Q. My sister wants to know what would happen to a person who does not follow any religion, but is pious and has a high moral standard. Is he given a place in heaven?
Mustak
A. Heaven belongs to God and He admits into it anyone He pleases. It is not for us to say which person should or should not go there. From the Islamic point of view, however, admission into heaven is the reward God grants to those who believe in Him and do His bidding. Why should a person who does not do so be granted this reward? Having said that, we must add that God is the most just of all judges.
Therefore, He will deal fairly with all people. No one is given an iota less than he or she deserves. On the contrary, God is the most merciful, compassionate and gracious of all. He will extend His mercy and grace to countless numbers of His servants, dealing with all in the most gracious manner.
Tattoos
Q. Are tattoos forbidden in Islam? If so, why? May I further ask if a young person wants to have a tattoo with no pictures of living objects, for fun only, what is the harm in that?
Ahmad Ali
A. The Prophet cursed the person who actually does the tattoos and the one who has it made for that person. It is part of the excessive cosmetic practices that aim to attract attention.
In addition it is a process involving permanent change in appearance, and relies on needles, which make it painful. It may be done nowadays under anesthetic that removes the pain, but this does not change the view regarding it. The reader asks about doing it for fun.
This is a temporary way of looking at it, while the tattoo is permanent. Hence, it is wrong to have temporary fun through something permanent. If one wants to remove it in future, it requires painful plastic surgery, grafting skin from other places in the body. Hence, Islam gives it a verdict of prohibition.