In
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, "the promise and threat" ()
of
Judgement Day
The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism.
Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus, Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God in Abrahamic religions, God of a ...
( or ),
is when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, and "all people" are "called to account" for their deeds and their faith during their life on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
. It has been called "the dominant message" of the holy book of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
,
[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.63] and resurrection and judgement the two themes "central to the understanding of
Islamic eschatology
Islamic eschatology includes the afterlife, apocalyptic signs of the End Times, and final Judgement. It is fundamental to Islam as life after death is one of the six Doctrines of Islam. Resurrection is divided into Lesser Resurrection (''al-q ...
."
[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.64]
Judgement Day is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all Muslims, and one of
the six articles of Islamic faith.
The trials, tribulations, and details associated with it are detailed in the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
and the
Hadith
Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
(sayings of
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
); these have been elaborated on in
creed
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets.
Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
s, Quranic commentaries (
tafsịrs), theological writing,
[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.vii] eschatological manuals to provide more details and a sequence of events on the Day.
[ Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities who have explained the subject in detail include ]al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
, Ibn Kathir
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
, Ibn Majah
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rabʿī al-Qazwīnī (; (b. 209/824, d. 273/887) commonly known as Ibn Mājah, was a Middle Ages, medieval scholar of hadith of Persian people, Persian origin. He compiled the last of Sunni ...
, Muhammad al-Bukhari
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Juʿfī al-Bukhārī (; 21 July 810 – 1 September 870) was a 9th-century Persian Muslim '' muhaddith'' who is widely regarded as the most important ''hadith'' scholar in the histor ...
, and Ibn Khuzaymah.
Names
Among the names of the Day of Resurrection/Judgement used in the Qur'an are:
*—the Calamity; (), Chapter (surah) 101 is named ''al-Qari'ah
Al-Qaria or The Calamity (, ''al-Qāriʻah'', also known as The Striking), is the 101st chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 11 āyāt or verses. This chapter takes its name from its first word "''qariah''", referring to the Quranic view of the ...
''; the word is found in Q.69:4, 101:1, 101:2, 101:3
*—the Earthquake; () Surah 99 is name ''al-Zalzalah''; the word is found in Q.99.1
*—the Blast;
*—the Hard Day;
*—the Encompassing Day;
*—the Day of Separation;
*—the Great Disaster;
*—the Reality;
*—the Day of Judgement;
*—the True (inevitable) Day;
*—the Day of Reckoning;
*—the Day of Exodus
In Islam, "the promise and threat" () of Last Judgment, Judgement Day ( or ),
is when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, and "all people" are "called to account" for their deeds and their faith during their life on Earth. It has been ...
(from the graves);
*—the astHour () is reportedly mentioned 39 times in the Qur’an (54:46, 25:11, 33:63, 30:55, 45:32, 69:2, 79:42, 30:12, 54:1, 43:66, 21:49, 30:14, 22:1, 22:7, 20:15, 40:59, 43:61, 42:17, 12:107, 15:85, 18:36, 45:27, 22:55, 43:85, 47:18, 6:40, 40:46, 42:18, 6:31, 16:77, etc.)
*—Day of Resurrection; () Literally means the "rising up at the resurrection" although it "has come to signify the entire series of events to take place" on Judgement day, "although technically " means the actual hour", according to scholars Jane Smith and Yvonne Haddad
Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad (born in Syria) is Professor Emerita of the History of Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations at the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. Her interests and focus include contem ...
;[
*On the Day of Resurrection (Nay! I do swear by the Day of Resurrection) it is mentioned 70 times in the Qur’an.
Related terms include (according to scholars Jane Smith and Yvonne Haddad),
* —"The Trumpet";][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.214-215, note 26]
* —the "extinction of all save God".[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.71]
* "means the specific gathering together" of resurrected for their judging;[
* "signifies the calling forth for judgement";][
* —"the return", "the general term used by theologians for the entire process" of resurrection, judgement and consignment to heaven or hell.][
* —the terror of the place of assembly;][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.75]
* —the time of standing before God before being judged by God.[
]
Similarities to the Judgement Day of Christianity
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
and Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology is a minor branch of study within Christian theology which deals with the doctrine of the "last things", especially the Second Coming of Christ, or Parousia. The word eschatology derives from two Greek roots meaning "last ...
both have a " Day of Resurrection" of the dead (), followed by a "Day of Judgement" () where all human beings who have ever lived will be held accountable for their deeds by being judged by God. Depending on the verdict of the judgement, they will be sent for eternity to either the reward of paradise (''Jannah
In Islam, Jannah (, ''jannāt'', ) is the final and permanent abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Qur'an. Belief in the afterlife is one of the Iman (Islam)#The Six Articles of Faith, six article ...
'') or the punishment of hell (''Jahannam
In Islam, Jahannam () is the place of punishment for Islamic views on sin, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell. This notion is an integral part of Islamic theology,#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", ''Numen'', 56, 2009: p.401 and has occupied ...
'').
Some of the similarities between Christian and Islamic eschatology include: when exactly Judgement day will occur will be known only to God; it will be announced by a trumpet blast; it will be preceded by strange and terrible events serving as portents; Jesus will return to earth (but in different roles); battles will be fought with an Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...
and Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog (; ) or Ya'juj and Ma'juj () are a pair of names that appear in the Bible and the Quran, Qur'an, variously ascribed to individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land. By the time of the New ...
; righteous believers will not be among the living when the world ends.
As in the First and Second Epistle of John
The Second Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the other two epistles of John, and the Gospel of John (though this is disputed). Most modern scholars beli ...
[ 1 John ; . 2 John .] of the New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
, an "Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, Antichrist (or in broader eschatology, Anti-Messiah) refers to a kind of entity prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ and falsely substitute themselves as a savior in Christ's place before ...
" figure appears in Islam, known (in Islam) as () , literally "Deceitful Messiah". The , like the Antichrist, performs miracles, or at least what appear to be miracles. (In Islam, the and many of his followers are prophesied to be killed by Jesus's breath, just as in the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, with Timothy as a co-author. The majority of biblical scholars came to conclude that 2 Thessa ...
it says "Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming", some unnamed "lawless" figure.
As in the Christian Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
[
] (where they are to fight a "final battle with Christ and his saints"), Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog (; ) or Ya'juj and Ma'juj () are a pair of names that appear in the Bible and the Quran, Qur'an, variously ascribed to individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land. By the time of the New ...
, will be released, after being imprisoned for thousands of years in a mountain, to wage war against the righteous. In an event somewhat similar to the Rapture
The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...
concept in Christianity—where at some time near the end of the world all Christian believers disappear and are carried off to heaven—in Islam one of the very last signs of the imminent arrival of the end of the world will be a "pleasant" or "cold" wind, that brings a peaceful death to all Muslim believers, leaving only unbelievers alive to face the end of the world. Jesus (known in Islam as Isa) will make a second coming in Islam, but not to preside over Last Judgement. Instead he will help another Islamic saviour figure ("The Mahdi
The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...
"), crush evildoers and restore order and justice before the end of the world, including (according to some Islamic hadiths) correcting the erring ways of the world's Christians by converting them to Islam.[WARREN LARSON ''Jesus in Islam and Christianity: Discussing the Similarities and the Differences'' p. 335] Muslims do not believe these matching prophecies about Judgement Day are a result of Islam ''imitating'' Christianity, but that the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam resemble each other because God's word has been sent by prophets throughout history to all three groups/religions, but that the first two garbled and corrupted his teachings and that only Teachings of Islam has not been corrupted.
Events
The events prophesied for the day of resurrection and judgement "are numerous and presented in varying ways", but "a sequence of the events" for the day can be made based on both the many details "suggested by the Qur'an" and also on "the elaborations and additions provided as usual by the hadiths, the manuals, and the interpretations of theologians".[
Four segments of end times in Islam can be presented:
#the signs/portents of "The Hour" () and other events heralding the imminent end of the world;
#the soundings of the trumpet, the resurrection () of the dead, and the gathering together of all living beings ();
#the reckoning () where the resurrected are judged;
#the preparation for final consignment to heaven or hell, the crossing of the bridge () that the damned fall off of to hell below, and the saved reach the other side, the possibility of intercession ('' shafā'a'') to save sinners from hell.
]
Portents
Many verses of the Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, especially the earlier ones, are dominated by the idea of the nearing of the Day of Resurrection.[Isaac Hasson, ''Last Judgment'', Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an][L. Gardet, ''Qiyama'', Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an] In Islam the signs of the coming of Judgement Day are described as "major" and "minor". The Al-Masih ad-Dajjal
Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (), otherwise referred to simply as the Dajjal, is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology who will pretend to be the promised Messiah and later claim to be God in Islam, God, appearing before the Judgement Day in Islam#Destructi ...
will appear, deceiving the foolish and killing Muslims until killed by either the Mahdi or Jesus. Following him, two dangerous, evil tribes of subhumans with vast numbers called ''Yajooj'' and ''Majooj'' will be released from where they have been imprisoned inside a mountain since Roman times. And according to some narratives, a murderous tyrant called the Sufyani
The Sufyani () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is usually portrayed in hadiths as a tyrant who will spread corruption and mischief. According to Shia Hadith, the Sufyani will rise in the month of Rajab.
Reports about the Sufyani are found ...
will spread corruption and mischief, killing women, children and descendants of Muhammad. To save believers from these horrors, the Mahdi
The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...
will appear and Isa bin Maryam (Jesus) will descend from heaven to assist him. The sun will rise from the west.[Sahih Muslim] A breeze will blow causing all believers to inhale it and die peacefully.[Sahih Muslim, Book 001: 0273]
Destruction and resurrection
Following these portents, the Earth will be destroyed. (In surah Al-Haqqah)
When the trumpet is blown with a single blast
and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and crushed with a single blow,
then, on that day, the terror shall come to pass,
and heaven shall be split, for upon that day it shall be very frail. ... "
(Q.69:13–16)
Verses from another surah (At-Takwir
At-Takwīr (, literally "The Turning Into a Sphere") is the eighty-first chapter (''sura'') of the Qur'an, with 29 verses (''ayat''). It tells about the signs of the coming of the day of judgement in Islam.
Summary
*1-14 The terrible signs of th ...
) describe
When the sun shall be darkened
When the stars shall be thrown down
When the seas shall be set boiling
When the souls shall be coupled, ...
When the scrolls shall be unrolled
When heavens shall be stripped off,
When Hell shall be set blazing,
When Paradise shall be brought nigh
Then shall a soul know what it has produced.
(Q.81:1,2,6,7,10-14)
A second trumpet blast will signal a "final cataclysm" (), the extinction of all living creatures – even the angel of death himself – save God.[
God will then ask three times, "'To whom belongs the Kingdom this day?' No one answers Him so He answers Himself, saying, 'To God who is one alone, victorious!'"][al-Ghazālī, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad. ''al-Durra al-fākhira''. Ed.
M. Gautier. Leipzig, 1877. MS pp. 39. quoted in Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.72] Numerous Qur'ānic mentions that every soul will taste death during "the hour" are thought to underscore the absolute power and '' tawḥīd'' of God while the resurrection of life demonstrates "His justice and mercy".[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.72] The time between annihilation of all life and its resurrection is both "beyond all human time constructs" and generally estimated by many commentators to be forty years.[
;Resurrection
The Afterlife will commence with a trumpet blast (different sources give different numbers of trumpet blasts), signaling the "Day of the Arising",
according to the classical Islamic scholar and theologian ]al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
.
The sounding of the trumpet is mentioned at least two times in the Qur'ān, but "the Qur'an itself does not make explicit the chronology
involved with the blowing(s) of the horn" and "it has been for the followers of the Prophet to determine for themselves the exact sequence of events after that."
Know that Isrāfīl is the master of the horn []. God created the preserved tablet [] of white pearl. Its length is seven times the distance between the heaven and the earth and it is connected to the Throne. All that exists until the day of resurrection is written on it. Isrāfīl has four wings—one in the East, one in the West, one covering his legs and one shielding his head and face in fear of God. His head is inclined toward the Throne .... No angel is nearer to the throne than Isrāfīl. Seven veils are between him and the Throne, each veil five hundred years distance from the next ...
This will wake the dead from their graves. Bodies will be resurrected and reunited with their spirits to form
"whole, cognizant, and responsible persons".[
The first to arise will be the members of the Muslim community, according to "an often-quoted saying" of Muhammad, but will be "subdivided into categories" based on their sins while on earth. The classification of the resurrected into groups comes from "certain narratives" about Judgement Day that "suggest" the grouping, and are based on "a number of scattered verses in the Qur'an indicating the woeful condition" of resurrected sinners.][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.74]
In the time between resurrection and judgement will be an agonizing wait (Q.21:103, Q.37:20) at the place of assembly [], or the time of standing before God
[], giving sinners "ample opportunity to contemplate the imminent recompense for
his past faults" (just as sinners suffer in the grave before Resurrection Day). The resurrected will gather for "The Perspiration" — a time when all created beings, including men, angels, jinn
Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam.
Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
, devils and animals will sweat, unshaded from the sun, awaiting their fate.
Sinners and nonbelievers will suffer and sweat longer on this day, which some say will last for "50,000 years" (based on Q.70:4) and others only 1000 (based on Q.32:5).[
]
Judgment
The final judgment (Reckoning, ) where God judges each soul for their lives lived on earth, will be "carried out with absolute justice" accepting no excuses, and examine every act and intention—no matter how small, but "through the prerogative of God's merciful will".[
Quran verses in Al-Haqqah (surah 69) are thought to refer to the reckoning on Judgement Day:
]
As for the one who is given his book in his right hand, he will say: Take and read my book.
I knew that I would be called to account.
And he will be in a blissful condition (Q.69:19–21) ....
But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he will say: Would that my book had not been given to me
and that I did not know my reckoning! (Q.69:25-26) ...
nd it will be saidSeize him and bind him and expose
him to the burning Fire!(Q.69:30-31)
"The book" is thought to refer to an account each person has, chronicling the deeds of their life, good and bad.[ Commentators reports "affirm" that each day in a person's life, "one or two angels" begin a new page, inscribing deeds, and that upon completion, the pages are assembled "in some fashion ... into a full scroll or record".][ On Judgement Day the book is presented to the right hand of the resurrected person if they are going to Jannah, and left if they are to be sent to "the burning fire".][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.76]
Another version of how the resurrected are judged ("particular elements that make up the occasion of the reckoning" in the Quran are not ordered or grouped and are called "modalities of judgement")[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.77] involves several references in the Quran to (balance), which some commentators believe refers to a way of balancing the weight of an individual's good deeds and bad on Judgement day, to see which is heavier, as the occurrence stated in , which will span in fifty thousand years.
It is believed those whose good deeds outweigh their bad will be assigned to ''Jannah'' (heaven), and those whose bad deeds outweigh the good, ''Jahannam'' (hell). How much weight is given to internal and how much to external '' iman'', how much to piety and how much to obedience to Islamic law (the two being intertwined, of course), in the tabulation of good deeds and earning salvation, varies according to the interpretation of scholars.[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.79] In one manual (), hopeful humans are questioned about their behaviour not before they head on the path/bridge (; see below) to heaven, but during. As they walk the bridge, said to have seven arches, "each 3,000 years in length"; they are interrogated at each arch about a specific religious duty prescribed by the shari'a -- their īmān, their prayer '' ṣalāt'', almsgiving ''zakāt
Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a reli ...
'', pilgrimage '' ḥajj'', ritual washings '' wudū''', ''ghusl
( ', ) is an Arabic term that means the full-body ritual purification which is mandatory before the performance of various Islamic activities and prayers. For any Muslim, it is performed after sexual intercourse (i.e. it is fardh), before Fri ...
'', and responsibility to their relatives", respectively.[
While there is no ]Original Sin
Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
in Islam, the Quran does mention the many inherent flaws in the personalities of human beings – weakness, greed, stinginess, pride, etc.
What the common order is of Judgement Day at this point is unclear based on hadith as they disagree on the way God reveals to "the various categories of individuals what their fate is to be".[
There are special conditions to those who did not receive teachings of Islam during their life accordingly, the people of the period are judged differently on the Day of Judgement. There is a difference of opinion between scholars of Islam on their afterlife. The rationalist ]Mu'tazilites
Mu'tazilism (, singular ) is an Islamic theological school that appeared in early Islamic history and flourished in Basra and Baghdad. Its adherents, the Mu'tazilites, were known for their neutrality in the dispute between Ali and his opponents ...
believed that every accountable person (, ') must reject polytheism and idolatry and believe in an All-Powerful God. Failure to meet these requirements would result in eternal punishment.
On the other hand, the Ash'ari
Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...
s believed that those who did not receive the message would be forgiven, even idolaters. Their premise was that good and evil is based upon revelation; in other words, good and evil are defined by God. Therefore, in the absence of revelation, they cannot be held accountable.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
categorized non-Muslims into three categories:
* 1. People who never heard of the message, who live in far away lands, such as the Byzantines ("Romans"). These will be forgiven.
* 2. People who were exposed to a distorted understanding of Islam and have no recourse to correct that information. These too will be forgiven.
* 3. People who heard of Islam because they live in neighboring lands and mix with Muslims. These have no hope of salvation.
He also wrote about non-Muslims who have heard a distorted message: "The name of Muhammad has indeed reached their ears, but they do not know his true description and his character. Instead, they heard from the time they were young that a deceitful liar named Muhammad claimed to be a prophet. As far as I am concerned, such people are xcusedlike those who the call of Islam has not reached, for while they have heard of the Prophet’s name, they heard the opposite of his true qualities. And hearing such things would never arouse one’s desire to find out who he was."
Imam Nawawi said in his commentary Sharh Sahih Muslim that those who are born into idolatrous families and die without a message reaching them are granted paradise based upon the Qur'anic verse : ''"We do not punish a people until a messenger comes to them."''. According to ibn Taymiyyah, these people who did not receive the message in this world will be tested in the afterlife, or Barzakh
Barzakh (Arabic: برزخ) is an Arabic word meaning "obstacle", "hindrance", "separation", or "barrier". In Islam, it denotes a place separating the living from the hereafter or a phase/"stage" between an individual's death and their resurrect ...
. This view also shared and accepted by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Shams ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb az-Zurʿī d-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (29 January 1292–15 September 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of he scho ...
, Abu Hasan al-Ash'ari
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari (; 874–936 CE) was an Arab Muslim theologian known for being the eponymous founder of the Ash'ari school of kalam in Sunnism.
Al-Ash'ari was notable for taking an intermediary position between the two diametrically op ...
, and Ibn Kathir
Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
, as they all based this ruling according to Hadith about the fates of four kinds of peoples:
# Those who never received the call or teaching to Islam during their life
# Those who suffered deafness before the teaching of Islam reached them
# Those with mental illness and severe insanity (in another Hadith with similar narration also those with mental deficiency or low intelligence disabilities which prevent them to understand Islam properly)
# Those who had suffered senility or dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
when the words of Islam reached them
According to Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Taymiyya, and other Islamic scholars who agreed on this Hadiths, this means those four type of peoples would be further examined by Allah in Barzakh
Barzakh (Arabic: برزخ) is an Arabic word meaning "obstacle", "hindrance", "separation", or "barrier". In Islam, it denotes a place separating the living from the hereafter or a phase/"stage" between an individual's death and their resurrect ...
, where these four type of person will be tested in the state where their senses and their minds in perfect condition, so they can understand they are being tested examined by God.
Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, a Salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...
scholar, stated on this matter: “The term Ahl al-Fatrah refers to everyone whom the dawah (message of Islam) has not reached in a correct manner as it came in the Shariah… Such people will not be punished on the Day of Judgement or their disbelief in this world It is quite possible for People of the Interval to exist in every time period, whether before he revelation of the final message ofIslam or after. The message has to have reached them in its pristine purity, without any distortions. In cases where the dawah reaches people in a mutilated form in which its essential components; its fundamental principles of belief, have been substituted, I am the first to say that the dawah has not reached them.”
The crossing of the Bridge
The saved and the damned now being clearly distinguished, the souls will traverse over hellfire via the bridge of sirat. This story is based on verses in the Quran (Q.36:66, Q.37:23–24), both of which "are rather indefinite". Only Q.37:23–24 mentioning hell in the form of with at least sometimes being translated as 'path' rather than 'bridge'.[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.78]
˹They will be told,˺ "This is the Day of ˹Final˺ Decision which you used to deny."
˹Allah will say to the angels,˺ "Gather ˹all˺ the wrongdoers along with their peers, and whatever they used to worship
instead of Allah, then lead them ˹all˺ to the path of Hell [].
And detain them, for they must be questioned."
˹Then they will be asked,˺ "What is the matter with you that you can no longer help each other?"
(Q.37:21–25)
"was adopted into Islamic tradition
to signify the span over ''jahannam
In Islam, Jahannam () is the place of punishment for Islamic views on sin, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell. This notion is an integral part of Islamic theology,#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", ''Numen'', 56, 2009: p.401 and has occupied ...
'', the top layer of the Fire".[
Muhammad leading the Muslim Ummah will be first across the bridge.][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.80]
For sinners, the bridge will be thinner than hair and sharper than the sharpest sword, impossible to walk on without falling below to arrive at their fiery destination, while the righteous will proceed across the bridge to paradise (''Jannah
In Islam, Jannah (, ''jannāt'', ) is the final and permanent abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Qur'an. Belief in the afterlife is one of the Iman (Islam)#The Six Articles of Faith, six article ...
'').
Intercession
Not everyone consigned to hell will remain there. Somewhat like the Catholic concept of purgatory
In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...
, sinful Muslims will stay in hell until purified of their sins. According to the scholar Al-Subki (and others), "God will take out of the Fire everyone who has said the testimony" (i.e. the '' shahāda'' testimony made by all Muslims, "There is no God but God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, Muhammad is his prophet") "all but the '' mushrikun'', those who have committed the worst sin of impugning the '' tawḥīd'' of God, have the possibility of being saved."[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.81]
The possibility of intercession on behalf of sinners ('' shafaʿa'') on Judgement Day to save them from hellfire, is a "major theme" in the eschatological expectations of the Muslim community and in stories told about the events of Judgement Day.[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.25]
While Quran "is both generally and clearly negative" in regard to the possibility of intercession on behalf of sinners ('' shafaʿa'') on the last day" to save them from hellfire, (the idea being every individual must take responsibility for their own deeds and acts of faith). In the 20+ occurrences of in the Quran none mention Muhammad or the office of prophethood. However this principle was "modified in the ensuing understanding of the community, and the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
was invested with the function of intervening on behalf of the Muslims on the day of judgement". Verse Q.43:86 authorizes "true witnesses" to grant intercession, and in this category "has been found for the inclusion" of Muhammad "as an intercessor for the Muslim community.[
"One of the most popular and often-cited" stories about Muḥammad as intercessor ("validating" his ability to intercede) revolves around sinners turning to him after being turned down for intercession by all the other prophets. In by al-Ghazali, this happens "between the two soundings of the trumpet".][al-Ghazālī, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad. ''al-Durra al-fākhira''. Ed. M. Gautier. Leipzig, 1877. MS pp. 59–65. quoted in Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.80]
Another story found in relates
he Prophet Muḥammadwill come with the prophets and will bring out from the Fire all who used to say "There is no God but God and Muḥammad is the Messenger of God. ... " He will then bring them out all together, charred from the Fire having eaten at them. Then he will hurry with them to a river near the gate of the Garden, called he river oflife. There they will bathe and emerge from it as beardless youths, with kohled eyes and faces like the moon.
Paradise and Hellfire
The "events" of "the judgement process" are concluded with the arrival of resurrected at their final "abode of recompense": either paradise for the saved or hell for the damned. The Quran describes habitation within the abodes in "exquisite detail",[ while "a wealth of picturesque specifics" (their shapes, structures, etc.) are elaborated on by hadith and other Islamic literature. Much of Islamic cosmology comes from "earlier world views" (the circles of damnation, seven layers of heaven above the earth, fires of purgation below of Mesopotamian and/or Jewish belief) with Quranic verses interpreted to harmonize with these.][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.9]
While critics have charged that the concept of afterlife in Islam
The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's stream of consciousness or identity continues to exist after the death of their physical body. The surviving essential aspect varies be ...
is "very materialistic", the afterlife punishment of hell and pleasure of heaven are all not only physical, but psychic and spiritual. Their characteristics having matching features or direct parallels with each other. The pleasure and delights of ''Jannah'' described in the Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, are matched by the excruciating pain and horror of ''Jahannam
In Islam, Jahannam () is the place of punishment for Islamic views on sin, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell. This notion is an integral part of Islamic theology,#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", ''Numen'', 56, 2009: p.401 and has occupied ...
'',[ Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.405][ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.86] Both are commonly believed to have seven levels, in both cases, the higher the level, the more desirable—in ''Jannah'' the higher the prestige and pleasure, in ''Jahannam'' the less the suffering. Both feature prominent trees – the Zaqqum tree of hell opposite the lote tree of paradise. The common belief among Muslims holds that both abodes coexists with the temporal world, rather than being created after Judgement Day.
;Paradise
Paradise, ''Jannah'' (, or 'the garden'), is the final abode of the righteous. Jannah is described with physical pleasures such as gardens, rivers, fountains; lovely houri
In Islam, a houri (; ), or houris or hoor al ayn in plural form, is a maiden woman with beautiful eyes who lives alongside the Muslim faithful in Jannah, paradise.
They are described as the same age as the men in paradise. Since hadith states ...
s that no man has touched before, wine that does not make drunk, and "divine pleasure". Their reward of pleasure will vary according to the righteousness of the person.[Tom Fulks, ''Heresy? The Five Lost Commandments'', Strategic Book Publishing 2010 p. 74]
;Hellfire
Punishment and suffering in hell in mainstream Islam varies according to the sin
In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...
s of the condemned person. It is commonly believed by Muslims that confinement to hell is temporary for Muslims but not for others.[A F Klein ''Religion Of Islam'' Routledge 2013 page 92]
Hell is described physically in different ways by different sources of Islamic literature. It is enormous in size,[Qurṭubī, ''Tadhkira'', 93; quoted in "Christian Lange, p.14"][ Lange, "Introducing Hell in Islamic Studies", 2016: p.14] and located below heaven. Different sources give different descriptions of its structure. There are seven levels but it is also said to be a huge pit over which the bridge of As-Sirāt
() is, according to Islam, the bridge over which every person must pass on the () in order to enter ().
It is not mentioned in the Quran, but described in the Hadith. is said to be thinner than a strand of hair and as sharp as the shar ...
crosses;[Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, k. al-riqāq 52; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, k. al-īmān 299; quoted in , Lange, "Introducing Hell in Islamic Studies", 2016: p.12] to have mountains, rivers, valleys and "even oceans" filled with disgusting fluids;[ Lange, "Introducing Hell in Islamic Studies", 2016: p.15] and also to be able to walk (controlled by reins), and ask questions, much like a sentient being.
Literal or figurative interpretation
While early Muslims debated whether scripture on Judgement day should be interpreted literally or figuratively, the school of thought that prevailed ( Ash'ari, Ashʿarī) "affirmed that such things as" connected with Judgement day as "the individual records of deeds (including the paper, pen, and ink with which they are inscribed), the bridge, the balance, and the pond" are "realities", and "to be understood in a concrete and literal sense."[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.65] Regarding heaven and hell, today, "the vast majority of believers", (according to Smith and Haddad), understand verses of the Quran on Jannah (and hellfire) "to be real and specific, anticipating them" with joy or terror,[ Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.84] although this view "has generally not insisted that the realities of the next world will be identical with those of this world".[ On the other hand, since "the time and chronology are less important than the ultimate significance of resurrection and judgement "as a whole", the point of stories of Judgement day in the eschatological manuals is to be "didactic" not accurate,] i.e. to raise awareness of "the threat and promise" of the message of Islam even if most of the story is based not on the verses of the Quran but on the author's imagination. The eschatological manual , for example, describes the Fire/Hell terrifyingly but implausibly as having "four legs (between each leg 1000 years), thirty heads with 30,000 mouths each, lips like 1000 mountains, and so on".[''Kitāb aḥwāl al-qiyāma'', pp. 90. quoted in Smith & Haddad, ''Islamic Understanding'', 1981: p.85]
See also
* Islamic eschatology
Islamic eschatology includes the afterlife, apocalyptic signs of the End Times, and final Judgement. It is fundamental to Islam as life after death is one of the six Doctrines of Islam. Resurrection is divided into Lesser Resurrection (''al-q ...
* Signs of the coming of Judgement Day
* Jannah
In Islam, Jannah (, ''jannāt'', ) is the final and permanent abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Qur'an. Belief in the afterlife is one of the Iman (Islam)#The Six Articles of Faith, six article ...
* Jahannam
In Islam, Jahannam () is the place of punishment for Islamic views on sin, evildoers in the afterlife, or hell. This notion is an integral part of Islamic theology,#ETISN2009, Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", ''Numen'', 56, 2009: p.401 and has occupied ...
* Final Judgement
The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism.
Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
* Eschatology
Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of Contemporary era, present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic and non-Abrah ...
References
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Further reading
* "''Fath al-Bari
() is a commentary on , the first of the Six Books of Sunni Islam, authored by Egyptian Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (initiated by ibn Rajab). Considered his magnum opus, it is a widely celebrated hadith commentary.
Ibn Rajab commen ...
''" (from ''Sahih al-Bukhari
() is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an.
Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...
'' by ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (; 18 February 1372 – 2 February 1449), or simply ibn Ḥajar, was a classic Islamic scholar "whose life work constitutes the final summation of the science of hadith." He authored some 150 works on hadith, history, ...
).
* Esposito, John, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam'', Oxford University Press, 2003, .
* Richard C. Martin, Said Amir Arjomand, Marcia Hermansen, Abdulkader Tayob, Rochelle Davis, John Obert Voll, ''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World'', MacMillan Reference Books, 2003, .
* Lawson, Todd (1999).
Duality, Opposition and Typology in the Qur'an: The Apocalyptic Substrate
'. Journal of Quranic Studies. 10: 23–49.
{{Theology
*
Last Judgment