I now turn to the fourth object of religion, viz., the explanation of the life after death. Ever since the creation of man the problem which, next to the problem of the existence of God, has attracted the attention of mankind is the question of the life after death. A religion that fails to throw light on this subject is like a body without a soul.
Islam attaches great importance to this question, so much so, that the followers of other religions have made its insistence on this question a ground of attacks against it.
The question, however, requires careful consideration. It is obvious that it is impossible to arrive at a true appreciation of it in the absence of revealed guidance, for a person living in this world cannot, by the unaided use of his own faculties, discover the conditions of life beyond the grave. It is the Omniscient Being from Whose eyes nothing is hidden and before Whose sight this world and the next are spread like a mirror Who alone can furnish a true description of the life after death. Those who have tried to discover the conditions of the life after death merely by the exercise of reason have fallen into grievous errors and their efforts have given rise to widespread misunderstanding on the subject. Some of them deny altogether that there is a life after death; others represent it as a mere copy of this existence and yet a third class would drive the soul back into this world to be suitably dealt with for its past conduct. In short, every one has his own theory as to what ought to happen to the human soul after death. The Promised Messiah (as) has, however, revealed to us a knowledge of the conditions governing the existence of the soul after death, which completely satisfies our reason and is emphatically endorsed by our instinct and by the laws of nature. Those who are granted a fuller insight into, and a personal realization of these matters in this life are able to testify, from their own experience, to the truth of the Promised Messiah’s (as) teaching, and to attain to a condition of perfect certainty concerning it. The truth is that, as in other departments of religion, so in this, the Promised Messiah (as) has revealed to us the teachings of Islam in a new light and has, as it were, uncovered hidden truths and wonderful spiritual secrets for our eyes. As, however, the life after death is entirely hidden from the view of mankind, it is not possible to explain its conditions without entering into a detailed exposition; and this would not be justified by the limited scope of this paper. I shall, therefore, content myself with a description of the barest outlines of the subject, in the hope that those who desire a fuller appreciation of it would pursue an enquiry into its details.
The first question that confronts us in connection with this subject is what is the nature of the human soul. The Islamic teaching is that the soul has a distinct existence, and that it is the means by which man is enabled to acquire knowledge and perception of things which are not susceptible of comprehension through his external senses. It is the centre of the relationship between God and man, and is the seat of God’s glory. Its relationship with the body is extremely fine and delicate which cannot be compared to any other relationship that we know of. It controls the working of the external senses through its connection with the thinking faculty of the brain and the emotional faculty of the heart. It is, therefore, more acutely affected by thoughts and feelings than by their actual manifestation in external acts. Scientists and psychologists have so far failed to discover the relationship between the soul and the heart, but those who have been vouchsafed experience of these matters realize that there is a delicate relationship between the soul and the heart which travels by some hidden means to the brain—as oil travels in a wick— and manifests itself through the working of the nerves of the brain. In fact belief in God and His attributes lead necessarily to the conclusion that the soul never dies. For, can we suppose for a moment that God has created this delicate and perfect system of the universe and all that there is in it for the service of man, merely so that man may eat and drink and explore the secrets of nature for the brief space of three or four score years and then for ever pass into obscurity and nothingness? Reason spurns such an idea, and human nature recoils from it.
The fact that there is a universe requires that man’s life should have a purpose higher than, and beyond mere eating and drinking and leading a more or less circumscribed existence in this world. Islam teaches that man has been vouchsafed eternal life and that the avenues of eternal progress have been thrown open to him. In the chapter headed, Al-Mu’minun, the Holy Quran mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth and the setting up of the machinery of the universe, and describes the powers and faculties with which man has been endowed and then enquires whether men still imagine that their whole existence is confined to this life and that there is no life after death. It says:
‘Then, do you imagine that We have created you as a mere pastime and that you will not have eternal life and opportunities of eternal development after death? That surely is not so, for God is the High and the True Monarch, Who has created all things with a purpose. He is the one God and possesses attributes which command purity and respect.’1
It cannot then be imagined that God is not the Creator of the universe, or that He has created it without a purpose.
The Holy Quran teaches that the soul is not imported into the human body from outside, but grows in the body as it develops in the womb. It is an essence which is distilled from the body in the course of a long process, as beer is distilled from barley. It has at first no separate existence from the body, but the processes through which the body passes during its development in the womb distil from the body a delicate essence which is called the soul. As soon as the relationship between the soul and the body is completely adjusted, the heart begins to function and the body comes alive. The soul has then a distinct existence of its own apart from the body, which henceforth serves it as a shell.
Islam, therefore, teaches that the soul is created and comes into being during the period of gestation. On the other hand, Islam also teaches that once the soul is created it is never destroyed, but is granted an unending period of time for its development. What is called death is merely the severance of the soul from the body, as the result of which the heart is stilled and the body ceases to be of any further use.
According to Islam, the soul manifests its powers always through a body, and whenever the body becomes unfitted for this purpose, the soul quits it. This flight of the soul from the body is called death. Hence when we say so and so is dead, we simply mean that his soul has quitted his body, but the soul never dies and goes on living for ever. Islam, therefore, teaches that there is a life after death, and it also teaches that that life is a continuation of the life which a man leads on earth. There is no one interval during which the human soul must remain in a state of inactivity or suspense, being revived thereafter and consigned to a place, pleasant or unpleasant, according to its deserts. The human soul possesses inherent faculties which repudiate even the suggestion of a state of inactivity; it is vouchsafed an eternal existence which is protected by the attribute of God which is expressed by the term, Qayyum, i.e., the supporter of life. Death, as I have said, is merely the translation of the soul from one form of existence into another, and the Holy Quran tells us that this translation is essential for the complete development of the soul. Man has been so constituted that a complete realization of anything secures him against all errors concerning that thing. On the other hand, where a thing has been completely manifested, man ceases to deserve any reward in connection with it. For instance, nobody deserves a reward for believing in the existence of the sun at midday, or for acknowledging the existence of day and night. We reward a student who solves difficult problems, and we honour a man who discovers the hidden secrets of nature. Reward and praise are, therefore, the desert of those who exert themselves in discovering new truths and hidden secrets. There is no merit in doing and thinking that which is perfectly obvious. If the whole field of spiritual progress had been thrown open to man in this very world and spiritual rewards and punishments had been completely manifested here, succeeding generations would, by observing the rewards won by the righteous and the punishment meted out to the rebellious, have developed a faith so certain in the existence of God and the truth of the Prophets, that it would not have been possible for them to win any rewards by passing through trials and vicissitudes. It was necessary, therefore, that faith and its fruits should be manifested only partially here, so that he who strives for God should be clearly distinguished from him who devotes himself wholly to the pleasures of the world, and each should be rewarded or punished according to his capacity and his doings.
Death serves the purpose of keeping the consequences of man’s actions hidden from him, and enables him to arrive at the truth after a process of deliberation and reasoning and acting in the fear of God. It enables him to develop a spirit of freedom which would otherwise be lost to him.
Another purpose which death serves is that it enables the human soul to develop its finer faculties. The human body is too dense to observe the finer aspects of the universe of the spirit. Its severance from the body, therefore, enables the human soul to become conversant with matters which are essential to its limitless progress. As soon as the soul leaves the body it starts forthwith on a new path of progress and is not kept a prisoner in a dark cell to await the result of its trial. This misconception is the result of the theory that this life is a course of studies with an examination at the end of it, and as there is an interval between an examination and the announcement of the result, it is imagined that there is a similar interval between this life and the Day of Judgment which is the day on which the result is to be announced. While it is true that this life is a trial, it is not in the nature of an ordinary university examination with which we are familiar, but is more akin to the workings of nature. Islam has drawn a comparison between the life after death and the life of a man in its earlier stages. As a child develops from a sperm—nay from vegetable and animal life—in the womb of the mother, and after birth passes through a stage of helplessness and weakness in which it begins to adjust itself to the conditions of this life, so after death the human soul passes through various stages and experiences.
The Holy Quran uses the same word to describe the stage through which the human soul passes immediately after death, as it employs for the womb. Hence the first stage through which the soul passes after death is the stage of the womb in which, like the child in the womb, it undergoes a development in accord with the mode of life led by it in this world; and as, at a certain stage in the womb the child develops a soul, so the human soul after passing through certain experiences after death develops a new soul which possesses far higher and finer and more delicate faculties and perceptions than the soul from which it emanates. The old soul then serves this new soul as a body and man becomes able to perceive things through his new physical senses which he could perceive formerly only through the soul, for, the new body with which man is invested is as fine and delicate of perception as the soul was in this world. In truth it is that very soul in a new transformation.
Another process then commences which may be compared to the stage of birth of a child. This is called the resurrection of the body. It signifies that man is now equipped with a new soul and a new body which fit him for the new life before him, as the child is fitted with a body and soul in the womb. At this stage man emerges from the stage of the womb, i.e., the tomb.
The next stage is called the Day of Resurrection and may be compared to the stage of infancy. In it the soul adjusts its knowledge and its reason to its new surroundings. The soul is now better developed than it was when it emerged from the tomb, but is perfected only after the experiences of this day, at the end of which it is like a youth fully developed and fully prepared to experience different aspects of life. On the termination of this period which is called the Last Judgment man is translated to that condition of life which is expressed in terms of heaven and hell.
Throughout these three stages man experiences pain or pleasure in accordance with his spiritual development, that is to say, he realizes the joys of heaven or the tortures of hell even during its period of gestation, its period of infancy and finally after its complete development; only its realization is defective or less perfect during the two earlier stages, becoming perfect in the last. In this stage man’s realization of pleasure and pain becomes perfect, and this stage is termed heaven or hell. This stage is unending.
There is no interval between death and the feeling of pleasure or pain; only the soul in its effort to adjust itself to, and equip itself for, the new conditions of life must pass through two preparatory stages which are inferior to, and less perfect than the last stage. The human soul is continuously pressing forward and passing from one stage into the next higher. The Holy Quran says:
‘Those whom the angels divest of their souls while they were engaged in unjust pursuits, give the angels the salutation of peace and say: “We were not engaged in evil pursuits.” “Nay, evil were your pursuits,” is the reply, “and God knows best what you did. Enter the gates of hell and dwell therein, and evil is the dwelling place of the arrogant.”’
Again, ‘Those whom the angels divest of their souls while they are pure will be greeted with, “Peace be upon you. Enter paradise as the reward of that which you did.”’2
The Holy Prophet (sas) has said, ‘The tomb may be a garden of paradise or a pit of hell.’
This shows that the soul continues in a living state throughout, and begins immediately after death to tread the path which it has fashioned out of its deeds. The tradition quoted above uses the word ‘tomb.’ It does not, however, mean the grave dug in the earth in which the body is placed, but signifies the place where the soul dwells after death. The Holy Quran says, ‘God causes each person to die and consigns him to the grave.’3 It is obvious, however, that every person is not put in the grave; some are cremated, others are devoured by wild beasts and yet others find a resting place in the sea. The grave signifies the tomb where the soul is housed, and not the place to which the lifeless body is consigned, there to remain and fulfil the eternal law of decay.
I shall next endeavour to explain whether the rewards and punishments of the life after death are physical or spiritual. Islam teaches that they partake of both. They are physical in the sense, that the soul shall have developed a new body in the next life, and the pains and pleasures of that life shall be capable of being felt and experienced by that body as much as the things of this world are felt and experienced by our physical senses. They will be spiritual in the sense, that they will not partake of the material nature of the things of this world, for the object of translating the soul from this world to the next is that it should be enabled to acquire those finer perceptions by means of which it can realize those delicate conceptions, of which this denser body of ours can have no experience. It follows, therefore, that the things of the next world must be of a nature different from that to which we are accustomed in this world. If we are to be fed in the next world on milk and honey and fruit like those of this, and the fire and the smoke of the next are to be no different from the fire and smoke of this world, then there would be no point in bringing about the severance of the soul from the body. In that case we should be permitted to carry our physical bodies with us. We have seen that the bodies with which we will be invested in the next world, will be of the nature of our souls in this world. How can it then be possible that the food of those bodies should be the milk and honey of this world, and the pains and punishments thereof should be of the nature of the fire and boiling water of this world? Can the souls that we now possess use the fire and the water and the fruits of this world, that they should be able to use them in the next? It is not correct, therefore, to say that man would be subjected to pain or pleasure after death, of the nature of the physical pains and pleasures of this world. On the other hand, the things of the next world, although not material, will assume delicate spiritual bodies and appear personified before man—evil things to evil men and good things to good. The consciousness and perception of life cannot be perfect unless the most delicate things are invested with a corresponding delicate body. Every soul is in need of a body, a coarse one needs a coarse body and a fine one fine. As each soul will be invested with a body in the next world, the things of that world will be perceptible to the external senses of that body in the same manner in which the things of this world are perceptible to our physical senses here. But as that body will be of the nature of the spirit, the personified things of the next world will also be spiritual.
As in this world there are spiritual conditions in addition to physical conditions, so for the newly created and more exalted soul of the next world, there will be spiritual conditions which will be superior to the spiritual conditions of this world; and as in this life, pleasure and pain are both physical and spiritual, so in the next life the rewards and punishments will not only be physical but also spiritual. But the conditions of the next life will be of a higher degree than the conditions of this life, so much so that the physical conditions of the next life will correspond to the spiritual conditions of this life, and the spiritual conditions of the next life will be higher still. Indeed, the Holy Quran speaks of fire, cold, stocks, etc., as the things man would be punished with in the next life, and of shades, streams of water, milk, and honey as the rewards of the life to come, but at the same time it says:
‘No soul knoweth what joys are reserved for the righteous in recompense of their deeds.’4
Speaking of the blessings of the next life, the Holy Prophet (sas) says, ‘No eye has seen them, nor has any ear heard of them, nor can the mind of man form any conception of them.’ Now if the blessings of the next life are to be the same kinds of gifts of God which we enjoy in this life, we should be able to form an idea of them, no matter how excellent they may be. But the words of the Holy Prophet (sas) show that the blessings of the next life will be quite different from the blessings of this life. The same will be the case with the pains and punishments of the next life. The Holy Quran says that when the fruits of heaven will be laid before the dwellers of paradise they will say, ‘This is that with which we were provided before.’5 Again with reference to this saying of theirs the Holy Quran says, ‘They shall have its like given to them.’6 That is to say, those things will not be of this world, but will resemble the things of this world in their external appearance. The fact is that though the soul does not use physical things as the body does, yet it does partake of the pleasures as well as the pain which are experienced by the body. Hence, as the soul is accustomed to the things of this life, so, in order to complete the measure of its pleasure or pain, the things of the life to come will be made to assume the form of the things of this life.
In order to enable us to realize to some degree the spiritual conditions of the next life, the Holy Quran cites an illustration to aid us in this realization. It says:
‘God taketh souls unto Himself at death, and during their sleep the souls of those who do not die; and He retaineth those on which He hath passed a decree of death, but sendeth the others back till a time that is fixed. Herein are signs for those who reflect.’7
That is to say, the connection of the soul is temporarily severed from the body even in sleep and the conditions of the life after death may be perceived on this analogy. As this separation is temporary, the soul retains its connection with the brain, through which man is enabled to remember what the soul has experienced during its separation from the body.
The Holy Quran says: ‘Herein are signs for those who reflect,’ that is to say, man can derive many benefits from a study of this condition, for, he can understand the nature and actions of the soul and its condition after death. In sleep, the body reposes comfortably in bed, yet man sees himself in other forms and visits various places. The things which he sees in his dreams have bodies like the bodies of material objects, sometimes so perfect that they leave behind evidence of their physical nature on the body of man, a fact well-known to those who have experience of such matters. I myself have experienced this many times.
Once, I was fasting and began to feel very thirsty. When my thirst became intolerable, I prayed to God, and as a result of the prayer, I entered a state of light sleep when something was put into my mouth which had the effect of allaying my thirst. This condition lasted only for a second, but I found I no longer suffered from thirst and I felt as if I had drunk my fill. The Promised Messiah (as) too has recorded many such experiences of his own. Once, in a state of complete wakefulness he saw Jesus of Nazareth in his spiritual body, and held a long discourse with him about the corruptions that had found their way into Christianity and the way in which they could be removed. On another occasion he even dined with him. To those who are strangers to these things, such experiences may savour of mental derangement and may have no greater value than mere figments of the imagination. But those who have had personal experience of such matters and are well-versed in spiritual sciences can fully understand and appreciate them. These spiritual conditions are quite different from the conditions produced by the attention of the mesmerist and are governed by a different set of laws altogether.
In short, the world of dreams and Kashf serves as an illustration of the life to come and enables man to judge of the nature of the next world’s life. As all objects in a dream are spiritual, and yet have a body, similarly the things of the next life will have a body, but that body will be spiritual and not physical, and the soul will perform spiritual functions still higher in the scale.
The Holy Quran explains the conditions of the next life thus: It says that the deeds done by man in this life will assume a shape in the next. What we call the water of the next world will be but an embodiment of man’s actions in conformity with the Law of God. The milk of the next life will be but the Knowledge of God which man acquires in the present life. The fruits of heaven will be embodiments of the pleasure and delight which the soul of man feels in rendering obedience to God. The Holy Quran says:
‘The deeds of man remain attached to him and are never separated from him. Their effects are hidden, but on the Day of Judgment, We will, as it were, turn them into a book which may be read by him,’ i.e., their effects would become manifest and every deed which man had done in this life would bring forth its fruit and would mould the life of the next world according to its nature, ‘We will say to man, “Now continue reading this book,”’ i.e., go on progressing or retrogressing according to the character of thy deeds and reap the fruits thereof. ‘We need not take an account of thy deeds. Thy own self will continue to take an account of thy actions,’ i.e., the effects which thy deeds have produced are sufficient for thee both as a reward and as a punishment. We need not inflict on thee any new punishment or bestow upon thee any new reward.8
See how clearly does the verse state that the rewards and punishments of the next world are the embodiments of man’s deeds in this very life. Elsewhere the Holy Quran says:
‘The virtuous shall drink of a cup, which will have the property of camphor,’ i.e., it will have the virtue of suppressing the evil passions. ‘The cups shall be filled from springs which the believers have dug with great labour,’ i.e., the deeds which the believers had done in their earthly life would appear in the next world in the form of springs.9
Again, the Holy Quran says, ‘One who is blind in this world will be blind in the next.’10 ‘That is, the man who has not seen the truth with the eye of his soul in this world will feel as if he was blind in the next, for the soul of this life will be the body of the next.
At another place, the Holy Quran says:
‘And he who is indifferent to My remembrance in this life and does not care to seek Me shall lead a life which will go on reducing his spiritual powers and the result will be evil. At the time when the soul should have perfected its powers and should be born into the next spiritual stage, such a one would be blind, (that is, he would be born blind in the life to come). Then in a state of bewilderment he would say, “O my Lord, how has all this happened? I had eyes in my previous life. Why hast Thou created me blind now?” Thereupon shall God say, “Thou didst likewise forsake My word; I have now left thee to thy fate so that thou mayest be rewarded according to thy deeds.”’11
This shows that blindness in the next life will be due to spiritual blindness in this life.
Thus it is clear that though the rewards and punishments of the next world will have some kind of body, yet they would be only embodiments of the actions of this life, and not anything altogether new. The details, as given in the Holy Quran, of the life of the next world also lend support to this conclusion. For instance, the Holy Quran says, that the dwellers of paradise will be given wine to drink which would purify their souls. It is clear that a material thing cannot purify the soul. Wine, therefore, here means the love of God which a man feels in this life and which will appear embodied as wine in the life to come, just as in a dream spiritual conditions appear to us in physical forms. As that wine will be an embodiment of the love of God and will not be a material thing, the drinking of it will purify the soul of man increasing thus his love of God.
In short, while Islam describes the rewards and punishments of the next life as physical, it characterizes them at the same time as spiritual; and this indeed is the only true and accurate description. Those unacquainted with the reality have either taken them as merely physical or as purely spiritual conditions. As a matter of fact both these conditions are opposed to reason. The rewards and punishments of the next life can neither be wholly physical, nor can purely spiritual perception of them serve the end in view, for a subtle and delicate object can manifest its properties only through a body less subtle and coarse than itself.
It may be asked where and in what form will the punishment of hell manifest itself. Islam furnishes an excellent answer to this question, while no other religion gives an answer. Islam teaches us that hell is the name of the punishment which man will suffer through his seven senses. The Holy Quran says:
‘Hell has seven gates through each of which shall one part of a condemned person pass.’12
But we find that the Holy Quran represents both the inmates of heaven and those of hell as complete beings and not as divided up into parts. Therefore the entry of one part of man through each of the gates of hell can mean only that man will feel its punishment through the avenues of his seven senses and thus he will, as it were, enter hell through seven gates and through each gate there will pass one part of his body; i.e., one part through the sense of sight, another part through the sense of hearing, a third part through the sense of smell a fourth through the sense of taste, a fifth through the sense of touch, a sixth through the sense of heat and cold, and a seventh through the muscular sense. It is by means of these seven senses that man commits sins. He sins either through his eyes, when he looks at evil things with an evil eye or he sins through his ears when he listens to backbiting or foul language, etc.; or he sins through his nose when he smells things which he ought not to smell, or through his sense of taste when he eats things which he ought not to eat; or through his sense of touch when a desire for soft beds and cushions prevents him from employing himself in the service of his fellow men; or he sins through his sense of temperature when he shrinks from the performance of good deeds through fear of heat or cold; or again he sins through his muscular sense when he refrains from doing good or leaves it incomplete to save himself from fatigue. In short, it is the seven senses which cause a man to sin, and it is these senses which enable him to do good. By the seven gates of hell are thus meant the seven senses by means of which man commits sin. It is these seven senses through which he will taste punishment in the life to come, for owing to his becoming habituated to evil, the seven spiritual senses which correspond to the seven physical senses will become weakened and diseased, and will, by reason of their diseased condition, feel the punishment appointed for offenders in the next life. Accordingly we find that all these seven kinds of punishments have been mentioned in the Holy Quran. With regard to the punishment which pertains to the sense of sight the Holy Quran says, ‘Would that the deniers could picture to themselves the spectacle when they will see the punishment.’13 That is to say, they shall be made to witness scenes the sight of which will cause them anguish. The Holy Prophet (sas) says that they shall see serpents, scorpions and other terrifying things. With regard to the sense of hearing the Holy Quran says:
‘When it (hell-fire) shall see them from afar, they shall hear its raging and roaring.’14
That is to say, the flames of hell-fire shall roar in a terrible manner so that the very hearing of that roaring will be a pain and terror.
With regard to the sense of smell and taste, the Holy Quran says:
‘And of tainted water shall he be made to drink; he shall sip it and will scarce be able to swallow it for loathing.’15
With regard to the sense of touch, the Holy Quran says:
‘They shall make their bed of Hell, and above them shall also be coverings of fire.’16
That is to say, they will be punished even through their sense of touch. Again, the Holy Quran says:
‘And when they shall be flung into a narrow space thereof bound together, they shall then invoke destruction.’17
With regard to the punishment to be inflicted through the sense of temperature, the Holy Quran says,
‘Let them taste hot boiling water as well as intensely cold water.’18
With regard to the punishment inflicted through the muscular sense the Holy Quran says, ‘Downcast on that day shall be the countenances of some, full of travail and weariness.’19
In short, the Holy Quran describes in detail the punishments which will be inflicted through the seven senses. This means that the seven spiritual senses, which correspond to the seven physical senses, will be vitiated, and will become the avenues or channels of punishment. A misuse or abuse of the senses which are a boon from God, will vitiate the spiritual senses and all things will become for them a source of pain.
But for those who make a beneficent use of their senses they will become a source of pleasure, for the right use of a thing strengthens it and enhances its properties. Accordingly we find that the rewards promised to the righteous pertain to these seven senses also. Every sense, being healthy and sound will become a channel or source of pleasure. Do you not see that the light of the sun which is so pleasant and which refreshes the eye and delights the heart becomes a source of pain and discomfort to one with a sore eye, so much so, that if the eye is not quickly shielded from the rays of the sun, it may totally lose its sight; or the man may faint? Similarly, do you not see that a sweet and charming voice which pleases all hearers is most disturbing to a man suffering from a disorder of the ear or from headache, and that which cheers other people becomes for him distressing and intolerable? Again, do you not see that when the sense of smell is vitiated, it is offended by a sweet smell, so much so that perfume causes headache to some persons although it is one of the blessings of God? Again, do you not see that when the sense of taste is impaired, a sweet thing tastes bitter, and salt tastes insipid? Every palatable thing loses its flavour, nay, it becomes positively nauseating. Again, do you not see that when a man’s sense of touch is upset, a soft bed which would afford comfort and delight to another, becomes to him harder than stone and as uncomfortable as a bed of thorns which causes him to roll about in agony? Again, do you not see that when a man has his sense of temperature disturbed, the very coolness which is refreshing to others turns into fire for him and he casts off his clothes and complains bitterly of a burning sensation in his body? Again, do you not see that in the hot season, a man who has this sense out of order begins to shiver with cold and covers himself with warm clothing while others may be using ice and may be fanning themselves? Similarly, do you not see that those whose muscular sense is weakened, consider walking an intolerable burden while for others it is a recreation; such people get tired before they have walked many paces?
In short, all these phenomena are being daily witnessed; from which one can well understand the nature of hell. It must be remembered that just as virtue has a positive existence and a misuse of the faculty of doing good is called vice, similarly, the blessings of God and bounties are positive, and pain and punishment are the consequence of the corruption which a man works in his own soul. A man came to the Holy Prophet (sas) and said, ‘O Messenger of God, God says that paradise extends over the earth and the heavens. If this is so, where, then, is hell?’ The Holy Prophet (sas) replied, ‘When it is day, where is the night? The same is the case with heaven and hell.’ Now this cannot mean that at one time all men will be in hell, and at another, all will be in heaven, just as there is day at one time and night at another. It means, rather, that though night comes over the whole earth and day too comes over the whole earth, yet for those, who have the sun over them, it is day, and for others it is night. Similarly those who will be under God’s favour, will find themselves in heaven, and the others in hell. Hence those who through the grace of God will have developed their seven senses into a sound condition will enjoy the blessings of heaven, but for those who will have corrupted their senses, these very blessings will turn into punishment. Virtuous people will feel only so much heat as will ensure their comfort, but the wicked will feel the heat of a burning fire which will scorch them with its flames. A virtuous man will enjoy spiritual blessings resembling cool water, but when the water is given to the wicked man he will find it intensely hot so much so that it will burn his mouth. The Holy Prophet (sas) says: ‘Every man has a place in heaven and hell; those who go to heaven will occupy not only their own places but also the places which would have been occupied by those who are in hell, and those who go to hell will also occupy the places which would have been occupied by those who are in heaven.’ This too means that the inmates of heaven will take up the whole bliss, and those who are condemned, the whole punishment. When a person is unable to benefit by a blessing, he says to the other, ‘Thou hast taken away my share also.’
The Holy Quran says, ‘There is no one of you who shall not go down into hell.’ And then it adds, ‘Then will We deliver those who had the fear of God.’20 This shows that every man will enter hell but God will save the righteous from pain and suffering. That is to say, they will enter hell but at the same time will be safe from it. This can only mean that the righteous people will turn everything into a source of blessing and joy for themselves through the soundness of their senses. The Holy Prophet (sas) says, ‘God will say to a person: “Leap into hell.” When he will leap into it, he will find it a place of joy.’ In short, all those things which the spiritual body will experience in the next world will be the consequence of the right or wrong use of the seven senses.
There is this difference indeed that the inmates of hell will be confined to their respective places, but the dwellers of heaven will be free, just as a sick person is confined to his bed, while a healthy person moves about freely. For, hell is a prison or a hospital, and heaven is a pleasance. Hell is limited while heaven is unlimited. An inmate of hell will not be able to move beyond his prescribed limits. But a dweller of heaven will be free to go wherever he pleases. For him all space will be heaven. Even if he enters the place where the inmates of hell may be suffering the tortures of hell-fire, it will be to him like a pleasure garden. As the inmates of hell would suffer tortures and it distresses one person to see another in torture, the inmates of hell will be concealed from the eyes of the dwellers of heaven by means of a curtain so that the sight of their torture may not cause the latter any pain unless they themselves desire to see them.
The inmates of heaven will not be aware of one another’s condition; each will be conscious only of his own. But if God wishes to exalt a person to a higher position, He will make him aware of the condition of the person above him. Then will that man yearn for the next higher position, and will have his wish granted.
Another question with regard to the life after death is whether reward and punishment will be everlasting. The answer which Islam gives to this question is that reward will but punishment will not be everlasting. The Holy Quran says that man has been created so that he might become a perfect manifestation of Divine attributes. If people continue to burn in hell-fire for ever and ever, how, and when will they become such manifestations?
The Holy Quran tells us that the blessings of heaven will be unending, but this will not be the case with the punishment of hell which, under the will of God and through His mercy and grace, will at last come to an end. The Holy Quran says that the mercy of God excels His wrath. When the wicked will have experienced the wrath of God during a period long enough to be called everlasting in view of the limited vision of man, the mercy of God will come into operation. The Holy Prophet (sas) says, ‘There will come a time over hell when there will remain none in it, and the easterly breeze will shake its gates.’
The idea that the inmates of hell will undergo everlasting punishment is due to ignorance of the purpose for which God punishes the sinful. God, being Merciful, has no desire to inflict punishment on anyone; a man brings punishment on himself on account of his own wickedness. As man corrupts his own spiritual faculties, he will not be able to experience the blessings of God to be awarded in the next world, and so he will experience pain. God, out of His mercy, has ordained that diseases should find a cure. Hence, just as physical diseases are cured, similarly, the wicked will be cured and reformed by the pain which they will experience and will then be able to enjoy the blessings of heaven. Then will they enter heaven, and God’s mercy will be perfected and the purpose for which man was created will be fulfilled.
Another important question without answering which any account of the life after death must remain incomplete is, what will man do in the next life? Will his actions come to an end? Will he occupy himself merely with eating and drinking like a super annuated person or will he have something to do?
The answer which Islam gives to this question is that actions constitute life and that to separate a man from action is to deprive him of life. A life without action is worse than death. If a life of inactivity had been a good thing, the ease-loving people of this world would have been looked upon as the best and most enviable people. But a person who has experienced the joy which springs from work knows that true happiness lies in action and progress. It may be well for an idiot to remain idle, but no sane person would wish to be without work. The Holy Quran says:
‘Their light shall run before them, and on their right. They will say, “Our Lord! perfect for us our light, and cover up our weaknesses; verily Thou hast power over all things.”’21
That is to say, every believer will go on progressing and will perceive new stages of advancement, which he will strive after and desire to attain. Again, the Holy Quran says, ‘The believers will not experience any fatigue in heaven,’ which shows that there will be work in heaven but it will not occasion fatigue or weariness.22 At another place, the Holy Quran says:
‘O soul that hast been satisfied with Me and in whom there is left no doubt concerning Me, return to thy Lord being well-pleased with Him and He being well-pleased with thee; enter among My servants and enter the place which is under My direct patronage’ (i.e., the place where the perfect attributes of God are fully manifested).23
Thus, though man has work assigned to him in this life, the time of real work begins after death. It is then, that a believer becomes a perfect servant of God, for it is then that he obtains the fullest opportunity to absorb into himself and to manifest perfectly the attributes of God.
So man’s work will not cease in the life after death. On the other hand, it will increase. The Holy Prophet (sas) says, ‘In paradise the believers will be taught, through revelation, new forms of the glorification and sanctification of God.’ This does not mean that they will be taught new expressions for the glorification of God, for, this a man could do by himself. It means that they will be taught, through revelations, new attributes of God relating to His sanctity and majesty, so that they may try to become manifestations of those attributes also.
It may be asked what new attributes of God could there be which are not already known? The answer is that man can acquire only so much knowledge as he can learn through his senses. Hence, our present knowledge is limited by the capacity of our senses. It can be described as perfect only with reference to the capacity of our present senses. But when man acquires new senses, he will also be able to comprehend new attributes, and God being unlimited, man will continue to progress in the knowledge and the recognition of the Divine Being, and new attributes will continue to be revealed to him. He will try to realize and manifest them in his own self. The new knowledge will throw open ever fresh spheres of action. Man will continue on the path of everlasting progress, and his belief in and the knowledge of unlimited powers and attributes of God will increase daily.
In short, paradise is a place of action, just as this world is; nay, it is more. In this life a man is liable to fail and to be retarded, but in the next life there will be no such danger. Thus, in respect of spiritual knowledge and endeavour this world is like a school, where a person may succeed or fail. But the next life may be compared to that of a person who engages himself in scientific research after graduation. He also, has to work hard, nay, he sometimes works even harder than a college student, but the difference between them is that a student is always afraid lest he should fail, but a research worker has not that fear.
This discussion shows also that the real blessings and joys of paradise lie in spiritual progress and not in the satisfaction of physical desires. The Holy Quran says that the greatest blessing of paradise is the pleasure of God,24 and the greatest joy, according to the Holy Prophet (sas) will be to see God.
In short, in the acquisition of true and perfect knowledge, the doing of good deeds in accordance with that knowledge, and in the attainment of nearness to and union with God by these two means lies the paradise of a Muslim. It is impossible to conceive a grander object than this.
I have here set out the teachings of Ahmadiyyat concerning all those questions with regard to which it is the duty of a religion to afford guidance. I trust that those who study what I have said with care will be convinced that the teachings of Ahmadiyyat would enable every person completely to fulfil the object of his or her existence.
The peculiar excellence of Islam lies in the fact that it actually leads man to God, and thus puts an end to all discussions and controversies. Why has man been created? The only object of his creation is that he should attain to union with God. So, only that religion can be deemed capable of fulfilling the true purpose of religion which enables us to attain union with God, and not those which seek to please us by mere words.
1 Al-Mu’minun, 23:116,117.
2 Al-Nahl, 16:29, 30, 33.
3 ‘Abasa, 80: 22.
4 Al-Sajdah, 32:18.
5 Al-Baqarah, 2:26.
6 Al-Baqarah, 2:26.
7 Al-Zumar, 39:43.
8 Bani-Isra’il, 17:14, 15.
9 Al-Dahr, 76: 6, 7.
10 Bani-Isra’il, 17:73.
11 Ta Ha, 20:125-127.
12 Al-Hijr, 15:45.
13 Al-Baqarah, 2:166.
14 Al-Furqan, 25:13.
15 Ibrahim, 14:17, 18.
16 Al-A‘raf, 7:42.
17 Al-Furqan, 25:14.
18 Sad, 38:58.
19 Al-Ghashiah, 88: 3, 4.
20 Maryam, 19:71-72.
21 Al-Tahrim, 66:9.
22 Al-Hijr, 15:49.
23 Al-Fajr, 35:28-30.
24 Al-Taubah, 9:72.