shall return.”

“O Allah, reward us in our calamity and grant us something better in its place.”

Allah Most High says:

“And give glad tidings to the patient—those who, when a calamity befalls them, say, ‘Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.’”

Allah Most High says:

“Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and those are the rightly guided.”

Discussing the circumstances of kings in detail is difficult or impossible. In general, however, we should understand that they and other people who have good and evil deeds fall, by virtue of those deeds, within the scope of the texts promising reward or threatening punishment.

For the texts promising reward to apply to an individual, his deeds must be done sincerely for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked:

“A man fights out of bravery, out of partisan zeal, or to gain renown. Which of these is in Allah’s cause?”

He replied:

“Whoever fights so that Allah’s word may be supreme is fighting in Allah’s cause.”

Likewise, for the texts threatening punishment to apply to an individual, he must not have been acting on an interpretation or have erred in exercising independent judgment. Allah has pardoned this community for mistakes and forgetfulness. Many of the interpretations adopted by earlier generations, and the doubts that arose for them in connection with those interpretations, are well known; these give rise to personal inclination and desire. Thus, they do what they do under the influence of both doubt and desire.

The evil deeds committed by sinners are erased through repentance. They may also be erased through good deeds that wipe them away and calamities that expiate them. They may also be erased through the Muslims’ funeral prayer for the deceased and through the intercession of