Muslim View on Life After Death
Life after death is one of three most important beliefs in Islam; Tawhid (oneness of Allah), Risalah (prophet hood) and the Akhira (Life After Death).
Belief in life after death is vital for all Muslims. Muslims believe that their life on this earth is temporary. It is meant to prepare them for the life after death, which is to be never ending. According to Muslims life on this earth is meaningless if good actions are not rewarded and bad actions not punished. For example, why attend school if bad behaviour goes unpunished and there is nothing at the end to reward all our efforts? In the same way life on earth is meaningless if you do not face the consequences of your actions after death, when you will be standing in front of God on the day of Judgement. According to Muslims the day of judgement is the day when all of mankind will rise from the dead and they will account for their good and bad deeds. They believe that if God can make humans out of nothing so it is not difficult for Him to raise them after death. The following verse from the Qu’ran proves my point;
“Does man think that we shall not assemble his bones? Yes surely, yes, we are able to restore the shape of his fingertips” (75:3-4)
From this verse we can clearly see that God will not just raise mankind from the dead but he will also restore every feature of that person from head to toe.
Muslims believe that with out belief in life after death the world would be a horrible place and there would be no restraint or control on what we do. Belief in life after death has a tremendous influence on a person’s life because they believe that God is watching all his actions and he will have to account for them on the day of judgement. Therefore that person will always behave in an appropriate fashion so that he does not disobey God. A description of what will happen on the day of judgement can be found in the Qu’ran;
“When the sky is rent assunder...
And when the earth is flattened out...
Then he who is given his record in his right hand soon will his account be taken by an easy reckoning...
But he who is given his record behind his back...
Will enter the blazing fire”. (84:1-12)
From these verses we can see a clear description of what is going to happen on the day of judgement. We can also see how one will be told of his destiny.
The reward for all people who obeyed god’s laws is that they will live in heaven, a place of eternal happiness and peace. Heaven is said to be beyond our dreams and it is a place were all our needs will be fulfilled with just a click of our fingers. Muslims believe that there are some very holy places, which are parts of heaven and are on this planet, for example a part of the Prophets Mosque that is in the city of Medina is said to be part of heaven.
The punishment for all the people who disobeyed God’s laws will be that they will be sent to hell, a place of severe punishment and suffering. Hell is often described as the Fire. The fire of hell is said to be seventy times greater than the fire which we experience on earth and Muslims believe that beings such as the Djinn who are made of fire also fear this day because they will punished by throwing them in water instead of fire. Muslims believe that to prepare themselves for the day of judgement and be rewarded by God they must do all that God demands of them and give up all bad habits and actions. They believe the best way to do this is by following the guidance given to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by God.
Christian View on Life After Death
Christians believe that when a person dies there body decomposes and their soul leaves their body and is immediately evaluated. This is known as a Particular judgement.
This can be proved from the following verse from the bible;
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27)
After the soul has been judged there are three possible destinations for it Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.
Heaven is said to be a beautiful place that is beyond our capability to conceive. Heaven is for those people whose love for God has been perfected in this life. These people will have their bodies glorified and taken immediately to their eternal reward in heaven. But not very many people go through this path.
Purgatory is for people who die in a state of grace, but they love god. In purgatory they suffer for a time in order to clean all their sins that they have committed. When you are in the purgatory you are said to be tortured with fire. But if their family and friends offer masses, prayers and other acts of devotion, then their stay in purgatory will be decreased so that they can enter heaven faster. Purgatory is very similar to hell the only major difference is that you will be released from purgatory to go in to heaven once you have been punished for your sin.
Hell is set to be a place where you spend eternity along with Satan and his daemons, and every one in hell is tortured, in isolation from God, with out any hope, mercy or relief. Hell is set be for all the people a sin which has not been forgiven or they have rejected God.
This was what would happen when Particular Judgement is going to take place. But Christians believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth and he will conduct a Final Judgement, which can also be described as the day of judgement. When this judgement takes place all people already in heaven and hell will remain there but the people in purgatory will be sent to heaven. The bodies and souls of all the dead will also reunite. All the people who will be alive at this time will die and their souls will be judged and they will be sent to heaven, purgatory or hell.
