Aqeedah Summary
"Belief in the Day of Judgment and Qadr"
Questions
1. What
are the effects of believing in this pillar, particularly the Minor Signs of the
Hour, on our life?
The minor signs of the Hour remind us of the
truthfulness of the Messengers, and ALLAH’s knowledge of the future. It also
helps the believers to be patient for the Final Justice of ALLAH.
2. Does
belief in Qadr really cancel the Muslims freedom of choice and resolution?
The correct belief in Qadar strengthens the
Muslim’s freedom of choice and resolution by causing him to resign himself on
the path that pleases ALLAH, in spite of any difficulty or misfortune.
3. Compare
the concept of Qadar in Islam and Western concepts such as Fate, Fatalism, and
predestination?
The Western Concept of Fate is placed as
independent of the Creator, whereas the Justice and Wisdom of ALLAH control Fate
in Islam. Fatalism is the idea that man’s future is controlled by blind forces
that are indifferent to his welfare, whereas, in Islam, ALLAH is the only one in
control and He decides the destiny of all creatures, moreover, he rewards men
beyond their deserts. The Western concept of Predestination leads people to
believe that they are impotent creatures and nothing is required of them.
Belief in the Day of Judgment and Qadar
Many details of life after death are found in the
Qur’an and sound Prophetic Traditions. These details are supported by the
consensus of Muslims. We should believe in the descriptions they contain and we
should not elaborate outside of them.
There are different stages of the life after death
that deal with accounting for one’s deeds. The Grave, and its rewards or
punishments, is called the Life of Barzakh (or Partition). The Day of Judgment
is the Resurrection from the graves. The Final Abode is Paradise or Hell.
The Day of Judgment is mentioned often in the
Qu'ran, which keeps people from being over concerned with worldly comfort or
misfortune. The Qur'an places the belief in the Day of Judgment and the deeds
that result from it as righteousness.
The belief in the Final Judgment of mankind’s
deeds pairs with belief in the Justice of ALLAH, and the path of righteousness.
Disbelieving means assuming all things are created in vain; that good will not
be rewarded, and bad will not be punished; hence it denies ALLAH’s Attributes
and path of righteousness.
Disbelievers often consider Resurrection as too
much of a change of their surroundings to be possible. They are answered with
the fact that ALLAH, the Creator of things from naught, can create what the mind
cannot picture, and can create anything. Moreover, they are shown the
Resurrection will take place with phenomenon similar to what happens every day
in the Natural World. (36:78 to 81) (22:5 to 7)
Hence, the mind, the human nature(Fitra), the
Messengers, the Books, and the Creation support the belief in the Day of
Judgment.
Details about Life after Death
The Grave
The punishment or reward of a person begins at
death, and continues in the grave. After burial, ALLAH sends an Angel to every person, who asks him who
is his God and his Prophet and what is his Religion. The believer replies that
ALLAH is his God, Muhammad (PBUH) is his Prophet, and Islam is his religion,
after which his grave is expanded and made comfortable. Whereas the disbeliever,
or hypocrite replies that he doesn’t know and is tortured. These rewards or
punishments are given even to one who isn’t buried.
The Day of Resurrection
On the Day of Resurrection, ALLAH will judge the
deeds of mankind directly. To signal it's beginning, a trumpet will be blown
which will make the Heavens the Earth swoon, and all beings therein perish.
After some time, it will be blown again, and mankind will be resurrected. The
Gathering will begin, and everyone will assemble in a place and await ALLAH’s
judgment of their deeds (Qur’an 19:85-86, Sahih Muslim no. 6844). The people
will be sweating, naked, and in discomfort and anxiety. The Prophets (PBUH) will
be asked to pray that ALLAH hastens His decision. The Prophets, in turn, will
tell the people to request Muhammad’s (PBUH) intercession, which will be
accepted. Hence reckoning will begin, and all their actions, thoughts, and
conditions will be received as a book. Those who will be in Paradise will
receive their books in their right hands, and ALLAH will hide and pardon their
faults. Those due for punishment, will receive their books in their left hands,
and thenceforward will be questioned sternly about their life.
There are more details provided about the Day of
Resurrection, such as the Cistern granted to Muhammad and his followers for
drink; the Balance---a scale for weighing people’s deeds; the Bridge, which
the believers will cross, while the disbelievers will fall from it into Hell
Fire; and Paradise and Hell, the final abode for believers and disbelievers.
The Portents and Signs of the Hour (Day of
Resurrection)
The signs of the Hour can be classed into Major and
Minor Signs. The Minor Signs forecast special events, and a general decrease in
morality, while the Major Signs foreshadow the larger changes of the spiritual
and physical world. The hour will
not come until the following occur: The Dajjal will claim that he is God and
will be accompanied by miracles that will cause disbelievers to follow him; The
Beast will speak to mankind about their folly for not believing in ALLAH; Jesus
will return and rule under an Islamic government, kill the Dajjal, and then die;
The Gog and Magog will come and spread mischief on earth; and the sun will rise
from the West. After the appearance of the Beast, the Dajjal, or the sun rising
in the West--- ALLAH will not accept faith, good works, and repentance from the
disbelievers (and nor from the Muslims, according to some commentators).
Paradise or Hell
ALLAH created the abodes of Paradise and Hell
before he created man, and they will be remain forever. The abode of the
Believers is Paradise, they will receive all that they ask for. ALLAH has
prepared special pleasures for them, such as fruit, meat, and companions of
their choice. Whereas the
Disbelievers will stay in Hell, where they will be tormented forever.
Faith In ALLAH’s Predestination and Fate
Predestination implies ALLAH’s knowledge about
the future of his creation, whereas Fate implies the many things (sustenance,
choices, opportunities, etc.) that come into man’s sphere of existence. Both
Predestination and Fate are included in the word "Qadr". To believe in
Qadr means believing that ALLAH knows the future, and that He has determined the
outcome of all things. Also, it means believing that the influence of the
Creator’s will is over and above the designs of His creations.
The belief in Qadr has four elements of belief
about ALLAH’s knowledge and power.
Concerning His knowledge:
1. ALLAH
knows all the good, and evil circumstances of the future. That is, He knows the
blessings and misfortunes His creatures would have, and their good and bad
choices.
2. This
Divine knowledge was written in the Book of Decrees (Al Lauh al Mahfuz, see
Qur’an 22:70, 57:22)
Concerning his power:
3. Nothing
can happen in the Heavens or the earth without the Will of ALLAH.
4.
ALLAH likes Belief and good deeds, but he has given men power over their
actions.
Consequently, rather than using his free will to
follow the course ALLAH is pleased with, he is pursuing an issue of the Unseen
only known by ALLAH.
Some people think that Predestination and Fate
makes the rule of cause and effect impotent. They are answered with the fact that ALLAH created and regulates both the
causes and their effects. Hence, to forego what is a cause of good is to make
oneself worthy of punishment. To
deem that through adopting a certain path, that the effect is inevitable, is to
deny ALLAH’s power.
The believers’ faith in ALLAH’s predestination
gives contentment to the heart and helps them to be steadfast. They are not
grief stricken about their past, or worried over the future;
they understand that everything is done according to the Justice and
Wisdom of ALLAH. Their only role is to pursue the course that pleases Him.
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