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Lesson Three -- After Death, Then What?
Qiyamat has not yet come, and every day people die and are
buried. What happens to these people as they wait in their graves
for the day of resurrection? As far as the body is concerned,
it remains lifeless in the grave and goes through the natural
process of decay. Allah spoke of this to Adam (pbuh) after the
sentence of death came upon Adam for his sin,
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you
return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust
you are and to dust you will return." (, Genesis 3:19)
But everyone who has seen a dead body knows that there is
more to life than the body. Something is missing from the dead
body, something we call the soul. The body remains, but the soul
is gone. Where has it gone to? According to the holy scriptures,
different people go to different places depending on whether
they are righteous or wicked.
The Waiting Place for the Wicked
once told a story about two men who died that helps
us understand more about life after death,
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine
linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar
named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell
from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his
sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried
him to 's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw
far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, `Father , have pity on me and send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
because I am in agony in this fire.'
But replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,
but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides
all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so
that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone
cross over from there to us.'
He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's
house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they
will not also come to this place of torment.'
replied, `They have and the Prophets; let them listen
to them.'
`No, father ,' he said, `but if someone from the dead
goes to them, they will repent.'
He said to him, `If they do not listen to and the Prophets,
they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
(Holy , Luke 16:19-31)
There are several things we can learn from this story:
1. That after death our soul is conscious, not sleeping.
2. There is a place of torment for the wicked, and a place of
comfort for the righteous.
3. There is no way to travel from one place to the other.
4. After death you cannot change your destiny.
5. Before death, in this life, we must prepare by listening to
the message of Allah's prophets.
6. Some people will never listen to Allah's Word, even if someone
were to die and rise again to tell them.
Those who do not listen to Allah's prophets such as (pbuh)
and will end up in a place of torment like the rich
man. But what of those who do listen? What will their condition
be after death?
The Rest of the Righteous
We have already seen from the story of the rich man and Lazarus,
that Lazarus received comfort after death, the same comfort enjoyed
by (pbuh). There are other verses of Allah's Word that
tell us much more:
For to me, to live is Masih and to die is gain. ... I am
torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Masih,
which is better by far; (Holy , Phil. 1:21,23)
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from
the body and at home with the Lord. (Holy , 2 Cor. 5:8)
These verses are written only about followers of ,
not about everyone in general. Those who are his disciples are
given a very special arrangement after death. The prophet who
healed the sick and raised the dead will give great comfort to
his followers in their death:
1. They will go to be with in heaven.
2. It will be much better than the present life.
3. They have confidence that after death, things will be much
better for them.
The third statement is quite amazing. Most people do not have
confidence about where they will go in the future life, and even
think that it would be wrong to have such confidence. After all,
Allah almighty decides our fate. Even though that is so, the
followers of are confident that they will go to heaven
after death. This is not because they think they are better than
other men, but because Isa gave a special promise to them from
Allah. Listen to what he says,
I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved. (Holy
, John 10:9)
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Holy ,
Matt. 11:28-30)
...whoever comes to me I will never drive away. (Holy ,
John 6:37)
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (Holy
, John 14:3)
Where is ? In heaven, of course. Where will his followers
be? In heaven also. What mercy and compassion Isa shows toward
his people. Because he is a prophet, his word must be believed.
If we choose to accept his word, we will receive rest and confidence
about the future.
Friend, the question remains for you, "Where will you
go after you die?" Will you enjoy the joy and peace of heaven
because you are a follower of ? Or will you go to the
place of torment as you wait for the day of judgment?
is a special holy prophet, and as such as he has made a special
arrangement for his followers. Believe and obey his words so
that you may also find the peace he gives, and a place in heaven
with him when you die.
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QUESTIONS: -- Choose the most correct answers
1. told the story of the rich man and Lazarus...
a. to explain the importance of giving
b. to teach that all rich men are bad
c. to help us understand about life after
death
2. The rich man died, was buried, and...
a. went to be
with Ibrahim in heaven
b. waited in torment
c. rested in peace
3. Lazarus was...
a. a beggar
b. a rich man
c. a businessman
4. Lazarus and waited...
a. in hellfire
b. in a place of
peace and rest
c. for the rich man to come and help them
5. After a person dies...
a. it is too late
to change his eternal destiny
b. he waits for judgment
day to come, either in torment or in happiness
c. he is conscious,
not asleep
d. all
of the above
6. To avoid suffering after death, a person must...
a. listen to the
message of Allah's prophets while he is still alive
b. try to become wealthy
in this life
c. care for his brothers
d. become
a beggar
7. If someone actually came back from the dead and told the
way to Allah...
a. everyone would
believe in him
b. nobody would believe
c. many
people would believe, some would not
8. promised his followers that after death they
will...
a. enjoy rest and
comfort with
b. be condemned by
Allah
c. stop
existing
9. Followers of are sure of a place in heaven because...
a. they think they
are better than other people
b. they are deceived
by Satan
c. they try to do good
d. they
believe the promise Isa has made to them
10. If I were to die right now, I think I would go to...
a.
a place of torment
b. a place of rest
with
c. I don't
know where I would go
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