Part 24

their message is essentially one and consistent. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, there will be no Jew or Christian of this nation162 who hears of me and then dies without believing in that with which I have been sent except that he will be one of the inhabitants of the Hell-fire."163

This is one of the aspects that distinguishes Muslims from the earlier peoples. Muslims believe in all of the prophets. However, the others refused somewhether it be the Jews rejecting Jesus (peace be upon him) or the Jews and Christians rejecting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)- although, in reality, they had no grounds whatsoever to refuse the later prophet. Each messenger came with clear signs and evidence. Their rejection by the people could only be based on arrogance, ignorance or hostility to the truth.

Second, one must believe in all of the Messengers mentioned by name in the Quran or Sunnah. As for those not mentioned, one must believe in them at a general level164, knowing that Allah has sent many messengers although not all of them are mentioned by name in the Quran or hadith. Allah has stated in the Quran, "And indeed We have sent messengers before you. Of them, some We have related to you their story and some We have not related to you their story" (40:78).

Third, one must believe in everything that they stated. They communicated their messages from Allah completely and properly. They exerted themselves to propagate Allah's message. They strove for the sake of Allah in the most complete manner. They were most knowledgeable of Allah and the best worshippers and servants of Allah.165 The messengers "have been protected from attributing to Allah something of their own invention, judging according

162 Meaning everyone from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) until the Day of Judgment. They are all the Prophet's Nation because they are all obliged to believe in him and follow him. 163 Recorded by Muslim. 164 At the same time, no one can claim that a person, for example, Buddha, was a prophet because there is no evidence from the Quran and Sunnah to affirm such a claim. 165 Abdullah al-Muslih and Salaah al-Saawi, Ma La Yasa' al-Muslim Jahluhu (Islamic Foundation of America, 1995), p. 59. 121

to their own desires, falling into major sins, and adding to or diminishing from the religion."166

Fourth, one must submit to, accept and act in accord with the law of the messenger who has been sent for his guidance. Allah says in the Quran, "We sent no messenger but to be obeyed by Allah's leave" (4:64). With respect to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Allah says in the verse after the verse quoted above, "But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept them with full submission" (4:65).

The believer should realize that the sending of messengers for the benefit and guidance of humankind is a great blessing from Allah. The knowledge that they conveyed is knowledge that is beyond the grasp of the human intellect by itself since it deals with matters of the unseen. Indeed, humankind is in more need of their guidance than they are in need of food and drink. If they are void of food and drink for any period of time, they will die, implying loss of this life. But if they are refusing Allah's guidance through the messengers, they will lose the everlasting bounties of the Hereafter.

(E) Belief in the Last Day and the Hereafter

"The Last Day" is called such because there will be no new day after it, as the people of Paradise shall be in their abode as will the people of Hell. Among its other names are "The Day of Resurrection," "The Reality," "The Event," "The Day of Judgment," and "The Overwhelming." This is the greatest day that mankind shall pass through. Indeed, it will be the gravest and most fearful day. A person's new life will be decided on that day. It will mark a new beginning for each and every soul. This new step may lead to eternal bliss or eternal damnation.167

Belief in the Last Day implies belief in everything that the Quran or the Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated about the events of that Day and thereafter. There are some general aspects (resurrection, judgment and reward, 166 Abdur-Rahmaan Abdul-Khaliq, The General Prescripts of Belief in the Quran and Sunnah (The Majliss of al-Haqq Publica on Society, 1986), p. 18. 167 For Quranic/ra onal arguments for the existence of the Herea er, see Idris, pp. 11-16. 122

Paradise and Hell) that every Muslim should be aware of and believe in with certainty. There are also more detailed aspects that the Quran or the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned. The more one has knowledge of that Day and its surrounding events, the greater the effect this belief will have on him. Hence, it is highly recommended for each individual Muslim to learn about the events that occur prior to and on the Day of Resurrection.

As recorded in Sahih Muslim, before the Day of Judgment and the destruction of this earth, Allah will send a wind softer than silk, coming from Yemen, that will take the souls of every individual who has even the slightest amount of faith in his heart. Therefore, the events of the end of the earth will only be lived through by the worst of people, those with no faith whatsoever.

One of the first events to occur is the sun rising from the West. At that time, all those people will declare their faith but it will be of no avail to them. Then the Horn shall be blown and all on this earth shall die. Allah says, "And the trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah wills" (39:68). This earth and heaven shall then be destroyed. After a period of fortyit is not known whether it is forty hours, days or yearsa second Horn will be blown and the people will be resurrected: "And the Trumpet will be blown [the second blowing] and, behold, from the graves they will come out quickly to their Lord. They will say, 'Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep?' [It will be said to them,] 'This is what the Most Beneficent [Allah] has promised, and the Messengers spoke the truth'" (36:51-52).

According to ibn Uthaimeen,168 belief in the last day encompasses three aspects. First is belief in the Resurrection: after the Second Blowing of the Horn, the people will be resurrected in front of Allah. They shall be naked, barefoot and uncircumcised.169 Allah says, "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. [It is] a promise binding on Us. Truly, We shall do it" (21:104).

The resurrection is going to be in the same body that the person had in this worldly life. Ibn Uthaimeen has pointed out the wisdom and importance of

168 Cf., Ibn Uthaimeen, Sharh Usool al-Imaan, pp. 40-41. 169 As the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated in a hadith recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. 123

this: "If it were a new creation, it would mean that the body that performed the sins in this world would be safe from any punishment. To come with a new body and have that body punished goes against what is just. Hence, the texts and rational argument indicate that the [person] resurrected is not a new [creation] but a return [of the old creation]."170 He also points out that Allah has the ability to recreate the bodies even after they have disintegrated. Humans may not be able to understand how exactly that is possiblelike so many other aspects that humans cannot fathombut Allah has stated it and a believer knows full well that it is true and well within Allah's ability to do so.

The second aspect is belief in the accounting or reckoning of the deeds and the reward/punishment for those deeds. This aspect is mentioned and stressed in numerous places in the Quran. Here are a couple of examples: "Verily, to Us will be their return. Then, verily, upon Us will be their reckoning" (88:25-26); "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).

Allah has made it clear that all deeds will be weighed on the Day of Judgment. Allah says, "And the weighing on that Day will be the true weighing. So as for those whose scale [of good deeds] will be heavy, they will be the successful. And as for those whose scale will be light, those are they who will lose their ownselves because they denied and rejected Our Signs" (7:8-9).

One should always recall that the reward Allah gives to His servants is an act of His mercy as He rewards them more than what their deeds entail. However, Allah's punishment is out of His justice and He does not punish anyone more than what he deserves.

The third essential aspect of belief in the Last Day is belief in Heaven and Hell. Heaven is the eternal abode or reward for the believers. Hell is the eternal abode of punishment for the disbelievers. The stronger opinion is that they both are in existence at this present time and they both shall exist forever. They are not simply states of mind as some non-Muslims and a few heretical

170 Ibn Uthaimeen, Majmu, vol. 3, p. 174. 124

Muslims believe. Allah and His Messenger made mention of them and have described them clearly and in unequivocal terms. There is absolutely no room for any Muslim to deny their existence or their descriptions.

About Heaven, for example, Allah has said,

"Verily, those who believe and do righteous deeds, they are the best of creatures. Their reward with their Lord is gardens of eternity, underneath which rivers flow, they will abide therein forever. Allah being well-pleased with them and they with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord" (98:7-8); "No person knows what joy is kept hidden for him as a reward for what they used to do" (32:17).

Concerning Hell, for example, Allah has said, "Verily, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose walls will be surrounding them. And if they ask for relief, they will be granted water like boiling oil that will scald their faces. Terrible the drink and evil a resting place" (18:29); "Verily, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and has prepared for them a flaming Fire. They will abide therein forever and they will find neither a protector or a helper. On the Day when their faces would be turned and rolled in all sides of the Fire, they will say, 'Oh, would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger'" (33:64-66).

Ibn Taymiyyah points out that belief in the Last Day also includes belief in everything that shall occur to a person after his death and before the Day of Resurrection.171 This includes the trial in the grave and the pleasure or punishment in the grave. The trial in the grave is mentioned in an authentic hadith recorded by al-Tirmidhi. It states that two angels, al-Munkar and alNakeer, come to the person and ask him: What did you use to say about this man [meaning the Prophet (peace be upon him)]? Other narrations mention two angels coming and asking three questions: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your prophet?172