Islam >> DOOM AND RESURRECTION

Q 1: What are "Hashr-o-Nashr" and "Ma'aad"?
A. "Hashr-o-Nashr", "Ma'aad", "Yaum-e-B'as" and "Yaum-e-Nushoor-e-Saa'at" are all the names of the Doomsday. This world will also annihilate after completion of its fixed term of life like that of other animate and inanimate things. That is called "Qeyaamah" (Doomsday, Resurrection Day). There will then be none but Allah alone Who is eternal in the beginning and eternal in the end.

Q 2: To what extent it is necessary to believe in Doom and Resurrection?
A. To believe in "Hashr-o-Nashr" (Doom and Resurrection) is one of the fundamental beliefs of Islaam. No one can be a Muslim unless he believes in it. This belief is so essential that without it a humanbeing can neither avoid sins fully nor toil at worship and nor sacrifice his life and property. The fear of temporal punishment or defamation can prevent man committing crime so long as he is afraid of its exposition and when he is sure that nobody can know his crime then he does not hesitate to commit even a heinous crime. It is only this belief which dissuades man from committing crime that a particUlaar day is fixed for meting out reward and punishment for our virtuous and evil deeds. This day is called "Qeyaamah" (Doomsday, Day of Judgement). Allah Almighty is the Owner of this day. The majority of scholars and intellectuals of the world is, despite difference of religions, agreed with this fact that another life is to follow the temporal life. The matter does not simply end with death. And that our good fortune and misfortune in the life hereafter depend on our deeds and actions. (Maxim: As you sow so you reap).

Q 3: Will only the soul face Doom or both the soul and body will do?
Not soul alone but both the soul and body will face Doom (Hashr). The one who says that only souls will be resurrected not the bodies is denier of the Doomsday and thus is an infidel. Though constituents of the body may have dispersed or eaten up by animals after death yet Allah Almighty will collect all those and will, bringing them to the original form, reassemble the body on the preserved basic constituents of the body and then He will make every soul enter into body it was concerned with in the mortal world.

Q 4: How will the world be annihilated?
A. After all portents concerning the Doomsday will have completed and the fragrant breeze passed under the armpits of Muslims killing them all and there will be no believer left but only infidels and unbelievers who will be busy in their respective chores and works as usual then all of a sudden Allah Almighty will command Angel Israfeil to blow the trumpet. In the beginning its sound will be very faint which will gradually grow loud. People will listen to it attentively and fall unconscious. The corollary of the trumpet's sound will be that all angels in the heavens and living people on the earth will die and those who had died but were brought to life soon after their death like Prophets and martyrs who are alive in their graves will feel as if they are drowsy. Other dead (in their graves) will not feel it. The earth and sky will be tumultuously upset. The earth will push out all its weights and treasures. Mountains will be battered to pieces by trembling and will float like carded cotton or wool-flakes. All stars will fall hitting against one another and perish. Similarly, every being and everything will annihilate even trumpet and Israfeil and all Angels. There will then be nothing but the True One (Allah). He will say: "whose is the kingdom today? Where are those proud and mighty? Receiving no reply He Himself will say: "Lil Laahil Waahidil Qah-haar" (today is the kingdom of Allah, the One, the Subduer/Vanquisher).

Q5: Who will be resurrected first?
A. First of all Allah Almighty will, when He will please, resurrect Angel Israfeil and then will recreate trumpet. He will command Israfeil to blow the trumpet. All Angels, humanbeings, genies and animals right from the beginning of the world to the end will come back to life as soon as Angel Israfeil will blow the trumpet. First "Hamalaat al-Arsh" (four angels holding the empyrean) will rise followed by the Chief Angel Gibreil, Angel Michael and Angel Israel and then the earth, sky, moon and sun will come back into existence. Thereafter, there will be a rain which will resurrect all dead (with soul and body) like verdure. First of all Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's choicest blessings and peace be upon him) will come out from his hallowed grave holding the hand of Hadrat Siddique Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him) with his right hand and of Hadrat Farooque Azam (may Allah be pleased with him) with his left hand and then he will go, taking all believers buried in the graveyards of holy Makkah and Madinah, to the field of "Hashr".

Q 6: What will be the plight of people on the Doomsday?
A. People will rise from their graves naked and barefooted on the Doomsday and will be astounded by the strange and peculiar scene of the Doomsday.

Heavenly conveyances will be made available to the believers on their graves by the grace of Allah Almighty. Some conveyances will carry a single believer, some will carry two, some three, some four and some will carry ten believers. Infidels and non-believers will walk prone to the field of "Hashr". Some infidels will be herded and dragged by the angels and some will be collected by fire and pushed to the field of resurrection. The field of "Hashr" will be established in Syria. The earth will become so flat and even that a mustard seed if fell on the one end of the earth would be visible from the other end. Allah Almighty will turn the entire earth into copper for the Doomsday.

The sun with its obverse will come very near the earth (to the height of only one mile) on the Doomsday. The heat will be so terribly excessive that the brains will boil inside the heads. May Allah Almighty protect us. Men will perspire so profusely that the earth will absorb their sweat seventy yards inside and then it will rise upto the ankles of some, to the knees of some, to the waists of some, to the chests of some, to the throats of some and upto the faces of infidels and non-believers griping them tightly like bridle in which they will drown. The tongue will go dry for thirst in this heat and the hearts will jump to the throats in fear. Every one will face the trials and tribUlaations according to his actions in the world.

On this day no one will help the other. Everybody will be brought to book. Their "sheets of actions" will be opened. Prophets and other witnesses will be present there. Justice will be done to all sans any excess. Everyone will receive the just return of his deeds.

After having gone through these stages, everybody will go to his permanent abode. Some will be admitted into paradise, a unique place of comfort and felicity and some will be cast into hell, the worst place of distress and difficulties.

Q 7: Do the Doom, resurrection, reward and torment mean what has been expounded above or otherwise too?
A. The meaning of Doomsday, resurrection, reckoning, reward, torment, paradise and hell is that which is generally interpreted and spoken of by the Muslims. The one who describes these things truth but perceives them otherwise, for instance, he says: paradise is mere a name of "high comfort" or "feeling of anguish by the soul" is hell or reward is only one's being pleased to see his virtuous actions or to be sad on seeing one's evil action is torment or says only the souls will face "Hashr" is, indeed, a denier of the facts and is out from the circle of Islaam.

Likewise to deny the existence of angels or to say the angel is "power of virtue" or to deny the existence of genies or to name "power of evil" genie or devil is unbelief.

In brief, what beliefs about doom, resurrection, reward, torment, paradise, hell etc. are common among Muslims and what meanings of these things are understood by the believers, the same meaning have been elucidated by the Holy Quran and Ahaadees bequeathed to us by a chain of Muslim scholars. So the one who accepts these words but says that the meaning of the words is that which is inconsistent with the Muslim's beliefs is, of course, out from Islamic fold, denier of the fundamentals of Islaam, unbeliever and renegade.