By believing in an afterlife and paradise and hell Muslims try to avoid making sins and to be worthy of reaching heaven. By changing their natural acts and view of life to suit that of Allah to please him and show faith in him Muslims will be rewarded in their afterlife. But if Muslims didn’t believe in an afterlife they wouldn’t follow Allah’s teachings because it wouldn’t achieve anything.
A Muslim’s Responsibilities:
- No Muslim may oppress women, children, old people, or the sick and wounded.
- Women’s honour and chastity are to be respected and protected in all circumstances.
- The hungry must be fed.
- The naked must be clothed.
- The diseased must be treated.
- The wounded must be helped, whether friend or foe.
- Tyranny and evil must be challenged and defeated if possible.
If Muslims didn’t believe in an afterlife they would not follow teachings and requirements of Allah to reach paradise because it wouldn’t affect anything or make a difference and they would have no cause or reason to strive towards fulfilling the aims of Islam.
Muslims follow Islamic laws known as Shari’ah. In countries with strong Islamic influence their state laws are based around Shari’ah. This affects areas like individual morality, lifestyle, education and the role of women. This obviously influences and changes the life of people living in these countries.
Islam itself literally translated means submission, as in their submission to Allah through their obedience to his laws and teachings. This in return expresses their love to Allah and willingness to follow his ways and thus in return they are permitted to paradise assuming they follow his teachings.
All Muslims treat the Qur’an with respect and worship because it is sacred, as it is directly from Allah. It is always written in Arabic so it can never be changed. Some people as a sign of faith and devotion, learn all of the Qur’an these people are called Hafizs. Inside the Qur’an there is a guide to life, which Muslims are to follow. In this guide it teaches Muslims about their duties, responsibilities and morals. It contains the five pillars of Islam, dietary laws (halal and haram foods), marriage, divorce and all other aspects of human relationships.
Muslims follow these teachings to reach paradise and strongly believe that there is an afterlife which makes all their efforts to follow Allah’s teachings worth while.
“You prefer this life, although the life to come is better and more enduring.”
(Surah 87:16-17)
“The Value of this world in comparison to the hereafter is like a droplet in the ocean.”
(Hadith)
This shows how Muslims should think of this life, which helps them to understand why they should follow Allah’s teachings even though it means not allowing themselves to do certain things they will eventually get rewarded.
Muslims don’t just use the Qur’an to help guide them they also use the Sunnah and the Hadith left behind by Muhammad to help guide Muslims. They are also referred to, to make contempary laws on new ethical issues such as embryo technology.
In Islam there are what are known as the five pillars of Islam, they are:
Shahdah:
This is when a Muslim declares his faith, which states:
“There is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
These words are also used at birth and at death as a symbol of their faith.
Salah:
This is prayer. Muslims pray five times a day- before sunrise, midday, mid afternoon, early and late evening. Prayer can be done in any clean place, but many will go to a Masjid (mosque) to pray. Wadu is the ritual washing done before prayer; this is the washing of the hands, feet and face. Rak’ah is the movements made during prayer. If a prayer mat is used it is always to face towards Makkah. On Friday there is a special prayer for noon known as the jumu’ah, a distinct feature of this is the kuttah (sermon), this is performed at a mosque.
Zakah:
This is a charity, which is given by all Muslims who can afford it. It is 2.5% of their annual savings given to the poor or other in need.
Sawn:
Month of Ramadan; the annual fasting each day between dawn and dusk. This mean no food, drink or sexual acts. Young children do not have to fast.
Hajj:
At sometime in a Muslims life (health and wealth permitting) they must make a holy pilgrimage to Makkah at least once during their lives.
In conclusion believing in an afterlife affects a Muslims life in many ways and is a main factor of following Allah’s teachings.
