Theological Instructions

LESSON FIFTY-TWO: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIS WORLD AND HEREAFTER

Introduction

So far, we have realized that man’s life is not limited to the transient life of this world and that he will be brought to life again in the Hereafter, and granted eternal life. It also became apparent that the future life in comparison with this life is so pure and noble, that earthly life does not deserve to be called life. However, this does not mean that life in the Hereafter refers to one’s good or bad reputation, nor does it mean that it is conceptual and unreal.

It is now reasonable to discuss the relationship between life in this world and the Hereafter, and to clarify the type of relationship between the two. In the course of our previous discussions such a relationship what made somewhat clear, but due to some misunderstanding of the concept, it will be helpful to elaborate using wisdom and Qur’anic evidence to specify its nature.

This world is the fertile land for the Hereafter

The first point to be stressed is that prosperity and adversity in the Hereafter depend on man’s behaviour in this world. It will be impossible for a person in the Hereafter to exert efforts to obtain blessings in the same world. It is unlikely that those with a higher physical or mental capability can further benefit, or that sly individuals can benefit from others efforts and struggles. However, some ignorant people have thought that the Hereafter is totally independent from this world.

The Holy Qur’an quotes some disbelievers saying as follows: “and I do not think that the Hour will ever set in. And even if I am returned to my Lord I will surely find a resort better than this” (al-Kahf:36) In another verse, the Holy Qur’an maintains:“I do not think the Hour will ever set in, and in case I am returned to my Lord, I will indeed have the best [reward] with Him” (Fussilat:50) Such people either supposed that they could exert their efforts in the Hereafter and receive blessings forthwith or speculated that their being wealthy in this world indicates that God had shown them special favor, and as a result they would receive the same favor in the Hereafter. Finally, if a person believes that the other world is completely isolated from this world and good or evil deeds in this world will not affect the blessings or punishment in the Hereafter, he has no belief in Resurrection -- one of the main principles of all Divine religions. This principle is fulfilled by one’s being punished or rewarded for his worldly deeds. This is why this world is compared to a ‘market’, ‘commercial firm’, or as a ‘fertile land’ where ones sows the seeds for the Hereafter’. It means that in this world, one should work, cultivate, and make every effort to meet the everlasting outcomes in the Hereafter (N.B. In the Qur’an the worldly rewards and punishments have been mentioned; however the continuing reward and punishment is specific to the Hereafter). This is the essence of all reasoning and debates concerning the Resurrection in the Holy Qur’an and needs no further explanation.

The worldly benefits (blessings) will bring no prosperity in the Hereafter

Some have thought that their wealth, children or other means of worldly pleasures will bring them peace and tranquility in the Hereafter. The burial of precious jewelry and even food together with the dead person has probably resulted from a similar belief.

The Holy Qur’an states that neither wealth nor children by themselves (irrespective of there behavior) will lead to living in closeness to God (Saba’:37), nor will they bring any benefit to their owners in the Hereafter (al-Shu’arā:88, Luqmān:33, Āl-‘Imrān:10,116). Such relations are mainly specific to this world and will be broken in the Hereafter (al-Baqarah:166, al-Mu’minūn:101). Everyone will lose his worldly relations (al-An’ām:

  1. and will face God alone (Maryam:80,95). However, the spiritual and Divine relations will continue and as a result, the believers who had such relationships with their spouses, children and relatives will be together in Paradise (al-Ra’d:23, Ghāfir:8, al-Tūr:21).

Therefore, the relationship between this world and the Hereafter is not of the type of the relationship between worldly phenomena. It is unlikely that one who is more powerful, more beautiful, and more joyful or one who enjoys more pleasures in this world will live similarly in the Hereafter If this were the case, then the Pharaohs and other rich people would be more likely to be prosperous in the Hereafter. Nevertheless, there will be those who have been powerless, ill and poor in this world but due to the performance of their Divine duties they will exchange their pitiful earthly life for the bountiful and prosperous Hereafter, enjoying eternal blessings.

Some ignorant people believe that the message of the verse: “But whoever has been blind in this [world], will be blind in the Hereafter, and [even] more astray from the [right] way”. (al-Isrā’:72) Is that worldly health and pleasures are in direct correspondence with health and pleasures in the Hereafter; however, they do not consider the fact that the term ‘blind’ in the above verse dos not mean physical blindness rather it means ‘ignorance’, or spiritual blindness. Another verse maintains:

“Indeed it is not the eyes that turn blind, but the hearts turn blind -those which are in the breasts!” (al-Hajj:46) The Holy Qur’an states elsewhere:

“But whoever disregards My remembrance, his shall be a wretched life, and on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise Him blind. He will say, ‘My Lord! Why have You raised me blind, though I used to see?’ He will say:

‘So it is. Our signs came to you, but you forgot them, and thus you will be forgotten today.” (TāHa:124-126) Therefore, the reason for blindness in the next world results from forgetting God’s signs in this world, as opposed to physical blindness.

Finally, it must be noted that the relationship between this world and the Hereafter is not similar to the relationship between causes and their effects in this world.

Worldly benefits (blessings) will not lead to adversity in the Hereafter

Some people have cause to believe that the blessings of this world and those of the Hereafter are on a counter-relationship. Hence those who failed to enjoy the blessings of this world will consequently meet prosperity in the Hereafter, while those who enjoyed the blessings of this world will be deprived from prosperity in the Hereafter.

The advocates of this idea have justified it by referring to some verses and traditions in which the worshippers of this world have claimed not to enjoy any of the blessings of the Hereafter (al-Baqarah:200, Āl-‘Imrān:77, al-Isrā’:18, al-Shu’arā:20).

However, being in love with this world does not equal enjoying worldly blessings, rather the lover of this world is one who sets worldly desires as the objective of all his attempts and employs all his strength in gaining them even if he does not meet his desires. On the other hand, a lover of the Hereafter is one who does not fall in love with worldly pleasures, but chooses the life of the Hereafter as his objective, even though he may be enjoying worldly blessings. For example, Solomon (a) and many of the prophets and Imams (a) have found pleasure in worldly blessings; however, they have employed them for obtaining prosperity and God’s paradise in the Hereafter Therefore, there is neither a direct nor a counter-relationship between the blessings of this or the next life. All the blessings and disasters of this world have been distributed amongst the people based on God’s perfect wisdom (al-Zukhruf:32), and all shall be tested through them (al-Anfāl:28, al-Anbiyā:35, al-A’rāf:168, al-Kahf:7, al- Māidah:48, al-An’ām:165, al-Naml:40, Āl-‘Imrān:186). Thus, enjoying or being deprived from worldly blessing does not by itself indicate living close to or far from God’s mercy and will not lead to prosperity or adversity in the Hereafter (Āl-‘Imrān:179, al-Mu’minūn:56, al-Fajr:15-16).

Conclusion

It can be deduced from such discussions that if we reject every kind of relationship between this world and the Hereafter, it amounts to the rejection of the concept of Resurrection. However, there is no relationship between the blessings in this world and in the Hereafter, nor is there any relationship between adversity in this world and that in the Hereafter. In general, the relationship between this world and the Hereafter is not of the type of relation between worldly phenomena and is not limited to physical or biological rules. On the contrary, the cause of joy or punishment in the Hereafter is the result of the use of man’s free-will in this world. This does not have any connection with (the rule of) using power and energy for the changing of matter; rather it refers to the origin of such deeds, such as inner belief or disbelief. This is the message of hundreds of verses in the Holy Qur’an which state that prosperity in the Hereafter depends on one’s belief in God, Resurrection, God’s prophets and performance of acts related to worship, such as praying, fasting, holy war, spending money on the needy, carrying out favours for God’s servants, ordering others to enjoin the good and prohibiting them from committing sins, struggling against the disbelievers and the oppressors, and establishing justice in the society. On the other hand, it maintains that being bound by God’s punishment will be the outcome of disbelief, dualism, hypocrisy, rejecting the Resurrection and

prophets, and committing all types of sins and oppressions. The Holy Qur’an in a number of verses briefly introduces ‘belief and good deeds’ (Refer to: al-Baqarah: 25,38,62,82,103,112,277,Āl-‘Imrān:15,57,114,115,133,179,195,198,alNisā’:13,57,122,124,146,152,162,173,alMaidah:9,65,69,al-An’ām:48,al- Tawbah:72, Yūnus:4,9,63-64, al-Ra’d:29, Ibrāhim:23, al-Nahl:97, al- Kahf:2,29,30,107, Tāha:75, al-Hajj:143,50,56, al-Furqān:15, al-‘Ankabūt:7,9,58, al-Rūm:15, Luqmān:8, al-Sajdah:19, Saba’:4,37, Fātir:7, Sād:49, al- Zumar:20,33,35, Ghāfir:40, Fussilat:8, al-Shūra:22,26, al-Ghāshiyah:30, al- Fath:17, al-Hadīd:12,21, al-Talāq:11, al-Inshiqāq:25, al-Burūj:11, al-Tīn:6, al- Bayyinah:7-8) as the cause of prosperity in the Hereafter and ‘disbelief and the committal of sins’ (Refer to: al-Baqarah:24,39,81,104,161-162, Āl‘Imrān:21,56,86,88,91,116,131,176-177,196-197, al Nisā’:14,56,121,145,151,161,168-169,173, al-Maidah:10,36,72,86, al-An’ām:49, al- Tawbah:3,68, Yūnus:4,8, al-Ra’d:5, al-Kahf:32, Ghāfir:6, al-Shūra:26, al- Ghāshiyah:11, al-Fath:13,17, al-Hadīd:19,al-Taghābun:10, al-Mulk:6, al- Inshiqāq:22,24, al-Ghāshiyah:23-24, al-Bayyinah:6) as the reason for one’s eternal bad luck.

Questions

  1. What problem arises if we reject the relationship between this world and the Hereafter?

  2. What is meant fertile land concerning the next world?

  3. What is the relationship between the blessings of this world and those of the next?

  4. What is the relationship between the blessings of this world and the punishment in the next?

  5. Among which worldly affairs and prosperity or adversity in the Hereafter, is there a true relationship?