THE HEREAFTER

The Hereafter ~ 70 ~ assume in that eternal world. When he saw people having their heads smashed with mighty rocks, he asked the Archangel who they were, and was told that they were those whose heaviness of head prevented them from rising for prayer. Then there were people grazing in the manner of cattle, with patches all over their clothes. When he asked who they were, the Archangel told him that they were the ones who did not spend their wealth to advance God’s cause. Then he saw someone trying to lift a bundle of wood he had gathered, but each time he was on the point of doing so, a few more sticks would be added to the bundle. This time the Prophet was told that this was a man who, instead of trying to diminish an already overwhelming load of responsibilities, took more and more of a burden upon himself. Others were having their tongues and lips cut with scissors. The Angel accompanying the Prophet explained to him that these were people whose tongues wagged uncontrollably and irresponsibly, causing corruption in the land. In one place the Prophet saw a huge ox emerging from a hole in a