Preconditions for Salvation of Muslims, Jews, Christians
Following are excerpts from the remarks of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Seifi Mazandarani at the session:
God says in Verse 62 of Surah Al-Baqarah: “However, those who have become believers (the Muslims), and the Jews, the Christians and the Sabaeans who believe in God and the Day of Judgment and strive righteously will receive their reward from the Lord and will have nothing to fear nor will they be grieved.”
The verse says that those who accept Islam in words, have faith in heart and do good deeds achieve salvation but if the faith is only in words, they will not reach reward in the hereafter.
There are other aspects mentioned about this verse as well. Sheikh Tusi says that true believers in Islam as well as Jews, Christians and Sabians who have true faith and do good deeds will reach salvation.
In our view, faith should first be in words and the second faith should be true faith (in heart). Based on this view, if Jews, Christians and Sabians who have true faith and act righteously will reach salvation. Basically, good deeds are the sign of faith in heart and they signify true faith. In this aspect, there is no difference between the faithful among Muslims and other religions, before the advent of Islam, of course.
Sheikh Tusi says the Shaan Nuzul (conditions of the revelation) of the verse is about Salman Farsi and the Christian companions, who will be awarded both for the faith in their previous religion and for the faith in Islam.
According to a Hadith about this verse, believers are those who have faith in God and whatever having faith in which is Wajib (obligatory), such as prophethood, (as well as the Wilayah of Imam Ali (AS) and his family).
The rest of the Hadith says that Imam Ali (AS) looked at a man who was visibly afraid and asked him why he seemed frightened. The man said he was afraid of God. Imam Ali (AS) said: “Servant of God! Be afraid of your sins and fear Divine Justice in judging your wrongdoing against His servants! Obey God in what He has obligated you to do, and do not disobey in what is good for you. So, do not fear God as He does no injustice to anyone and He does not chastise beyond one's deserving.”
Hence, nobody should fear God, rather we should fear ourselves not to be encumbered by the outcome of our own unseemly actions. God is absolute goodness and absolute justice and He never does injustice to anyone.
