Skip to main content

Life after death by http://www.ediscoverislam.com/index.php



Life after Death : An ArgumentThe question of whether or not there is life after death does not fall into the field of science, because science is only concerned with the classification and analysis of recorded data.  Moreover, man has been busy with scientific enquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the idea of life after death since time immemorial.
All the prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death.  They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt concerning the actuality of it meant denying God, and made all other beliefs meaningless.  Prophets of God have come and gone, the epochs of their advent being spread over thousands of years, yet life after death was proclaimed by them all.  The very fact that they have all dealt with this metaphysical question so confidently and uniformly goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of what to expect after death was the same: Divine revelation.
We also know that these prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of resurrection to life once a person had died, since their people thought it to be impossible.  But in spite of that opposition, the prophets won many sincere followers.  The question of what made those followers forsake their earlier belief systems arises.  What led them to reject the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers even though they risked being totally alienated from their own community?  The simple answer is that they made use of their faculties of mind and heart, and realized the truth.  Did they realize the truth through experiencing it?  It cannot be so, as the perceptual experience of life after death is impossible.
Actually, God has given man, besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too.  It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data.  That is why all the prophets of God, while calling people to believe in God and the life hereafter, appealed to the aesthetic, moral and rational sides of man.  For example, when the idolaters of Mecca denied even the possibility of life after death, the Quran exposed the weakness of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it:
“And Man has coined for Us a similitude, and has forgotten the fact of his creation, saying: ‘Who will revive these bones when they have rotted away?’  Say: ‘He will revive them who produced them at the first, for He is the Knower of every creation, Who has appointed for you fire from the green tree, and behold!  You kindle from it.  Is it not He who created the heavens and the earth, able to create the like of them?  Yes, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing.” (Quran 36:78-81)
At another occasion, the Quran very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death.  It is based on pure conjecture:
“They say, ‘There is nothing but our present life; we die, and we live, and nothing but time destroys us.’  Of that they have no knowledge; they merely conjecture.  And when Our revelations are recited to them, their only argument is that they say, ‘Bring us our father, if you speak truly.’” (Quran 45:24-25)
Surely God will raise all the dead, but not at our whim or for our idle inspection in the mundane world; God has His own plan of things.  A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed, and then again will the dead be resurrected to stand before God.  That day will be the beginning of the life that will never end, and that Day, every person will be rewarded by God according to his good and evil deeds.
The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what the moral consciousness of man demands it.  Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes irrelevant, or, even if one believes in God, that would be an unjust and indifferent God.  He would have been a God who once created man, only to be unconcerned with his fate thereafter.  Surely, God is just.  He will punish the tyrants whose crimes are beyond count: having killed hundreds of innocent persons, created great corruption in the society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, and so forth.  Man, having a very short span of life in this world, and this physical world also not being eternal, the punishments or rewards equal to the evil or noble deeds of persons are not possible here.  The Quran very emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and God will decide about the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds:
“Those who disbelieve say: The Hour will never come unto us.  Say: Nay, by my Lord, but it is coming unto you surely.  (He is) the Knower of the Unseen.  Not an atom’s weight, or less than that or greater, escapes Him in the heavens or in the earth, but it is in a clear Record.  That He may reward those who believe and do good works.  For them is pardon and a rich provision.  But those who strive against our revelations, challenging (Us), theirs will be a painful doom of wrath.” (Quran 34:3-5)
The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation.  God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in their worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them.  But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state.  Drawing a comparison between them the Quran says:
“Is he, then, to whom we have promised a goodly promise the fulfillment of which he will meet, like the one whom We have provided with the good things of this life, and then on the Day of Resurrection he will be of those who will be brought arraigned before God?” (Quran 28:61)


Popular posts from this blog

The danger of disrespecting your parents

The Holy Prophet (S) said. “One who displeases the parents, (it is as if) he has displeased Allah. One who angers both his parents (it is as if) he has angered Allah.” Elsewhere, it is mentioned, “One who hurts his parents, hurts me and one who hurts me has hurt Allah. And the one who hurts Allah is accursed.” Āq al-Walidayn is Not Eligible For Divine Forgiveness The wretchedness of the Āq al-Walidayn is sufficiently evident from the fact that the trustworthy Jibrīl (a.s.) has cursed him and said, “One who is blessed with parents but does not fulfill their (his parent’s) rights will not be forgiven (his sins) by Allah.” 3 When Jibrīl (a.s.) said this, the Holy Prophet (S) uttered, ‘Amen’! DONT disrespect, shout, ignore, annoy, disobey, disregard, disturb our parents. They were looking after us when we were nothing but an easy prey to anything around. They were awake during the nights to make us sleep and feel us secured. We may not remember a thing in the childhoo

Medical, Scientific and religious Reasons for not Eating Pork:

People ask me all the time, Why don't you eat pork? ...Is it for  religious reasons? ...Are you vegetarian? Are you a Muslim or a Jew  ? Do you know that pork taste good ? Honestly, just today I was even asked for sound scientific evidence affirming the danger of eating pork. I will share a few findings with you. Medical and Scientific Reasons for not Eating Pork: This is a direct quote from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Eating" by Dr. Rex Russell. He attended Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota. Let us watch this short video , let the conversation begin: "One reason for God's rule forbidding pork is that the digestive system of a pig is completely different from that of a cow. It is similar to ours, in that the stomach is very acidic. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kind

An open letter to Jehovah Witness :

A letter to Jehovah Witness by Rachidm: Dear Jehovah’s Witnesses: I would like to share with you some biblical research based upon my discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses friends. My wife used to be a Jehovah Witness. When we got married, I, as a  Muslim told her ; "you have the right to practice your religion". I even offered to give her a ride if needed to the Kingdom hall ( Jehovah Witness place of worship ) .  With an open mind, I supported her and told her I would never mind her practicing and preaching her religion. During our first couple years  of blessed and happy marriage together, I was privileged to engage with my parents in law (upon their request) in a comparative study between Islam and their beliefs. Although they were discouraged from dialogue since they believe their way is the only correct way, I always enjoyed a good open discussion about religion in general. My Mom in law offered me a copy of the New World Translation  (a

Jehovah's Witness converts to Islam

A letter to Jehovah Witness by Rachidm: Dear Jehovah’s Witnesses: I would like to share with you some biblical research based upon my discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses friends. My wife used to be a Jehovah Witness. When we got married, I, as a  Muslim told her ; "you have the right to practice your religion". I even offered to give her a ride if needed to the Kingdom hall ( Jehovah Witness place of worship ) .  With an open mind, I supported her and told her I would never mind her practicing and preaching her religion. During our first couple years  of blessed and happy marriage together, I was privileged to engage with my parents in law (upon their request) in a comparative study between Islam and their beliefs. Although they were discouraged from dialogue since they believe their way is the only correct way, I always enjoyed a good open discussion about religion in general. My Mom in law offered me a copy of the New World Translation  (a vers

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran 35:18)

The idea of Jesus dying on the cross is central to the Christian belief.  It represents the conviction that Jesus died for the sins of mankind.  The crucifixion of Jesus is a vital doctrine in Christianity; however Muslims reject it completely.  Before describing what Muslims believe about Jesus’ crucifixion, it may be useful to understand the Islamic reaction to the notion of original sin. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in paradise, they were not tempted by a serpent.  It was Satan who deceived and cajoled them, whereupon they exercised their free will and made an error in judgement.  Eve does not bear the burden of this mistake alone.  Together, Adam and Eve realised their disobedience, felt remorse and begged for God’s forgiveness.  God, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, forgave them.  Islam has no concept of original sin; each person bears responsibility for his own deeds. “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran 35:18) There is no need

Imam Abu Anas Abdulhadi of Masjid Al Furqan

THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN

Greetings of peace, This post is an answer to a new friend whom I recently met and respect , a devout Christian  passionate about sharing his religion with others , who challenged me to provide some proofs regarding why Muslims don't accept the doctrine of  original sin; a doctrine ( including the concept of trinity ) that  was  added by the Church at the Council of Nicaea some 325 years after Jesus left the earth.  Notice I say left the earth ( meaning resurected alive by Allah )  and not died yet or crucify as some claims ,  but that is a topic for another day. Back to the doctrine of original sin. Are we born with so called Original sin or born innocent ? Is a Newly Born Baby really a Sinner? Islam Challenges The Concept of Original Sin. Let us found out why ? let's take a look at the following passages from The Bible: (Deuteronomy 24:16)   “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the father

http://rachidm.blogspot.com/2010/12/listen2quran.html

Allah is the Most Generous by Dr. EL Sayed Ramadan , PhD

Please tune in today to your weekly radio program Islam4mankind starting from 1:07 to 2 pm live from radio station Laprimira1220 am station Allah is the Most Generous : Main Points 1. The Oneness of Almighty in His Lordship, Godhood and Attributes. 2. Allah's Attributes are expression of His Greatness and Love. 3. What the Qur'an says about Allah's Attributes. 4. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about the Attributes of Allah, the Almighty God. 5. Allah is the Most Generous as emphasized by the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) . 6. Manifestations of Allah's Generosity. 7. Our responsibility towards this great Attribute of the Almighty God. ​ Was-Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuh Dr. EL SAYED RAMADAN, PhD Lecturer at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Department Of Islamic Studies In English Imam of Masjid Fresno Islamic Center

Imam Johari Abdul Malik will be guest speaker next Thursday Radio Islam4mankind

Imam Abdul Malik serves as the director of Community Outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. He was the first Muslim Chaplain installed at Howard University. The imam is the former chair of Government Relations for the Muslim Alliance in North America [MANA founded by Imam Siraj Wahhaj] and is the founding President of the Muslim Society of Washington, DC Inc. Known nationally for his fundraising efforts for masjids, schools and relief organizations, Imam Johari is a founding member of the Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington, D.C. and “Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence” [MMADV] and has edited a book on “What Islam Says About Domestic Violence”. In his native Brooklyn community his mother kept the family busy with community service. From an Episcopal choir boy-who visited the deep southern Pentecostal “COGIC” holiness church during his summer vacations as youth-until at confirmation the teachings of the Ten Commandments exposed what he believed were contradictions wit