Notes And Commentary On Chapter 19
The Legal Interpretation Of Qiyamah And The Proof Of Its Physicality
Resurrection was illustrated in the Qur’an through the following Verses,
قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَالْآخِرِينَ
“All those who have existed at the beginning and at the end” (56:49).
لَمَجْمُوعُونَ إِلَىٰ مِيقَاتِ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ
“Shall be assembled on an appointed date” (56:50).
هَٰذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ جَمَعْنَاكُمْ وَالْأَوَّلِينَ
“This is the day of decision that is why, We have collected you all” (77:38).
Entire Muslim Ummah and the member of other revealed religions were unanimous on this concept. Its deniers had no place in the Islamic faith, since this concept was one of the essentials of Islam.
However, atheists and polytheists, including Hindus and Arya Samaj did not conform to this philosophy. The former, due to their rejection of faith would not agree to any such binding in which they were subject to any inquest on the basis of their past deeds. The others could satisfy their minds by subjecting themselves to the dogma of tanasukh.
However, among the believers of Ma’ad, there was a difference in its presentation i.e. was it physical, spiritual or both?
From physical Ma’ad, we meant that after death soul was not subjected to any reward or punishment, but on the Day of Judgement, it would be returned to the original body to begin the process of recompense or castigation, depending upon its deeds. Whereas in Spiritual Ma’ad, we meant that the spirit enjoyed the recompense or chastisement, and this was its reward or punishment and the body would not be revived at any stage.
These definitions could make understanding of the third possibility an easy possibility. Majority of Muslim theologians conformed to this third category. Allama Al-Majlisi wrote in his book Haqq Al-Yaqin - “This philosophy is more appealing than the rest. There is no contradiction in the receipt of spiritual and body pleasures, and Ahadith also reinforce this point of view.”
Similarly, Allama Shabbar also wrote in his book - “I say that the concept of body and soul’s resurrection is the best option and it is strengthened by Ahadith from the Prophet (S) and Imams and Ma’sumin.”
Anyhow, there were two assertions - one was the need for Ma’ad and its proof, and the other was resurrection of the body and soul together. We would prove the validity of these two concepts with definite arguments and clear illustrations.
Proof For The Necessity Of Qiyamah
There were several attestations available on the validity of the Day of Resurrection. We have only presented a few to prove our point of view, so that honest minded people could feel confident that the happening of Qiyamah was essential, otherwise all religious mechanisms would become ineffective for its followers.
First Argument On Ma’ad
Just as every wise, equitable and kind would establish law for the betterment of his people, and then implement justice, so that law breakers could be punished. In this way justice would be established between the victim and his oppressor at an appointed time. This was done by fulfilling all the legal requirements and then by announcing the punishment for the guilty.
In the same way, the true Judge and Master of the universe had sent the Prophets and Messengers for the betterment of His servants, to let them know that a day of reckoning was in waiting, when they would be judged and rewarded according to their deeds.
To enhance this system, He sent the books of law and those who could interpret and enforce it. The last of these was the greatest of the Prophets - Muhammad (S). He was supplemented by a complete code of law that had cleared all essentials of the heavenly decrees. Therefore, such a day was vital, where the people were held accountable to their deeds and the munificent were rewarded for their acts of godliness, and the evil were punished for their wickedness. Such a day in the terminology of religion was called the Day of Qiyamah or the Day of Judgement.
Second Argument On Ma’ad
The responsibilities that had been handed down by the Lord on His subjects had divided people into two groups. On the basis of their conformity to the tasks He assigned them to, some were obedient and others were defiant. It was now a demand of the Heavenly Justice that dutiful were rewarded and the disobedient punished, so that evil and pious could be differentiated.
It had been an observed fact that disobedient people did not necessarily receive appropriate punishment for their crimes in the world. Many submissive and pious people suffered all their lives and passed away quietly, without being rewarded, while millions of tyrants and rebels left the world unscathed. It was a natural demand of mundane intellect that there must be an adequate structure to settle between these two groups, otherwise virtuous and evil would be at par and righteous deeds would lose their meaning.
However, such an arrangement, where righteousness was not rewarded would be beyond the dignity of God the Almighty. Therefore, the demand for a Day of Judgement became essential. That is why God said in the Qur’an,
أَفَنَجْعَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَالْمُجْرِمِينَ
“Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin?” (68:35).
At another place, the Qur’an raised the same issue,
أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَوَاءً مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
“Nay! do those who have wrought evil deeds think that We will make them like those who believe and do good - that their life and their death shall be equal? Evil it is that they judge” (45:21).
However, when it was seen with an open vision that outcomes of human material actions were clear and visible in this world, but the result of his spiritual and moral acts were not perceived in this domain, then human intellect inferred that there must be another life beyond the present domain, where all acts of moral and spiritual realm - good or bad must be accounted for, and the people would be rewarded according to their performance.
Third Argument On Ma’ad
God had promised His subjects a befitting recompense for the acts of good deeds. Therefore, there had to be a day of reimbursement, otherwise, it would turn out to be the work of a deceit that posed antagonism towards His creatures. God was free of such inadequacies. He declared in the Qur’an that God is not unjust towards His subjects nor does He back away from His promises1.
Similarly, warnings had been issued to those who floundered with His rulings. It was evident that this goal had not been achieved in this world, as there were many tyrants and dictators who had prevailed over the believers and countless men of faith had perished in an oppressed state. Therefore, if there were no arrangements installed for such criminals to be brought to justice, then all the grand promises that had been made would become meaningless and appear to be the acts of betrayal towards His subjects. Such a thesis was beyond imagination in respect to God. Therefore, need for the Day of Judgement was essential.
The Religion of Islam had its fundamental based on absolute justice, and the appointment of a day of reckoning was another aspect of its legal postulate, as stated in the Qur’an, there will be no excess committed to anyone on that day. All those who have performed an atom weight of goodness will find its pleasure in the hereafter, and an evil doer will taste the retribution of his acts on the Day of Judgement2.
Fourth Argument On Ma’ad
This much was accepted by all of us that man had been sent to this world to undergo a trial. Since he was subject to certain legal bindings, it was essential to include a mechanism for punishing and rewarding his acts. This could be achieved by two methods – either through transmigration of souls or as advised by the Prophet of Islam and previous prophets, namely - the Day of Judgement.
However, tanasukh or transmigration of souls was a faulty concept, and we have dedicated discussion to invalidate its concept, including the argument that one must be aware of the reasons that had resulted in a particular punishment being awarded to an individual, and if he was ignorant of this fact then punishing or rewarding an individual would become a meaningless act.
Evidently, this was not realised in the process of transmigration as illustrated in the following example. Suppose that a man was born in a Royal family and eventually succeeded to become a king, and spent his life in total luxury, he would never know that on what ground he had been awarded this Royalty, similarly a cat or a monkey would never realize the misdeeds he or she had committed in the previous life to deserve this punishment.
This, if transmigration was a flawed concept, then the only alternative was the acceptance of a Day of Judgement for every soul.
Fifth Argument On Ma’ad
This fact was beyond doubt that there was no supreme other than God the Almighty in this universe, and He was unique in Attributes and the Essence of His Person. Similarly, this reality was also irrefutable that man was way ahead of His other creatures. Then, what should be awarded to him, if he entered the domain of disobedience or submission to His laws?
It was widely accepted that retribution was made in accordance with the subject’s status. This was well presented through a simple example which had been presented in Risala al-Abtal al-Tanasukh. It was said that Alexander the great was pleased with a person and asked him to demand any reward from him. He asked Alexander to give him one penny. Alexander replied that such a meagre sum was way below his dignity. He then asked Alexander to give him his seat of authority. Alexander replied that this demand was above his status. It was therefore, concluded that punishment or reward given had to be appropriate with the rank of the concerned. It was therefore, important that such a standard had to be observed by the Creator in relation to the impunity or reward for His subjects.
Readers could now make an honest judgement of their own in relation to the two systems that were proposed for retribution and reward. Who could deny that worldly pleasures and sorrows were both temporary and insignificant? Neither happiness nor grief was permanent. A man was a Royal today but could be a drifter tomorrow. Poverty, richness, heath and disease can all alternate all the time. This was not life but a kind of diversion. God declared,
وَمَا هَٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
“The life in this world is like a play time activity; however, the real life is in the hereafter, if you understand” (29:64).
How was it possible that the King of kings, who was eternal and ceaseless, would grant such a baseless commodity as a prize or penalty to humans? Logic demanded that there should be other means of retribution and gifting, where the sentence could be awarded in view of the status of the executor and the receiver in mind.
All praise was for the God - validity of the Day of Judgement being proven logically, no wise person could deny its necessity while Islamic Shariah was full of its legitimacy. There was hardly a Surah in the Holy Qur’an, where Ma’ad or resurrection was not mentioned, either comprehensively or in brief God said,
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
“And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) genera like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered” (6:38).
وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَن فِي الْقُبُورِ
“And because the hour is coming, there is no doubt about it; and because Allah shall raise up those who are in the graves” (22:7).
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ ۘ وَالْمَوْتَىٰ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ
“…and (as to) the dead, Allah will raise them, then to Him they shall be returned” (6:36).
زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
“Infidels claim that they will not be raised again. O! Prophet, tell them that by God they will be raised again and then they will be shown their deeds that they had performed” (64:7).
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ
“So, he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it (on the day of judgement)” (99:7).
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ
“And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then” (99:8).
وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهَا
“And because the hour is coming, there is no doubt about it...” (22:7).
فَسَيَقُولُونَ مَن يُعِيدُنَا قُلِ الَّذِي فَطَرَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ
“Soon they will ask you, who will revive them (from dead). Tell them, the One who has created them in the first place” (17:51).
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَىٰ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
“And He it is Who originates the creation, then reproduces it, and it is easy to Him; and His are the most exalted attributes in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise” (30:27).
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا إِنَّهُ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ لِيَجْزِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ بِالْقِسْطِ
“Everyone has to return to their Lord and this is a true promise of God. He has certainly created beings in the first place and he will revive them again (after death) so that those who accepted faith and performed well should be rewarded adequately…” (10:4).
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَاطِلًا ذَٰلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنَ النَّارِ
“We have not created things that exist between heavens and the earth as a futile (exercise). These are the presumptions of the infidels” (38:27).
أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ
“What! did you then think that We had created you in vain and that you shall not be returned to Us?” (23:115).
أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِ
“Shall We treat those who believe and do good like the mischief-makers in the earth? Or shall We make those who guard (against evil) like the wicked?” (38:28).
لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا
“So that they should see that God’s promise was accurate, and they should also understand that the coming of Qiyamah is without any doubt…” (18:21).
“The day of Qiyamah is bound to come but I shall conceal it so that everyone should perform so as to be rewarded accordingly”3.
These Verses of the Holy Qur’an would be sufficient for those who ponder.
Moral Benefits Of The Concept Of Resurrection
Whatever we wrote so far proved the necessity of the Day of Judgement logically and now we would consider the role of resurrection in developing social aspects of human life. The one, who had an eye on human historical development, and had insight to think, would agree that no other concept had moulded human behaviour in the positive sense than the concept of hereafter.
This was why Islam had made this concept the corner stone of its moral and legal framework. It promoted God-fearing and desertion of moral corruption by logical steps. It affirmed punishment for evil deeds and encouraged pious and virtuous work. It was a matter of common observation that immorality prospered in those societies that denied the idea of return to God after death, because rejection of the hereafter completely altered the standards of the human moral charter. It thereby changed the criterion to distinguish good and bad completely.
The plight of a person, who did not conform to the concept of hereafter, was not free from two constraints:
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Circumstances in life might not favour him. So, he would become depressed by the wastage of his good work in the world, which would further diminish his positive attitude, when he saw the criminals and malicious prosper around him. He would then conclude that evil had to flourish and truth and justice was destined for decline.
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Or, if the circumstances around him favoured him then his philosophy would drive him to extract maximum happiness without considering the legitimacy of his actions and he would not feel any restrictions or bindings to revisit his views. His only consideration would be to avoid the law of the land, thereby establishing his moral position on selfishness and egoism. Every virtue or vice would be measured on the scale of worldly success or loss. Such an ideology has no place in a civilized society.
Answer To A Query
It had been said that all the gains that could be derived from the concept of hereafter, could also be acquired through the law of the land and its executing machinery. We said that law of the land and its penal codes affected the behaviour of a person i.e. wherever one found that government machinery was on watch, they would be careful to avoid any crime to escape corporal punishment. On all other occasions, they would try to reap maximum gains by their acts, even though it would be against the law of the land.
If caught, they would provide every false proof to establish his innocence, including bribery to the court officials and the police. However, belief in the hereafter provided safeguard for one’s conscience and mind. For such a person, the apparent and unseen were all the same for they believed that they could not escape the watchful eyes of Karamun Katibeen (Angels appointed by God to document people’s deeds) nor could he bribe his way through the court of God.
It was a matter of fact that all those who truly believed in God and the Day of Judgement not only kept away from evil deeds but they also maintained their thoughts in total purity. It was this belief, which hampered a being from committing sin, even in complete solitude, where there was no apparent witness to his actions and no government agencies were spying on him.
This was why the concept was frequently used in the Qur’an to enhance moral values. God has said,
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
“And fear Allah, to Whom ye shall be gathered back” (5:96).
Resistance against difficult odds was promoted by reminding humans that the blaze of Hell was stronger than the worldly fires in Surah At-Tawbah.
Similarly, charity was promoted by saying,
الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ لَا يُتْبِعُونَ مَا أَنفَقُوا مَنًّا وَلَا أَذًى لَّهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah and afterward make not reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent; their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve” (2:262).
Seeking interest on money loaned to needy people was discouraged by saying,
وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ
“Be fearful of the day when you have to return to Him” (2:281).
Proof Of Spiritual And Physical Resurrection
After completing our arguments (with the help of God) on the two previous statements, we would like to return to prove our next assertion that resurrection will be both spiritual and physical.
First Concise Argument
In the previous chapters, all arguments on the survival, and then rewarding or punishing a soul during the period of purgation should be considered our first argument for the above statement. Those arguments opposed the corporeal existence of a body in Barzakh, while the present argument would contest the resurrection of the soul alone on the Day of Judgement.
Second Concise Argument
There was no doubt that human activities (good and bad) are influenced by both body and the soul, therefore, it was a pre-requisite for a just system to punish or reward both, and it was only possible if both were revived in the hereafter.
Third Concise Argument
Those sects which accepted the notion of resurrection agreed that man would be revived on the Day of Judgement. Since humans were neither singularly matter nor just the soul, it was essential to believe that his resurrection would be both in body and soul.
God had said,
يَوْمَ نَطْوِي السَّمَاءَ كَطَيِّ السِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِ كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُعِيدُهُ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ
“On the day when We will roll up heaven like the rolling up of the scroll for writings, as We originated the first creation, (so) We shall reproduce it; a promise (binding on Us); surely We will bring it about” (21:104).
Fourth Concise Argument
If it was said that man would be resurrected in spirit only, we shall then ask was it due to the fact that human body was not able to exist on the Day of Judgement, or God was incapable of creating such a body? Whatever argument one would give in reply, this proposition would remain counterproductive, since God had power over all things (‘ala kulli sha’in Qadeer).
God further reiterated,
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَيْفَ يُبْدِئُ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
“What! do they not consider how Allah originates the creation, then reproduces it? Surely that is easy to Allah” (29:19).
Naturally, a body that came into being from nothing would be easy to resurrect from the available contents. The Qur’an said about this query,
وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ
“…Says he: Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?” (36:78).
قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ
“Say (O Prophet): He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first, and He is cognizant of all creation” (36:79).
A Usually Weak Doubt About Resurrection
All those who denied resurrection could not provide any strong argument in favour of their denial except a doubt, which was stated in the Qur’an,
قَوْلُهُمْ أَإِذَا كُنَّا تُرَابًا أَإِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
“They say that when we shall perish in the dust, shall we encounter another creation?” (13:5).
أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَإِنَّا لَمَدِينُونَ
“When we shall die and disintegrate into decomposed bones, (how it is possible then) that we shall be punished or compensated (in that state)?” (37:53).
قَالَ مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ
“They say who will revive these decomposed bones” (36:78).
أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ
“Shall we be raised from the decomposed dust? This is a far-fetched concept” (50:3).
Reply
Evidently, such a doubt could be raised only by a person who did not believe in the supremacy of God. To repudiate such people God had said, “If they ask, how their body ingredients that were combined with other matter, would be separated and recollected. Then answer them - by the Lord Who has power over all things.4”
وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ
“And he strikes out a likeness for Us and forgets his own creation. Says he: Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?” (36:78).
قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ
“Say: He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first, and He is cognizant of all creation” (36:79).
أَمْ جَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ خَلَقُوا كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلِ اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
“Or have they set up with Allah associates who have created creation like His, so that what is created became confused to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme” (13:16).
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَمْ يَعْيَ بِخَلْقِهِنَّ بِقَادِرٍ عَلَىٰ أَن يُحْيِيَ الْمَوْتَىٰ بَلَىٰ إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“Have they not considered that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and was not tired by their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Aye! He has surely power over all things” (46:33).
At another place in Surah Qaf, God addressed the same question:
أَفَعَيِينَا بِالْخَلْقِ الْأَوَّلِ بَلْ هُمْ فِي لَبْسٍ مِّنْ خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
“Were We then fatigued with the first creation? Yet are they in doubt with regard to a new creation” (50:15).
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ
“And He it is Who originates the creation, then reproduces it, and it is easy to Him” (30:27).
Few More Doubts And Their Reply
First Doubt
This doubt was based on the conception that resurfacing of something that had been annihilated would be impossible.
Islamic scholars have answered this objection in the following way. According to their view, there were two connotation of the word extinction – either the subject had completely vanished without a trace or its constituents had remained intact, while its overall configuration had changed. For example, if a tree was truncated and then crushed, it would become extinct but its constituents were still present in the powder for or its remaining slurry.
With this example in mind, religious scholar argued that human annihilation was of the second kind. People who would be resurrected on the Day of Judgement were not completely obliterated but their essentials remained intact, although they were apparently scattered. Therefore, the collection and restoring to life of these constituents was not a difficult task for the Creator.
When a man could resurrect a house after demolishing it, using the same components, then it was a minor thing for God to revive a being when He had originally created him from nothing. That was why God had said,
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَيْفَ يُبْدِئُ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِير
“See they not how Allah originates creation, then repeats it: truly that is easy for Allah” (29:19).
It was stated at another place in the Qur’an,
مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
“Your creation and your raising (from the dead) are only as (the creation and the raising of) a single soul...” (31:28).
God had warned those who denied resurrection in an extraordinary way,
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّنَ الْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ
“If you are in doubt about your resurrection then remember We have created you from this clay (why can’t We then create you again from the same material?)” (22:5).
Second Reply
Let us consider proposition, which contemplated complete annihilation of the body. Even with this view one could not provide a reason against resurrection, because the One who had created all things from nothing must have the power to revive His original conception. God had addressed this issue in the following Verses, saying that He will revive them, whom He had created initially, when they were a non-entity.
… مَن يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ
“…Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?” (36:78).
قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ…ٌ
“Say: He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first…” (36:79).
Rectification Of Another Doubt
Some of the cynics of the idea of resurrection claimed that restoration was impossible because one had to revive the time and space in which one had existed along with their body. This was not impossible. To address this doubt, we could say that time and space were not the essential ingredients of a body that they should be returned.
It was said that a student of Shaykh Abu Ali Seena was discussing resurrection with him and he was adamant that time and space were part and parcel of a material frame. Shaykh said that it was not necessary for him to give answer to his proposition. The student asked Shaykh - Why? Shaykh replied that (according to your thesis) I am not the same man that entered into discussion with someone who was not you (due to time lapse). The student understood the folly of his argument and kept quiet. This showed that time and space could not be associated with a corporeal entity, otherwise, a change in space and time would necessarily result in the change of that entity as well.
Enigma Of Consumer And The Consumed
Sometimes, it would happen that beasts or birds of prey consumed the human body. The question then raised as to how the bodies of such people would be revived? This dilemma was further obscured when the concept of cannibalism was invoked, because in this case the ingredients of the consumed would become a part of the consumer’s frame.
If such a man was revived, then the situation was not free from two possible limitations. He would either be revived in the body of the consumer - in this case the ingredients of the consumed would be eliminated, and then somehow, he would be raised. Or, the consumed would be resurrected within his own frame, As the constituents of the consumer are thereby lost, he would not be capable of resurrection. This was called the enigma of consumer and the consumed.
First Implicit Answer
God had mentioned in the Qur’an that He has the knowledge over all things.
Nothing was obscure, as far as God was concerned. He knew the essence of everything that He had created, therefore, anonymity of the ingredients of consumer and the consumed poses no problem to Him. He could identify individual genes from a pool of ambiguity, without any difficulty with a single command. Today the parentage of a child from his DNA could be found, so could the identity of a criminal from a simple DNA finger printing, be recognized. Then distinguishing between the configuration of two individuals by their Creator was a minor task for Him.
We could further elaborate our reply. Every person, even if he was a consumer or consumed had two kinds of constituents - essential, that were part of his true frame. These would stay with him until his last breath and the other called additional constituents were not part of his essential make up and kept on changing with his physical condition. Therefore, when a beast, a bird of prey or a cannibal ate a man then the essential ingredients of the consumed were discharged from the body of its consumer. Thus, essentials of both consumer and the consumed were protected, and were within God’s knowledge, which could be revived separately on the Day of Judgement. He had categorically stated in the Qur’an,
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ
“This is not factual; We can even mend their finger joints” (75:3).
بَلَىٰ قَادِرِينَ عَلَىٰ أَن نُّسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ
“Do Humans imply that We cannot collect their bones?” (75:4).
Second Explicit Answer
It was a principle of logic that if there was doubt on the probability or improbability of a thing then its happening sent a strong signal for it being probable. On this basis, we would say that denial of Resurrection by its cynics, calling it to be an impossible act was wrong, when such an incident had taken place in the past. God said in Surah Al-Baqara,
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ فَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَانظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“Or the like of him who passed by a town, and it had fallen down upon its roofs; he said: When will Allah give it life after its death? So, Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him to life. He said: How long have you tarried? He said: I have tarried a day, or a part of a day. Said He: Nay! you have tarried a hundred years; then look at your food and drink - years have not passed over it; and look at your ass; and that We may make you a sign to men, and look at the bones, how We set them together, then clothed them with flesh; so when it became clear to him, he said: I know that Allah has power over all things” (2:259).
This Qur’anic Verse was related to prophet Armiah (‘a) or on account of another tradition prophet Ozair, who saw the dead bodies of these villagers near the embankment of a river, where animals and birds of prey were eating their flesh. When he showed his astonishment, as to how God would revive these people on the Day of Judgement, God made him to die for almost a century and then resurrected him to show His power of creation.
Similarly, Prophet Abraham had once seen a corpse that was being eaten by the land and water-based carnivores, which were also attacking each other. Abraham (‘a), on account of what he saw requested God to show him, how He would revive the dead on the Day of Judgement. God asked Abraham, if he was in doubt about that act. Abraham (‘a) replied that he had the faith but he wanted to satisfy his heart. God asked Abraham (‘a) to get four different birds and cut them into pieces and mince their flesh, and then place a portion of that mixture on top of each cliff and call them in turn. They would come running to you.
It was mentioned in various traditions that Abraham (‘a) selected four birds (hen, pigeon, peacock and a crow) and did what God have asked him to do. He picked up the severed head of each bird and called those birds by name one after the other, immediately various components of those birds came flying from different directions and they became alive and flew away.
Allama Al-Majlisi, after quoting this tradition from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), wrote that Abraham’s question was to satisfy the minds of people who doubted the resurrection on the Day of Judgement. Therefore, if such incidents had taken place in this world, and God had shown the signs of His Majesty, then for men with a logical mind, no reasoning was left to deny the final resurrection on the Day of Judgement.
Second Explicit Reply
Scientific developments in the present era have made this objection obsolete. We could now perform delicate experiments to isolate minute constituents from small amounts of mixtures of chemicals, identify hitherto unknown phases in metals and alloys and could create completely new type of materials. If God’s creatures could perform to that degree of sophistication, then it should be an easy task for God to revive creatures on the Day of Judgement.
Logical Possibility Of The Annihilation Of Greater Cosmos
After discussing the nature of physical resurrection, and providing clarifications to those who denied this concept in the previous sections, it would be appropriate to discuss the possible destruction of this cosmos, since there were some people who denied this possibility. It was not hidden from anyone that the process of death and birth of individuals was continuous. Similarly, nations came and disappeared, as they underwent natural rise and fall from a time unknown to us, but it did not affect the natural mechanism of the management of this cosmos.
The question under consideration was this - was there any possibility of a time when this cosmos was to end, including all life forms and be replaced by another system, which was called in the language of religion - the Day of Judgement?
Scholars and intellectuals have answered this question in affirmative. They said just as the chains of birth and death were continuous, similarly a day would come when all the cosmos would be in the grip of death. The philosophers and scientists agreed to this postulation, but physicists and cosmologists were a step ahead of the others to even formulate a time frame when this universe was supposedly going to end.
Our own solar system, which was bound with the gravity of the Sun, was also undergoing subtle changes. The Sun was getting hotter, so more of its fuel was being consumed. As a result, a time would come when the fuel in its core would be exhausted and its outer layers would expand to great distances. It was estimated that it would consume the inner planets like Mercury and Venice, and its boundary could reach near the Earth. The Sun at this stage would look like a red ball of fire and becomes a Red giant.
The heat of the Sun would then scorch the earth; the oceans would come to boil. The landscape on the planet would be timber dry. On the other hand, the inner core of the Sun would shrink under its own gravity until it became a white dwarf and gradually our solar system would enter a phase of total darkness, devoid of all forms of life.
Our own galaxy (the Milky Way) was moving towards another galaxy called Andromeda, and if the present movement continued at the same rate, the scientists expect that the two galaxies would collide around five billion years with lots of destruction. The survival of our own solar system depended upon the side of Milky Way that we might be at the time of collision. Our system could escape if we were on the opposite side of the galaxy. We would be then thrown away in the outer space to some unknown distances or completely annihilated.
There were several theories put forward about the future of the universe - such as a steady state or contracting and expanding universe. It was now widely believed that our universe was expanding at an enormous rate. It was projected that a day could come when the whole Cosmos would be lost in the vastness of the space and total darkness.
The present expansion of the universe could not be explained by the amount of total visible matter, therefore, to satisfy the mathematical theories the concept of dark matter, which had not been not hitherto found, was put forward. Experiments were in the pipeline to find some definite answers. However, it had to be emphasized that the scientific theories were a way of explaining the available facts, and as the facts changed so did the theories. However, we could state with reasonable certainty that the scientific community was unanimous in saying that the present universe will end one day sometimes in the distant future.
The Scene Of Qiyamah, Resurrection And The Judgement
According to whatever, we had learnt from the Ahadith of the Prophet, we could conclude with confidence that when God would decide to end this Cosmos He would ask Isra’fil (an Angel) to sound a Trumpet or a Horn on the Earth. This would be done twice.
The Trumpet or Soor, as described in Arabic language was a huge instrument that was not material in origin. It would have two branches (perhaps to give a stereo effect) and one intake point. Isra’fil would sound this instrument in Baitul Muqqadas, pointing it towards Makkah. The lower end of the Trumpet that points towards the Earth would cause all living forms on Earth to die. When the sound would emanate from the other branch that was pointing towards the sky, all inhabitants of the space would also pass away. God would then command Isra’fil to breathe his last. He too would die.
The Qur’an had depicted this instance in several places:
إِذَا وَقَعَتِ الْوَاقِعَةُ
“When the great event comes to pass” (56:1).
لَيْسَ لِوَقْعَتِهَا كَاذِبَةٌ
“There is no belying its coming to pass” (56:2).
خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ
“Abasing (one party), exalting (the other)” (56:3).
إِذَا رُجَّتِ الْأَرْضُ رَجًّا
“When the earth shall be shaken with a (severe) shaking” (56:4).
وَبُسَّتِ الْجِبَالُ بَسًّا
“And the mountains shall be made to crumble with (an awful) crumbling” (56:5).
إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا
“When the Earth is violently shaken” (99:1).
وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا
“It will throw out its impenetrable materials” (99:2).
وَقَالَ الْإِنسَانُ مَا لَهَا
“Man will ask; what has happened to it” (99:3).
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُحَدِّثُ أَخْبَارَهَا
“On that day the Earth will speak about the incidents (of its entire history)” (99:4).
يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
“On the day when the earth shall be changed into a different earth, and the heavens (as well), and they shall come forth before Allah, the One, the Supreme” (14:48).
يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الْأَرْضُ وَالْجِبَالُ وَكَانَتِ الْجِبَالُ كَثِيبًا مَّهِيلًا
“On that day when the land and mountain are shaken, mounts will look like mounds of sand” (73:14).
إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انفَطَرَتْ
“When the heaven becomes cleft asunder” (82:1).
وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انتَثَرَتْ
“And when the stars become dispersed” (82:2).
وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ
“And when the seas are made to flow forth” (82:3).
وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ
“And when the graves are laid open” (82:4).
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ
“Every soul shall know what it has sent before and held back” (82:5).
إِذَا الشَّمْسُ كُوِّرَتْ
“When the light from the Sun will be folded up” (81:1).
وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ
“And the stars fall” (81:2).
وَإِذَا الْجِبَالُ سُيِّرَتْ
“And the mountains are moved” (81:3).
الْقَارِعَةُ
“The day of noise and clamour” (101:1).
مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
“What is the (Day) of noise and clamour?” (101:2).
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْقَارِعَةُ
“What do you know the Day of noise and clamour is?” (101:3).
يَوْمَ يَكُونُ النَّاسُ كَالْفَرَاشِ الْمَبْثُوثِ
“It is a day whereon men will be like scattered moths” (101:4).
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ الْمَنفُوشِ
“And the mountains will be like carded wool” (101:5).
This day would come in an instant, as spoken by God in Surah Al-’Araf,
لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً
“Only, all of a sudden will it (Qiyamah) come to you” (7:187).
The Prophet of God while elaborating on this Verse said that people would be busy in their routine, someone would be involved in tilling the soil, the other active in market trading and another might be cleaning his swimming pool. God would ask on that day,
لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ
“To whom the Kingdom of (Heavens and the earth) belongs” (40:16).
There will be no one to answer back. God would then answer His own query with the statement,
لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ
“The Kingdom belongs to the Mighty God” (40:16).
The status quo would continue as long as God wanted. When God would decide to revive the dead, it would rain for forty days. This was meant to collect the dispersed ingredients of all living creatures. Another sound from the heavenly Horn would follow and the creatures of the Heaven and Earth would become alive. The Qur’anic Verse thus stated for elucidation,
وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ آتِيَةٌ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهَا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْعَثُ مَن فِي الْقُبُورِ
“And because the hour is coming, there is no doubt about it; and because Allah shall raise up those who are in the graves” (22:7).
It had been related from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) that once the Prophet (S) asked Gabriel to show him how God was to revive people on the Day of Judgement. Gabriel went to the graveyard of Bani Saada and stopped by a grave and asked the occupant of that grave to rise in the name of God. Suddenly a man came out of the grave shaking soil from his head. Gabriel asked him to re-enter the grave.
He then went to another grave and repeated the same command. Immediately a young man rose from the grave, chanting the words - there was no god but God, Muhammad (S) was the Messenger of God and there was no doubt in the arrival of that hour, certainly God will resurrect everyone from their graves. Gabriel said that people would be revived in the same manner on the Day of Judgement. (Tafsir al-Saafi)
There was a similar account in Surah Al-Qamar and other Verses:
خُشَّعًا أَبْصَارُهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ
“Their eyes cast down, going forth from their graves as if they were scattered locusts” (54:7).
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ
“Truly the quake of the last day is an immense happening and you will witness the view” (22:1).
يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَىٰ وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَىٰ وَلَٰكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ
“Every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling baby and every pregnant female shall drop her load. You will see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk; but dreadful will be the wrath of your Lord” (22:2).
وَجَاءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ
“And there will come forth every soul and with each will be accompanied by a guide and a witness” (50:21).
General Belief On The Details Of The Day Of Resurrection Is Sufficient
So far as the details of the Day of Judgement were concerned, in respect of what would be the common state of people, what would be their general appearance and what kind of difficulties were going to be encountered, the scholars have advised us to have a normal faith on the event and any other details were not essential. Allama Al-Majlisi wrote in Bihar, “I say whatever has been told to us regarding resurrection of the body and soul and its related aspects are sufficient for us to believe and the rest is not required from us, since undue deliberations can lead us to the perception that is not factual, and moreover, we are not burdened by the religion to know these details”.
We could conclude this chapter by saying that since hereafter had not been physically witnessed by us, therefore, it appeared to us as a bizarre event. It was difficult for a common man to envisage. It was very similar to telling a child who was not yet born, that he was about to come into another world where there were immensely extended grounds, vast oceans, dazzling Sun and twinkling stars, where airplanes flew etc. If by any miracle we made him to understand what we were saying, his faith would still be shaky, because his own environment was not more than a few cubic feet of space within his mother’s womb.
Similar was the condition of all living beings, since this world was similar to a mother’s womb compared to vastness of the hereafter. However, as a child managed to understand these facts gradually after birth, similarly we would come to understand all that had been told to us in this world by our guides, when we would enter the domain of hereafter.
