Belief in the Hereafter

Belief in the Hereafter is one of the six pillars of Islamic belief
required of a Muslim in order to complete his faith. The
Prophetinformed us about events of the Ghayb (those beyond human
perception) which will occur after death. This fundamental belief is
only completed when one has firm faith in his heart in all those
matters about which the Prophetinformed us.
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (mainstream Muslims) believe in all of these
events, whereas the people of innovation refuse to accept events such
as the questioning in the grave, the bliss andthe trials of the grave,
the punishment in the grave, the passing over the Siraat (the Bridge
set over Hell), and the settingof the scales. The reason for their
denial is that, in their estimation, these matters cannot be proven by
mere intellect. Since they consider their intellect to be the judge
over everything, they do not believe in matters which are beyond their
comprehension.
Materialists refuse to believe in anything which they do not feel.
Our answer to this attitude is that our inability to sense the
existence of certain things does not justify our denial of the very
existence of those things. Certitude through news from an authentic
personis as good as the certitude by seeing and feeling. Since the
honesty of Prophet Muhammadin conveying the Divine Message revealed to
him has been established for us, we-believers- firmly believe in
everything hetold about the unseen,including the Hereafter. Belief in
the hereafter entails the following:
(A) Belief in Events of the Grave
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah believe in the trial of the grave. TheArabic
word for trial is 'Fitnah', which linguistically means to place gold
in fire in orderto remove its impurities; this word was thus later
used in the sense of testing and trying.
The Quranic evidence concerning this issue is inthe following verse in
which Almighty Allaah describes the punishmentof the people of Fir'awn
(Pharaoh); He, the Most Exalted, Says (what means):"The Fire: they are
exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour appears [it
will be said]: 'Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest
punishment.'"[Quran 40:46]
Also, the Prophetsaid:"The grave is either a garden from the Gardens
ofParadise, or a pit from the pits of Hell."[At-Tirmithi]
(B) Events of the Day of Judgement
After the duration of this earth is over, Allaah will command
Israafeel [the Angel in charge of blowing the Trumpet] to blow it. At
the first blowing, all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth
will fall unconscious, except those for whom Allaah Wills otherwise.
Then, the earth will be flattened and the mountains will be made into
floating sand dunes. In short, everything will occur that Allaah has
informed us about in His book, especially in chapters 81 and 82 of
theNoble Quran.
Then Allaah will command the skies to pour rain. This rain will
resemble the sperm of men. People will then be resurrected from their
graves. This process will start from their vertebral column. The
entire body of a person decays after his death except the lower end of
the vertebral column. This process of resurrection will continue until
they are transformed back into their original shape and bodies.Allaah
will then command Israafeel to blow the Trumpet for the second time,
upon which people will rise from their graves alive. The disbelievers
and the hypocrites will then be regretful and will say (what
means):"…Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping
place?"[Quran: 36:52] Whereas the believers will say (what
means):"…This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the
Messengers spoke the truth."[Quran 36:52]
Then angels will drive all of them naked, uncircumcised, and
barefooted to the place of Hashr (Gathering).
The first one to be dressed on that Day will be Prophet Ibraaheem. At
the place of Gathering, the sun will descend close to the heads of
people, and their sweat will engulf them. It will be up to the ankles
of some of them, up to the knees of others,up to the chests of others,
and up to the necks of others. The level of their sweat will be in
accordance with their deeds.
Some people on that Day will be sheltered by the shade of the Throne
of Allaah. When the conditions become unbearable for people, and the
despair increasesgreatly, people will ask Allaah to allow His
messengers and prophetsto intercede on their behalf and save them from
their distress. Every messenger and prophet will direct the people to
the prophet who came after him, until they come to our Prophet
Muhammad. He will respond by saying that he is the appropriate person
for it. He will intercede for them, which will result in the beginning
of Judgement.
C- The Balances
The balances will then beerected, and the deeds will be weighed. These
balances will be real and will have pans and needles. Allaah, the
Exalted and Glorified, willgive the deeds of the creatures a material
existence that will have weight. The good deeds will be placed in one
pan and the evil deeds in the other, as Allaah informs us in the Quran
by Saying(what means):"And We shall set up balances of justice on the
Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in
anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring
it. And Sufficient are We to take account."[Quran 21:47]
D-The Records
This will be followed by the disclosure of the record of deeds. He who
will receive his record in his right hand will have an easy reckoning.
He will return to his family in happiness. However, he who will
receive his record from behind and in his left hand will seek death on
that Day, as he will be thrust into the Hellfire. He will be full of
regrets on that Day and will wish that he were not handed his record
or that he had not known about it. Allaah Says (what means):"Then as
for him who is given his record in hisright hand. He will be judged
with an easy account. And return to his people in happiness. But asfor
he who is given his record behind his back. He will cry out for
destruction. And [enter to] burn in a Blaze."[Quran 84:7-12]
All the events that are bound to occur after death and on the Last
Day, like reward and punishment,ParadiseandHell, the Reckoning and
other events are mentioned in detail in the Divine revelations and in
narrations from the prophets. They are also available in the knowledge
which the Prophethas left us as his inheritance; whoever wishes to
seek it will findit.