Our day-to-day activities keep us occupied till one day when our life will end. An important to ask is, "Will there be a Day of Judgment after death"? Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, PhD analyzes this question.
Our day-to-day activities keep us occupied till one day when our life will end. An important to ask is, "Will there be a Day of Judgment after death"? Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, PhD analyzes this question.
Our day-to-day activities keep us occupied till one day when our life will end. An important to ask is, "Will there be a Day of Judgment after death"? Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, PhD analyzes this question.
Article appeared Friday, October 3rd, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh
The Reelation !34"# yo$s$% &ahb$b$l 'sla&, (h)
There is an i&portant *$estion that &$st be as+ed and answered personally by each individual. The *$estion is, ,-ill there be a )ay o% .$dg&ent/0 Be%ore loo+ing %or answers, let $s %irst decide whether it is i&portant to answer the *$estion1 2onsider the %act that each o% $s will die1 A%ter death, then, there are two possible ass$&ptions1 The %irst is that there will be no )ay o% .$dg&ent1 '% not, then there is no acco$ntability1 '% so, we can do as we please d$ring the ti&e that we lie on earth 3 eerybody else can also do as they please1 As %ar as acco$ntability is concerned there wo$ld be no di%%erence between the li%e 4o$rney o% a dog and that o% an intelligent h$&an1 5ach wo$ld eat, drin+, sleep, call to nat$re, &ate, hae children and do what each can1 The other possibility is that there is a )ay o% .$dg&ent1 This &eans that each will be held acco$ntable %or deeds towards the 2reator and other h$&an beings1 The )ay o% .$dg&ent also &eans that there wo$ld be the possibility o% either a reward or a p$nish&ent a%ter the erdict is prono$nced1 6ince, at this point, we are $nable to decide, wo$ld it be better to play it sa%e/ '% playing it sa%e is i&portant, it wo$ld &ean liing o$r li%e with the ass$&ption that there is a )ay o% .$dg&ent7 6o, now to the &ain *$estion, is there a Day of Judgment? There are a n$&ber o% ways to approach the *$estion1 One way wo$ld be to loo+ at parallels in o$r daily li%e1 's there any acco$ntability in the day8to8day things that we do/ For e9a&ple, when we ed$cate o$rseles, we loo+ to pass e9a&s1 -hen we coo+, we consider those who wo$ld eat the %ood1 -hen we deposit a che*$e, we e9pect the &oney to be credited1 'n %act, whateer we do in o$r day8to8day li%e, there is acco$ntability as each actiity has a p$rpose1 -itho$t chec+ing we wo$ld not +now whether the actiity has %$l%illed its p$rpose1 5*$ally, wo$ld it then be logical to ass$&e that the blessed and $ni*$e li%e that we are en4oying is witho$t acco$ntability/ 2an we r$n away %ro& the %act that i% the 2reator has created $s, the p$rpose &$st be ,personal0, i.e., the p$rpose o% creating &$st be soðing to do with :i&1 6o, what co$ld the personal p$rpose be/ Again, loo+ing %or parallels, an $nseen artist is +nown thro$gh his;her artwor+1 The $nseen &an$%act$rer is +nown thro$gh the *$ality o% his prod$cts1 The artist or &an$%act$rer does not need to be physically present as the artwor+ or the prod$ct itsel% bears s$%%icient witness to the *$ality o% its creator or &an$%act$rer1 <i+ewise, eerything in creation bears testi&ony to the *$ality o% the $nseen 2reator1 6ince the additional *$ality o% analytical intelligence has been gien to h$&ans, their 4ob wo$ld be to bear intelligent witness to the *$ality o% the 2reator 3 4$st li+e h$&ans bear witness to the *$ality o% an artist by e9a&ining a painting1 'n the =$r>an, Allah in%or&s $s why :e has created h$&ans1 't is :e -ho bro$ght yo$ o$t %ro& the wo&bs o% yo$r &others when yo$ +new nothing? and :e gae yo$ hearing and sight and intelligence and a%%ections@ that you may give thanks (to Allah). A1B1"CD 't is i&portant to realiEe that to gie than+s or be grate%$l, one &$st hae a reason1 To wor+ o$t a reason, intelligence &$st wor+ together with the %ac$lties o% sight and hearing to is$aliEe and disc$ss the things that the 2reator has done1 Once a h$&an being conte&plates on the blessings o% li%e and liing, gratit$de &$st co&e %ro& the heart, i.e., a%%ection %or the 2reator1 'n a n$tshell, there%ore, the p$rpose o% h$&ans wo$ld be to $se their gien intelligence to appraise the things that the $nseen 2reator has done and bear testi&ony to :is =$alities 3 this is the 4ob o% a belieer1 -hen a person bears s$ch a testi&ony he;she in e%%ect %ollows the %ootsteps o% Abraha& who na&ed s$ch people F$sli&s A221"CD1 O yo$ people7 Adore yo$r G$ardian8<ord who created yo$ and those who ca&e be%ore yo$ so that you may have the chance to learn righteousness. A2121D ighteousness is therefore giving credit where it is due. To be righteo$s, we &$st intelligently ac+nowledge the 2reator>s wor+s and adore :i& %or what :e has done %or $s1 't is not witho$t reason that .es$s !pb$h# con%ir&ed that the &ost i&portant co&&and&ent and <aw gien to Foses !pb$h# is, :e answered, HI<oe the <ord yo$r God with all yo$r heart and with all yo$r so$l and with all yo$r strength and with all yo$r &indI111IH A<$+e 10@2", N'JD {1} 6ince this is the p$rpose, how and when co$ld a person>s degree o% righteo$sness be decided/ This co$ld be acco&plished on the )ay o% .$dg&ent in the presence o% the 2reator1 Knrighteo$s behaior wo$ld be co$nted as giing credit to beings or things other than the 2reator1 Knrighteo$s behaior wo$ld incl$de loing other things in pre%erence to the 2reator1 For learning, Allah has organiEed a %i9ed a&o$nt on ti&e on earth@ LTo eery (eople is a ter& appointed@ when their ter& is reached not an ho$r can they ca$se delay nor !an ho$r# can they adance it1 A1014MD Knrighteo$s people !or sinners# do not beliee in the )ay o% .$dg&ent or in the s$bse*$ent p$nish&ent1 As s$ch they &oc+ and challenge s$ch a possibility1 There%ore, in the =$r>an, Allah as+s, 10.50 Say: "Do you see if His punishment should come to you by niht o! by day "hat po!tion of it "ould the sinne!s "ish to hasten# 10.51 $ould you then belie%e in it at last "hen it actually comes to pass# &'t "ill then be said(: )*h+ $hat no"# *nd you "anted &afo!etime( to hasten it on+ Once the sentence against an $nrighteo$s person is passed, it wo$ld be absol$tely too late to rescind1 10.5, *t lenth "ill be said to the "!ondoe!s: -.aste the endu!in punishment+ /ou et but the !ecompense of "hat you ea!ned+0 And there wo$ld be no escape1 10.51 .hey see2 to be info!med by you: "'s that t!ue#" Say: "*ye+ 3y my 4o!d+ 't is the %e!y t!uth+ *nd you cannot f!ust!ate it+" 10.55 6%e!y soul that has sinned if it possessed all that is on ea!th could not i%e it as !ansom &i.e., as a fine(: they "ould decla!e &thei!( !epentance "hen they see the 7enalty: but the 8udment bet"een them "ill be "ith 8ustice and no "!on "ill be done to them. All o$r possessions, pasti&es and stat$s on earth wo$ld be o% no $se1 Allah as+s a logical *$estion1 10.55 's it not &the case( that to *llah belons "hate%e! is in the hea%ens and on ea!th# 's it not &the case( that *llah9s p!omise is assu!edly t!ue# Yet most of them refuse to understand. 10.5: 's it He $ho i%es life and "ho ta2es it and to Him shall you all be b!ouht bac2. 88888 {;otes}@ {1} http@;;bibleh$b1co&;l$+e;1082"1ht&