|
038 Eternal stops
After reckoning is completed on the judgment day, good people will take their place in the paradise while bad people will go to the hell: “As for the Righteous, they will be in Bliss; And the Wicked - they will be in the Fire,” [Infitar, 13-14] “Faith” will be the most important thing on the judgment day. Those who have even a modicum of faith in their hearts will be treated well while unbelievers and those who reject the truth and deny Allah (swt) and His Messenger will not be esteemed, they will be punished eternally, and no mercy will be shown to them.
This is explained in the following Quranic verses: “Taste ye then - for ye forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours, and We too will forget you - taste ye the Chastisement of Eternity for your (evil) deeds!” [Sajdah, 14] “They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.” [Kahf, 105] “But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: but he finds Allah there, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account.” [Nur, 39] “Let not the strutting about of the unbelievers through the land deceive thee: Little is it for enjoyment: Their ultimate abode is Hell: what an evil bed (to lie on)!” [Al Imran, 196-197] “This is (true) Guidance and for those who reject the Signs of their Lord, is a grievous Chastisement of abomination.” [Jathiya, 11] “And if any believe not in Allah and His Messenger, We have prepared, for those who reject Allah, a Blazing Fire!” [Fath, 13] “But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be companions of the Fire; they shall abide therein.” [Baqarah, 39]
Undoubtedly, the key to salvation both in the world and also in the afterworld is “faith”. Good deeds performed by unbelievers will be of no use in the afterworld. “The parable of those who reject their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous day:” [Ibrahim, 18] “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter.” [Baqarah, 217] Mundane riches will also be useless for the afterworld. “Those who reject Faith,- neither their possessions nor their (numerous) progeny will avail them aught against Allah. They will be companions of the Fire,- dwelling therein (for ever).” [Al Imran, 116] “Some of them believed, and some of them averted their faces from him: And enough is Hell for a burning fire. Those who reject our Signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire: As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.” [Nisaa, 55-56] “As to those who reject Faith,- if they had everything on earth, and twice repeated, to give as ransom for the penalty of the Day of Judgment, it would never be accepted of them, theirs would be a grievous penalty.” [Maida, 36]
On the judgment day, efforts for salvation by unbelievers will be wasted. “Their wish will be to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom: their penalty will be one that endures.” [Maida, 37] In fact, they will want to be soil, but even that will not be possible. “and the Unbeliever will say, 'Woe unto me! Would that I were (mere) dust!'” [Nabaa, 40] Dear readers, there will be an intermediate zone called purgatory between the paradise, which is the place of award, and the hell, which is the place of punishment on the judgment day. This zone is described in the Quran in the following way: “Between them shall be a veil, and on the Heights will be men who would know every one by his marks: they will call out to the Companions of the Garden, "Peace on you": they have not entered it, but still hoped to (enter it). When their eyes shall be turned towards the Companions of the Fire, they will say: "Our Lord! send us not to the company of the wrong-doers." The men on the Heights will call to certain men whom they will know from their marks, saying: "Of what profit to you were your hoards and your arrogant ways?” [Araf, 46-48]
On the judgment day, Allah (swt) will show mercy only to those who have had faith in Allah and performed good deeds, avoided what is forbidden, and those who did not skimp but gave zakats. “'And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto Thee.' He said: I afflict on whom I will; but My mercy extended to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and pay Zakat, and those who believe in Our signs;” [Araf, 156] Those who were not arrogant but believed in Allah (swt) and His Messenger and performed good deeds will both possess all the blessings and favors in this world and also reach unlimited blessings in the afterworld in proportion to the good deeds that they performed: “Not equal are the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden: it is the Companions of the Garden, that will achieve Felicity.” [Hashr, 20] “But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (For ever).” [Baqarah, 82] “But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath,- their eternal home: Therein shall they have spouses purified: We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening.” [Nisaa, 57]
Dear readers, Believe me that I would be lying if I said I did not feel shudder while I was sorting the tens of Quranic verses above which describe the eternal agonies that deniers will suffer on the judgment day. Here, the purpose of your powerless brother is not to spread fear and terror to the hearts of people. I just try to explain “faith” and the importance that our Rab attaches to it. Our Master the Prophet said: “When you talk about your Rab, do not mention things which will cause fear!” [Bayhaqi] “Make Allah’s servants love Him so that Allah, in turn, loves you!” [Tabarani] But is not it necessary that those unbelievers clearly know the treatment that they will find in the afterworld? Either believer or unbeliever, everyone should certainly fear very much their Rab who created them, who cannot be prevented from doing anything He wants to do, and who is the unique owner of all kinds of powers and forces. Our Master the Prophet explained: “Among all of you, I am the one who fears Allah (swt) the most.” [Bukhari] “The fear of Allah is the start of all wisdom.” [Tabarani] “A big fear of Allah (swt) means big intelligence.” [I. Muhbar] “If you sufficiently feared Allah, you would have a good wisdom.” [Ibn Sunni] “One who weeps out of God’s fear will not go to the hell.” [Tirmidhi] “As for one whose heart feels tremble due to the fear of Allah, their sins will fall just like leaves falling from trees.” [Bayhaqi] “All of the pious avoiding from the harams for fear of Allah will go to the Paradise without a reckoning.” [Tabarani]
Although a believer fears his Rab much, they will also never lose their hope from His mercy. It is explained in the verses: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Zumar, 53] “What can Allah gain by your punishment, if ye are grateful and ye believe.” [Nisaa, 147] Hadiths provide us with the following information: “If a believer knew the severity of Allah’s wrath, they would not hope the Paradise, and if an unbeliever knew the infinity of Allah’s mercy, they would not lose their hope of the Paradise.” [Muslim] “Allah’s mercy to believers is more than a mother’s mercy to her child.” [Bukhari] “Allah (swt) will prohibit the Hell for those who recite, Lailahe illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah.” [Bukhari] “Allah (swt) will forgive so many people as no one can guess on the judgment day. Even Satan will hope that he might be forgiven.” [Ibn Abid dunya] “I am Allah; there is no god but me. My mercy exceeds my wrath. One who acknowledges that there are no gods but Allah and that Mohammed is His servant and messenger will go to the Paradise.” [Daylami]
Our Rab has infinite mercy. Do not you see that although unbelievers commit all kinds of vulgarities against Allah (swt) every day, He patiently waits until their last breath for them to repent? But they will not find the same mercy in the afterworld. Only believers will be treated with mercy there. Believers will be blessed by having Allah’s assistance and support in all moments in the world and they will also have the same in the afterworld in proportion to their faith, and they will be provided with a great favor and beneficence. Even those who have a modicum of faith in their heart will take their share from this support. No one will be treated unjustly there, unbelievers will be directly sent to the hell while believers will eventually be awarded in the paradise after suffering a punishment in the rate of their sins. As for the blessings of the paradise: “The paradise contains blessings which no one has seen, heard of, or even imagined.” [Muslim] “Only a name similarly exists between the blessings in the paradise and those in the world.” [Bayhaqi] “Dwellers of the paradise will never get sick or aged; they will never feel sorrow but be always joyful.” [Muslim]
Dear readers, although an eternal paradise life where one reaches all their desires is a great award for believers, the main happiness for them will be to see (Ruyat) their Rab who they had always desired to see in the world but failed. Unbelievers will be destitute of this great happiness too. The sight is a right. “Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled.” [Mutaffifin, 15] “Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty);- Looking towards their Lord;” [Qiyamah, 22-23] Our Master the Prophet stated: “As you can see the full moon, you will clearly see your Rab on the judgment day.” [Bukhari] Dear readers, as you all know, Allah (swt) is free of all temporal and spatial limitations. And only He can know how He will manifest without such limitations in the afterworld. Valued scholars of our religion stated that everyone will see Allah (swt) in the afterworld to the extent in which they remembered Him in the world. So let us remember Him much in the world so that we will see Him much in the afterworld. May our Lord make us one of those who He pleases with His paradise in the eternal world. Be entrusted to Allah. Dr. Ismail Ulukus
| ||