Akhira: Judgement and Life after Death	Teacher's Tips: There is no other area of Islam more full of imaginative stories and descriptions than the 'Akhira'; the Last Things. The Qur'an has many descriptions of the rewards of the blessed in Jennah and of the punishment of the wicked in Jehennum. Hadith stories and sayings . Go here for Qur'an resources!
GCSE Questions: These are the sort of Questions you will have to answer: 8 a)  Explain what life after death will be like according to the religious beliefs you have studied.  8 marks  b)  Explain how religious beliefs about life after death may affect a person's behaviour in this life. 7 marks c)  "There is no evidence for survival after death." How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. 5 marks     (SEG Religious Education Short Course Specimen Paper)            Islam    15 a) Describe Muslim beliefs about what happens to evil people after death.  8 marks b)   Explain how a Muslim funeral service might comfort someone whose close friend has died.  7 marks  c)  'It cannot be true that there is life after death because there is no evidence for it'.      Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Islam in your answer. 5 marks     (OCR Religious Studies Philosophy and Ethics Full Course Paper 1, Specimen Paper.)          3 a)  What is meant by the word akhirah?  2 marks  b)   Outline Muslim attitudes to euthanasia.  6 marks  c)  Explain Islamic teaching about life after death.  8 marks d)   “Near death experiences prove nothing.”      Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing thatyou have considered another point of view. In your answer you should refer to Islam.  4 marks    (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Full or Short Course, Specimen Paper)   Qur'an: "Give good news to those who believe and work righteousness that they will have gardens with flowing streams. When provided with provisions of fruits therein, they will say, "This is what was given to us in the past." They will be given similar provisions, and they will have pure spouses therein. They abide therein forever." 2:25 "Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being provided for." 3:169 "Do not say about those who are killed in the cause of God, "They are dead." For they are alive, but you do not perceive." 2:154 "No soul knows what comfort is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their deeds" (32:17) "Surely, We have prepared for the evildoers a fire, whose pavilion encompasses them. If they call for help, they will be helped with water like molten copper which will scald their faces. How dreadful a drink and how evil a resting place!" (18:29). "He that does a good deed shall be rewarded ten times the like of it, and he that does evil shall only be rewarded the like of it, and they shall not be wronged" (6:160). Hadith: the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "The prayer of Muslim for his Muslim brother in his absence will be answered. As long as he prays for the good of his brother, there is an angel assigned near his head who says: Amen, and may the same be for you." Introduction: Death in Islam For Muslims creation, death and resurrection are sacred and link. Life involves preparing the soul to be worthy to pass through death, which is a transition, and progress to the eternity. Muslims believe that heaven is a place of delight and hell a place of torment. Allah will judge each person according to his or her acts during life. Each person is judged according to their individual situation and the person who lives according to the truth to the best of his or her ability will achieve a place in heaven. However, those who have been shown the truth of Islam and reject it will be shown no mercy. The Koran describes a barrier that separates the living from the dead. As with Judaism and Christian beliefs, the dead wait for the day of resurrection and judgment. Preparing for Death: Islamic practice surrounding death varies from country to country, but generally the dying person is positioned on his or her back with his or her head facing Mecca. The room is perfumed and anyone who is unclean or menstruating must leave. Islamic scriptures are read by the dying person or a relative and the dying repents of all earthly sin. After death, the feet are tied together and the body is covered with a sheet. Reciting from the Koran near a dead body is considered unlawful. Other prayers may be offered. Embalming of the body is not allowed. http://dying.about.com/health/dying/library/weekly/aa101098.htm We learn that death is exactly like sleeping; complete with dreams (6:60, 40:46). The period between death and resurrection passes like one night of sleep (2:259; 6:60; 10:45; 16:21; 18:11, 19, 25; 30:55). At the moment of death, everyone knows his or her destiny; Heaven or Hell. For the disbelievers, death is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they snatch away their souls (8:50, 47:27, 79:1). from the appendix of the translation of the Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa http://www.submission.org/hhd.html The Qur'an established two general principles concerning the reward and punishment for deeds: 1) Each human will fundamentally only be benefited or harmed by the deeds which he or she actually did. "...that humans will only have the result of their actions." [Soorah an-Najm (53):39] 2) No human can carry the sin of another. "...that no one bearing sins can carry the sins of others." [Soorah an-Najm (53):38] Consequently, when a person dies, the opportunity for that person to do good ends with the person's death. However, the chance to harvest good from deeds which were done prior to death remains. Heaven and Hell in the Qur'an: The descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical. And the Quran tells us so whenever such descriptions occur as independent statements, not within a general subject. See 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15. The word "Mathal" (allegory) is used in these verses. Linguistically, the word "Mathal" in these verses can be removed, and we still have perfect sentences. But it is there because the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical. What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond our comprehension. Hence the need for allegory. The Righteous Do Not Really Die They Go Straight to Heaven "Give good news to those who believe and work righteousness that they will have gardens with flowing streams. When provided with provisions of fruits therein, they will say, "This is what was given to us in the past." They will be given similar provisions, and they will have pure spouses therein. They abide therein forever." 2:25 "Do not think that those who are killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being provided for." 3:169 "Do NOT say about those who are killed in the cause of God, "They are dead." For they are alive, but you do not perceive." 2:154 THE DISBELIEVERS As for the disbelievers, they know at the moment of death that they are destined for Hell. The angels beat them up on the faces and rear ends (8:50 & 47:27), order them to evict their souls (6:93), then "snatch their souls" (79:1). The Quran teaches that the disbelievers go through 2 deaths (2:28 & 40:11). They will be put to death - a state of nothingness during which they see Hell day and night in a continuous nightmare that lasts until the Day of Judgment (40:46). Hell is not yet in existence (40:46, 89:23). from the appendix of the translation of the Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa http://www.submission.org/hhd.html Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed and wrapped in a clean, white cloth (usually by a family member) and buried after a special prayer, preferably the same day. Muslims consider this a final service that they can do for their relatives and an opportunity to remember that their own existence here on earth is brief. The Prophet taught that three things continue to benefit a person even after death: - charity which he had given, -knowledge which he had taught, -and supplication on his behalf by a righteous child [Muslim]. Du'aa: Intercession: The prayers of other Muslims on behalf of the dead will benefit the dead, by the permission of God. Had they done no good, no one would consider praying for them. If they were evil, the prayers of others will not benefit them. In Chapter al-Hashr (59):10, Allaah praises the believers who pray for those who have passed away before their time. "And those who came after them say: Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not put in our hearts any hatred against the believers. Our Lord, You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful." Furthermore, the funeral prayer itself consists mostly of prayers for the dead. Safwaan [the narrator mentioned that Safwaan ibn `Abdillaah ibn Safwaan was married to ad-Dardaa] said, "I visited Abud-Dardaa's home in Syria, but did not find him there. Ummud-Dardaa asked [me], 'Are you going to make Hajj this year?' I said: 'Yes.' She said, 'Pray to Allaah for good for us, for the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "The prayer of Muslim for his Muslim brother in his absence will be answered. As long as he prays for the good of his brother, there is an angel assigned near his head who says: Amen, and may the same be for you."’ I left and went to the marketplace where I met Abud-Dardaa and he related from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) the same as that." [Sahih Muslim, vol.4, p.1429, no.6590.] In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful Benefitting the Dead Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips Chapter 6 from "Funeral Rites in Islaam" by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips © Copyright 1996 Dar Al-Fatah http://www.islamzine.com/death/benefitting.html Judgement Day: A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed, and the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of a life that will never end. And that day every person will be rewarded by God according to his or her good or evil deeds. The explanation that the Qur'an gives about the necessity of life after death is exactly what the moral consciousness of man demands. If there were no life after death, the very belief in God would become meaningless, or even if one believed in God, it would then be an unjust and indifferent deity, having once created man and no longer being concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants, whose crimes are beyond count - having killed hundreds of innocent people, created great corruption in society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc. Because man has a very short life span in this world and because numerous individuals are affected by one's actions, adequate punishments and rewards are not possible in this life. The Qur'an very emphatically states that the Day of Judgement must come and that God will decide the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds. http://salam.muslimsonline.com/~azahoor/islamintro.htm#death The Chastisement of the Tomb: It is said that on the evening following a person's burial, two angels named Munkar & Nakir enter the tomb, and begin to quiz the dead on the Islamic faith. If they answer correctly and prove their devotion to Allah, the angels let them pass to heaven. If not, the angels ruthlessly beat the person, and he is tormented until final judgment. To aid the deceased in passing the test of faith the tomb is prepared so that the dead can sit up straight when answering questions. Also, a man called a faqih is employed to instruct the dead as to the correct answers. Other traditions include always burying the dead facing Mecca while wearing a seamless shroud, like a Muslim wears in their pilgrimage to Mecca. http://www.proaxis.com/~skaugset/religion/islam.html What Happens in the Grave: We believe in the Trial of the Grave, which involves questioning the deceased person in his grave about his Lord, his religion, and his prophet. There "Allah confirms those who believe with a firm saying, in the present life and the hereafter" (14:27). The believer will say: "Allah is my Lord, Islam is my religion, and Muhammad is my prophet." The unbeliever or the hypocrite will say: "I do not know. I heard the people saying something and I said it." We believe in the comfort of the grave for the believers: "Those whose lives the angels take in state of purity, saying 'peace be on you; enter paradise for what you were doing' (16:32). ........The sayings of the Prophet are numerous and well-known in this area. A Muslim must believe in all that is reported in the Qur'an and the prophetic traditions concerning the unseen matters. He should not contradict it by his worldly experience, because the affairs of the hereafter cannot be measured by the affairs of this life. The difference between them is very great. Allah is the source of help. http://www.isgkc.org/muslim_belief.htm#OUR CREED Other images from Hadith: The Prophet's Pool: We believe in the pool of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the water of which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey and better in fragrance than musk. Each of its length and width is the distance of a month's travel. Its glasses are as stars in beauty and number. The believers among the Prophet's followers come to take from this great cistern a drink after which they will never be thirsty. The Straight Path: We believe in the straight path (sirat) set up over hell. People pass over it according to their deeds: the first of them as fast as lighting, then as fast as wind, then as fast as birds, and then as fast as a running man. The Prophet will be standing on the path, saying: "Lord, Save! Save!," as some people's deeds will fall short. Some of them will come crawling. At both sides of the path there are hooks designed to take whom Allah wills: some are saved but bruised; others are thrown into hell. (Bukhari and Muslim). We believe in all that is mentioned in the Qur'an or the prophetic sayings concerning that day and its horrors, may Allah save us from them. We believe in the intercession (Shafa'ah) of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, for the people of paradise to enter therein. This intercession is exclusively limited to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.   Some Sufi Quotes: Your fear of death is really fear of yourself: see what it is from which you are fleeing! (The Mathnawi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi) Know that the body is like a garment. Go, seek the wearer of the garment, do not lick (kiss) a garment... You are such that without the material body you have a spiritual body: do not, then, dread the going forth of the soul from the body. To die in life is to become life. The wind stops skirting you And enters. All the roses, suddenly, Are blooming in your skull. (Divani Shamsi Tabriz, Rumi's teacher. Work is attributed to Rumi) Death is a bridge whereby the lover is joined to the Beloved. (-'Abd al' Aziz b.Sulamayan) Lo, in being slain I live. (-Al Hallaj) The first sign of love to God is not to be afraid of death, and to be always waiting for it. For death unites the friend to his friend - the seeker to the object which he seeks. (- Al-Ghazali (b.1058)) http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~roberts/e316_fall95/student_projects/group1/quot.html