Human Destiny - Life after Death

Question 1

What is Akhirah?

Answer 1

The term for life after death

Question 2

What is one of the 6 articles of faith which is relevant to Akhirah? (Sunnis)

Answer 2

Belief in the Day of Judgement

Question 3

What is one of the Usul al-din which is relevant to Akhirah? (Shi’as)

Answer 3

Belief in resurrection

Question 4

What happens at death?

Answer 4

The person enters the intermediate stage of Barzakh between death and resurrection

Question 5

What happens on the last day?

Answer 5

There will be a Day of judgement and people will be sent to either Heaven (al-Jannah) or Hell (al Jahannam) in their resurrected body.

Question 6

Who takes a person’s soul to Barzakh?

Answer 6

The angel of death

Question 7

What happens after someone is taken to Barzakh?

Answer 7

Allah will judge each individual on the way they lived their life.

Question 8

What happens on the Day of Judgement?

Answer 8

Two angels will open the book which contains the record of what a person has done in their lifetime.

Question 9

What happens if someone’s name is on the left side of the book?

Answer 9

They will be sent to al-Jannah

Question 10

What happens if someone’s name is on the right side of the book?

Answer 10

They will be sent to Jahannam

Question 11

What does the Qur’an say about death?

Answer 11

Death comes to all humans and is part of life - “every soul shall have a taste of death”

Question 12

What do the angels do to the soul at death?

Answer 12

At death the soul leaves the body, the angels pull the soul out from different parts of the earthly body. The soul of the faithful slips easily from the departing body.

Question 13

What happens to the physical body?

Answer 13

It is committed to the earth to return to the elements and minerals that was used in their original creation material

Question 14

What does the Qur’an say about what it is like for the human spirit in Barzakh?

Answer 14

Each human spirit has full awareness and is given a taste of its final existence that it can expect to lead once it has been judged according to the Qur’an

Question 15

What does the angel of death question you about at death?

Answer 15

About your faith. If you answer with the Shahadah then you will be shown your place in heaven but if you fail you will go to hell and be beaten with clubs.

Question 16

What happens to the soul in Barzakh?

Answer 16

The soul is taken on a journey through the 7 heavens. The evil soul of noxious body is delivered to the guardians of hell who wrap it in a hair shirt. The souls are lead upwards but the gates of Heaven are not open to them.

Question 17

What does the Qur’an say about creation and God’s power?

Answer 17

“Travel through the earth and see how God did originate creation; so will God produce a later creation; for God has power over all things.”

Question 18

What happens at the end of the world?

Answer 18

It will be brought in by a trumpet blast at which point all living things will die. Then there will be a second trumpet blast and this will summon the dead back to life and bring on the resurrection. The graves will open and the dead will rise up.

Question 19

What does the Qur’an say about the end of the world?

Answer 19

“Ah! Woe unto us! Who has raised us from our beds of repose?”

Question 20

What does the Qur’an say about who goes to Heaven?

Answer 20

“The foremost of the foremost are those who have transcended heaven and are unified with God himself, in a realm beyond description.”

Question 21

What happens to the soul in heaven?

Answer 21

Here the regenerate soul lives out eternity, timeless realm. Here the divine attributes show themselves and there is no sorrow. The limitations of the world are gone. The garden of bliss represents peace (Salam) that comes from submission (Islam) to Allah.

Question 22

How does the Qur’an describe heaven?

Answer 22

“Here is a parable of a garden which the righteous are promised. In it are rivers of water incorruptible rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine…rivers of honey”

Question 23

What happens in Hell?

Answer 23

The people in hell will be consumed with regret. There will be a fire of “men and stones” and they will be given to eat from the accursed tree of Zaqqum which grows in hell and embodies all that is “other than God”. There will be continuous torture of the most unimaginable kind.