Concept of Hereafter in Islam

 The concept of the hereafter in Islam is disturbing for the following reasons:
i) Heaven (Jannah) is portrayed as a place of material reward with drink and pleasure, seeming more worldly than spiritual.
ii) Hell (Jahannam) is portrayed as a place of eternal punishment. What justification could there be in punishing a human being eternally for sins committed over a limited period ?
This vengeful notion of eternal damnation seems unjust and merciless. Kindly comment.

Muslims considers belief in life after death as a fundamental to our faith. A basic tenet of our belief is that part of Allah's mercy is the reward for good and part of Allah's justice is punishment for evil. Though belief in heaven and hell is found in numerous religious systems, there exists great variation in perceptions of the hereafter.

i) Paradise, unique indeed !

A worldly heaven ?

The holy Qur'an employs simple terms to describe some of the blessings and rewards of the hereafter. Terms such as "gardens", "rivers", "drink", "water", "wine", etc. are symbolically employed. The error lies in misconstruing these symbolic expressions as identical to the physical and material "gardens", "waters" and "wine" of this world. The Qur'an itself (Q 47:16) cautions against such misconceptions by clarifying that in paradise the "water is not putrefiable", the "milk non-decaying" and the "wine non-intoxicating".

It would indeed be ironic if, for example, Muslims who are forbidden from imbibing intoxicating drink in this world are to be enticed with it for the hereafter. Numerous verses in the Qur'an refer to the pure and purifying nature of the "drink" in paradise (Q76:22)(Q52:24)(Q37:48). The "drink" and the "drinking", (ie. The reward and the enjoyment) are clearly spiritual and not material.

The non-material nature of the rewards of paradise is directly referred to in verses of the Qur'an. Among these verses we find, "No person can conceive the hidden joy to be witnessed in the hereafter as a reward for good deeds"(Q32:18).This is further corroborated by the statement of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who, referring to the blessings and rewards of the hereafter explained it as : "what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard and no mind has ever conceived." (Bukhari)

All this clearly indicate that though human vocabulary and worldly terms have been utilized to refer to the bounties of the paradise, there is certainly no real likeness or comparison between the limited, transient world we live in and the unimaginable, immeasurable rewards of the hereafter.

ii) Punishment in hell

Does punishment serve a purpose ?

Numerous verses in the Qur'an deal with the issue of punishment in hell for wrongdoers and evil ones. What is often overlooked is the fact that punishment serves at least two purposes:

As retribution, each person is compensated for the good and called to account for their wrongs (Q41:46). Good deeds could be rewarded manifold while punishment does not exceed the wrong committed (Q6:160).This is evidence of the Mercy of Allah as well as the Justice of Allah.

Regarding the purifying and reformative purpose of punishment, Allah makes reference to history where the corrupt and oppressive opponents of Prophets "were afflicted with punishment in order that they may in the process become humble" (Q7:95). Futhermore, the Qur'an refers to the connection between the sinner with hell as akin to a child's connection with it's mother; "as for those whose scale (of good deeds) are light, hell will be their mother".(Q101:9-10). It seems that after passing through the guardianship and nursing stages in the penitentiary of hell, sinners will be cleansed of their sins, experience spiritual re-birth and qualify once again as 'abideen (worshippers of Allah) to fulfill the purpose of their creation' which has always been, "Allah has not created jinn and human beings except for the express purpose of 'ibaadah"(Q51:57). Such would now qualify to receive the promised reward for the good they may have done (Q99:7-8)(Q2:62).

Eternal reward in heaven

It must be remembered that none could avoid the consequence of their deeds. The evil ones will thus not be able to escape the chastisement of the fire (Q2:167). This (non escaping) does not mean that sinners would remain eternally in hell without relief.

Most people assume that expressions and terms such as "khalideena fi ha", "khulud", "abada"... imply eternal reward in heaven as well as eternal punishment in hell. These words could be interpreted as "eternal" but could also imply "a long period of time" depending on the context. A detailed exposition of theses terms would not be appropriate here, but suffice it to consider the verse (Q11:107-109) where reference is made to the "long duration" of punishment in hell and the "long duration" of reward in heaven. The clear indication that heavenly reward is eternal while chastisement in hell is not, is clearly evidenced from the emphasis the Qur'an places on heavenly reward as "'ataa an ghayra majdhudh" (unlimited volume and duration of reward) while no such expression is used regarding chastisement in hell.

Punishment in hell not eternal

The duration of punishment in hell is specifically expressed (Q78:22-24) through the term ahqaba, which lexicographers agree, clearly indicates a limited period, perhaps equivalent to a human lifetime. In a tradition documented in Bukhari, the holy Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that the inmates of hell will be set free and on the road to higher life. "Allah will command, BRING OUT OF THE FIRE ANY ONE IN WHOSE HEART THERE IS FAITH OR GOODNESS EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF A MUSTARD SEED. They will be taken out having burnt then they will be thrown into the river of life and will grow as seeds by the side of a river."

Some sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) are explicit in asserting that every body shall eventually be taken out of hell and that hell will become redundant. In Kanzul 'Ummal we find the following statement of the Prophet : "Surely, a day will come over hell when it will be like a field of corn that has dried up after having flourished for a while.". 'Abdullah bin Amr bin al-'As reports that the Prophet (pbuh) said; "There will come on hell a time when its doors will shut and none will be in it" (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal).

Despair not of the Mercy of Allah

The All-Encompassing Mercy of Allah (Q7:157) negates the concept of permanence of punishment in the hereafter. It rather focuses our attention to the fact that the purpose of chastisement is directed at purification and not on punishment for torture's sake.

"O Allah, grant us the best of this world, the best of the hereafter and save us from the chastisement of the hell fire" (Q2:201)

Top of Page