Like Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only
a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. This life is a test
for each individual for the life after death. A day will come when
the whole universe will be destroyed and the dead will be resurrected
for judgment by God. This day will be the beginning of a
life that will never end. This day is the Day of Judgment. On that
day, all people will be rewarded by God according to their beliefs
and deeds. Those who die while believing that “There is no true
god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of
God” and are Muslim will be rewarded on that day and will be
admitted to Paradise forever, as God has said:
And those who believe and do good deeds,
they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell
therein forever. (Qur’an, 2:82)
But those who die while not believing that “There is no true
god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of
God” or are not Muslim will lose Paradise forever and will be sent
to Hellfire, as God has said:
And whoever seeks a religion other than
Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he
will be one of the losers in the Hereafter.
(Qur’an, 3:85)
And as He has said:
Those who have disbelieved and died in
disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be
accepted from any of them if it were offered
as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment,
and they will have no helpers.
(Qur’an, 3:91)
One may ask, ‘I think Islam is a good religion, but if I were to
convert to Islam, my family, friends, and other people would
persecute me and make fun of me. So if I don’t convert to Islam,
will I enter Paradise and be saved from Hellfire?’
The answer is what God has said in the preceding verse: “And
whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be
accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the
Hereafter.”
After having sent the Prophet Muhammad to call people to
Islam, God does not accept adherence to any religion other than
Islam. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He created for us
whatever is in the earth. All the blessings and good things we have
are from Him. So after all this, when someone rejects belief in
God, His Prophet Muhammad , or His religion of Islam, it is just
that he or she be punished in the Hereafter. Actually, the main
purpose of our creation is to worship God alone and to obey Him,
as God has said in the Holy Qur’an (51:56).
This life we live today is a very short life. The unbelievers on
the Day of Judgment will think that the life they lived on earth was
only a day or part of a day, as God has said:
He (God) will say: “How many years did
you stay on the earth?” They will say: “We
stayed a day or part of a day....” (Qur’an,
23:112-113)
And He has said:
Did you then think that We had created you
in jest (without any purpose), and that you
would not be returned to Us (in the Hereafter)?
So, God is exalted, the True King. None
has the right to be worshipped but Him...
(Qur’an, 23:115-116)
The life in the Hereafter is a real life. It is not only spiritual,
but physical as well. We will live there with our souls and bodies.
In comparing this world with the Hereafter, Muhammad said:
{ The value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is
like what your finger brings from the sea when you put it in and
then take it out. }1 That is, the value of this world compared to that
of the Hereafter is like a few drops of water compared to the sea.
a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. This life is a test
for each individual for the life after death. A day will come when
the whole universe will be destroyed and the dead will be resurrected
for judgment by God. This day will be the beginning of a
life that will never end. This day is the Day of Judgment. On that
day, all people will be rewarded by God according to their beliefs
and deeds. Those who die while believing that “There is no true
god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of
God” and are Muslim will be rewarded on that day and will be
admitted to Paradise forever, as God has said:
And those who believe and do good deeds,
they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell
therein forever. (Qur’an, 2:82)
But those who die while not believing that “There is no true
god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of
God” or are not Muslim will lose Paradise forever and will be sent
to Hellfire, as God has said:
And whoever seeks a religion other than
Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he
will be one of the losers in the Hereafter.
(Qur’an, 3:85)
And as He has said:
Those who have disbelieved and died in
disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be
accepted from any of them if it were offered
as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment,
and they will have no helpers.
(Qur’an, 3:91)
One may ask, ‘I think Islam is a good religion, but if I were to
convert to Islam, my family, friends, and other people would
persecute me and make fun of me. So if I don’t convert to Islam,
will I enter Paradise and be saved from Hellfire?’
The answer is what God has said in the preceding verse: “And
whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be
accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the
Hereafter.”
After having sent the Prophet Muhammad to call people to
Islam, God does not accept adherence to any religion other than
Islam. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He created for us
whatever is in the earth. All the blessings and good things we have
are from Him. So after all this, when someone rejects belief in
God, His Prophet Muhammad , or His religion of Islam, it is just
that he or she be punished in the Hereafter. Actually, the main
purpose of our creation is to worship God alone and to obey Him,
as God has said in the Holy Qur’an (51:56).
This life we live today is a very short life. The unbelievers on
the Day of Judgment will think that the life they lived on earth was
only a day or part of a day, as God has said:
He (God) will say: “How many years did
you stay on the earth?” They will say: “We
stayed a day or part of a day....” (Qur’an,
23:112-113)
And He has said:
Did you then think that We had created you
in jest (without any purpose), and that you
would not be returned to Us (in the Hereafter)?
So, God is exalted, the True King. None
has the right to be worshipped but Him...
(Qur’an, 23:115-116)
The life in the Hereafter is a real life. It is not only spiritual,
but physical as well. We will live there with our souls and bodies.
In comparing this world with the Hereafter, Muhammad said:
{ The value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is
like what your finger brings from the sea when you put it in and
then take it out. }1 That is, the value of this world compared to that
of the Hereafter is like a few drops of water compared to the sea.
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