Islam

Akhirah (Life After Death)

Bismillah hir rahmanir raheem

Assalamualaikum my wonderful brothers and sisters! How are you all? Hope you're doing well inshallah! Allhamduillah my week went great! How about urs? Belated Jummah Mubarak! Pls do let me know guys any question you have  in the very first chapter of this book. If there are certain parts you would like me to cover, let me know! I always attempt to reply to all of my comments from you lovely readers so don't be afraid to drop a couple!

Today we are talking about Life After Death. This is a very long topic and ironically, I had an assessment on this in RS in school. I received my results yesterday which were: Grade 5 Mark 10/15. Alhamduillah I did well! I was upset because i didn't achieve full marks but i was still happy as I wanted 10 or more and most definitely grade 5! A grade 5 is equivalent to an old GCSE standard grade C (UK Mark Scheme).

Now let's get on with the chapter!

Introduction

Life after death is a fundamental belief in most religions. What form life after death takes is different in each religion and sometimes there is a difference of belief between members of the same religion. Some people without a religious belief also believe in life after death and some believe that there is no sort of existence after death.

Ways of thinking about life after death include:

reincarnation
resurrection
rebirth
immortality as a legacy
immortality as a memory of others

Evidence of life after death

There is no scientific evidence for life after death, but the belief in an afterlife is strong among religious and also some non-religious people.

Belief in life after death in religion

For most religious people, belief in life after death is based on teachings in their scriptures or traditions. The sacred texts in Christianity, Judaism and Islam talk of an afterlife, so for followers of these faiths life after death has been promised by God. For Buddhists, belief in reincarnation is based on the tradition that the Buddharemembered his past lives when he reached enlightenment.

Belief in life after death among non-religious people

Not all people who believe in life after death would call themselves 'religious'. For example, some people believe in the concept of reincarnation but are not necessarily Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh. Others feel natural justice requires good to be rewarded and evil punished but do not hold one of the traditional faiths that promise an afterlife.

For some people, near-death experiences( NDEs) a sense of déjà vu or witnessing ghosts, perhaps through a medium , convince them there is life beyond death.

What does Islam teach about life after death?

Islam teaches that there is life after death, and this is known as Akhirah. In Islam, it isAllah who decides when a person dies and most Muslims believe that when they die, they will stay in their graves until Yawm al-din, the Day of Judgement. On that day, they will be raised from their graves and brought before Allah and judged on how they lived their earthly lives. This belief is known as the resurrection of the body.

Those who have performed more good deeds than bad will enter Jannah, or Paradise. Jannah is a place described as a 'garden of everlasting bliss' and a 'home of peace'. In Jannah there will be no sickness, pain or sadness.

Those who have performed more bad deeds than good will enter Jahannam or Hell. This is a place of physical and spiritual suffering.

Muslims believe that Allah is forgiving, merciful and compassionate, so not all bad actions will be punished. Allah will forgive those who have repented for their sins and those who have done some good in their lives, for example showing kindness to others.