The day of Judgement is known as Yawmuddin. On this day all souls will come together on Mount Arafat before the presence of Allah. The whole universe will be destroyed on this day and the dead will be ‘Resurrected’ to stand before Allah, their Lord.
This will be the beginning of the ‘Akhirah’ in which everyone will be rewarded or punished by Allah according to their good or bad deeds.
On the Day of Judgement ‘Gods attributes of Justice and mercy will be in full Manifestation’.
Everyone will be given the record of their life which had been recorded by the two angels ‘Karimun’ and ‘Katibun’ known as the ‘Respected Scribes’ who sit on the left and right shoulders of every human and have noted every word ever said or thought by the individual. If the human receives their record in the left hand or from behind they will go to hell, but if they receive their record in their right hand they will go to one of the eight Heavens.
Muslims believe Heaven is a place where there is no pain, sadness or worry, ‘there is always pleasance and no one dies or get older’; it is a place where all desires are fulfilled.
‘Jannah’ is the Arabic term for Heaven. Muslims believe that you can enter Paradise if you follow the right path and doing the right actions. Muslims believe that Paradise is a reward for those who do good.
Paradise is seen as a gift from Allah for those who put their trust and lifestyle in the hands of their Lord and avoided everything that God told them to avoid by remembering that they will have to face up to their Lord in the end.
‘ If anyone does good deeds, whether male or female, and has faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them’
(4:124)
Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said that whoever failed to see Allah, as their Lord and Creator would be refusing their entry into Paradise.
Allah will give mercy those who suffered for his sake believing in eternal happiness in the afterlife but those who abused his bounties and showed no care for the next life will be very miserable and God will make a wall between the two comparisons. This is stated in the Qur’an;
‘Then is he whom we have promised a good promise which he will meet (obtain) like he for whom we provided enjoyment of worldly life (but) ten he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented for punishment in Hell’
(Qur’an 28:61)
The Qur’an also states that this life is a preparation for the next therefore everything we do in this life influences the position in the afterlife.
The belief in the life after death guarantees success in the next and makes this world full of peace and happiness by making people responsible and making them fulfil their duties.
Many events will take place on the Day of Judgement, which are mentioned in the Qur’an with great detail. The Day of Judgement will start when the Horn is blown with a blast, which will destroy the earth making the earth, and mountains lift and levelled. Then Resurrection will occur and ‘ Heaven will split, for that Day it is infirm’.
It is also mentioned in t Qur’an that;
‘No souls knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden from them of joy, as a reward for what they did’
(Qur’an 32:17)
The fortunate and grateful people who will cross over the ‘bridge over the chasm of Hell’ known as the ‘Sirat’ will approach the other end with joy when they will reach Heaven, a ‘Sparkling realm beyond imagination’.
The eight individual Heavens have their own names e.g. a gate of ‘Salah’ (prayer). The person who did a particular activity best e.g. fasting will go to the gate of ‘Rayan’.
It is possible for a person to be called to more than one gate; therefore they will be allowed to enter any gate they wish to.
At each gate there will be standing that will call out with good news to the entrant.
These angels are mentioned in the Qur’an;
‘Those who were aware (of their Lord) will be led to Paradise in crowds/. When they arrive, its gates will be opened and the keepers will announce, ‘Peace be upon you! You have done well! Enter here and live within’. The (people) will respond ‘Praise be to Allah who has fulfilled this promise to us and has given us this place as ours. We can live in Paradise however we wish. How excellent a reward for those who worked hard!’
(Qur’an 39: 73-74)
Entering the gates of Heaven there will be scents, lights, colours, sounds and wonderful delights.
‘Certainly (Paradise) is the supreme achievement! For this, let everyone work hard who wishes d work hard’
(Qur’an 37:61)
It is stated in the Qur’an, how we can choose what our ultimate fate will be according to our beliefs and actions;
‘Is a person who knows that what was revealed to you in the truth from your Lord the same as the person who is blind to it? Only those who understand will remember. Those who fulfil the agreement of Allah and don’t fail in their promise. They join together what Allah commands to be joined, hold their Lord in awe and fear the terrible accounting (of deeds). Those who have patience, seeking the gaze of Allah, who establish prayer, give in charity what we gave them both openly and secretly, and turn away evil with good. For these is the gaining of the (best) home’
(Qur’an 13: 19-22)
Although Muslims are told about Paradise in the Qur’an and the Hadith, and are given explanations of its wonders, Muslims still keep in mind that they cannot imagine Paradise, as the descriptions given within the Qur’an and Hadith are just examples or ‘Mithal’ of how Paradise will be. This means that humans do not have the power to imagine such a beautiful place beyond this earth. The Mithal given in the Qur’an and Hadith are just metaphors to help us understand how perfect Jannah will be. It is mentioned in the ‘Hadith Qudsi’;
I have prepared for my righteous servants what no eye has ever seen nor ear heard nor any human being ever conceived of’
(Bukhari and Muslim)
The opposite of Heaven is Hell or ‘Jahannam’, a place of punishment for those who failed to recognise the right path.
There are many evil deeds that go on in the world such as murders and rapes. Muslims believe that people who committed such sins will be punished in Hell because of their actions. Whether they committed their sins openly or secretly, God is watching and knows of all sins committed, so even if a human feels they weren’t caught, eventually they will be punished by God in Hell.
‘ They (the Humans) go out of Bound arrogantly in the earth against all high! O Humanity! Your transgression is against your own souls. It is merely an enjoyment of the life of the present. In the end, to Us is your return. We will show you the truth of all that you did’.
(Qur’an 10:23)
Humans do evil because they are constantly being strayed from the right path by the Devil- ‘Iblis’. Therefore there is always a struggle between good and evil.
It is mentioned in the Qur’an that Allah wishes to treat those who fulfilled there duties on earth by rewarding them, and those who didn’t by punishing them, because of the way each individual acted on earth. So God wants to punish those who did wrong in the fire of Hell where all sorts of punishment will take place, again beyond the imagination of humans.
‘Shall we treat those who believe and do good deeds the same as those who cause chaos on earth?
Shall we treat those who avoid bad deeds the same as those who turn away from good?’
(Qur’an 38:28)
One principle is ‘Al Adl’ or Justice. Which is to get what you deserve. Humans will be punished according to this principle meaning they will receive in the afterlife.
‘By the soul and the order written in it, and its knowledge of night and wrong. Truly he succeeds who purifies it, while he also corrupts it, fails.’
(Qur’an 91:7-10)
The people who will not be able to cross over the Sirat will end up in Hell with all the cuts and blood from the long bridge as thin as a sharp hair. Hell is guarded by 19 angels who push back everyone who tries to escape the fire.
The fire of Hell is described as pitch black and is called the fire of ‘Naar’.
Like Heaven there are many Hells; altogether there are seven;
- Jaheem
- Jahannam
- Sa’ir
- Saqar
- Natsh-?
- Hamiya
- Hutama
All wrongdoers will be punished uniquely fitting in Hell throughout the different levels. It is mentioned in the Qur’an the that these people will be told that they have had their chance of money in the Dunya and so their punishment will not end for a long time and for some forever.
‘In it they will neither die nor live’
(Qur’an 87:13)
The world continues, people are born and they die. Muslims who go through a certain process to be prepared for their burial.
The dead body is washed or given the ‘Ghusl’. Males wash the body of males and females wash the body of females. After this the body is wrapped in a white cloth, three for men and five for women.
If the human had made a pilgrimage to Hajj the body is wrapped in those cloths they wore whilst on pilgrimage.
Before the burial of the body a special prayer is made called the ‘Janaaza’. The body id buried in the mud as it was promised to the earth that its mud/ clay will be returned to it which was used to create humans.
In the grave two angels appear and ask the deceased particular questions. These angels will have black faces and blue eyes and are called ‘Munkir’ and ‘Nakir’ and will ask the following questions;
‘Say what you have to say about this person- Muhammed (pbuh)’.
If the deceased was a Muslim he will reply that he is the messenger of Allah and his servant.
The angels will state that they knew the deceased will answer this way. The grave will then expand to the extent of 4900 square feet and will be illuminated. He will be told to ‘go to sleep’.
Unbelievers will answer that they heard people say things about Muhammed, n=but he doesn’t really know. The angels will reply that they knew he will answer this way. The two angels will command the earth to crush him, and he will be pressed by the earth, which will crush his ribs together. He will not be relieved of the torment until Allah decides to resurrect him from his resting place.
The deceased watches all that happens around his grave before he is buried also seeing his mourning take place.
Before being asked questions the soul is re-united with the dead body. After the questions asked the person sees a window from his grave. This window shows either Heaven or Hell, which will show his destiny.
If the person sees Hell they will be tortured in the grave for all his wrong actions on earth. The dead body will go to a special place called ‘Barzakh’.
Barzakh is a resting place for souls until the Day of Judgement.
Christianity has existed for a long time, longer than Islam and has many followers around the world.
Christianity is based on the belief of ‘Trinity’, that the Lord has three elements;
- The Father.
- The Son.
- The Holy Spirit.
Christianity was brought about by Jesus who Christians believe is the Son of God whereas Muslims regard him as a Prophet, Prophet Isa, (pbuh).
The beliefs of Christians will be come from the Bible along with the Old Testament and New Testament.
Christianity has various denominations, but the two main ones are Protestant and Catholic.
I will mainly be focusing on Protestant and Catholic beliefs and the differences between them.
Although there are many sects within Christianity, there are scriptures which suggest that there is no use of division, as all will be involved in the same Judgement in which everyone will be accountable in the same way and will accounted for good or bad in the eyes of God.
‘Now I beseech you… that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement’
(Paul 1 Corinthians 1:10, The Christian Scriptures- New Testament)
The Bible teaches we are all accountable to God and one day we will have to take account for our actions towards others on earth including the poor and the needy.
The Old Testament is not vivid in life after death, whereas the New Testament is. Most people follow the Old Testament as it encourages Christians to believe in Life after Death.
In the Bible in Matthew, it says that on the Day of Judgement we will be held account for our sins, this suggests that there is Life after Death.
The Bible is rich in the information about Life after Death.
Protestants base their belief on literal interpretations of certain passages of the Bible and also symbolic interpretations of others.
Protestants believe that Heaven is a glorious location where there is no pain, disease or sexual activity etc. Protestants believe that within Heaven they live with Jesus Christ in spiritual bodies.
Catholics bases its beliefs on Heaven, Hell and also ‘Purgatory’ and ‘Limbo’. Catholics base their beliefs on Old and New Testaments, which are Christian scriptures, and also Hebrew Scriptures.
Catholics believe that Heaven is for those who love God ‘imperfectly’. They believe that the inhabitants of Heaven will have their bodies ‘glorified’ and that only a few people will be able to enter Heaven.
Catholics believe that Purgatory is where a person goes if they love God ‘imperfectly’ but they died in a state of grace. They believe that in Purgatory people will b e punished for a while for their sins, in order to be purely cleansed of their ‘accumulated imperfections’ and ‘venial sins’ to get into Heaven.
Catholics believe that the inhabitants of Hell will be constantly tortured with fire. However, if the person’s family and friends offer masses and prayers for them then their time in Purgatory will be lessened.
Catholics believe that Hell is a place where all the wrongdoers will be continuously and sufficiently punished without any hope of relief, as they will remain there for eternity.
They also believe that the devil. Satan, will also be punished within Hell for eternity.
The level of torture I Hell will be ‘meted’ out in accordance to the person’s sins and how serious they were. There will be no prospect of mercy within Hell, as the inhabitants of it will remain there for eternity.
Within Hell all people will be completely isolated from God, and the body will be caused unbearable pain by some supernatural form of power.
Catholics also believe in a place called Limbo. Limbo is a place, which is for babies who die before being baptized. They believe the Limbo is separate from Heaven, but it is a place where all the infants and young are happy.
Christians believe that Jesus will return to the earth in the ‘Second Coming’, and this is when he will conduct the Final Judgement.
Christians believe that those people who have died will continue in their punishment and those who are in Heaven and Hell will continue to spend eternity there. But they believe that those in Purgatory will immediately go to Heaven at the coming of Jesus, and that dead bodies will be resurrected.
They believe that all the people alive on the earth will be assembled together;
‘Those who have rejected the Lord in this life, who have sinned mortally. Who have no remorse for sin and do not seek forgiveness will have condemned themselves to Hell for all eternity.’
(Matthews 25: 31-32)
