Exploring the Islamic Perspective on the Soul’s Eternity and the Hereafter
People, in a state of panic, say that they will die.
But if we don’t find peace even after dying, where will we go?
One of the six fundamental beliefs of Islam is the belief in the Hereafter (Aqidah al-Akhirah). The belief in the Hereafter is such a sensitive and unusually influential belief that if a person’s belief in the Hereafter is strong and firm, along with all other Islamic beliefs, and they have the complete and firm conviction that one day this soul will leave my body and enter the life of Barzakh (the intermediary stage between death and the Day of Resurrection), where our souls will be rewarded or punished according to our good or bad deeds in the world, and then after the reckoning on the Day of Judgment, there will be an eternal life of Paradise or Hell, then such a person is much better in terms of faith and deeds than those whose belief in the Hereafter is extremely weak and wavering.
In this article of mine, regarding an important part of the belief in the Hereafter, the soul, I have presented this summary: will our souls ever experience death? Will our souls ever be completely annihilated? Or will our souls never be annihilated but will only taste death once, traveling from the world to Barzakh, from Barzakh to the Day of Judgment, and from the Day of Judgment to Paradise or Hell, and after reaching Paradise or Hell, they will never experience death again?
No one knows the true nature of the soul except Allah.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ بْنِ مَسْعُوْدٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا قَال: بَيْنَا اَنَا اَمْشِي مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي خَرِبِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَهُوَ يَتَوَكَّاُ عَلٰي عَسِيبٍ mَعَهُ، فَمَرَّ بِنَفَرٍ مِنْ الْيَهُودِ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: سَلُوهُ عَنِ الرُّوحِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُم: لَا تَسْاَلُوهُ، لَا يَجِيئُ فِيْهِ بِشَيْئٍ تَكْرَهُونَهُ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُم: لَنَسْاَلَنَّهُ، فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ، فَقَال: يَا اَبَا الْقَاسِمِ، مَا الرُّوحُ؟ فَسَكَتَ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّهُ يُوحَي إِلَيْهِ، فَقُمْتُ، فَلَمَّا انْجَلَي عَنْهُ، قَال: وَيَسْاَلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا اُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلّا قَلِيْلًا۔
[سورۃ الإسراء: آیۃ:۸۵]
Translation: Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him): While I was walking with the Prophet (ﷺ) in the ruins of Medina and he was reclining on a palm-leaf stalk, some Jews passed by. Some of them said to others, “Ask him about the soul.” Some of them said, “Don’t ask him, lest he should say something that you dislike.” Some of them said, “We will surely ask him.” So, one of them stood up and said, “O Abu al-Qasim! What is the soul?” The Prophet (ﷺ) remained silent. I said (to myself), “He is being inspired divinely.” So I stood up. When (the state of) inspiration was over, he recited the verse: {وََيَسْاَلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّيْ وَمَا اُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا} which was revealed at that moment.
Translation: “(And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, ‘The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little.’)” [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, Chapter: The Statement of Allah Ta’ala: (And you have been given of knowledge but a little): H:125]
First Opinion: The souls will also die. {كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَان} “Everyone upon the earth will perish.” When even the angels will die, then the souls will die by a greater reason.
Second Opinion: Allah has created souls for eternity; they will not die (death only comes to the bodies. The evidence for this is the authentic hadiths that mention that after death, a person feels the torment and reward of the grave in the life of Barzakh). This second opinion is the stronger one based on evidence.
Explanation: The death of souls only means that the souls separate from the body and transfer to the other world (Barzakh). And if this meaning of the death of the soul is taken, then the meaning of “كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ” (“Every soul will taste death”) will be that souls only taste the bitterness of death at the time of separation from the body, they do not die. This is why even after the souls separate from the bodies, the process of torment or reward continues for them in the life of Barzakh until the Day of Judgment. As Allah Almighty says about the souls of the people of Paradise: {لَا يَذُوقُوْنَ فِيهَا الْمَوْتَ إِلَّا الْمَوْتَةَ الاُولٰي} [Ad-Dukhan: 56] In this noble verse, the death that occurs in the world (the separation of the soul from the body) is intended. And the souls of the martyrs, after separating from their bodies, are placed in the bodies of green birds and they eat and fly wherever they wish in Paradise, then they return to the lanterns hanging from the Throne.
Hazrat Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “We also asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the martyrs. He said: ‘Their souls are inside green birds, for which there are lanterns hanging from the Throne of Allah. They eat and drink wherever they wish in Paradise, then they return to those lanterns.'” [Sahih Muslim, The Book of Leadership, Chapter: The Statement that the souls of the martyrs are in Paradise, and that they are alive with their Lord, being provided for. Hadith: 1887]
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
’’الارواح مخلوقلة بلاشك، وهى لا تعدم ولا تفني، ولكن موتها بمفارقة الابدان، وعند النفخة الثانية تعاد الارواح إلى الابدان‘‘۔
“Indeed, the souls are created without a doubt, but they will neither be erased nor annihilated. Their death is only their separation from the bodies, and when the angel blows the trumpet for the second time by the command of Allah, all the souls will be reunited with their respective bodies.” [Majmoo’ al-Fatawa: Vol: 4, P: 279]
We all know this well and it is our belief that when the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of Hell enter Hell, then by the command of Allah, death will also be slaughtered so that no one may experience death after that. The people of Paradise will remain in Paradise forever and the people of Hell will remain in Hell forever, except for the monotheists of Hell who, after suffering punishment for their sins, will be taken out of Hell and put into Paradise forever.
عَنْ عِمْرَانِ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَال:’’ يَخْرُجُ قَوْمٌ مِنَ النَّارِ بِشَفَاعَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَيَدْخُلُونَ الجَنَّةَ، يُسَمَّوْنَ الجَهَنَّمِيِّين‘‘۔
Translation: Narrated ‘Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with them): The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A group of people will come out of the Fire due to the intercession of Muhammad (ﷺ) and will enter Paradise, and they will be called ‘Al-Jahannamiyyin’ (the people of Hell).” [Sahih al-Bukhari: 5666]
When the people of Paradise are admitted to Paradise and the people of Hell to Hell, death will be slaughtered.
عَنْ اَبِيْ سَعِيْدٍ الخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ، قَال: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم:’’يُؤْتَي بِالْمَوْتِ كَهَيْئَةِ كَبْشٍ اَمْلَحَ، فَيُنَادِي مُنَادٍ:يَا اَهْلَ الجَنَّةِ، فَيَشْرَئِبُّونَ وَيَنْظُرُونَ، فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ تَعْرِفُونَ هٰذَا؟ فَيَقُوْلُوْنَ: نَعَمْ، هٰذَا المَوْتُ، وَكُلُّهُمْ قَدْ رَآهُ، ثُمَّ يُنَادِيْ: يَا اَهْلَ النَّارِ، فَيَشْرَئِبُّونَ وَيَنْظُرُونَ، فَيَقُولُ: وهَلْ تَعْرِفُوْنَ هٰذَا؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، هٰذَا المَوْتُ، وَكُلُّهُمْ قَدْ رَآهُ، فَيُذْبَحُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ:يَا اَهْلَ الجَنَّةِ خُلُودٌ فَلاَ مَوْتَ، وَيَا اَهْلَ النَّارِ خُلُودٌ فَلَا مَوْتَ، ثُمَّ قَرَا:{وَاَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِيَ الاَمْرُ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ}
[مریم:۳۹]،
وَهٰؤُلَائِ فِيْ غَفْلَةٍ اَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا (وَهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ)
[مریم:۳۹]
Translation: Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, death will be brought in the form of a black and white ram. A crier will call out, ‘O people of Paradise!’ They will stretch their necks and look. The crier will ask, ‘Do you recognize this?’ They will say, ‘Yes, this is Death,’ and all of them will have tasted it. Then it will be announced, ‘O people of Hell!’ They will stretch their necks and look. The crier will ask, ‘Do you recognize this?’ They will say, ‘Yes, this is Death,’ and all of them will have tasted it. Then it will be slaughtered, and the crier will say, ‘O people of Paradise, there is eternity for you and no more death.’ And ‘O people of Hell, there is eternity for you and no more death.'” Then the Prophet (ﷺ) recited: {وَاَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِيَ الاَمْرُ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ} etc. “‘And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter has been decreed, while they are in a state of heedlessness’ (i.e., the people of the world) ‘and they do not believe.'” [Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Tafsir of the Qur’an, Chapter: The Statement of Allah: (And warn them of the Day of Regret), Surah Maryam: 39, Hadith: 4730]
Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted the statement of Qadi ‘Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) in his commentary:
’’إن الارواح باقية لا تفني ، فينعم المحسن ، ويُعلذَّب المسيء ، وقد جاء به القرآن والآثار وهو مذهب اهل السنة‘‘۔
“Indeed, the souls are everlasting and will not perish. The righteous will be in bliss, and the wrongdoer will be in torment. This has been established by the Qur’an and the narrations, and it is the creed of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.” [Sharh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim: Vol: 13, P: 31]
by Abul Bayan Rafat Salafi
Reference: https://ahlussunnah.net/?p=3229
