The World and the Hereafter

The Future of Man Human life has been divided into ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’. The present world is man’s today while the next world is man’s tomorrow. What a man does in this present world will yield its result in the hereafter. In the hereafter a differentiation will be made between successful and unsuccessful people. The former group will enter paradise while the latter group will be thrown into the fire of Hell. This will not be done on a social or group basis. It will be done on the basis of fact. Everyone’s future will be decided on his own merit rather than on the basis of any hypothesis. The World of Paradise The atmosphere of Paradise will be free of all kinds of absurdity and falsity, so only those will be chosen to dwell in the exquisite world of Paradise who gave proof of the fact in this world that they showed fervour in leading their lives far from things which were absurd and false. No one will be admitted into Paradise on the basis of recommendation or on the basis of any kind of wishful thinking. Paradise is an exquisite haven. Entry to that world is predestined only for those who will reach there with exquisite souls. The present world is designed to select such an elite group. Only those who prove themselves to be eligible in this present world of trial will be entitled to enter Paradise. How the Devil Misleads Us We should always be most cautious, remain fully alert and endeavour to protect ourselves from Satan, otherwise we may easily be deceived by him. The Quran says that Satan misleads man through tazin or beautification. He beautifies evil and bad deeds and shows them as good and useful things. He presents evil in a beautiful manner and misleads him. This is the greatest weapon Satan has against man. The only way to save oneself from deception of Satan is constantly praying to God. The Quran mentions several prayers for this purpose. One of such prayers is as follows: Allahuma inni awuzubika min hamazatish shayateen. Wa awuzubik rabbi an yahdarun. “My Lord, I seek refuge with You from the prompting of devils. I seek refuge with You, Lord, lest they should come near me.” (Al-Mu’minun 23:97-98) The Reality of Sacrifice The system of animal sacrifice has not been prescribed because God needs meat and blood. Sacrifice in actuality is a symbolic action. The sacrifice of an animal is an external picture of that man who has sacrificed himself to God. It is in fact one’s own sacrifice which is in the form of the sacrifice of an animal. Fortunate are those for whom the sacrifice of animal culminates in self-sacrifice. The act of sacrifice reminds believers of the readiness of the Prophet Ibrahim to give up his most beloved son. By sacrificing an animal, believers reaffirm their belief in Allah and pledge themselves to parting with their precious belongings, if there is a need for it. The Quran describes these sentiments in the following verse: “Truly, my prayers, my sacrifice, my life and my death all belong to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Al-An‘am 6:162) What Does the Quran Say About Itself? We come to know from different statements of the Quran that this book has been sent for all nations of the world. A similar statement has been made regarding the Prophet in a number of places in the Quran. The following verse is one such example: “We have sent you as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner for the whole of mankind, but most people have no knowledge.” (Saba’ 34:28)