Surah Al-Baqarah 2:284

Would the Servants be Accountable for What They Conceal in Their Hearts

Allah states that His is the kingship of the heavens and earth and of what and whoever is on or between them, that He has perfect watch over them. No apparent matter or secret that the heart conceals is ever a secret to Him, however minor it is. Allah also states that He will hold His servants accountable for what they do and what they conceal in their hearts. In similar statements, Allah said,

قُلْ إِن تُخْفُواْ مَا فِى صُدُورِكُمْ أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(Say (O Muhammad ): "Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And Allah is able to do all things) 3:29, and,

يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى

(He knows the secret and that which is yet more hidden.)

There are many other Ayat on this subject. In this Ayah 2:284, Allah states that He has knowledge of what the hearts conceal, and consequently, He will hold the creation accountable for whatever is in their hearts. This is why when this Ayah was revealed, it was hard on the Companions, since out of their strong faith and conviction, they were afraid that such reckoning would diminish their good deeds.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, "When

لِّلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَـوتِ وَمَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

(To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is able to do all things)

was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , it was very hard for the Companions of the Messenger . The Companions came to the Messenger and fell to their knees saying, `O Messenger of Allah! We were asked to perform what we can bear of deeds: the prayer, the fast, Jihad and charity. However, this Ayah was revealed to you, and we cannot bear it.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَقُولُوا كَما قَالَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ: سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا؟ بَلْ قُولُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِير»

(Do you want to repeat what the People of the Two Scriptures before you said, that is, `We hear and we disobey' Rather, say, `We hear and we obey, and we seek Your forgiveness, O our Lord, and the Return is to You.)

When the people accepted this statement and their tongues recited it, Allah sent down afterwards,

ءَامَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَـئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

(The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do)the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers ـ and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).")

When they did that, Allah abrogated the Ayah 2:284 and sent down the Ayah,

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا

(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error.") until the end."

Muslim recorded it with the wording; "When they did that, Allah abrogated it 2:284 and sent down,

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا

(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error".)

Allah said, `I shall (accept your supplication),'

رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا

("Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians)")

Allah said, `I shall (accept your supplication),'

رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ

("Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. ")

Allah said, `I shall (accept your supplication),'

وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلَـنَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ

("Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Mawla (Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.")

Allah said, `I shall."'

Imam Ahmad recorded that Mujahid said, "I saw Ibn `Abbas and said to him, `O Abu Abbas! I was with Ibn `Umar, and he read this Ayah and cried.' He asked, `Which Ayah' I said,

وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ

`(And whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it.)'

Ibn `Abbas said, `When this Ayah was revealed, it was very hard on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and worried them tremendously. They said: O Messenger of Allah! We know that we would be punished according to our statements and our actions, but as for what occurs in our hearts, we do not control what is in them.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«قُولُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا»

(Say, `We hear and we obey.') They said, `We hear and we obey.' Thereafter, this Ayah abrogated the previous Ayah,

ءَامَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِاللَّهِ

(The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah), until,

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ

(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.)

Therefore, they were pardoned what happens in their hearts, and were held accountable only for their actions."'

The Group recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ اللهَ تَجَاوَزَ لِي عَنْ أُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَالَمْ تَكَلَّمْ أَوْ تَعْمَل»

(Allah has pardoned my Ummah for what they say to themselves, as long as they do not utter it or act on it.)

The Two Sahihs recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«قَالَ اللهُ: إِذَا هَمَّ عَبْدِي بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَا تَكْتُبُوهَا عَلَيهِ، فَإِنْ عَمِلَهَا فَاكْتُبُوهَا سَيِّئَةً، وَإِذَا هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا فَاكْتُبُوهَا حَسَنَةً، فَإِنْ عَمِلَهَا فَاكْتُبُوهَا عَشْرًا»

(Allah said (to His angels), "If My servant intends to commit an evil deed, do not record it as such for him, and if he commits it, write it for him as one evil deed. If he intends to perform a good deed, but did not perform it, then write it for him as one good deed, and if he performs it, write it for him as ten good deeds.")

Dari ayat ini dapat diambil pengertian tentang kesempurnaan keesaan Allah dalam hal:

1.Esa dalam kekuasaannya.

2.Esa dalam mengetahui segala yang terjadi di alam ini.

Allah Esa dalam memiliki seluruh makhluk. Allah saja yang menciptakan, menumbuhkan, mengembangkan dan memiliki seluruh alam ini, tidak ada sesuatu pun yang bersekutu dengan Dia.

Allah Esa dalam mengetahui segala sesuatu di alam ini. Allah mengetahui yang besar dan yang kecil, yang tampak dan yang tidak tampak oleh manusia. Segala yang terjadi, yang wujud di alam ini, tidak lepas dari pengetahuan Allah, tidak ada sesuatu pun yang luput dari pengetahuan-Nya.

Allah Esa dalam kekuasaan-Nya. Apa yang terjadi di alam ini adalah atas kehendak Allah, tidak ada sesuatu pun yang dapat mengubah kehendak-Nya. Apabila Dia menghendaki adanya sesuatu, pasti sesuatu itu terwujud. Sebaliknya apabila Dia menghendaki lenyapnya sesuatu, lenyaplah ia. Hanya Dialah yang dapat mengetahui perbuatan hamba-Nya, serta mengampuni atau mengazabnya, dan keputusan yang adil hanya di tangan-Nya saja.

Yang ada di dalam hati manusia itu ada dua macam, Pertama: Sesuatu yang ada di dalam hati, yang datang dengan sendirinya, tergerak tanpa ada yang menggerakkannya, terlintas di dalam hati dengan sendirinya. Gerak yang demikian tidak berdasarkan iradah (kehendak) dan ikhtiyar (pilihan) manusia, hanya timbul saja dalam hatinya. Hal yang seperti ini tidak dihukum dan dihisab Allah swt, kecuali bila diikuti dengan iradah, niat dan ikhtiar.

Kedua: Sesuatu yang ada di dalam hati yang timbul dengan usaha, pikiran, hasil renungan dan sebagainya. Gerak yang seperti ini berubah menjadi cita-cita dan keinginan yang kuat, sehingga timbullah iradah, niat dan ikhtiar untuk melaksanakannya. Gerak hati yang seperti inilah yang dihisab dan dijadikan dasar dalam menentukan balasan pekerjaan manusia.

Oleh sebab itu Allah memerintahkan agar manusia selalu mengawasi, meneliti dan merasakan apa yang ada di dalam hatinya. Bila yang ada dalam hatinya itu sesuai dengan perintah Allah dan tidak berlawanan dengan larangan-larangan-Nya, maka peliharalah dan hidup suburkanlah, sehingga ia bisa mewujudkan amal yang baik. Sebaliknya, bila yang ada di dalam hati itu bertentangan dengan perintah-perintah Allah atau mendorong seseorang mengerjakan larangan-Nya, hapus segera dan enyahkanlah, sehingga ia tidak sampai mewujudkan perbuatan dosa. Hendaklah manusia waspada terhadap kemungkinan adanya niat atau perasaan yang tidak baik di dalam hati, sehingga bisa menyebabkan perbuatan dosa.

Sebagai contoh ialah: rasa dengki, pada mulanya tumbuh karena rasa tidak senang kepada seseorang. Perasaan itu bertambah ketika melihat kesuksesan orang itu, kesuksesan ini menyuburkan rasa tidak senang. Kemudian timbullah marah, dendam, ingin membalas dan sebagainya. Jika demikian perasaannya, sukar untuk menghilangkannya dengan segera. Bahkan dikhawatirkan dapat melahirkan perbuatan dosa. Tetapi bila dipadamkan perasaan itu pada saat ia mulai tumbuh, maka rasa dengki itu tidak akan timbul, dan kalaupun timbul dapat dihilangkan dengan mudah.