THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

Belief in the Day of Judgment:

• We believe in the Final Day, which is the Day of Judgment, when people
will be resurrected and then told to remain in the abode of enjoyment or in
the abode of severe punishment.
The Resurrection:
• We believe in the resurrection, which is Allah's bringing to life all those who have died, and when Israfil shall blow the horn for the second time:
"And the trumpet shall be blown, and all who are in the heavens and who
are in the Earth shall fall down fainting, except those that Allah shall spare.
Then, it shall be blown again and they shall rise gazing around them"
(39:68). People will arise from their graves, answering the call of the Lord
of the universe. They will be barefooted, naked, and uncircumcised: "As
We started the first creation, so We shall bring it back again. This is a
promise from Us, so We shall assuredly fulfill it" (21: 104).
The Records and Scales:
• We believe in the records of deeds that will be given to people in their right hands or behind their backs, in the left hands: "As for him who is
given his book in his right hand, he shall surely receive an easy reckoning
and he will return to his family rejoicing. But as for him who is given his
book behind his back, he shall call for destruction on himself and will burn
in a blazing fire" (84:7-12); "Every man's work We have fastened on his
own neck, and on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a book
which he will see spread open, saying: 'Read your own book! Enough for
you this day that your own soul should call you to account"' (17:13-14).
• We believe that scales of deeds will be set up on the Day of Judgment, and that no soul shall be wronged: "Whoever has done an atom's weight of good shall see it" (99:7-8); "Those whose scales are heavy, they are the
successful; but those whose scales are light, they are the ones who have lost
their souls in Hell dwelling forever. The fire will burn their faces, and
there they will be gloomy with lips displaced" (23: 102-4); and "He that
does a good deed shall be rewarded ten times the like of it, and he that does
evil shall only be rewarded the like of it, and they shall not be wronged"
(6:160).
The Prophet's Intercession:
• We believe in the special great intercession of the Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him. He will plead with Allah, after His permission and on
behalf of mankind, to judge among His servants when they suffer from
worries and troubles that they cannot bear. They will go to Adam, then to
Noah, then to Abraham, then to Moses, then to Jesus, and finally to Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him.
• We believe in the intercession that concerns some believers who were to
be taken out from the fire. This mediation is granted to the Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, and to others among the prophets, the
believers, and the angels.
• We believe also that Allah will save from hell some of the believers
without the intercession of any one, but by His grace and mercy.
The Prophet's Pool:
• We believe in the pool of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the water of
which is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey and better in fragrance
than musk. Each of its length and width is the distance of a month's travel.
Its glasses are as stars in beauty and number. The believers among the
Prophet's followers come to take from this great cistern a drink after
which they will never be thirsty.
The Straight Path:
• We believe in the straight path (sirat) set up over hell. People pass over it
according to their deeds: the first of them as fast as lighting, then as fast as
wind, then as fast as birds, and then as fast as a running man. The Prophet
will be standing on the path, saying: "Lord, Save! Save!," as some people's
deeds will fall short. Some of them will come crawling. At both sides of
the path there are hooks designed to take whom Allah wills: some are saved
but bruised; others are thrown into hell. (Bukhari and Muslim).
• We believe in all that is mentioned in the Qur'an or the prophetic sayings
concerning that day and its horrors, may Allah save us from them.
• We believe in the intercession (Shafa'ah) of Prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him, for the people of paradise to enter therein. This intercession
is exclusively limited to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Paradise and Hell:
We believe in paradise and hell. Paradise is the abode of enjoyment which
Allah, the Exalted, prepared for the righteous. No eye has ever seen, no
ear has ever heard of, and no human being has ever thought of the
blessings that they will enjoy there: "No soul knows what comfort is kept
hidden for them, as a reward for their deeds" (32:17). Hell is the abode of
punishment that Allah has prepared for the unbelievers and the evildoers.
The torture and horror in it cannot be imagined: "Surely, We have
prepared for the evildoers a fire, whose pavilion encompasses them. If they
call for help, they will be helped with water like molten copper which will
scald their faces. How dreadful a drink and how evil a resting place!"
(18:29).
• Both paradise and hell exist now and will never perish: "Whoever
believes in Allah and does righteousness, He will admit him to gardens
beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever. Allah had indeed
made for him an excellent provision" (65-11); "Certainly, Allah has cursed
the unbelievers and prepared for them a blazing fire to dwell therein
forever, they shall find neither protector nor helper. On the day when their
faces are turned about in the fire they shall say: 'Would that we had obeyed
Allah and obeyed the Messenger!"' (33: 64-6).
• We confirm paradise to whom it is confirmed in the Qur'an or the
prophetic traditions either by name or description. Among those who are
granted paradise and mentioned by name are Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman,
'All and others who were specified by the Prophet, peace be upon him
(Bukhari and Muslim). Among those whom we confirm to enter paradise
because they fit the description are the faithful and the pious.
• We likewise confirm hell to whom it is confirmed in the Qur'an and the
sayings of the Prophet, whether in name or description. Among those who
are mentioned by name to be in hell are Abu Lahab, 'Amr Ibn Luhai al-
Khuza'i, and others (Bukhari and Muslim). Confirmation of hell that is
based on description includes every unbeliever, polytheist, or hypocrite.
What Happens in the Grave:
• We believe in the Trial of the Grave, which involves questioning the
deceased person in his grave about his Lord, his religion, and his prophet.
There "Allah confirms those who believe with a firm saying, in the present
life and the hereafter" (14:27). The believer will say: "Allah is my Lord,
Islam is my religion, and Muhammad is my prophet." The unbeliever or
the hypocrite will say: "I do not know. I heard the people saying something
and I said it."
• We believe in the comfort of the grave for the believers: "Those whose
lives the angels take in state of purity, saying 'peace be on you; enter
paradise for what you were doing' (16:32).
• We believe in the punishment of the grave for the transgressing
unbelievers: "If you could only see when the evildoers are in the agonies of
death and the angels are stretching out their hands, saying, 'Give up your
souls! Today you shall be rewarded with the punishment of humiliation for
what you used to say untrue about Allah, and for scornfully rejecting His
signs"' (6:93). The sayings of the Prophet are numerous and well-known in
this area. A Muslim must believe in all that is reported in the Qur'an and
the prophetic traditions concerning the unseen matters. He should not
contradict it by his worldly experience, because the affairs of the hereafter
cannot be measured by the affairs of this life. The difference between them
is very great. Allah is the source of help.