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Monday, December 17, 2018

Part 3: Afterlife Through the Eyes of Muslims

Nadene Goldfoot                                         

Created through Mohammad (570-632 CE) ,Islam is the religion of the messenger, Mohammed of Saudi Arabia,   an Arab Chieftain of Mecca.  It's more like Judaism in that the message is the important factor, not the messenger which is found in Christianity.  Mohammad was illiterate, living  in the city of Medina with many tribes of Jews who had storytellers sitting outside reciting their Biblical stories.  Mohammad heard them and admired these people of the Book, which was their Torah.  He wanted his people to be 'People of the Book," too, so created by dictation, his Koran.  He also taught that there was only one G-d, and that Islam was the religion of submission to the will of Allah (G-d).  Just what the will of G-d is differs many times in Islam compared to what it is in Judaism and Christianity.  That's the differences between the 3 religions. 

 The word Islam means submission.  Mohammad is said to have conversed with the angel, Gabriel, mentioned  in the Torah,  in receiving his information.  Up to then, their religion had been more polytheistic. 

  He believed in converting Jews by the sword.  Whole tribes were converted that way that lived in Medina because their answer to accept was to decline the offer.  Islam is the 2nd largest religious group with 1.3 billion followers.  

"Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia was a mix of polytheism,Christianity, Judaism, and Iranian religionsArab polytheism, the dominant belief system, was based on the belief in deities and other supernatural beings such as djinn.  Gods and goddesses were worshipped at local shrines, such as the Kaaba in Mecca.
                                                                      

Death in Islam is the termination of worldly life and the beginning of afterlife. Death is seen as the separation of soul from body, and its transfer from this world to the afterlife.  How to get to Paradise is the question.  Ākhirah (Arabic: الآخرة) is an Islamic term referring to the afterlife. It is repeatedly referenced in chapters of the Quran concerning the Last Judgment, an important part of Islamic eschatology. Traditionally, it is considered to be one of the six main beliefs of Muslims. According to the Islamic beliefs, God will play the role of the qadi, weighing the deeds of each individual. He will decide whether that person's ʾākhirah lies in Jahannam (Hell) or Jannah (Heaven) on the basis of the weight of either good or bad deeds in comparison with one another."

Mohammad introduced his Articles of Belief
1.  The Unity of G-d:  There is no G-d save Allah.  This comes directly from the 10 Commandments from Moses to the Israelites.   It was a new concept to the Arabs, however. 
2. All the prophets that G-d sent for the guidance of the people, now have the last prophet, Muhammad.  They believe that after him there will be no other.  Jews had said this in their day and said that Malachi(460-450 BCE)  was the last one, and that the days of Prophets was over.  Malachi also meant "my messenger."  They also believed that all the Jewish prophets including Moses was a prophet.  They include Jesus as a prophet, however, which Judaism does not.  Abraham is their friend of G-d;  Moses is called the spokesman of G-d, Jesus is called the spirit of G-d, and the word of Mohammad is called the messenger of G-d.                                                                   

4.  The Final Judgment:  eschatological topics as Heaven, Hell, Day of Judgment, Resurrection, purgatory and Limbo.  Muslims have practically the same views as Christians.  Muhammad, however, is not considered to be an intercessor.  Only those who repent and believe and are righteous in action and those who are martyrs for their faith of Islam will go to Paradise.  The duties of Angels are to record men's actions, act as witnesses on the DAY OF JUDGMENT, hold G-d's throne, and be useful to entities that G-d favors.  Jinns are like little devils.  They try to lead people astray and oppose the Prophet.  It's like the Christian idea of "the Devil made me do it." 

As a Muslim lays dying, he also must utter an article of faith, saying,"There is no G-d except Allah."  Jews say the Shema.  Shema YIsrael Adonoi Eloheinu Adonoi Echad.  Hear O Israel (Deut. 6:4).  proclaiming the absolute unity of G-d, our confession of our faith.  

"Muslims believe in the continued existence of the soul and a transformed physical existence after death. Islam teaches that there will be a day of judgment when all humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell.  Last Day, on which the world will be destroyed and Allah will raise all people and jinn from the dead to be judged. The Last Day is also called the Day of Standing Up, Day of Separation, Day of Reckoning, Day of Awakening, Day of Judgment, The Encompassing Day or The Hour."

"It's a physical resurrection,  "suggesting that Allah will re-create the decayed body (17:100: "Could they not see that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to create the like of them"?)  They are either granted admission to Paradise, where they will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures forever, or condemned to Hell to suffer spiritual and physical torment for eternity."
                                                           
One version of Paradise
"The day of judgment is described as passing over Hell on a narrow bridge in order to enter Paradise. Those who fall, weighted by their bad deeds, will remain in Hell forever. The Quran specifies two exceptions to this general rule:


    - Warriors who die fighting in the cause of God are ushered immediately to God's presence (Surah 2:159 and Surah 3:169); and - "Enemies of Islam" are sentenced immediately to Hell upon death."
"The angel of death (ArabicMalak al-Maut) appears to the dying to take out their souls. The sinners' souls are extracted in a most painful way while the righteous are treated easily. After the burial, two angels – Munkar and Nakir – come to question the dead in order to test their faith. The righteous believers answer correctly and live in peace and comfort while the sinners and disbelievers fail and punishments ensue. The time period or stage between death and the end of the world is called the life of barzakh. 

"Suicideeuthanasia, and unjust murder as means of death are all prohibited in Islam, and are considered major sins."  
                                                                    
Fatah terrorists join up with Hamas Terrorists,
on their way to martydom
The Quran itself gives only brief references about the period between death and the resurrection. However it mentions that certain individuals such as martyrs are alive and not dead and also indicates, that some are already in hell  The term Barzakh indicates that the deceased and the living are entirely separated and can not interact with each other. Otherwise the Barzakh refers to the whole period between the Day of Resurrection and death and is used synonymously for "grave". Despite the brief mentionings of the Quran, Islamic tradition discusses elaborately, almost in graphic detail, as to what exactly happens before, during, and after death.
                                                      

After the burial each person is interrogated in the grave by two angels, called Munkar and Nakir, appointed by God to question the dead in order to test their faith. The righteous believers answer correctly and live in peace and comfort while the sinners and disbelievers fail and punishments ensue. In the life of Barzakh, the souls of the sinners and disbelievers are kept and punished in a place called Sijjin which is said to be located at the lowest level of the earth (traditionally hell, before the Day of resurrection or underworld). The books containing the full records of their deeds are also kept here. On the other hand, the souls of the righteous believers are kept in a place called Illiyin. Their books of deeds are also kept here. According to some account, Illiyin is located in the heaven." 

This is similar to the Jewish belief that on Yom Kippur, we are judged and if worthy, our name goes into the book of LIFE.  Where the book is kept is not discussed.  
                                                  

After the questioning, depending on the state of the soul, the deceased will undergo different journeys. The sinner's or disbelievers will meet the harsh angels or even the Zabaniyya to take position in front of him. Thereupon they tell the soul to come out to the wrath of God. Being terrified, the soul desperately tries to hide itself in the body. Thereupon, the angels of death starts beating the soul and extracts it from the body in a most painful way. The painful process of taking out a sinner's soul has been compared with "the dragging of an iron skewer through moist wool, tearing the veins and sinews." The soul of the sinner is then wrapped in a dirty cloth which emits bad smell. Carrying the soul, the angels head towards the heaven. On the way, other angels inquire about this wicked soul. They are told that this is the soul of that and that sinner person. The angels then arrive at the upper heaven, but its doors are not opened for the evil soul. Consequently, the soul is then thrown into hell or underworld, where it is punished until the Day of Judgment.
The righteous have the opposite experience with angels coming with perfume and the shroud and the soul comes out of the body and taken to the 7th heaven, so the soul goes back into the body and is questioned by 2 angels, getting heavenly rewards.  They also share the Limbo idea of Christians, just remain in the grave.  However, martyrs get preferential treatment as usual.  They skip Limbo and the trial and go directly to Paradise.  It is said that they receive 72 virgins as a reward for good behavior.  
"The Qur’an tells us also that Muslims arriving to Paradise will be married with these newly created beings, whom no man or jinn has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse before:Qur’an 55:54–56—They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach)."
                                                                         
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
 The frightening experience many people have in the Middle East and even worldwide is coming in contact with ISIS, an extreme Muslim political and religious group of terrorists.  Their leader told his followers that masterbating will cause their hands to become pregnant in the afterlife.   

Islam has always been the dominant religion of many different empires.  They have never really been subjugated except by the Crusaders in Jerusalem during the Middle Ages.  They have been able to obtain Sharia law in many of the new towns and cities they now are living in.  




Resource:  http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/afterlife
Book:  Middle East Past & Present by Yahya Armajani and Thomas M. Ricks-Portland State U. text.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_view_of_death
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Islam-offers-72-virgins-in-the-afterlife-to-the-believers-of-that-religion
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805210881/jewishfamilycom/
https://newsexaminer.net/politics/isis-leader-tells-followers-masturbation-will-cause-hands-pregnant/



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