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Belief in the Last Day
The Last Day is the Day when mankind will be resurrected
to be asked about their deeds and receive reward or
punishment for them. It is called "the Last Day,"
because it is the last day, no day after that. Afterwards,
people of Paradise will permanently reside and take
their places in it, and people of Hell will permanently
reside and take their places in it.
Belief In The Last Day Has Three Parts
1 - To believe in the Resurrection. The Resurrection
happens when the Horn will be blown for the second time.
Afterwards, mankind will be resurrected to face the
questioning by the Lord of the worlds. They will neither
be wearing shoes nor circumcised, and they will be naked
and visible to others on this state, (however, everyone
will be absolutely preoccupied with what they are going
to face and the hardship of the Day of Resurrection).
Allah said, what translated means, (As We began the
first creation, We shall repeat it, (it is) a promise
binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.) [21:104].
The Resurrection is a true event that the Quran, the
Sunnah and the consensus of Muslims have confirmed.
Allah said, what translated means, (After that, surely
you will die. Then (again), surely, you will be resurrected
on the Day of Resurrection.) [23:15-16]. The Prophet
said, what translated means, "On the Day of Resurrection,
Mankind will be resurrected while they are bear-footed
and naked." [Al- Bukhari & Muslim].
The Muslims are unanimous on confirming the Day of
Resurrection. This is the wisdom of Allah, for He decreed
that creation will have a day of reckoning for their
deeds after He sent them Messengers to inform them of
His Commandments. He said, what translated means, (Did
you think that We had created you in play (without any
purpose), and that you would not be brought back to
Us?) [23:115] and, (Verily, He Who has given you (O
Mohammad) the Quran will surely bring you back to the
Ma'ad (place of retum).) [28:85].
2 - To believe in the Reckoning. In the Last Day, the
slave will be rewarded or punished for his deeds. This
fact was also confirmed by the Quran, the Sunnah and
the consensus of Muslims. Allah said, what translated
means, (Verily, to Us will be their return. Then verily,
for Us will be their Reckoning.) [88:25-26], (Whoever
brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof
to his credit, and whoever brings an evil deed shall
have only the recompense of the like thereof, and they
will not be wronged.) [6:160] and, (And We shall set
up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then
none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if
there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring
it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners.) [21:47].
The Prophet said, what translated means, "Allah
will bring the believer closer to Him, and will shield
him form being exposed (for his evil deeds in front
of everyone). He will say: 'Do you remember such and
such (evil) deed? Do you remember such and such (evil)
deed?' He will say: 'Yes, O my Lord!' When He gets his
confessions for his evil deeds, and he (the salve) thinks
that he is close to destruction, He will say: 'I have
preserved you (from being exposed in front of others
for these evil deeds) during your lifetime. Today, I
forgive them for you.' Then, he will be given his record
of deeds. As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites,
they will be called in public: 'These are the ones who
lied on their Lord (did not follow His Guidance sent
down with their Prophets). Therefore, Allah's curse
will befall the unjust ones.'" [Al-Bukhari &
Muslim] and, "Whoever intends to perform a good
deed, and performs it, Allah will record it for him
as ten deeds, to seven hundredfold, to many more folds.
Whoever intends to commit and evil deed, and commits
it, Allah will record it as one evil deed." [Al-Bukhari
& Muslim].
Muslims are unanimous that the Day of Reckoning will
come. This is the Wisdom of Allah. He revealed the Books,
sent down the Messengers and commanded that they be
accepted, followed and obeyed. He commanded that whoever
oppose them (the Books and the Messengers) are to be
fought. He permitted shedding their blood, and the seizure
of their children, women and possessions. If there will
not be a Day of Reckoning, then this Commandment will
be time wasted. Allah is immune form such joyful play,
(Then surely, We shall question those (people) to who
it (the Book) was sent and verity, We shall question
the Messengers. Then surely, We shall narrate unto them
(their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We were
not absent.) [7:6-7].
3 - To believe in Paradise and Hell. They are the final
destination for whoever deserves either one of them,
and for eternity.
Paradise is the destination of the ultimate happiness
and joy that Allah prepared for the believers who feared
Him, believed in what He required from them to believe
and obeyed Him and His Messenger. They are the ones
who were sincere to Allah and followers of His Messenger.
Paradise contains, of Allah's bounties, "What no
eye has ever violated, what no ear has ever heard of
and what no mind has ever imagined (of joys that Allah
hid for the believers)." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim].
Allah said, what translated means, (Verity, those who
believe (in Allah) and do righteous, good deeds, they
are the best of creatures. Their reward with their Lord
is Gardens of Eternity, underneath which rivers flow,
they will abide therein for ever, Allah Well-Pleased
with them, and they with Him. That is for him who fears
his Lord.) [98:7-8] and, (No person knows what is kept
hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used
to do.) [32:17].
As for Hell, it is the destination of torment and punishment
that Allah prepared for the unjust disbelievers. They
are the ones who disbelieved in Him and disobeyed His
Messengers. Hell contains kinds of punishment and torment
that no one could ever imagine. Allah said, what translated
means (And fear the Fire, which is prepared for the
disbelievers.) [3:131], (We have prepared for the wrongdoers,
a Fire whose walls will be surrounding them. And if
they ask for help they will be granted water like boiling
oil that will scald their faces. Terrible the drink,
and an evil dwelling.) [18:29] and, (Verily, Allah has
cursed the disbelievers, and has prepared for them a
flaming Fire (Hell). Wherein, they will abide for ever,
and they will find neither a protector nor a helper.
On the Day when their faces will be turned and rolled
from all sides in the fire, they will say: "Oh,
would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger
(Mohammed).") [33:64-66].
Belief in Life After Death
Believing in the Last Day requires Muslims to also
believe in life after death and in the following:
a - The questioning in the grave. The dead will be
asked, in their graves, about the lord, the religion
and the Prophet they followed during their lifetime.
Allah will lead the believer to say what is necessary,
saying, "Allah is my Lord. My religion is Islam.
My Prophet is Mohammad." As for the unjust, Allah
will lead him to misguidance, saying, in answer to the
above questions, "What! What! I do not know."
Also, the hypocrites and the ones who always had doubts
about Allah, the religion and the Prophet, will say,
"I do not know. I heard people say something and
I followed them."
b - The torment or joy in the grave. The unjust, the
disbelievers and the hypocrites, will be tormented in
their graves. Allah said, what translated means, (And
if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the
agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth
their hands (saying): "Deliver your souls; this
day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation
because of what you used to utter against Allah other
than the truth. And you used to reject His Ayat (proofs,
signs, evidences, etc.) with disrespect.") [6:93]
and about Pharaoh's household, (The Fire, they are exposed
to it, morning and afternoon, and on the Day when the
Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels):
"Cause Pharaoh's people to enter the severest Torment.")
[40:46].
Zaid ibn Thabit narrated that the Prophet said to his
companions, what translated means, "I would have
asked Allah to let you hear what I am hearing from the
punishment in the grave, but for the fear that you would
not bury each other after that." Then the Prophet
turned his face towards them, saying, "Seek refuge
in Allah from the torment of the Fire." They said,
"We seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the
Fire." He said, "Seek refuge in Allah from
the torment of the grave." They said, "We
seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave."
He said, "Seek refuge in Allah from all calamities,
apparent or hidden." They said, "We seek refuge
in Allah from all calamities, apparent or hidden."
He said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the calamity
of Al-A'war Ad-Dajjal." [Muslim].
.Yal (the False Messiah)." They said, "We
seek refuge As for joys of the grave, they are given
to the believers. Allah said, what translated means,
(Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (alone),"
and then they stood fast on them (these words that they
say), on them the angels will descend (at the time of
their death) (saying): "Fear you not, nor grieve!
But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have
been promised.") [41:30] and, (Then why do you
not (intervene) when (the soul of a dying person) reaches
the throat? And you at the moment are looking on? But
We (our angels who take the soul) are Nearer to him
than you, but you see not. Then why do you not, if you
are exempt from the reckoning and recompense (punishment).
Bring back the soul (to its body), if you are truthful?
Then if he (the dying person) be of those near ones
(close to Allah), (there is for him) rest and provisions,
and a Garden of Delights (Paradise).) [56:83- 89].
Al-Baraa' ibn 'Azib narrated that the Prophet said
about the believer, that after he is asked by the angels
(about the lord, the religion and the Messenger he followed)
and after he replies (saying that his Lord is Allah,
his religion is Islam and his Messenger is Mohammad),
"A caller from heaven will say: 'My slave has said
the truth. Therefore, furnish him (his grave) from Paradise,
dress him from Paradise and open a door for him to Paradise.'"
Then he said, "He will receive from its tranquility
and perfume. His grave will be enlarged for him the
distance that his sight reaches." [Ahmad &
Abu Dawood].
Benefits of Believing in the Last Day
1 - The desire to do righteous, good deeds, seeking
the good results in the Last Day.
2 - The fear from committing and approving of evil
deeds, fearing the torment of the Day of Reckoning.
3 - The believer feels that this belief makes him forget
the hardships he faces in this life. He is preoccupied
with working righteousness trying to reach the joys
and good rewards of the Last Day.
Some disbelievers reject the idea of life after death,
saying that this is not possible. This claim is false.
Religion, the senses and the mind are used to refute
this claim.
As for religion, Allah said, what translated means,
(The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected
(for the account). Say (O Mohammad): "Yes! By my
Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will
be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and
that is easy for Allah.") [64:7]. All Scriptures
are unanimous on this matter.
As for the senses, Allah demonstrated to his slaves
how He raised the dead in this life. In Surat Al-Baqarah
(chapter 2 of the Quran) Allah mentioned five examples:
1 - The People of Moses said to him, "We will
not believe in you unless we see Allah without a barrier."
They were seized by death and then Allah resurrected
them. To remind the Children of Israel with this story,
Allah said, what translated means, (And (remember) when
you said. "O Moses! We shall never believe in you
till we see Allah plainly." But you were seized
with a thunder-bolt (lightening) while you were looking.
Then We raised you up after your death, so that you
might be grateful.) [2:55-56].
2 - The story of the murdered man whom the Children
of Israel differed on who killed him. Allah ordered
them to sacrifice a cow and strike him with some of
its parts, so he can tell them who killed him, (And
(remember) when you killed a man and fell into dispute
among yourselves as to the crime. But Allah brought
forth that which you were hiding. So We said. "Strike
him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow)."
Thus Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His
signs so that you may understand.) [2:72-73].
3 - The story of the nation that escaped form its land
for fear of death by the hands of their enemies, although
their number was in the thousands. Allah made death
seize them and then raised them back to life, (Did you
(O Mohammad) not think of those who went forth from
their homes in thousands, fearing death? Allah said
to them: "Die." And then He restored them
to life. Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind,
but most men thank not.) [2:243].
4 - The story of the person who passed by a village
that all its inhabitants had died. He could not imagine
that Allah can resurrect them. Allah made death seize
him for a hundred years and then raised him from the
dead, (Or (think you of) such as he who passed by a
town all in utter ruins. He said. "Oh! How will
Allah ever bring it to life after its death?" So
Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised
him up (again). He said: "How long did you remain
(dead)?" He (the man) said: "(Perhaps) I remained
(dead) a day or part of a day." He said: "Nay,
you have remained (dead) for a hundred years, look at
your food and at your drink, they show no change; and
look at your donkey! And thus We have made of you a
Sign for the people. Look at the bones, how We bring
them together and clothe them with flesh." When
this was clearly shown to him, he said: "I know
(now) that Allah is able to do all things.") [2:259].
5 - The story of Abraham who asked Allah to show him
how He raises the dead. Allah ordered him to kill four
birds, cut them in parts and spread them over the surrounding
mountains. He told him to call the dead birds, and that
he did. These parts were collected (by Allah's Power)
and the birds came back to life and they came to Abraham.
Allah said, what translated means, (And (remember) when
Abraham said: "My Lord! Show me how You give life
to the dead." He (Allah) said: "Do you not
believe?" He (Abraham) said: "Yes (I believe),
but to be stronger in faith." He said: Take four
birds, then cause them to incline towards you (slaughter
them, cut them into pieces), and then put a portion
of them on every hill, and call them, they will come
to you in haste. And know that Allah is All-Mighty,
All-Wise.")
These are five examples of incidents that happened.
They prove that raising the dead can happen by the will
of Allah. We mentioned before that Jesus raised the
dead from their graves, by the will of Allah.
As for the mind, there are two ways to correctly use
it to confirm raising the dead:
1 - Allah is the One who started the creation of heavens
and earth. The One who is Capable of starting the creation
is also Capable of restarting it. Allah said, what translated
means, (And He is Who originates the creation, then
will repeat it (after it has been perished), and this
is easier for Him) [30:27] and, (As We began the first
creation, We shall repeat it, (it is) a promise binding
upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.) [21:104] and to the
one who denied that Allah will give life to the bones
when they have rotted away, (Say (O Mohammad): "He
will give life to them Who created them for the first
time! And He is the All-Knower of every creation.")
[36:79].
2 - It is noticed that the soil can become dry and
that trees and plants die. When Allah sends the rain,
the soil comes back to life and plants of all kinds
grow and become green. The One who brings life back
to the dead soil is Capable of raising the dead. Allah
said, what translated means, (And among His Signs (in
this), that you see the earth barren, but when We send
down water (rain) to it, it is stirred to life and growth
(of vegetation). Verily, He Who gives it life, surely,
(He) is Able to give life to the dead (on the Day of
Resurrection). Indeed! He is Able to do all things.)
[41:39] and, (And We send down blessed water (rain)
from the sky, then We produce therewith gardens and
grain (all harvests that are reaped). And tall date-palms,
with ranged clusters; A provisions for (Allah's) slaves.
And We give life therewith to a dead land. Thus will
be the Resurrection (of the dead).) [50:9-11].
Some misguided people reject punishment or joy in the
grave, claiming that this cannot happen. They claim
that if one exhumes the dead, he will find the grave
as it was left and that it did not change in size. This
claim is rejected by the Shari'ah, the senses and the
mind:
As for the Shari'ah, we mentioned some texts before.
These texts confirm the punishment or joy in the grave.
Ibn Abbas said, "The Prophet passed by some walls
in Madinah. He heard the screams of two persons who
were being punished in their graves." The Prophet
mentioned the reasons behind this punishment, "One
of them did not protect himself (his clothes) form urine.
The other one was spreading (sawing) differences (between
people)." [Al-Bukhari].
As for the senses, we know that, while dreaming, the
one who is asleep sees that he is enjoying a huge space
or that he is feeling pain because he is squeezed in
a small area. Sometimes, one's sleep is interrupted
because of such nightmares, although he is still in
his bed. Sleeping is similar to dying. Allah said, what
translated means, (It is Allah Who takes away the souls
at the time of their death, and those that die not during
their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has
ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed.
Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply.)
[39:42].
As for the mind, sometimes one sees dreams that may
later happen in real life. Some Muslims may see the
Prophet in their dreams. Whoever sees the Prophet, on
the shape that he was described in books of Hadith,
is saying the truth in that he saw him. This happens
while one is still in his bed. If this is the case in
this material life, what about matters of the other
life?
As for their claim that when one exhumes a dead body,
that no signs of abnormal change, either in the body
or the grave itself, are detected, we say the following:
1 - The Shari'ah cannot be rejected by depending on
these doubts. These doubts can easily be refuted, providing
one uses his mind. There is a popular saying, "There
are many who refute a truth, while the problem lies
with their limited comprehension."
2 - Life in the grave is a matter of the unseen. The
senses cannot unveil the unseen. If matters of the unseen
are unveiled by the senses, then belief in the unseen
will not have any useful meaning, in which case believing
or disbelieving is irrelevant, since there would be
no matters in the unseen to believe in.
3 - Only the dead feel the punishment or joy in the
grave. Also, the one who is dreaming is the only one
who is experiencing the pain of being squeezed in a
small space or the joy of being in an open area. Others
do not feel the same as the one who is experiencing
these dreams, although he is still in his bed. The Prophet
used to receive revelation while he was among his companions
and the companions did not hear the revelation. Sometimes,
the angel came in the shape of an invisible man. The
companions did not see the angel while he was delivering
revelation to the Messenger.
4 - Humans have limited comprehension and understanding
of the universe. They only understand what Allah gave
them the capability to understand. They do not understand
all of the existence. The seven heavens, the earth and
all that which is therein praise Allah. Allah, sometimes,
gives the power to some of His creation to hear such
praise. Humans cannot hear such praise. Allah said,
what translated means, (The seven heavens and the earth
and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not
a thing but-glorifies His praise. But you understand
not their glorification. Truly, He is Ever Forbearing,
Oft-Forgiving.) [17:44]. Also, devils and the Jinn go
about in the earth. The Jinn came to the Messenger and
listened to his recitation of the Quran. When he finished,
they went back to their nation to convey the Message
to them. However, this creation is out of the reach
of humans' comprehension, (O Children of Adam! Let not
Satan deceive you, as he got your parents (Adam and
Eve) out of Paradise, stripping them of their raiment,
to show them their private parts. Verily, he and his
soldiers see you from where you cannot see them. Verily,
We made the devils protectors (and helpers) for those
who believe not.) [7:27]. Creation can neither reach
what is beyond their comprehension nor understand all
the existence. Therefore, one cannot dispute matters
of the unseen that he cannot comprehend.
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