Death of the Soul

There is a great difference between physical and spiritual death. When the physical body dies all its physical discomfort is over. Just like the bird escapes from the cage. However, even after the death of the soul its pain does not terminate. Not only one is troubled by the spiritual ailment he is also one tortured by the bad morals that are the consequences of this.

ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَى

“Then theirin he shall neither live nor die.”

(Surah Aalaa 87:13)

He shall be involved in a life-death struggle. He would not die so that he could get rid of the pain. Neither would he get a life of comfort.

The Holy Quran also says,

أَوَ مَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا

“Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people, like him whose likeness is that of one in utter darkness whence he cannot come forth?”

(Surah Anam 6:122)

Similarly the verse,

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً

“Whoever does good whether male or female and he is a believer, We will most certainly make him live a happy life.”

(Surah Nahl 16:97)

These verses prove that apart from this animal life man also has another kind of purified life. One must obtain such a life. The traditions have compared it to Ruhul Eimaan (The spirit of faith). One who posses this life remains forever in peace and safety and in such a well being that there is no existence of fear or terror. He gains everlasting joy and happiness.

Why should he not be pleased? He can see, hear and feel such things, as the other people are incapable of. A person whose humanity is alive is submerged in the sea of divine friendship in this world and the Hereafter. He remains happy due to his proximity with Allah.

Uglier than a Monkey!

As we have mentioned the outward appearance of man shall resemble his inner self. Everyone will be raised in his spiritual form. All those who are evil in thi world and possess beastly qualities, those that are beyond the frontiers of humanity and lack the spirit of belief or a purified life, they shall be deprived of the real elegance on the day of Qiyamat. They shall be raised in terrible forms. Muhaddith Faiz has quoted a tradition in his book Ainul Yaqeen.

People shall be raised in such terrible forms that monkeys and pigs are better.”

For more details please refer to my book Ma’ad.

Peaceful life and a comfortable Hereafter

If someone asks: You say that the life of the faithful is pure in both the worlds. A believer always remains in comfort, bounties and happiness. On the other hand the disbeliever is involved in grief and calamities! He is a prisoner of selfish desires. He is in everlasting depravity and sorrow. But we see that many faithful people are involved in various calamities, difficulties and problems. While on the other hand a large number of infidels spend their life in affluence and comfort?

The reply to this objection is that the heart of a Momin is like a garden. A believer has to material difficulties in the world. But he is not aggrieved of these problems these thorns only prick the body and are confined within the boundaries of the garden. However, the garden of the heart has no place for these thorns. Ever in this material world the soul of the believer is safe from all calamities.

أُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمُ الأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ

“Those are they who shall have the security and they are those who go aright.”

(Surah Anam 6:82)

The sole desire of a believer in this world is that his Lord should be pleased with him. Such a person does not despair due to failures and material setbacks.

He considers only Allah as his guardian and the guardian of others. He recognizes the power wisdom and mercy of Allah. He considers Allah his Master and considers himself His slave.

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَأَنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ لَا مَوْلَى لَهُمْ

“That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and because the unbelievers shall have no protector for them.”

(Surah Muhammad 47:11)

Thus a believer does not become sorrowful and aggrived by the difficulties of this worldly life. It does not even make him angry. Allah keeps the hearts of the believer peaceful in this world also.

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“He it is Who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers.”

(Surah Fath 48:4)

Hope in Allah - The strongest support for a believer

A believer always faces adversity with determination. He does not stumble, nor does his feet tremble. He does not fall down on this path. He knows that behind every calamity is hidden wisdom and he alone shall be eligible for the benefit of this hidden wisdom. All that he hopes from Allah is that He removes this difficulty also or in this way recompenses it so that even the physical pain does not remain for him.

إِن تَكُونُواْ تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمونَ وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللّهِ مَا لاَ يَرْجُونَ

“If you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain, and you hope from Allah what they do not hope.”

(Surah Nisa 4:104)

That is, you hope for salvation from problems, forgiveness and rewards, but the unbelievers have no such hopes. They remain forever in the darkness of hoplessness.

The Heart of a kafir is a Horrible Ruin

The heart of a believer is not worried of problems and difficulties. Only his physical and apparent body is affected by them. Whereas all the happiness that faithless people achieve is limited to their apparent selves. Rather their hearts are such terrible ruins that they are never inhabited by such pleasures. The darkness of their hearts cannot be dispelled by their sensual desires. There hearts remain restless, uncomfortable and sorrowful.

Actually these desires are the coverings of the heart. The interior of these hearts is filled with dread and horror. An infidel tries to remain engrossed in worldly matters so that he could forget his internal ache. However, these desires cause a lot of burning in the wilderness of his heart. These are an increase in the desolateness of his heart. It is another matter if he keeps himself ignorant of this reality. Where the activities of this world come to an end such people will taste the horrifying and terrible heart.

The Quran says,

لَقَدْ كُنتَ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَاءكَ فَبَصَرُكَ الْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

“Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp.”

(Surah Qaf 50:22)

That is, now you are seeing things that you did not even imagine before.

The Horror of an Unbeliever will never be removed

The unbeliever has to bear the difficulties in this world also. He remains forever poverty or disease. The enemy always has an upper hand on him. Whenever he is not busy in the fulfillment of his carnal desires he sits down in shame and despair. Everywhere he sees the darkness of disbelief and hopelessness. He has no hope in the almighty. Comparing himself to the world he feels degraded. Seeing the condition of his life he becomes sorrowful. He complains with his tongue and this continues till he begins to prefer death and commits suicide thinking that this would relieve him from the worldly difficulties. However, it was a wrong notion. He is not annihilated by physical death. The horror of his heart remains with him forever. There is no escape from all this for a disbeliever while they remain on disbelief.

وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَى

 “And whoever turns away from My reminder, his shall be a straitened life, and We will raise him on the day of resurrection, blind.”

(Surah Ta Ha 20:124)

And those whose hearts are not illuminated by the light of faith they shall be deprived of light in the Hereafter also.

قِيلَ ارْجِعُوا وَرَاءكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا

“It shall be said: Turn back and seek a light.”