The Lord and the Creator of heavens and the earth wants us to understand the reality of this life and grasp the notions of the afterlife. As such we note that a special emphasis has been put i
n the Last testament, The Glorious Qura’an on the afterlife. So much so that it is a basic tenant of faith to believe in afterlife. Our Lord is Merciful to us, He (subhanahu wa ta’la) doesn’t want us to be taken in surprise when our transition to the afterlife shall begin that is when death rings our door bell. The Entirely Merciful and The Especially Merciful wants us to prepare for the real, eternal and decisive life.
Some people in the hereafter will meet a terrible fate while others will rejoice over what their Lord shall provide them. That shall be the day of eternal victory for some and eternal loss for others. Eternal life, never ending life, infinite life, and one judgement: Jannah or Jahannam. This is essentially what makes aakhirah so important and this explains all the statements of Rasoolullah (sallallaho alihi wasssalam) wherein extreme emphasis has been given on the afterlife and the notion of living in this world as a traveller has been promoted.
This materialistic world in which we live today denies the truth of afterlife and inculcates in humans the ideals of ‘living for this life’. While this thinking and this mindset and attitude promotes the life of this world, the All Knower, The All Wise and my Lord and your Lord instructs us to focus on hereafter. As such He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) instructs us in the Glorious Qura’an describing the tale of two faces in Surat ul Gashiyah. On one hand shall be those people who lived this life for the sake of hereafter; as such their faces will be bright like moon in the hereafter. And on the other hand shall be those who lived this life for the sake of this life, as such they won’t be having any share in the hereafter, their faces will be dark and dejected.
This surah (Surat ul Gashiyah) of the Qura’an starts with a question:
“Has there come to you the narration of the overwhelming (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)?” (Surat ul Gashiyah 88: 1)
And then the attributes of those are mentioned who delighted in this world thinking that they would remain here for-ever or those who did labour hard but chose a path other than with what The last Messenger (sallallaho alihi wassalam) came, both ways shall lead them to an evil destination, The Noble Qura’an relates:
“Some faces that Day will be humiliated,
Labouring (hard in the worldly life by worshipping others besides Allâh), weary (in the Hereafter with humility and disgrace).
They will enter into the hot blazing Fire.
They will be given to drink from a boiling spring,
No food will there be for them but a poisonous thorny plant,
Which will neither nourish nor avail against hunger.” (Surat ul Gashiyah 88: 2-7)
And then those righteous people are described whose mission in this life was only to seek the pleasure of The Most High, those who sacrificed each and everything and declared Allahu Akbar, that He (azza wa jal) is great, that we shall abide by His law, His code, His commandments. And a direct corollary of that would be that these people shall stand against each law, each action and each code which is not compatible with the codes and commandments described by The Most High as outlaws. These people will be ever ready to give up their lives for the sake of la ilaha illal lah Muhammadurrasoolullah (sallallaho alihi wassalam). They will be the people of paradise, the Holy Qura’an relates:
“(Other) faces that Day will be joyful,
Glad with their endeavour (for their good deeds which they did in this world, along with the true Faith of Islâmic Monotheism).
In lofty Paradise.
Where they shall neither hear harmful speech nor falsehood.
Therein will be a running spring.
Therein will be thrones raised high.
And cups set at hand.
And cushions set in rows.
And rich carpets (all) spread out.” (Surat ul Gashiyah 88: 8-16)
Thus the Glorious Qura’an balances the equation, for evil people it says, ‘their faces will be humiliated’ and for righteous people it says, ‘their faces will be joyful’. The evil ones after all their hard work and labour in this world will be weary in the hereafter while the righteous ones shall be ‘glad with their endeavour’. The evil people shall enter an evil place, that is hell and the righteous shall enter into the gardens beneath which rivers flow. In hell the evil ones shall be given boiling water to drink and thorny bushes to eat which shall neither nourish nor avail their hunger but will only increase the torment while as in Jannah the righteous ones shall enjoy a place where no harmful word is uttered, a place of running springs, a place of majestic thrones, a place where they shall drink the purest wine and shall rest on the most beautiful cushions and walk on the most beautiful carpets.
From aayah two to seven those people are described who are destined for hellfire are from eight to sixteen those are described who shall enter paradise. The miracle of the Qura’an in this is that the number of letters with which Allah (azza wa jal) describes the residents of hell fire is equal to the number of letters with which the residents of paradise are described. So All praises and thanks be to Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), The Especially Merciful, The Entirely Merciful who showed has the true path of success and warned us about the great upcoming and overwhelming event, that is the day of resurrection.