Will the members of a nation be punished in this world or the hereafter due to the acts and deeds of that nation in the past?

Will the members of a nation be punished in this world or the hereafter due to the acts and deeds of that nation in the past?

Dear Brother / Sister,

According to Islam, nobody is held responsible due to the crime of others. Therefore, the saying, "The privacy of crime is essential" is a general rule. As a matter of fact, Hz. Noah's son did not believe in his father and died as an unbeliever. His father is not held responsible for it.

However, mothers and fathers need to bring up their children in a nice way and set good examples; similarly, states and nations need to bring up their citizens in accordance with Islamic principles. If they do not bring up their citizens and set bad examples with their bad deeds, they will be held responsible for not bringing up their citizens in a nice way and due to their bad deeds.  

Accordingly, the nations that come afterwards are not held responsible for the crimes and sins committed by their ancestors.However, if they do the same bad deeds as their ancestors did and support them, they will be held responsible too.

As for those who are suffering now due to the mistake of their ancestors, their situations will be regarded as a test. Those who fulfill the test in the best way under the current circumstances will be rewarded.

It cannot be guaranteed that they would be better Muslims if they lived under different circumstances; therefore, they are responsible for acting in accordance with the circumstances they live under. That is, a Muslim will not be accounted for where and when he lived; he will be accounted for how he lived.

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