5) The Belief in the Last Day

The belief in the Last Day is the true certain belief in all what Allah has stated in His Book, and all what His Messenger has informed about in his Sunnah (Tradition). It is like events which shall be after death such as the trial of the grave, and its happiness and torture, the Resurrection, Al-Hashr (the Gathering), As-Sohof (the Scrolls), Al-Hisab (the Account), Al-Mizan (the Balance), Al-Hawd (the Fountain), As-Sirat (the Bridge), Ash-Shafa’a (the Intercession), the Paradise and the Hell, in addition to all what Allah has prepared to their people and all what will be amongst signs of the Last Day, small ones and Big ones.
The Last Day is the Day of Resurrection on which people will be sent to get their fair account, rewards and punishments. It was named as such because there is no day after it, for people of Paradise will settle in their places, and people of Hell will settle in theirs too.

The Belief in the Last Day includes three aspects:

First: the Belief in the Resurrection, which means the raise of the dead. And this happens when the second blow in the Trumpet is blown, at that time all mankind will stand before their Lord barefooted, naked and uncircumcised. Allah I said, “TawhidAs We produced the first Creation, so shall We produce a new one: a promise We have undertaken: truly shall We fulfil it}. Furthermore, Resurrection is a truth confirmed by the Scriptures of the Noble Book of Allah and the Honorable Sunnah of His Messenger and the Consensus (of Muslim Legal Scholars). Allah I said, “TawhidAfter that, at length you will die. Again, on the Day of Judgment, will you be raised up}, and the Prophet has said, “The people would be assembled on the Day of Resurrection barefooted, naked and uncircumcised”. And, in fact, it is the mere commensurate aspect of Wisdom, which necessitates that Allah should make a Day of Return to repay them for what they have done. Allah I said, "TawhidDid you then think that We had created you in jest, and that you would not be brought back to Us (for account)?”} and He said to His Prophet: “TawhidVerily He Who ordained the Quran for you, will bring you, back to the Place of Return."

Second: the belief in the Account and the Repay. This means that the slave (of Allah) will be accounted for his deeds and then he will be repaid for them, and this has been confirmed by the Book and the Sunnah and the Consensus of Muslim community, Allah I said, “TawhidFor to Us will be their Return; Then it will be for Us to call them to account." And Ibn Omar narrated that the Prophet r said, “A believer will be brought to his Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, on the Day of Resurrection, and he would place upon him His veil, and make him confess his faults. Then, He would say, ‘Do you recognize (your faults)?’ He would reply, ‘My Lord, I do’. He (the Lord) would say, ‘I concealed them for you in the worldly life, and today I forgive them for you. And he would then be given the book containing (the account of his) good deeds’. So far as the non-believers and hypocrites are concerned, there would be general announcement about them before the entire creation saying, ‘These people told a lie about Allah’.” This is in addition to the Consensus of Muslim community about the approval of the Account and the Repay on the deeds and this is as we said before the mere commensurate aspect of Wisdom.

Third: the belief in the Paradise and the Hell and that both are the everlasting return of creation. For Paradise is the place of happiness which is prepared for the pious believers who truly believed in what Allah has decreed to believe, and to those who obeyed Allah and His Messenger, faithful to their Lord following His Prophet.

It is where all sorts of ease exist, and there exists what no eye has perceived and no ear has heard and no human mind has ever thought about. Allah I said, " TawhidThose who have faith and do righteous deeds; They are the best of creatures. Their reward is with Allah: Paradises of Eternity, beneath which rivers flow; they will dwell therein forever; Allah well pleased with them, and they with Him: all this for such as fear their Lord and Cherisher". And He said, “TawhidNow no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them, as a reward for their (good) Deeds."

On the other hand, Hell is where torture exists, prepared for wrongdoers disbelievers, who disbelieved in Allah and disobeyed His Messengers. There exist all sorts of suffering and exemplary punishment, which would not cross anyone’s mind. Allah I said, “TawhidFear the Fire, which is prepared for those who reject Faith." And He said, "TawhidWe have prepared a Fire whose (smoke and flames), like the wall and roof of a tent, will hem them in. If they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces. How dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!."

The Belief in the Last Day brings forth to the believer so many significant benefits, like:

1. First: prompting the desire to obey and the care for them looking forward to being rewarded on that Day.
2. Second: prompting the awe from disobeying or accepting disobeying fearing the punishment of that Day.
3. Third: the consolation of the believer in what he does not get in this world in return of what he hopes to get in the Thereafter.
   Despite this fact, disbelievers have denied the Resurrection after death claiming that it is inconceivable; however, this is obsolete and its desuetude is proved by Divine Legislation, common sense, and reason.

Concerning the Divine Legislation, Allah I said, “TawhidThe Unbelievers claimed that they will not be raised up (for Judgment). Say (O Muhammad TawhidrTawhid): "Yea, by my Lord, you shall surely be raised up: then shall you be told (the truth) of all that you did. And that is easy for Allah.", and all Holly Books have agreed upon this aspect.

Concerning the common sense, Allah has shown His slaves examples about the raising of the dead, five of them are mentioned in Surat Al-Bakarah (The Cow), they are:

1. First example: the people of Musa (Moses) asked their Prophet to show them Allah plainly, for this reason, Allah made them dead then He gave them life, as He said, “TawhidAnd remember when you said: "O Moses! We shall never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly," but you were dazed by thunder and lightning even as you looked on. Then We raised you up after your death; you had the chance to be grateful}.
2. Second example: the story of the murdered person whom the conflict in Bani Israel (The Children of Israel) was about. Al-Bakarah (The Cow):73.
3. Third example: the story of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death. Allah told them ‘die!’, and then He restored them to life.
4. Fourth example: the story of the one who passed by a dead town and regarded that it is unlikely to have this town alive again. Allah then took life from him hundred years and then gave it back to him.
5. Fifth example: the story of Ibrahim (Abraham) the Intimate when he asked Allah to show him how He gives life to the dead. So, these are true seen examples, which shows the possibility of raising dead into life again. In addition to what we mentioned about the Signs (Miracles) of Isa (Jesus) when Allah gave him the ability to raise dead out of their graves, only after Allah’s permission.

Yet the proof of reason on the possibility of Resurrection is stated in two aspects:

First aspect: Allah has created the earth and heavens and all what is between them from the very beginning, and the One who could once start the creation can surely recreate it again. Allah I said, "TawhidIt is He Who begins (the process of) creation; then repeats it; and for Him it is most easy."

Second aspect: we see the earth barren with no single green tree in it, but when Allah sends down water (rain) on it, it is stirred to life, and swells and puts forth every lovely kind of growth. The One Who could give life to this earth is for sure easily capable of giving raise to dead. Allah I said, "TawhidAnd among His Signs in this: where you see the earth barren and desolate; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He Who gives life to the (dead) earth can surely give life to (men) who are dead. For He has power over all things."

The Belief in what shall be after death follows the belief in the Last Day:

• The Fitnah (Trial) of the grave:

It is asking the dead after burying him about his Lord, his Religion, and his Prophet. Yet there, Allah will keep firm with the word that stands firm those who believe, so he would say, ‘my Lord is Allah, my Religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad r Then Allah will cause to go astray wrongdoers, and the disbeliever would say, ‘Hah! Hah! I do not know’, and the hypocrite would say, ‘I do not know, I heard people say so and I said as they did.’

b) The Torture of the grave and its Ease: Concerning the Torture of the grave, it would be the chance of wrongdoers (disbelievers or hypocrites). Allah I said, "TawhidWho can be more wicked than one who invented a lie against Allah, or said: "I have received inspiration," when he had received none, or (again) who said, "I can reveal the like of what Allah has revealed?" If you could but see how the wicked (do fare) in the flood of confusion at death! The angels stretch forth their hands, (saying), "Yield up your souls: this day shall you receive your reward, a penalty of shame, for that you used to tell lies against Allah, and scornfully to reject of His Signs!"} And He said about the people of the Pharaoh: "TawhidIn front of the Fire will they be brought, morning and evening: and (the Sentence will be) on the Day that Judgment will be established: "Cast you the People of Pharaoh into the severest Punishment!" And the Prophet r said, “Seek the Protection of Allah from the grave torture”.

Yet concerning the Ease of the Grave, it is the chance of the honest believers, Allah I said, “TawhidIn the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah," and, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): "Fear you not!" (they suggest), "Nor grieve! but receive the Glad Tidings of the Paradise (of Bliss), that which you were promised!"

Moreover, Al-Bara’ bin ‘Azeb narrated that the Prophet said about the believer who will answer the questions of the two Angels in his grave, “..then a crier will call from Heaven, ‘My servant has spoken the truth, so spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him from Paradise, and open a door for him into Paradise’. So some of its air and perfume will come to him, and a space will be made for him as far as the eye can see.”

However, people of distortion went astray in this aspect, so they denied the torture of the grave and its Ease claiming that this is inconceivable because it contradicts with reality. They said that if we dug a grave, we would have found it as it was and not changed, neither wider nor narrower.

As a matter of fact, this claim is obsolete by all considerable means: Legislation, common sense, and reason.

As for Legislation, we have mentioned before Scriptures proving the torture and ease of the grave. Al-Bukhari reported that Ibn Abbass said, ‘once the Prophet went out of the Madinah fences, and suddenly he heard a voice of two suffering persons in their graves’. Then he went on saying, ‘he said, “One of them never saved himself from being soiled with his urine and the other one used to go about with calumnies.”

As to common sense, a sleeping person dreams that he is in a vast place happy in it, or dreams that he is in a confined desolate place suffering in it. Then, he will wake up finding himself in bed nothing changed with his body or surroundings. Moreover, sleeping is the brother of death, this is why Allah called it dying, Allah I said, "TawhidIt is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep. Those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed."

As to reason, the sleeping person dreams about something, which exactly agrees with the reality. And perhaps he dreams about the Prophet as he is and whoever dreams about the Prophet as he was, then he has seen him really. In spite of this, that sleeping person is lying down in his bed far away from he has seen. So if this were believable in these normal phenomena of this world, would not it be quite possible in the Thereafter incidents.