INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT (AFTER DEATH)

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT (AFTER DEATH)

ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA

http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com

https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana

emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com

THURSDAY 10^TH RABI AL THANI 1439 AH – 28^TH DECEMBER 2017 CE

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam) is His slave and Messenger.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

One of the most important aspects of Islam is the belief in a Day of Judgment. It is one of the six articles of faith and is central to the Islamic concept of accountability. For Muslims, the present life is not the goal; rather, it is the life after death that is the focus. This does not mean that Muslims should not enjoy their lives, but it does mean that they have to be conscious of God in all aspects of their life knowing that they will be asked about their decisions.

The Day of Judgment is mentioned repeatedly in the Qur’an. Moreover, it has more than one name, including the Day of Accountability, the Day of Resurrection, the Hour, and the Last Day. Each of the names of that day highlight an aspect of it.

Verse 30 in chapter 3 describes what will occur on that day:

On the day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done, and all the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between it and its evil. But Allah cautions you (to fear) Him. And Allah is full of kindness to those that serve Him.

Another example, verse 185, comes from the same chapter:

Every soul will taste of death. And ye will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which ye have fairly earned. Whoso is removed from the Fire and is made to enter paradise, he indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but comfort of illusion.

As these two verses illustrate, on this day, Muslims believe that they will be resurrected both physically and spiritually and will be asked by God about their lives, after which their final destination will be determined.

In Islamic belief, no one, including the Prophet Muhammad, knows when the Day of Judgment will occur, but that there are signs that will indicate its coming. Once that day occurs, the world as we know it will be completely altered. There are many examples, especially in the early revelations, in the Qur’an where that transformation of the world is described. One example is verses 1 through 5 on chapter 84:

When the Sky is rent asunder, (1) And hearkens to (the Command of) its Lord–and it must needs (do so)– (2) And when the Earth is flattened out (3) And casts forth what is within it and becomes (clean) empty (4) And hearkens to (the Command of) its Lord–and it must needs (do so)–(then will come Home the full Reality)(5).

The Day of Judgment underscores the belief in the importance of accountability and God consciousness in everything Muslims do. It is for this reason that there are many descriptions of this day and why it is considered one of the articles of faith that makes someone a Muslim.

What do you know about the Islamic belief in the Day of Judgment? What is your reaction to the descriptions in the Qur’an of that day? How do other faith traditions view the end of the world? What role does that belief have in the faith? Please share your comments below.

 

 

 

 

سورة مريم   ( 19 )

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا {90} أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدًا {91} وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا {92} إِن كُلُّ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدًا {93} لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا {94} وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا {95}

It is well nigh that the heavens might crack and the earth split asunder and the mountains crumble down at this hideous thing that they ascribe a son to the Merciful! It does not behoove the Merciful to adopt a son. All those who are in the heavens and the earth, are going to be presented before Him as servants, for He has encircled them and kept a strict account of them; everyone will be presented before Him individually on the Day of Resurrection. (Holy Quran 19.95)

سورة مريم   ( 19 )

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا {77} أَاطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا {78} كَلَّا سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدًّا {79} وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًا {80}

Then, have you seen the person who denies Our Revelations, and boasts, “I shall continue to be blessed with riches and children?” What! has the unseen been revealed to him? Or has he taken a pledge from the Merciful? By no means! We will record whatever he boasts of, and will increase his chastisement all the more and We will inherit all that he talks of (the riches and the helpers of which he boasts of), he will appear before Us all alone(Holy Quran 19.77-80).

سورة الأنعام  ( 6 )

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ {93} وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُم مَّا خَوَّلْنَاكُمْ وَرَاء ظُهُورِكُمْ وَمَا نَرَى مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَاءكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَاء لَقَد تَّقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنكُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ {94}

Would that you could see these wicked people, when they are in the agonies of death, and the angels are out-stretching their hands and saying, "Come, yield up your soul; today you will be awarded a disgraceful torment for the false things you attributed to Allah and for the rebellion you showed against His Revelations." (And Allah will add,) "So, you have come before Us all alone, as We created you at first. Now, you have left behind all that We gave to you in the world; and now We do not see with you those intercessors who, you believed, had a share in molding your destinies: all the relations between you have been cut off, and all those, in whom you trusted, have left you in the lurch."(Holy Quran 6.94)

 

 

سورة الكهف   ( 18 )

الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا {46} وَيَوْمَ نُسَيِّرُ الْجِبَالَ وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةً وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا {47} وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّن نَّجْعَلَ لَكُم مَّوْعِدًا {48} وَوُضِعَ الْكِتَابُ فَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَا وَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّا أَحْصَاهَا وَوَجَدُوا مَا عَمِلُوا حَاضِرًا وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا {49}

This wealth and the offspring are mere transitory adornment of worldly life: in fact the abiding good deeds are best in the sight of your Lord in regard to their end, and hold out for you greater hopes. The only thing, for which you should prepare, is the Day when We will set the mountains in motion, and when you will find the Earth quite naked, and We will muster together all human beings in a way as to leave none at all behind, and all will be presented before your Lord in rows-Well! you may see that you have come before Us in the same condition in which We created you at first: You were under the delusion that We had not fixed any time of appointment with you-Then the record of deeds will be set before them. At that time you will see that the criminals will be afraid of the record of their book of life and will say, "Woe to us! What sort of a book this is! It has left nothing unrecorded of our doings, small or great." They will see before them everything, whatsoever they had done, and your Lord will not be unjust to anyone in the least(Holy Quran 18.46-49).