What does belief in the Last Day mean?

Discussion in 'Miscellany' started by ottoman, Feb 2, 2011.

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  1. ottoman

    ottoman Veteran

    The fifth fundamental of îmân is the belief in the Last Day. The expression wal yawm-il âkhirî … wal-ba’thu ba’d-al mawt haqqun in the Âmantu teaches the belief in the Last Day and in the Resurrection after death.

    This time begins on the day when a person dies and continues till the end of Doomsday. The reason it is called the “Last Day” is because there is no night to come after it, or because it comes after the world. The “Day” mentioned in this hadîth-i sharîf is not like the day or night we know. It denotes some time. It was not made known when Doomsday will occur. No one could estimate its time. Nevertheless, our master the Prophet pointed out many of its harbingers and precedents:

    Hadrat al-Mahdîwill come; ’Îsâ ’alaihis-salâm will descend from the sky; ad-Dajjâlwill appear; people called Ya’jûj and Ma’jûjwill put the whole world into turmoil; the sun will rise in the west; violent earthquakes will occur; religious knowledge will be forgotten; vice and evil will increase; irreligious, immoral, dishonest people will become leaders; Allahu ta’âlâ’s orders will be forbidden; harâm will be committed everywhere; fire will come out of Yemen; seas and mountains will split into pieces; the sun and the moon will darken; seas will mix with each other, boil, and dry up.

    A Muslim who does sinful acts is called fâsiq.Fâsiqs and all disbelievers will be tortured in their graves. These are certainly to be believed. After interment, the deceased will return to an unknown life and will be either in blessings or in torture.

    As it was clearly declared in hadîth-i sharîfs, two angels named Munkar and Nakîr, in the guise of two unknown horrible people, will come to the grave and question people. Questions in the grave will be on some fundamentals of îmân according to some scholars or on the whole of îmân to some others. For this reason, we should teach our children the answers to the following questions: Who is your Rabb? What is your religion? Whose umma (which prophet’s community) do you belong to? What is [the name of] your Holy Book? What is your qibla? What are your madhhabs in îmân and in ’ibâdât (or ’amal)? It is written in Tadhkirat al-Qurtubî that those who are not Ahl as-Sunna will not be able to answer correctly.
    The graves of those who will give precise answers will enlarge, and a window will be opened to Paradise. Every morning and every evening they will see their places in Paradise, and angels will do them favors and give them good news. Those who cannot answer precisely will be beaten with iron mallets so severely that every creature but humankind and genies will hear them cry out. Their graves will become so tight that they will feel as if their bones would intertwine. A hole will be opened to Hell. In the morning and in the evening they will see their places in Hell. They will be tortured bitterly in their graves till the Resurrection.

    It is necessary to believe in [the other] life after death. After the flesh and bones rot and turn into earth and gas, they will come together again; the souls will enter the bodies they belong to, and everybody will rise up from graves. Therefore, this time is called the Day of Qiyâma(Resurrection).
     

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