The Belief in The Hereafter Is One of The Fundamental Tenets of Islamic Faith

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 20 December 2023 This article addresses the points raised by Mr. Sumit Paul in his essay, "When Will You Be A Human On Your Own?" Mr. Sumit Paul, As humans, we already exist, and our existence comes from the Almighty God. As a result, it is inappropriate to discuss the question of when humanity will truly begin. Your English essay was your reply to one of my English comments, and it was published on December 14 on the popular website New Age Islam. This website is unique in that it publishes a wide range of opinions while inviting authors, readers, and knowledgeable people to respectfully speak their opinions. Similar to Facebook and other social networking sites, anyone with an education can freely express themselves on this website, but they must be respectful in their speech. This bilingual website has published over a hundred of my essays in English, for which I am grateful. I have also participated in several written debate sessions with various writers, in which scholars from various religions and schools of thought have contributed nicely. Therefore, it should go without saying that this website is open to all beliefs, creeds and thoughts, but its primary objective is to combat terrorism and intellectual extremism while promoting justice and human rights norms and principles. Through his works and remarks, this writer has hoped that the English-educated class has benefited from his painstaking attempts to dispel misconceptions surrounding the war-related Quranic verses and Ahadith. However, the essay you wrote in response to my comment deals with Imaniyyaat [Faith Theology]. It is also an excellent issue that is well-suited for discussion. I will start by quoting the part of my comment that you wrote an article about: "A man can only remain on the correct path in this life if he has faith and believes in the Hereafter. Without being held accountable, he wouldn't be concerned about changing his behaviour. When the faith in the Hereafter is absent, he adopts a similar reckless attitude brought on by both doubt and denial..." This portion of my comment was quoted at the beginning of your article. After that, you complimented me on my "temperate tone and language," but the next instant, you said that you disagreed with my statement that "A man can only remain on the correct path in this life if he has faith and belief in the Hereafter." You said then, referring to me, that ‘the learned writer has studied Semitic religions; he should be aware that the Talmud tells us that we should not serve "the King" (God) in expectation of a reward.’ Now Let Me Explain My Comment I commented on the subject of the faith in Afterlife. One of the tenets of the Islamic Faith [Arkaan-e-Imaan] is believing in the existence of the Hereafter and believing it to be true. A believer cannot remain a believer unless they hold to all the tenets of the faith. Stated differently, one must adhere to all the tenets of the Islamic faith to be considered a Muslim or believer. The tenets of the Islamic faith include Tawhid, which is the belief that Allah is the only God, that He alone is deserving of worship, and the belief in all the Messengers of Allah, His Books, Angels, the afterlife or hereafter, and the Taqdeer. Anyone who contests even one of these tenets is not a Muslim and is not a believer. This is the view of all Muslims, regardless of sect. That was my intention when I wrote the comment that inspired your essay. However, my meaning and the meaning you have indicated are not the same. My comment needs to be explained. You know well that, for a person to be considered a Muslim and a believer, they must have faith and trust in all the fundamental beliefs of Islam. Now that the servant has become a believer, it all comes down to his intention and state of mind on how he worships and obeys Allah. A believer is free to assert that they worship and obey Allah or that they do good deeds solely for attaining His pleasure. They should not hesitate to say that they are abiding by the commands of God Almighty or acting good deeds in this world to escape Allah's punishment in the Hereafter. They are free to choose diverse language to express the purpose and motive behind their virtuous actions. While there is nothing wrong with it, the words and intentions are all excellent. You have probably heard in everyday life that some believing servants of Allah, when they obey Allah and His Messenger, say that they are doing so to attain the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger. Even if a person is not immediately greedy for the divine reward, if they are successful in winning Allah's pleasure, Allah will grant them the reward by His pleasure. The All-Powerful Allah does not withhold His reward from those who please Him. Some refer to love for God as obedience to Allah. The believers sometimes say that they believe in the Fundamental beliefs of the Islamic Faith and do good deeds to avoid punishment in the hereafter. Though the speakers' languages vary, their aim is all to convey faith and belief in the Hereafter, which is one of the fundamentals. The Almighty Allah accepts the deeds of His servants according to His intentions. The better the intention, the better the reward. You also brought up the Semitic religions and the Talmud, and you are fully aware that the Talmud is a compilation of Jewish rules. As the secondary source of Jewish law, the Talmud is revered in Jewish culture. Judaism is a heavenly religion based primarily on the Torah, the Talmud, and the opinions of experts, or fatwas. Even though this is a heavenly religion and its adherents are regarded as the people of the book, it is now challenging to distinguish the original faith. This is because of the accumulation of multiple distortions caused by the ups and downs of time. You said, citing the Talmud, that obedience to God should not be done in hopes of receiving a reward. The question now is: What is the reward? The Scope of The Reward The concept of reward is pretty comprehensive. When we say that after you have become a believer, you will be greatly rewarded for your good deeds. Hence, the reward consists of reaching Paradise in the Afterlife, escaping Hellfire, and enjoying everything that Paradise has to offer, as opposed to only being tied to food, drink, earthly pleasures, necessities of life, or an opulent way of living. About the blessings of Paradise, the Holy Quran has made it abundantly evident that the blessings of Paradise will be so great that no one's mind, ears, or eyes would have ever heard of it, seen it, or travelled there. The range of rewards is enormous. The divine reward can be so many things: prosperity in this life, peace and tranquilly, safety and comfort, health and safety, or salvation in the Hereafter; it can also be freedom from the penalty of disobeying Allah's commands; it can be being blessed with the Divine Meeting; it can be being close to Allah and His Messenger in this life and the Hereafter; it can be having a sound mind; it can be Allah's grace and mercy, etc. Now, there is nothing wrong with a believing Muslim performing a good deed if they do it with the hopes of receiving a reward, hoping to enter Paradise, or hoping to get God's grace or pleasure. Despite the apparent differences between these terms, their goals are all the same and in agreement. For instance, if someone performs a good deed with the intention of winning Allah's pleasure, he will undoubtedly succeed in doing so, and this pleasure from Allah will serve as his reward. The rewards of Paradise will undoubtedly be bestowed on the one who pleases Allah. Now examine this: both of these results (obtaining Allah's pleasure or the blessings of Paradise), notwithstanding differences in their terminology, will be called rewards for good deeds. Any rational, intuitive, or practical notion will undoubtedly lead you to the conclusion that deeds are rewarded in this world as well. Humans have developed the innate tendency to seek rewards for their labours, thus even if they do not always make the intention of the reward, they will eventually earn their reward. The All-Powerful God's Divine Will has given sanction to this innate predisposition. Humans are naturally inclined to enjoy the fruits of their labours in the tangible world. Following birth, people acquire new skills, make a living, and continue to get rewards from this world in several forms, such as health, wealth, and blessings. A sick person can still receive rewards for their good deeds. Taking medication in the hopes of receiving treatment from Allah is a good deed for him. When he recovers, it is his reward for his good deed in this life; he took the necessary procedures to become well, and God Almighty granted him the recovery. In other words, the patient's recovery is a reward for their excellent conduct. Humans often work for companies, organizations, political, economic, social, national, or international departments in their practical and worldly lives with the expectation of obtaining rewards such as money, recognition, power, or popularity. Humans never labour without compensation. It is ingrained in him to hope for reward. Humans naturally develop such habits, so why wouldn't their All-Powerful Creator desire to reward them for their good and pious activities by bestowing upon them various sorts of rewards? Then, why shouldn't individuals who let the light of faith shine in their hearts, whose hearts are filled with faith, expect a reward from their Lord and then be motivated to do good deeds in anticipation of receiving this reward? ----- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar), with a Sufi-Sunni background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. He has also done B. A (Hons.) in Arabic, M.A. in Arabic and M.A. in English from JMI, New Delhi. He is interested in Islamic Sciences; Theology, Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic mysticism (Tasawwuf). 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