Life after death - Islam and Christianity

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Life after death is a vital issue which is raised in every religion. The two religions I have chosen to base my study on are Islam and Christianity. I have chosen these two religions as they have similar beliefs about what Life after death consists of and they also share similar implications. Both religions believe in Heaven and Hell, however the two religions have different ideas about what will happen once the soul is presented before God on the day of Judgment.

Christianity teaches that when they die their souls will go straight to Heaven or Hell according to their good and bad deeds they have done whilst on earth. However, Islam teaches to believe in “Barzakh” which means the waiting. Muslims believe that their bodies will remain in their graves until the Day of Judgement, whereas their souls will wait, in “Barzakh”.

I will study both these religions in depth. As I am a Muslim, I have a better knowledge of Islam, however I will study Christianity carefully and evaluate to the best of my ability.

I will start by studying Islam and will refer to the Qur’an. I will then study Christianity with reference to the biblical teachings.

               

Islam is complete way of life. It is the guidance which has been provided for Muslims by Allah, the creator of all things. Muslims believe that everyone is born Muslim and the people who believe in other religions are converted to that religion and when or if they become Muslim they are reverting to Islam, which means they are coming back to Islam.

Islam has five pillars, which can be described as the foundation stones upon which the religion is based,

  • Shahadah, which is the decleration of faith
  • Salah, which are the five compulsory daily prayers
  • Sawm, which is fasting during the month of Ramadan
  • Zakah, which is a welfare contribution
  • Hajj, which is the pilgrimage to Makkah.

The Shahadah is the most important of all the pillars. A muslim declares his faith by reciting;

The Arabic word meaning; “There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. The book of Islam is the Qur’an, which is the direct word of Allah and ‘Tawhid’ (oneness of Allah), ‘Risalah’ (prophethood) and ‘Akhirah’ (life after death) sumarises the whole of the Islamic system of life.

All muslims around the world follow the Qur’ans authority in matters of ‘Iman’, iman means ‘to know’ and represents faith or belief.

The life that follows death in Islam is known as Al-Akhirah. The Arabic word means that which comes after or the future or the last. The Qur’an uses the word in the sense of the life Hereafter as one of the unseen things in which a Muslim should believe.

“And who believe in the revelation sent to there, and sent before thy time ( in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter” .

(Al-Dar Al-Akhirah)

Belief in Akhirah is very important and is essential for all Muslims. This life on earth in temporary and is meant to be a preparation for Akhirah which is never ending (eternal).

Life is a test on earth and on the day of judgement will be decide if you are successful do go to heaven or not. The explanation that the Qur’an gives about the necessity of life after death is what moral consciousness of man demand. Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in god becomes irrelevant.

Belief in Akhirah has a wonderful influence on the life of a Muslim. He knows that Allah is watching him and the angels on the shoulders, record our good and bad deeds, they keep the full record on which their judgement will be based.

“The record is to show us not Allah because He is all knowing.

Your good actions will benefit only you, while evil harms only the person who does it”.

 

 

The Qur’an Informs and explains “Death” as follows

“Everyone shall have to die”

                         (Sura3: 185)

Here it try’s to brings up ideas of how everyone will experience death in there lifetime and there is no escape from death. This statement tells that there is a soul that will go through the development that will take us to the next level.

Death brings an end to our temporary life on this earth. It is an occasion of sorrow and grief for the loved ones of the dead. Death puts an end to our physical body it does not destroy our soul. The soul is taken away by the angel Malakul Mawt  (Izrail) to Allah.

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To this, I have added a quotation I have searched for from the internet, it states a clear and simple definition about the death in Islam.

“What we call death is the transference into a life at a universe of frequencies within a spirit body after separating from the biological material body. As the brain ceases to function, the bioelectric energy outspread to the body disconnects and the body loses the electromagnetic force that normally keeps the spirit tied to body. So the human spirit is released to a new life independent from the physical body.

Such an ...

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