Belief in The Hereafter: Part 5

WHAT ARE THE POSİTİVE EFFECTS OF BELİEF İN THE HEREAFTER ON HUMAN LİFE?

Belief in the hereafter and the things that will happen in the hereafter has an important place in the fundamentals of belief. The fundamentals of belief are generally summarized as “belief in Allah and in the hereafter.” in the Quran.

Man who was created by the power and will of Allah will die after living in this world for a while and his body will decay and turn to soil. However, the spirit that forms the essence and the real existence of man will continue to live since it is not something material.

Allah, who created man out of nothing, will create his body again on the Day of Judgment, will send his spirit back to him again, will account man for what he did in the world and punish and reward him.

Therefore, man needs to believe in the life in the hereafter and work for his happiness there just as he believes in this worldly life  and tries to be happy here. In fact, this world is a place of trial, a center of examination and the area of cultivation for the hereafter. Whatever you sow here, you will reap in the hereafter. Therefore, the life in the hereafter is the purpose of the life in this world.  Man should work for the life in the hereafter and for his happiness there just as he works for this world.

Man can do it only by believing in the hereafter, obeying the orders of Allah, refraining from His prohibitions, doing good deeds, thus, attaining the consent of Allah, that is, by leading a complete Islamic life.

Therefore, our Prophet said, “”Work for this world as if you would live forever, and work for the hereafter as if you would die tomorrow.“

After stating the importance of belief in the hereafter, we can summarize its effects on man’s life as follows:

Belief in Allah and the hereafter, the land of eternity, is the greatest assistant in renewing people’s hopes, relieving their pains and coping with the difficulties they face.

A person with such a belief will show patience against all troubles, will try to overcome the barriers and misfortunes he faces with enthusiasm and hope.

Belief in the hereafter makes man have two nice attributes:

1. To thank Allah for the bounties He has given during the time of welfare,

2. To show patience and not to rebel against Allah during the time of shortage and famine…

Belief in Allah and the hereafter leads man to do good deeds and charities, to avoid evil and bad deeds, to be equipped with high ethics and merits, to fear Allah and to obey the divine criteria imposed by Him in anything he does.

A person with such a belief will never abandon honesty. He will do everything in time and fully. He behaves honestly toward himself, his family, his environment, his country and nation and humanity. He accepts it a principle to show love and compassion to them, to be useful for them and to serve them.

He never abandons justice; he never oppresses anyone. If he wants to be rich, he will never do something bad or deceive anyone. He spends his money and property on good and useful things. He knows his rights and respects the rights of others. He takes pleasure in helping the poor. He wants for his believing brothers what he wants for himself because he definitely believes in the hereafter, the day of reward and punishment and knows that what is done in this world will be accounted for in the hereafter; he bases his acts on this principle. That principle is an important factor that arranges the lives of individuals and the society, and ensures peace and tranquility.

The Place and Importance of the Hereafter in the Quran:

We can list the aspects that show the place and importance of the hereafter in the Quran as follows:

a. There are a lot of verses related to the hereafter:

Apart from the verses that are indirectly related to the hereafter in the Quran, the number of the verses that are directly related to the hereafter is about one thousand and nine hundred; which is almost one third of the Quran.

b. Various aspects of life in the hereafter are mentioned widely in the Quran:

In the Quran, the issue of the hereafter is described in detail. The issues like the removal of man’s spirit by angels in his deathbed, signs of the Doomsday, the horrible incidents that take place all over the universe when Doomsday strikes, the blowing of the Sur (horn), resurrection of people and their coming out of their graves, people being sent to the Gathering Place, reckoning, conversations during reckoning, distribution of the books of deeds, people being sent to Paradise and Hell in groups, detailed description of bounties of Paradise and torture in Hell, angels addressing the people in Paradise and Hell, conversations between the people of Paradise and Hell, and life in Paradise and Hell being eternal are issues that are described in detail in the Quran.

c. Some chapters are entitled some phrases meaning the Doomsday or the incidents happening on that day:

al-Qiyama (the Doomsday), al-Haaqqa (the Sure Truth), al-Qaria (the Calamity), al-Ghashiya (the Overwhelming Event), al-Infitar (the Cleaving), al-Inshiqaq (the Bursting Asunder), at-Takwir (the Folding Up).

d. In many verses, belief in Allah and belief in the hereafter are mentioned together:

“Any who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord…” (al-Baqara, 62), “but it is righteousness―to believe in Allah and the Last Day….” (al-Baqara, 177), “if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day…” (an-Nisa, 59; an- Nur, 2) In many verses like the ones above,belief in Allah and belief in the hereafter are mentioned together.

This shows that belief in the hereafter comes just after belief in Allah and that belief in Allah without belief in the hereafter will not be useful and it will not be regarded as real belief.

e. Allah Almighty swore and made vows regarding resurrection after death and the otherworldly things that He promised:

Allah Almighty’s vows related to the hereafter are divided into three:

1. His vows through various beings related to the issues about the hereafter: In that case, the beings through which a vow is made are called muqsamun bih (things through which vows are made) and the issues regarding the hereafter are called muqsamun alayh (things on which vows are made). Some of those vows are as follows: “By the (Winds) that scatter broadcast; And those that lift and bear away heavy weights; And those that flow with ease and gentleness; And those that distribute and apportion by command― Verily that which ye are promised is true; And verily Judgment and Justice must indeed come to pass.” (adh-Dhariyat, 1-6), “By the Mount (of Revelation); By a Decree Inscribed; In a Scroll unfolded; By the much-frequented Fane; By the Canopy Raised High; And by the Ocean filled with Swell― Verily, the Doom of thy Lord will indeed come to pass. (at-Tur, 1- 7 ), “By the (Winds) Sent Forth one after another (to man’s profit); Which then blow violently in tempestuous Gusts, And scatter (things) far and wide;…Assuredly, what ye are promised must come to pass.” (al-Mursalat, 1-7)

2. Allah Almighty swore by His own name for the occurrence of the Doomsday: The following verse is an example of it: “Then by the Lord of heaven and earth, this is the very Truth, as much as the fact that ye can speak intelligently to each other” (adh-Dhariyat, 23). In this verse, Allah likens the certainty of the occurrence of the things He mentions to the certainty of the speaking of people to one another. Everybody knows that man is definitely a being that speaks. There is no need to prove it. Nobody doubts that man speaks. Similarly, what Allah Almighty tells us about oneness, prophethood, the hereafter, His names and attributes are true and as certain as the speaking of people. This analogy used in the Quran is something like the phrase “it is a fact like the existence of the sun”. A poet states the following regarding the issue: “If proof is asked for the existence of the day, nothing in the minds will be true; then, people will look for evidence for everything, even for the obvious facts”.

3. Allah Almighty also swore by the Day of Judgment itself: In this case, muqsamun bih and muqsamun alayh is the same thing; that is, the Day of Judgment. For instance, the following verse is an example of it: “By the promised Day (of Judgment)…” (al-Buruj, 2). A vow in a similar style was used for the Quran, too. Another example regarding the issue is the following verse: “La uqsimu bi-yawmi’l-qiyama (al-Qiyama,1). The meaning here is: “I do call to witness the Resurrection Day ”. The reason why a vow is made for that day is to confirm its occurrence, to elevate it and to attract people’s attention to that day.

In the following three verses, the Prophet (pbuh) is ordered to make a vow about the hereafter and reward and punishment: “They seek to be informed by thee: “Is that Sana o true?” Say: “Aye! by my Lord! It is the very truth! and ye cannot frustrate it…”(Yunus, 53), “The Unbelievers say “Never to us will come the hour”: say “Nay! but most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you― by Him Who knows the unseen ”(Saba, 3),  “The Unbelievers think that they will not be raised up (for Judgment). Say: “Yea, by my Lord, ye shall surely be raised up…” (at-Taghabun, 7)

f. In the Quran, issues regarding the hereafter are not dealt with in terms of dogmas only; it is stated that resurrection after death is rationally possible and the causes and evidences showing its occurrence are mentioned.  

In many verses, the doubts and claims of those who deny resurrection after death are answered and the causes that lead man to deny the hereafter are dealt with. This shows that the Quran is not a book of dogmas only. It is also a book of evidence. That is why the Quran is also called the Wise.