Allah said in Quran :
" It's who created life and death to test which of you is best in deed (Al Mulk, 2).
On the Day of Judgment, God will judge all humans according to their deeds and send them to paradise or Jahannam where their souls are dwelling therein forever. Muslims believe that a paradise is a place of eternal bliss and happiness, while Jahannam is a place of torment and suffering.
What’s the Islamic perspective about the afterlife, death, life, resurrection, and immortality in heaven and hell? We’re gonna answer all of those questions comprehensively.
In this article, we’ll take you on a detailed, riching tour to the hereafter and explore its concept in Islam.
Islamic View of Afterlife
In Islam, there are two lives: the worldly life (الدنيا), which we live now, and ends with the separation of the soul from the body, and the second life is Hereafter, Akhira ( الآخرة), where people are grown out of their graves on the day of resurrection to be judged upon their deeds. so whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of sin will see it.
From this perspective, Muslims devote every subtle act in their life to Allah because they know whatever is done in life is recorded in a preserved book, which would be opened in the hereafter.
Allah said in the Quran:
“This worldly life is no more than play and amusement. But the Hereafter is real life, if only they knew.”
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What Happens to People After They Die?
Death Is one of life’s inevitable norms and an undeniable fact.
Prophet Mohammed said in a hadith reported by Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) :
“Remember more often the destroyer of pleasures – death.”
Before his soul connects with the body, the person passes through five stages of death, which we’ll explore in detail:
The First Stage: The Day of Death
Here comes that fetal day when god commands the angels in heaven to go to earth to take his soul.
Unfortunately, no one knows or can anticipate the day of his death until he faces it. Although a person. Though, the on-the-verge-of- death person might feel changes in his body. For example, true believers feel relaxed and overwhelmed with excessive happiness. On the contrary, the sinners who have committed bad deeds feel distressed and uptight. At this point, demons and devils see the angel of death descending, but the humans cannot see them until they take out their souls.
The Second Stage: The Separation of The Soul
In this stage, the human feels that his soul leaves his feet, then his soul rises above his legs, abdomen, navel, chest, and up the way until it reaches an area in the human body called “the collar bone.” Here, the dying person feels tired and dizzy and can’t control his movement or standing. While His physical strength decreases, he is still not fully aware that his soul is leaving his body.
The Third Stage: The Collar Bone (التراقي)
Allah portrayed this scene of death in Quran in very eloquent words, saying:
But no! ˹Beware of the day˺ when the soul reaches the collar bone ˹as it leaves˺, and it will be said, “Is there any healer ˹who can save this life˺?” And the dying person realizes it is ˹their˺ time to depart, and ˹then˺ their feet are tied together ˹in a shroud˺. (Al-Qiyamah, 26-29).
Al Traqi ( التراقي) refers to two bones located under the throat and extended to the shoulders. “and it is said the word refers to the angel who will carry the dying’ s soul and take it out.
His relatives are gathering around him and he could hear him arguing about what they should do. Call the doctor or the ambulance or read the Qur’an to him. Amidst this argument, the human still hopes to return to life and still did not believe that game is over. He’s still struggling to survive!
But God Almighty says (and turn the leg to the legs), which means the soul came out of the legs and reached throat, that’s he incapable of stand or do a twirl.
The Fourth Stage: Fauces
This is the last stage of death and the most difficult for a person. He feels the soul reaching his fauces to fully leave his body, and the veil that blankets his sight is removed, and now he sees the angels gathering around him.
As Allah said in Quran:
You were certainly in unmindfulness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp.” (Qaf, 22).
Why then ˹are you helpless˺ when the soul ˹of a dying person˺ reaches ˹their˺ fauces while you are looking on? And We are nearer to such a person than you, but you cannot see. (Al-Waqi’ah, 83).
So, at this point, the relatives of the dying person notice that he’s looking toward some end, and they don’t know his destiny, but the person sees Allah’s mercy if he’s a good believer or sees his wrath if he is from criminals, and understands, at this very moment, that divine promise is true,
The Fifth Stage: Separating the Soul from The Body
In this stage, Azrael, the angel of death, comes to separate the soul from the body, the person knows his destiny, and angles receive him with welcome and bliss if he has done good deeds or beat him harshly if he was denying Allah.
Allah described in Quran this scene, saying:
“So, if the deceased is one of those brought near ˹to Us˺, then ˹such a person will have˺ serenity, fragrance, and a Garden of Bliss. And if the deceased is one of the people of the right, then ˹they will be told,˺ “Greetings to you from the people of the right.”But if such a person is one of the misguided deniers, their accommodation will be boiling water ˹to drink˺ and burning in Hellfire. (Al Wakiah, 88)
Also, He vividly describes how angels punish misguided criminals. saying:
“But how will they fare when angels will take their souls at death and will carry them, striking their faces and backs? (surah Mohammed, 27)
Life in The Hereafter (barzakh)
After death, the body returns to the earth while it rises above the sky, where it enters the hereafter.
And that explains the prophet’s saying: If one of you dies, his soul will be united with his body again.
However, the temporal distance between death and resurrection is called “Barzakh”.
Little quranic verses dealt with this period, and we can conclude that it looks like a dream you see when you’re asleep,
So, the sinner feels the fire approaching his body and the believer feels the scent of paradise. Allah described this life for the pharaoh and his misguided family in the Barzakh, saying:
"They are exposed to the Fire every morning and evening; and when the Last Hour comes to pass, a command shall be given: “Admit the Pharaonites to an even more severe chastisement" (surah chapter, 46).
ibn Masud interpreted this verse that the souls of Pharaonites and infidels like them will be exposed to the fire in the morning and evening, and angles says: this is your home (in the hereafter).
In sunnah, many hadiths ascribed to the prophet Muhammad portray the life of Barzakh or graves.
One of those hadiths is about two angels, Munkar and Nakir, asking the deceased three questions: Who’s your god? who is your prophet, and who is your religion? While the Muslim asks those questions correctly, the infidel stutter.
That hadith can be underpinned by this Quranic verse:
“Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word, in worldly life, and in the Hereafter. And Allah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allah does what He wills” ( surah Ibraheem, 27)
Rebirth ” Resurrection” in Islam
The concept of rebirth or resurrection in Islam refers to the belief that after a person dies, he/she’d be resurrected and brought back to life on the Day of Judgment. This concept is based on the belief that God is just and will ultimately judge all people according to their deeds.
In fact, the difference between a believer and a disbeliever is that the latter doubts there is another life, thinking that his life is the end. For this reason, Allah confirms Rebirth in many parts of the Quran,
"And certainly, the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it. And Allah will surely resurrect those in the graves" (Hajj, 7)
To make people understand the fact of the resurrection, Allah Allah sets forth many parables, comparing the resurrection of the dead bones into full humans to the dry earth turned green after absorbing rain from the sky.
“And We send down blessed rain from the sky, bringing forth gardens and grains for harvest, and towering palm trees ˹loaded˺ with clustered fruit, ˹as˺ a provision for ˹Our˺ servants. And with this ˹rain˺ We revive a lifeless land. Similar is the emergence ˹from the graves˺. ( Surah Qaf, 9-11).
And in Quran, there are many stories that demonstrate death in a very real, practical way like the story of Ibraheem when he asks Allah to show how he gives life to the dead. Allah said :
“Then bring four birds, train them to come to you, ˹then cut them into pieces,˺ and scatter them on different hilltops. Then call them back, they will fly to you in haste”.
What “is the Day of Judgment?
The judgment day, also known as Youm al-din and day of reckoning is the day when people stand between the hands of Allah to see their deeds recorded in books
God says in Quran:
On that Day people will proceed in separate groups1 to be shown ˹the consequences of˺ their deeds. (al Zalzalah, 6)
No one on the earth knows when is this day except Allah. Even prophet Mohammed doesn’t know. However, they are some precursors that preceded this day mentioned in a hadith and are known as the major signs of youm al-din
- the smoke
- Dajjal
- the beast
- the rising of the sun from the west
- the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him)
- the Gog and Magog
- and landslides in three places, one in the east, one in the west, and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly
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The Events of The Day of Judgment
The day of judgment is hard and begins with catalysts that accompany people’s resurrection out of their graves. Below, we’ll explain its events in detail.
The Trumpet Will Be Blown
Allah said in Quran:
The Trumpet will (just) be sounded, when all that is in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will please Allah (to exempt). Then will a second one be sounded, when behold, they will be standing and looking on!
And in the sunnah, a hadith mentions that the trumpet looks like a horn, and the angel assigned to blow into the trumpet is named Israfil. After they heard that sound, all creatures are dumbstruck and fell dead out of shock.
Resurrection and Gathering
When all humans hear that magnificent sound for a second time, they come out of their graves like plants.
The messenger of Allah said in a hadith:
Allah will send or will cause to send, rain which will be like dew and there will grow out of it (like wild growth) the bodies of the people. Then the second Trumpet will be blown and they will stand up and begin to look around”
ALL Humans’ll gather on a white plain with a reddish tinge like the loaf of white bread with no marks set up for anyone, in a day that equals 50000 days that people count on the earth.
They are some great catalysts that accompany the resurrection like sky splitting, earth expansion, and mountains turning into dust. And some of those events were portrayed in many surahs such as
“When the sun is put out, and when the stars fall down, and when the mountains are blown away, and when pregnant camels are left untended, (Al Takwir, 1:4).
Intercession
Muslim Scholars have shown that the great intercession is done by the Prophet – may God’s prayers and peace be upon him.
It occurs when the sun approaches the creatures by a mile until they are covered by sweat, so they sought out Adam, Noah, and Abraham – Peace be upon them and plead to intercede for them and all of the prophets apologize and say: My soul is my soul, but when they came to prophet Mohammed, he’d agree.
“They would come to me and I would say, ‘I am for that.’ Then I will ask for my Lord’s permission, and it will be given, and then He will inspire me to praise Him with such praises as I do not know now. So I will praise Him with those praises and will fall down, prostrate before Him. Then it will be said, ‘O Muhammad, raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to; and ask, for your will be granted (your request); and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted.’ I will say, ‘O Lord, my followers! My follower (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Judgment and Mizan
Allah gathers people to judge them according to their deeds, and their eyes, tongues, and skins bear testimonies to their acts
And everyone is given a book, in which every tiny act is written. Those who receive the book in their right hand will enter paradise and people who receive it in their left hand will enter hell.
Then scale is put and deeds are weighed. This whose good deeds are greater than his bad deeds has won and entered Paradise, and he whose bad deeds are greater than he has lost and his destiny is bound to hell, and he whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal will be stranded between Heaven and Hell.
“And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] – it is they who are successful., And those whose Scales are light, in Hell will they abide) (surah al Mominoon 103, 104)
How Is Life in Jannah?
In Janna, here are palaces built of gold and silver, charming to the beholders’ eyes. Paradise’s dust is made of musk and saffron, and it has a sweet, fragrant scent that wafts away through the garden and travels for miles.
Paradise is full of lush, green gardens, grapes, palms, pomegranates, cedar, and trees of uncountable shapes and colors, and its fruits are renewable over the seasons, and it abounds with what all the soul longs for food and drinks, birds and meats
There are many various rivers that flow down the paradise: rivers of milk, rivers of honey, rivers of wine, and fresh springs, including the spring of camphor, the spring of Tasnim, and the spring of Salsabil.
And the people of Paradise do not urinate or defecate, as it was mentioned in the honorable hadith on the authority of Jaber bin Abdullah on the authority of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace.
“I heard Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as saying that the inmates of Paradise would eat and drink but would neither spit, nor pass water, nor void excrement, nor suffe catarrah. It was said: Then, what would happen with food? Thereupon he said: They would belch and sweat (and it would be over with their food), and their sweat would be that of musk and they would glorify and praise Allah as easily as you breathe.
How Is Life in Hell?
Hell, like paradise has many levels with every rank being more difficult and more horrific and appalling than the higher one.
until we reach the last rank where the hypocrites are thrown, as God Almighty said: (Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest level of Hellfire, and you will not find for them a helper).
They have nothing to eat but a poisonous, thorny plant, and nothing to drink but boiling water that will tear apart their abdomen, and When they cry for aid, they will be handed water like molten metal, which will burn ˹their˺ faces. What a horrible drink! And what a terrible place to rest!
Allah said the fire in Quran:
O, believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded. (Tahrim, 6)
How Do Muslims Prepare Al-Akhirah (afterlife)?
Muslims believe in life after death and that good deeds will be rewarded in the afterlife
To prepare for al-akhirah, Muslims strive to live a devout and righteous life according to the teachings of Islam.
This includes following the Five Pillars of Islam, which are faith, prayer, giving charity, fasting during Ramadan, and making the pilgrimage to Mecca. By living a good life and doing good deeds, Muslims hope to achieve salvation and enter paradise after death.
Does the Soul Stay on The Earth to 40th?
There’s a common concept that the soul stays on the earth after the person dies for 40 days, which led many people to ritually commemorate their dead on this day.
However, There is no evidence for this concept in Quran or sunnah
And what’s known is relative of the deceased can recite Quran on his soul every time, and everywhere
Hadith on 3 Deeds that Continue After Death
When someone dies, his book is closed and no good deeds or bad ones are written or approved except for three shown in the hadith of the prophet Mohammed.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).”
[Muslim].
Conclusion
Islam has a specific view about the afterlife as real and immortal and for that reason, people should deal with their life in Donya as temporary, passing and their actions dictates their destiny in the hereafter.
In this article, you learned much information about death and its stages, the events of the day of reckoning, paradise, and hell, and their descriptions.
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