Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

5. Resurrection

Resurrection means that Almighty Allah will bring human beings back to life in the hereafter after having caused them to die in the world, to reward those who did good for their good deed, and punish those who did evil for their evil acts.

One who has faith, and does the good deeds, praying, fasting, speaking the truth, maintaining sincerity, giving shelters to the orphans and feeding the destitute and suchlike, the Almighty will admit him/her into Paradise wherein rivers flow; in vast mercy, magnificent palaces, devoted spouses, and the Ridwan (contentment) from Allah is the greatest bliss184 .

But those who disbelieved, committed evil deeds, spoke lies, broke promises, committed murders, stole others’ properties, committed adultery or consumed intoxicants, and suchlike, the Almighty will reward them a Hell filled with fire and torment, its food is bitter, its drink boiling, [they are] in permanent suffering, and eternal and demeaning torture, we seek refuge to Almighty Allah from all that.

Of course, before Paradise and Hell there are two stations:

1. The Grave , which is the first of the many stages of the Barzakh world to which ‘death’ is the gateway. In the grave every one will be questioned about his or her deeds, and the person will be rewarded for his good deeds, and punished for his bad. For this, Allah’s messenger, peace be upon him and his pure family, said “The grave is either a pit of Hell’s pits, or a garden of the gardens of Paradise.”185 As an elucidating example, one’s condition in the grave is similar to one’s state when dreaming during sleep; one would either have a pleasant dream that makes him happy, or have a bad dream causing him stress and torment, while a person who might be in the vicinity of the sleeping one and sees him does not realize whether the sleeping person is in comfort or in torment. In the same way the living do not see from the dead other than the lifeless bodies; and they do not realize whether a dead person is in torment or in bliss. This is because the criteria of the world of Barzakh are governed by new equations, and they do not resemble any of the equations of the world that we have come to know and get used to.

2. The Resurrection takes place after these bodies are brought back to life and resurrected from their graves, when Almighty Allah will bring together all the people in a vast desert for requital and reward. Therein the great court of justice will be assembled and the balances [of measuring or weighing up deeds] established, and the judges - who are Allah’s messengers and their appointed successors - will come, and the suhuf or the books of deeds will be disseminated. The witnesses will come to give witness, and the limbs and the body parts of the individual will admit to what they did and commit, thus the believers who did good in the world will prosper by gaining the Paradise, and the criminals who used to do evil deeds in the world will suffer the Fire.

Thus it is imperative for one to strive with all one’s ability to do good deeds, and to refrain from any bad deed, so that one would not suffer in the hereafter eternal suffering from which there is no refuge and nowhere to run; where the criminals will remain in permanent imprisonment and perpetual torment. Almighty Allah states, .So whoso does a speck’s weight of good will see it, and so whoso does a speck’s weight of evil will see it.186 .