Symposium 61
The Meaning of the Hereafter (Mi’ad)
Anwar:Salam ‘Alaykom!
Hasan:Alaykom As-Salam Wa Rahmatollah Wa Barakatoh!
Anwar:I think we talked enough about the Imamate and its branches, and it is time to move to the last Pillar of Islam, namely the Hearafter (Mi’ad). What can you tell us about this?
Hasan:First, we have to know the meaning of the Hearafter (Mi’ad) as a term. According to religious experts, the Hearafter (Mi’ad) is the time when the soul returns to the body it was attached to during the worldly existence.
Anwar:What is soul?
Hasan:It is an abstract creature, i.e. it is not material.
Anwar:So, human being is made of a material body and an abstract soul, isn’t it?
Hasan:Yes, it is.
Anwar:Can you support this with a proof?
Hasan:Through witnessing science, we know that there is something part from the body, which is the soul; this Holy Verse from the Noble Quran confirms this fact:
(And do not speak of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive, but you do not perceive)2;154.
This Holy Verse is a proof to the fact that the soul stays alive even when it leaves the body.
Anwar:Very Good. This leads to another question; is there a life in the grave?
Hasan:Yes, there is. It is called Purgatory life (Al-Barzakh), which is a life the soul lives between this world and the next world.
Anwar:Will you elaborate more, please?
Hasan:Yes. When one dies, they go to the world of Barzakh, which is a world between this world and the next world. Now, if they are believers, they will live in happiness and bounty; but, if they were infidels or disobedient, they will live in agony and pain.
The following Holy Verse is evidence to the life of martyrs who scarified themselves for the sake of the Most Gracious Allah:
(And reckon not those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord۞Rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace and they rejoice for the sake of those who, (being left) behind them, have not yet joined them, that they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve)3;169-170.
There is a clear reference in this Holy Verse to the joyful life of the martyrs. This next Holy Verse plainly talks about the Purgatory (Barzakh) life:
(…and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised)23;100.
So, human beings obviously go to the Barzakh when they die, and this will go on until they are resurrected.
Anwar:Will you also mention some Hadith in this regard?
Hasan:Of course. There are many Hadith agreed about by all Muslims:
· It is reported from Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that“he stood upon the disbelievers killed in the battle of Badr and said: ‘You were bad neighbors for the Messengers of Allah (PBUH) and his kinfolk, you drove him out of his house, then you gathered to fight him, but I achieved what my Lord promised with’. Omar here said to him: ‘O the Messenger of Allah! What is the use of your speech to these repulsed heads?’ He replied: ‘O you, the son of Khattab! By God, they hear better than you do, and the angles will take them away while put in iron manacles as soon as I turn my face away like this”. There are many similar Hadith about this matter.
· A Hadith from Abu Abdullah (PBUH) about Barzakh talks about souls that have appropriate bodies suited for
that stage:“I asked him: ‘I give my life for you. They say the souls of the believers will be in the crops of greenfinches around the Divine Throne.’ He said: ‘No, the believers are far more honorable to Allah to put their souls in crops of birds, but in bodies like their owns’”.
Anwar:This would be quite enough to prove the Purgatory, but I have another question.
Hasan:Please, ask.
Anwar:I can conclude from what you said that death is not the end of existence, is it?
Hasan:There is no doubt in that. It is only the departure of the soul from the earthly body to the Purgatory body. This is confirmed by Amir Al-Mu’menin (PBUH):“O people! We and you were created to stay alive and not to become extinct. You only move to another home, so be supplied as you are heading to where you will be eternally living. Wish you Peace”.
This same indication is proved through the words of Imam Al-Hasan (PBUH) when he was asked:“What is it about death that they do not know? He replied: ‘It is
the greatest happiness for the believers as they are transported from an embittered life to eternal happiness; yet, it is the greatest affliction for the disbelievers as they are transported from their paradise to the eternal Fire’”.
It is also reported from Imam Al-Husain (PBUH) that:“Be patient, you noble people. Death is nothing but an archway through which you pass from misery and adversity to gardens of heaven and eternal happiness. Who hates to move from prison to palace? However, for your enemies, it is like moving from palace to prison and torture. My father told me that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘The earthly life is believers’ prison and disbelievers’ paradise, and death is a bridge to heaven for these and a bridge to hell for those. I never lied and never will’”.
Death is the means to be released from the shackles of desire and the chains of low life. It is a comfort after anguish and filthiness of this earthly world.
Anwar:Very good. Now, you said that the Hereafter is the time when the soul returns to the body it belonged to in this life. Is this possible knowing that the body is
decayed and rotten, and sometimes it is burned and turned into ashes?
Hasan:The returning of the souls to their bodies is possible in itself; it is not impracticable. In other words, there is no form of hindrance preventing it from happening and it is not like it has no existence at all.
Anwar:The Hereafter is not impossible because it does not bring back something that is nonexistent, does it?
Hasan:Very good. It is true because what is nonexistent has to be something so it would be possible for it in order to be brought back.
Anwar:So, how do souls return to their decayed and rotten bodies?
Hasan:When parts of a corpse are dispersed, they are recollected as it is stated in the story of the Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). Ali Bin Ibrahim reports from his father, from Bin Abu Omair, from Abu Ayyoub, from Abu Basir that Abu Abdullah (PBUH) said:“Ibrahim (PBUH) saw carrion on seashore being eaten by wild land and sea beasts, and then the beasts jumped over each other and started eating each other. He was wondered:
(My Lord! show me how Thou givest life to the dead)2;260.
The Almighty Allah replied:
(What! and do you not believe? He said: Yes, but that my heart may be at ease. He said: Then take four of the birds, then train them to follow you, then place on every mountain a part of them, then call them, they will come to you flying; and know that Allah is Mighty, Wise)
Thus, Ibrahim (PBUH) was asked to bring a peacock, a rooster, a pigeon and a crow, to chop them into pieces, mix them and spread them on ten mountains. Then, he was told to keep the beaks and call them; they will come flying to you. Ibrahim did so and spread them on ten mountains, and then called them: answer me, in the name of the Almighty Allah. The flesh and the bones of each bird gathered and flew towards Ibrahim. At that moment, Ibrahim said: Allah is Mighty and Wise”.
In addition to that, we can always use the respond the Most Exalted Allah gives to whoever denies the Hereafter and sees it difficult and impossible: