Part 19

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path to paradise. No people gather in a house of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquillity descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them to those in His

As Allah mentions in Soorat ar-Rahmdn, He bestowed the Qur’an upon humans as a mercy from Himself:

Chapter 10 The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter

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Belief in the Day of Resurrection and the hereafter

Belief in the Day of Resurrection and the hereafter is the fifth pillar of eeman. This entails belief in all related concepts, including the trial and questioning in the grave, the torment and bliss of the grave, the resurrection, the gathering, the records, the reckoning, the scale, the fount, the bridge, intercession, paradise and hellfire, and everything that Allah has prepared for those who dwell within them. A Muslim believes in all that is mentioned in the Qur’an and the Hadith regarding these topics, without addition or change.

The Last Day is mentioned in the Qur’an on numerous occasions and in various literary styles. Allah (4) mentions,

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the

west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets...) (Quran 2: 177)

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messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.)

Indeed, the Hour is coming — I ae conceal it — so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives. So do not let one avert you from it who does not believe in it and follows his desire, for you [then] would perish.) (Quran 20: 15-16)

A great deal of detail is provided on this subject, which is unique in comparison to other issues of the unseen. The Last Day is referred to by many names, often describing the events that will occur on that day. Some of the names mentioned in the Qur’an, for example, include: Day of Resurrection, Day of Reckoning, Day of Rising, the Striking Hour, the Overwhelming, and so on.

Belief in the Last Day is without doubt. Allah (#) says,

Allah — there is no deity except Him. He will surely assemble you

for [account on] the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no

doubt. And who is more truthful than Allah in statement??

134 The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter

To establish its importance even further, belief in the Last Day is often connected to belief in Allah. Allah (4) says,

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Prophet Shu‘ayb (2) said to his people,

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€.. O my people, worship Allah and expect the Last Day and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.? (Qur’an 29: 36)

There are many such examples in the Qur’an of this connection between belief in Allah and belief in the Last Day.

These reminders of the events of the Day of Resurrection and the life in the hereafter should have an influence on the thoughts and behaviour of the believer. A person who believes that s/he will be judged and brought to account will conduct himself or herself within the constraints of goodness, piety, truth, and justice. This is the reason that, in the Qur’an, righteous deeds are often associated with belief in the Last Day. Allah (4%) mentions,

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4... Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are

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4Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day would not ask permission of you to be excused from striving [fighting] with their wealth and their lives. And Allah is Knowing of those who fear Him. Only those would ask permission of you who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts have doubted, and they, in their

This sets the believer apart from the person who denies that s/he will be resurrected and judged for his or her actions in this life; one who is preoccupied by worldly desires and ambitions and his or her own personal interests. Allah (4) mentions,

136 The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafter

But they wonder that there has come to them a warner from among themselves, and the disbelievers say: This is an amazing thing. When we have died and have become dust, [will we return to life]? That is a

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And they say: There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us except time. And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming.) (Quran 45; 24)

Disbelief in the Day of Resurrection brings misery to the human and leads him or her to deviate from his or her intended path in this life. One who rejects the possibility of resurrection, in effect, disbelieves in all of Allah’s Messengers, since all of them had brought an account of these matters. Allah (4) responds to their disbelief in the resurrection and hereafter in the Qur’an:

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And they say: When we are bones and crumbled particles, will we [truly] be resurrected as a new creation? Say: Be you stones or iron, or [any] creation of that which is great within your breasts. And they will say: Who will restore us? Say: He who brought you forth the first time. Then they will nod their heads toward you and say: When is that? Say: Perhaps it will be soon.) (Quran 17: 49-51)

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Connecting children to the Day of Resurrection and the hereafter

Children can be connected to belief in the hereafter in a variety of ways. As this topic is mentioned throughout the Qur’an, this would obviously be the proper tool for approaching the subject matter. Children are able to accept and understand the concepts of death, resurrection, and an afterlife, depending on their particular level of development. These are issues that should be discussed freely and comfortably within the home.

In the Qur’an, for example, Allah provides similes of death and resurrection so that the reader may more easily comprehend. This can be particularly effective for children since it ties abstract concepts to something more tangible. By nature children are concrete thinkers, so they are in need of such techniques to assist in their understanding. As they enter adolescence, the ability to appreciate abstract notions becomes apparent.

One of the greatest proofs that Allah uses in the Qur’an for the resurrection after death is that of our own creation. If Allah was able to create us in the first place, it will be even easier to re-create us on the Day of Resurrection. Children should be reminded that their existence and their creation are from Allah and that He will return them to Him. Allah (4) says,

i J8 GOES BSI cv bi gayi dey And the [disbelieving] human says: When I hove died, am I going to

, be brought forth alive? Does man not remember that We created him before, while he was nothing?} (Qur’an 19: 66-67)

The initial creation of human beings is a reminder of this. Allah (3%) says,

138 The Day of Resurrection and the Hereafier

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€O people, if you should be in doubt about the Resurrection, then {consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from a spermdrop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed — that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit (old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind. That is because Allah is the Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent. And [that they may know] that the Hour is coming — no doubt about it — and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves.) (Qur’an 22; 5-7)