Belief in the Hereafter (al-Akhirah)

Ibn Qudamah dedicates a substantial section of Lum'at al-I'tiqad to enumerating the articles of creed pertaining to the Hereafter. These are matters of the unseen (al-ghayb) that the Muslim affirms on the basis of revelation alone, without demanding rational proof or speculating beyond what has been texted. The Athari methodology shines clearly here: affirm what Allah and His Messenger have told us, in the sense intended, without ta'wil or dismissal.

The first matter is the questioning in the grave. Ibn Qudamah affirms that every deceased person will be questioned by the two angels Munkar and Nakir about their Lord, their religion, and their prophet. The believer will answer correctly and experience the grave as a garden of paradise; the disbeliever or the hypocrite will be unable to answer and will experience punishment. This is established through multiple hadith, including the narration in Sahih al-Bukhari in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) described these questions in detail.

Related to this is the affirmation of the punishment and bliss of the grave (adhab al-qabr and na'im al-qabr). These are experienced by the soul together with the body, in a manner that does not conflict with what the living observe. The Prophet sought refuge from the punishment of the grave in his prayers and taught his Companions to do the same. Ahl al-Sunnah affirm these realities as reported, without asking how the soul and body interact in this intermediate state.

Ibn Qudamah then addresses the major signs preceding the Day of Resurrection: the emergence of the Dajjal (the Antichrist), the descent of 'Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, peace be upon him), the appearance of Gog and Magog (Ya'juj and Ma'juj), the rising of the sun from the west, the Beast of the earth, and the three great earthquakes. All of these are affirmed as real, future events on the basis of mutawatir or well-established reports. Their exact timing is known only to Allah.

The Day of Resurrection itself is affirmed in its full Quranic description: the blowing of the Trumpet by Israfil, the resurrection of all mankind from their graves, the gathering on the plain of judgment, the presentation of deeds, and the weighing of actions on the Mizan (the Scale). The Quran states: 'And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all' (Surah al-Anbiya 21:47).

Ibn Qudamah affirms the Sirat — the bridge stretched over Hell over which all of mankind will pass, some swiftly, some slowly, and some falling into the Fire. He affirms the Hawd al-Kawthar, the Pool of the Prophet (peace be upon him), from which the believers will drink before entering Paradise, and which the innovators and apostates will be barred from approaching. He affirms intercession (shafa'ah): the greatest intercession belongs to the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Day of Judgment, and other prophets, scholars, and martyrs will also intercede by Allah's permission.

Finally, he affirms the eternal nature of Paradise (Jannah) and Hell (Nar). The righteous will enter a paradise of unimaginable beauty, pleasures, and most importantly, the vision of Allah's face — the supreme reward. The disbelievers will enter a fire from which there is no exit. Ibn Qudamah is careful not to speculate beyond the revealed descriptions, and he rejects the positions of those who claim Hell will eventually empty or that its punishment is not real. He closes with the Quranic affirmation: 'And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly' (Surah al-Baqarah 2:281).