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ADMONITIONS FROM THE QURAN |  |
After doomsday, God Almighty will transform our earth to another formation of earth by recreating it again. Ankabut 29/19 : " Did they not observe how God initiates the creation then reproduces it? That is easy for God. " Man will be recreated by uniting his soul and his body to give an account in front of his Lord of his actions in the world. Those who committed evil acts will enter Hell while those who performed good deeds will enter Paradise.
O mankind! Indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with great exertion and you will meet Him. (Inshiqaq 84/6)
Even though man desires to see and meet his all-merciful Creator, it is not possible in this world. However in the next life the good tidings will be real.
Saba 34/1 : "...In the hereafter, too, all praise belongs to Him..." The verse states that all creatures will pray to God in the next life too and evolution will be continued. Dhuha 93/4 : " Bear in mind that the Hereafter home is better for you than the present place.."
RECREATION OF OUR EARTH
Although the celestial world, the stars and the earth, will be dispersed in the day of Doomsday there are good tidings as well because God will recreate the earth and the stars like He had created them for the first time. Anbiya 21/104 : " The Day when We will roll up heaven as written scrolls are rolled up. We will bring the creation back into existence as easily as We originated it in the first instance. This is a binding promise on Us, and assuredly We fulfill whatever We promise.."
On the Day the earth is transformed into another earth, and the heavens as well. (Ibrahim 14/48)
Travel through the earth and see how He brought creation out of nothing. Then God will originate the Everlasting Life. God has power over all things. (Ankabut 29/20)
As we see excitedly from the verses, a new earth consisting of Paradise, Araf and Hell will be constructed where all human beings and all creatures will dwell. Just as every new creature will be better than the one which had been created before, our new earth will be more splendid than the earlier one. All living creatures will be resurrected for judgment.
RESURRECTION
The flesh of the body which experienced worldy life ends, decomposes and vanishes in the grave. However the soul carries all the characteristics of man and remains in a kind of sleeping state until the Qiyamah. As a result our earth will be transformed to a new one on Doomsday. Ankabut 29/19 : " Have they not seen how God originates the creation then resurrects it? That is certainly easy for God."
We come to know through the Quran that, just as the earth was created for the first time, so man will be created with the soul being united with a new body. Zumar 39/68: " the Trumpet will be blown, and everyone in the heavens and earth will fall down senseless except those God spares. Then it will be blown a second time and at once they will be standing upright, looking on.. "
Some examples of the verses explaining resurrection as following:
And the Last Hour is sure to come there is no doubt about it. And God will surely resurrect all who are in the graves. (Hajj 22/7)
When souls will be reunited with the bodies. (Takwir 81/7)
Then it is only a single scream, and they will wake up suddenly and they will appear on the surface. (Naziat 79/13-14)
Certainly you have come to Us alone as We created you at first...(Anam 6/94)
HOW WILL RESURRECTION TAKE PLACE?
Some examples of The Holy Quran about the resurrection are, as following:
And remember when Abraham said: "My Lord! Show me how you give life to the dead." God responded, "Don't you believe?" Abraham replied, "Yes I do but it is just to make my heart at peace.." God said "Take four birds, kill them and cut them into pieces. Then put pieces of each on a mountain and call them. They will come quickly to you. Know that God is Strong and Wise." (Baqarah 2/260) They ask: Who will give life to these bones when they have rotten away? He will give life to them Who created them for the first time! And He has full knowledge of every creation! (Ya Sin 36/78-79)
The Quran emphasizes the answer to the unbelievers, through many verses, that resurrection will be easy for the Creator as He created everything for the first time.
God will resurrect man as He revive the earth in the spring while it is dead in the winter. God is (The One) Who has sent the winds to raise the clouds. We drive them towards a dead land and (thereby) We revive the earth after its death . (The Resurrection) will also be executed in the same way. (Fatir 35/9)
THE LAST JUDGEMENT
Hashr means gathering of people in the day of judgment to be interrogated about their acts in front of God. Naml 27/87 : " And on that Day the trumpet will be blown, and whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth will be terrified, and all will come to Him in utter humility.." On the judgment day all human beings will come together. They will have to account for their actions in the presence of God Almighty who had created them out of nothing and granted them all kinds of worldly gifts. Anam 6/62 : " Then they are all returned to Allah-their True Master. Behold, unquestionably He is the judgement..."
...And We gather all humankind, leaving none behind. (Kahf 18/47) So whoever does an atoms weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it. (Zalzalah 99/7-8)
The next life will begin for man as soon as the interrogation has finished. Those who performed evil acts in the world will enter Hell, those whose sins and good deeds are equal will enter the Araf while, finally, those who performed good deeds and believed in God will enter Paradise.
...Some of them are miserable, others joyful. Those who are miserable, they are in the fire staying there forever, as long as the heavens and the earth will endure, except what your Lord wills. And those who are happy they will be in Paradise. They will remain in it for as long as the heavens and the earth endure -except what your Lord may wish. An (eternal) gift without an end. (Hud 11/105-108)
INTERCESSION BELONGS TO GOD
The Prophets or pious of God may attempt intercession by carrying out acts of prayer on behalf of the evil doer causing him to hope for forgiveness. According to the Quran all intercession belongs to God and He will not accept any mediation by any of His servants.
...A day when no soul will stand in place of another, no intercession will be accepted for it, nor any ransom... (Baqarah 2/48)
Say, 'All intercession belongs to God... (Zumer 39/44)
Some muslims believe that The Prophet will intercede on behalf of Muslims who have committed cardinal sins on the basis of some hadiths. However God Almighty has charged the Prophets only with the role of delivering His messages.
Muhammad is no more than a messenger, there were many other messengers before him... (Ali Imran 3/144)
(Muhammed) Say: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself..."(Araf 7/188)
...The Messenger's duty is only to deliver the message clearly. (Ankebut 29/18)
Our Lord has permitted to some Prophets or Pious to talk for the benefit of some people but has not permitted intercession. Ta Ha 20/109: " On that Day, intercession will be useless except from those to whom the Lord of Mercy has granted permission and whose words He approves."
HELL
Hell is a place where unbelievers and those who performed evil acts will be punished. The Quran doesn't define explicitly what hell is like however it states that there will be sorts of suffering and pain. Some examples of the verses that define the hell:
Surely, those who reject Our revelations and show arrogance to it, the gates of heaven will not be opened to them, nor they will enter Paradise until the camel passes through the eye of a needle (i.e., impossible). This is how We punish the criminals. (Araf 7:40)
The hypocritical men and the hypocritical women are all alike. They encourage what is bad and dissuade from the good, and tighten their purses (when it comes to spending in the way of God). They forgot God; so He forgot them.. God has reserved for hypocrites, whether men or women, and for unbelievers, the fire of Hell, where they will abide forever. God has cursed them and they will have everlasting punishment.(Taubah 9/67-68)
Angels, named Zabania, will be assigned very severe duties and obey whatever God has commanded them. The punishment they will mete out will serve to tame those who are to be punished.
(Hell) There are nineteen angels appointed as guards over it... We have assigned only angels as keepers of the Fire... (Mudathir 74/30-31) ...over (hell fire) which are (assigned) angels, severe and stern, who do not disobey whatever God has commanded them, and carry out what they are commanded. (Tahrim 66/6)
Those who have failed to discipline their souls in the world and performed evil actions wil be subjected to taming by suffering in Hell. This punishment will serve to tame and purify the individual. Our Lord's endless mercy even extends to hell as it extends to the entire universe. According some hadiths, those who have served their punishment will be received into Paradise. However only God knows the truth.
ARAF (INTERMEDIATE STAGE)
Araf, is the borderland between heaven and hell for those whose sins and good deeds are exactly equal in quantity. They have to wait in this stage for a while before entering to either Paradise or Hell. They turn towards Hell hoping not to join with its inhabitants but they see on the other hand the inhabitants of Paradise and hope to be with them.
The most valuable in the sight of God like the Prophets or the pious will have permission to talk on judgment day. They will notify those who deserve to be one of the inhabitants of Hell and they will also report the intercession of God to those who are to enter Paradise as the verse Ta Ha 20/109 says:
...On A'raf (the Heights) there are dignified people who recognize everyone through their foreheads, and they call out to inhabitants of the Paradise that have not entered it yet but they hope (to do so): "peace (and well-being) upon you". And when their eyes are turned towards the companions of Hell, they say "Our Lord, do not place us with the wicked people!"
And the people of the Heights call out to the men whom they would recognize by their foreheads. (Now you see that) neither your populace nor your vanity have availed you!
O inhabitants of Hell! (Then pointing the people of Paradise, they will say) Are these the ones you swore would never be shown God's mercy? Finally, those on the heights will be told:? "Enter into Paradise where you will never feel any fear or sadness." (Araf 7/46-49)
God`s mercy and grace will extend to the inhabitants of Araf in order to cleanse them from their sins as He is the most merciful.
PARADISE
Paradise is a place or state where the righteous people will live blissfully forever after death. The Quran doesn't provide details about Paradise however explains with metaphors. Zukhruf 43/71 : "...and everything the heart desires and pleases the eye will be there..." The words of peace will be heard in Paradise and the inhabitants will have their provision continuously. Maryam19/62 : " They will not hear therein any meaningless words, but only the words of peace. And they will have their provision therein, morning and evening.. " The Quran explains those who will enter Paradise by saying:
As for those who believe and perform righteous deeds, certainly We do not waste the reward of those who do good deeds. They will have Gardens of Eden; beneath them rivers will flow...(Kahf 18/30-31)
The believers, both men and women, they are allies to one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish salat and pay zakat, and obey God and His Messenger... God has promised them Gardens of Eden to live there forever... (Taubah 9/71-72)
Gardens of Eden is for those who have taqwa. They will enter there, like the righteous ones from their fathers, their spouses, and their children. And the Angels will enter to them from every gate. (With the salutation) Peace be upon you because you were patient. " How excellent is the Ultimate Abode!" (Rad 13/23-24)
We have created the women and men of Paradise into a new creation young and beuatiful. Vaqiah 56/35-38 : " We have specially created the women of Paradise and made them virgins with full of love for their husbands, and equal in age, for the blessed ones." Men and women who performed good deeds in the world will enter Paradise. They will be transformed out of ugliness or wrinkles. They will be the same age, beautified and refreshed that have deserved a blissful life. Based on some certain hadiths the age will vary between 30 and 32 which is the best period. In the Paradise there will not be old people.
The inhabitants of Paradise will pursue their trade as well as they will continue to pray to the Creator. Yasin 36/55 : " On that Day, the residents of the Paradise will be busy in joyful things" We see through these verses that Paradise is not only for living without doing anything. The development of the soul will continue so there will be working as well in a blissful life. Saba 34/1 : "...All praise and gratitude are for God in the heavens as well..." There will be only peaceful talk in Paradise. Maryam 19/62: " There they will hear only peaceful talk, nothing bad; there they will be given provision morning and evening. " They will remain in the Paradise forever. Hud 11/108: "They will live there for all the time that the heavens and the earth can bear, except as what your Lord wills..."