and the punishment for all of it is: eternal paradise.
Interesting that in Bukhari 2766, the killings are treated as sins, while Quran 4:93 states that killing a Muslim earns you hellfire. From this we can conclude that our mujahid most likely did not kill any Muslims — after all, the life of one Muslim is worth more than a countless number of non-Muslims.
The most fascinating part of this story is that entry into paradise was determined by geography — and even then, the mujahid couldn’t manage it on his own. Allah had to physically move the land.
Truly, Allah is wise and all-knowing.
Do I envy the mujahid? Of course.
Is this justice?
Allah knows best. Truly, this is a reminder for those who reflect.
Allahu Akbar.