ACCOUNTABILITY AND CYCLE OF BIRTH

PART 4

ACCOUNTABILITY IS DONE SOON AFTER DEATH

Cyclic rebirth, next life or the life hereafter

We have seen in part 3 of my article how easily our scholars try to get away from reality and hold responsible the system and corrupt leadership that put innocent people in miserable conditions because of the ‘social injustice’. In a way, these scholars and their followers could be right because they have their moral and religious duties to protect their ‘traditional rendering belief’ no matter whether it is right or wrong. They have no answers to the questions about why some people live in miserable conditions and why some people face economical and moral hardship throughout their lives comparing to those who are satisfied and happy in their lives without much struggle. Unlike our confused scholars who always make empty excuses of corrupt systems and social injustice, the Quran gives clear cut answer to these questions:

�ا ض�نك ة� م�ع�يش� �ه ل �ن# ف�إ (ر�ي ذ�ك ع�ن �ع(ر�ض� أ و�م�ن(

And whoever turns away from My message - indeed, he will have economical hard depressed life (20/124)

ےاور جو میر "ذ� کر")درس� نصیحت( س من موڑتا ا س ک لی ے ہے ہ ے زندگی معاشیے

و جاتی ) ہےتنگ (20/124ہ

�ا ة� ,Hardship = ض�نك Economic sustenance of life م�ع�يش�

The fundamental truth is laid down in the above Verse of the Quran but somehow if we are still adamant to keep our traditional thoughts and not ready to understand the clear wording of the Quran then we must revise our translation of the relevant verses of the Quran in the context of the grammar and formation or structure of the sentence in the original Arabic text of the Quran. I am sure, whilst reading the translations of the Quran, you have noticed that the translators do not always keep the original grammar of the verses in their translations. For example, one translator translates-“Allah says” another translates the same verse as –“Allah will say” a further translation of the same verse could be- “Allah said” and a next translation will be –“Allah has said”

Don’t you think that there is a difference between the past, present, future (far future and near future) or it does not make any change in the actual wording of the Quran to understand it as it should be?

This is another cause for confusion, for those who do not ponder and always struggle in picking and choosing the words and phrases from different verses to prove that they were right. Many people claim that there is no grammar in the Quran and neither has it been revealed in Arabic. They are very much deluded because Allah says:

Lين� مNب Oي� ب ع�ر� Lان ل�س� ه�Tذ�اThis is Arabic, pure and clear (16/103)

ون� #ر �ذ�ك �ت ي #ه م( �ع�ل ل �ك� ان �ل�س� ب �اه ن ر( �س# ي #م�ا �ن ف�إCertainly, We have made this (Qur'an) easy in your language, in order that they may repeat (understand) (44/58)

�ع(ق�ل ون� ت #ك م( #ع�ل ل _ا �ي ب ع�ر� �ا آن ق ر( �اه (ن ع�ل ج� #ا �ن إ[43:3] Surely, We have made it a Qur’an in clear, Arabic language so that you may understand.

�س �س عربی زبان کا قرآن بنایا تاک تم لوگ ا م ن ا ےیقینا ہ ہے ے ے ہ( (43/3۔سمجھو

�ع(ق�ل ون� ت #ك م( #ع�ل ل _ا �ي ب ع�ر� �ا آن ق ر( �اه (ن ل �نز� أ #ا �ن إ(12/2) surely, We have sent down the Quran in Arabic, so that you may understand.

م ن اس عربی قرآن ک طور پر نازل کیا تاک تم عقل کرو ) � ۔یقینا ہ ے ے ے ہ12/2)

Like other languages, the Arabic language also provides the basic terms of verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and articles to express the correct meaning of a sentence. The same grammar is applied in the metaphors as well. However, most of the verses of the Quran in which ‘life after death’, ‘hereafter’ and accountability is mentioned are dishonestly translated in the future tense to divert the reader’s attention towards the traditional thoughts or non Quranic beliefs of the translators. So the readers of the Quran can be misguided that nothing will happen before Qyamah. In other words they have been preaching through their misleading interpretation of the Quran, that man will go to sleep after his death and will be raised again on the day of Qyamah for his accountability and then he will be recompensed. This illogical concept is

not only against the education of the Quran but also against our essential ‘belief’ in the hereafter. Our scholars, translators and interpreters of the Quran do their best to make us ‘nonbelievers’. They do not want the readers to think independently and dig out the reality after comparing their wrong translation with the original Arabic text of the Quran. This is the reason why they use ‘brackets’ in the translations of verses of ‘hereafter’ and ‘life after death’ and write in between their own misleading words like ( on the day of Qyamah), ( on the day of resurrection), ( on the last day of judgement) or ( when they will be raised from their graves). Some of them argue and explain in the commentary that ‘such and such verse, also refers this (their non Quranic thoughts) but in fact they have failed to understand what is said in their referred ‘such and such’ verse?

و�ص�د�ق� ح(م�Tن الر# و�ع�د� م�ا ه�Tذ�ا �ا ق�د�ن م#ر( م�ن �ا �ن �ع�ث ب م�ن �ا �ن (ل و�ي �ا ي ق�ال وال ون� س� (م ر( ال

They exclaim: “Oh, woe unto us! Who has roused us from our sleeping quarters?” This is what the Mercy-giving promised; the Messengers were telling the truth."(36/52)

ی جو ماری خوابگا س اٹھایا ی میں ائ افسوس کس ن یں گ ہےگھبرا کرک ہ ے ہ ہ ہ ے ے ہ ے ہا تھا) ہرحمان ن وعد کیا تھا اور رسولوں ن سچ ک ے ہ (36/52ے

ل ون� ��نس ي |ه�م( ب ر� Tى� �ل إ ��ج(د�اث األ( م|ن� ه م �ذ�ا ف�إ �الصNور ف�ي و�ن ف�خ�And the trumpet will be blown and, at once, they will rise up from their graves, and rush forth to their Lord. (36/51)

� اپنی قبروں س نکل کر اپن رب ےاور صور پھونکا جائ گا تو و فورا ے ہ ے( ےکی طرف دوڑ چل آئیں گ ے (36/51ے

Lر ��ش مNنت Lاد ج�ر� #ه م( ن� �أ ك ��ج(د�اث األ( م�ن� ج ون� �خ(ر ي ه م( (ص�ار �ب أ ع�ا خ ش#

With downcast eyes, they come forth from the graves as they were locusts spread abroad, (54/7)

�س طرح نکل پڑیں گ گویا و وئ قبروں س ا ہاپنی آنکھیں جھکائ ے ے ے ہ ےیں) وئی ٹڈیاں ہپھیلی (54/7ہ

ي وف�ض ون� ن ص ب� Tى� �ل إ #ه م( ن� �أ ك اع�ا ر� �س ��ج(د�اث األ( م�ن� ج ون� �خ(ر ي �و(م� ي

The day when they shall come out of their graves in a rush, as if they were racing to a goal, (70/43)

وئ قبروں س نکل پڑیں گ گویا ک و ایک نشان ہجس دن و دوڑت ہ ے ے ے ہ ے ہیں) ہکی طرف دوڑ چل جار ہے ے (70/43ے

The verse 36/52 و�ع�د� م�ا ه�Tذ�ا �ا ق�د�ن م#ر( م�ن �ا �ن �ع�ث ب م�ن �ا �ن (ل و�ي �ا ي ق�ال وال ون� س� (م ر( ال و�ص�د�ق� ح(م�Tن is usually referred in favour of their الر#

argument who believe that everything will be done on the day of Qyamah and nothing will happen just after death, i.e. man will enjoy an undisturbed asleep till the ‘last day of judgement’ no matter whatever he had been doing in his life on Earth. For their further satisfaction I have mentioned above the three more similar verses from the Quran- 36/51, 54/7 and 70/43 but I would like to ask them the following questions?

1- Where the establishment of Qyamah or the last day of judgement is mentioned in these verses?

2- What grammatical tense is used in the original Arabic text of these verses i.e. past, present or future?

3- Who are addressed in these verses?4- Are all people buried in the graves?

Obviously they do not have any solid answer except the usual weak arguments derived by illogically engineering of the words from here to there or from one verse to another, ignoring grammatical rules because they have to say something to protect their wrong ideology. The verse 36/52 starts from ‘Qalo قالوا’ which is a ‘past tense’ and should actually be translated as ‘they said’ but in this verse our scholars translated ‘Qalo in the meaning of ‘they will say’. Perhaps we should learn grammar ’قالواbefore translating the Quran! Likewise the verses 36/51, 54/7 and 70/43

contain خ��ج ون� and ن ف �خ(ر again in the past tense. However, an action يin the past may be considered in present to determine the continuity of that action from the past but it cannot be translated in absolute ‘future’.

Had they seen the verses before and after the above mentioned verses, they would have found that these verses belong to nonbelievers only and they do not apply to the believers who accepted the signs of Allah (SWT) and the message of the Prophet (PBUH). Furthermore, the majority of nonbelievers do not bury their deceased. What about those who die in a plane or a ship crash? If this is the case, then how can we refer these verses to the whole of mankind and make a rule that everyone goes to sleep after death and will be raised up from their graves on the day of Qyamah? Some extra genius people argue that these graves are in the realm of the hereafter i.e. in Burzakh or may be the human spirits are kept in some compressed form till Qyamah etc. This is just a fake try to protect their non Quranic believe in the hereafter because the Quran refers to ‘bodies’, not only to the souls. Example of

locusts or grasshoppers (اد in the verse 54/7 also refers to body or (ج�ر�

material. Therefore, the scenario mentioned in these verses is entirely different to what we have assumed or translated, which will be fully explained in my further articles. However, before moving further to the subject I would like to mention in brief the rules of Arabic grammar so that we can establish a better understanding of the Quran as a whole, especially the verses relevant to our topic. In this article we will discuss about formation of the future tense. Past, present and rest of the grammar will also come into our discussion in further articles.

In Arabic language a future tense is formed by adding prefix either 'sa'

سوف 'or 'saufa سـ

If you leave it off you won't be expressing future particle. So it should be written and pronounced in the future tense. In Arabic, allegory, metaphor or even colloquial forms like idiomatic, slang, informal and conversational language, there should be an indicator of the future, because the verb's form itself is the same as the present المضارع such as:

I write aktub أكتب (present tense)I will write sa-aktub سأكتب or saufa-aktub سوف (future tense) أكتب

Hence, in order to form the future, we need either sa or saufa. The choice of sa or saufa does not really have to do with personal preferences but rather with the connotation i.e. saufa سوف for

actions situated far in the future and sa سـ for the nearer future which

is translated in Urdu as " قريب which is also an Arabic term like - "عن"very soon". Such as:

الغرفة هذه إلى أدخل (I will go to the classroom) سوف

الغرفة هذه إلى (I'm going to the classroom [very soon]) سأدخل

� تفاحا (I eat apples) آكل

تفاحا (I will eat apples) سـآكل

Therefore, the imperfect present verb (المضارع) is just an unfinished action and for a future connotation we either need to use the prefixes “SA س “ or “SAUFA سوف” or give a future time frame to make a future tense.

Prefix “SA سـ” is actually a short version of “SAIER ساير”. If “SA سـ “did come from a verb like “SAR سار” which has a meaning of "going to", it would explain the given distinction between near and distant future and it will be used as a future tense marker.

However, the vastly common way to negate a future action or form a future negative tense in Arabic is by using the particle لن “Lan” such

as: الغرفة هذه إلى أدخل لن

Sometimes the use of “QAD ق,د” conveys the idea of Future. Actually the particle ق,د+ imperfect tense meaning “perhaps” which also denotes a future action or event as possibility such as: -ی,کت-ب د perhaps, he will ق,

write, or ,ل,ح أ,ف2 د2 .etc ق,

Moreover, the indication of the future tense in dialectal Arabic of different regions of Arab peninsula is varied from one dialect to the next. In some particular cases, the words meaning "want to" ( أن / أريد ) "go to" ,(بدي)"intend to" ,(أروح نويت / �) ”going to“ ,(ناوي may convey an idea of an (غداaction taking place in the near future but the use of these words to give the idea of the future tense is a little unusual.

Therefore, you can only translate the verses of the Quran in the future tense if indicators like “SA س “ or “SAUFA سوف” are used as a future tense marker in the verses of the Quran or if there is an adverb referring

to the future with its context such as “QAD ق,د” with the timeframe for the future.

English language again provides examples of the above because English does not have a future tense formed by verb but it is expressed and constructed with the auxiliary verb will or shall like “SA س “or “SAUFA سوف” in Arabic. Expression of futurity is also supplied by the context or timeframe, with the use of temporal adverbs such as "later", "next year" or “tomorrow” etc.

It is sometimes possible to mark the time of an occurrence as being in the past or future not relative to the present moment (the moment of speaking), but relative to a time of reference, which can itself be in the past or future relative to the present moment. Thus an occurrence may be marked as taking place in the "past of the future", "future of the past", etc. The good examples of Relative and Absolute tense in which the time they refer to cannot be known without context or timeframe.

In a language like Arabic with relative tense, however, both situations would be described as "’A’ said that he will come." Because the time of arrival is later than the time of his words (that is, the moment when ‘A’ actually came was some time after the moment when he was talking), the verb come must be in the future tense, regardless of whether it is past, present, or future of the current moment.

For the "past of the past" (pluperfect) is a type of verb form, traditionally treated as one of the tenses of certain languages including Arabic, used in referring to something that occurred earlier than the time being considered, when the time being considered is already in the past. The pluperfect is equivalent to English verb forms such as "had sent" or “had done" etc. which refers to something that occurred "more" (further) in the past than the perfect. The same term is used in relation to the grammar of other languages in addition to Arabic.

The past of the future, marking an occurrence expected to take place before some future reference time, is typically marked by a future perfect form , as in the English "I will have finished by tomorrow afternoon.

Use of modal verbs with future meaning, to combine the expression of future time with certain modality: "I must do this" , "We should help him"; "I can get out of here"; "We may win"; "You might succeed ". The same modal verbs are also used in Arabic and especially in the Quran such as ,ل,ح أ,ف2 د2 .etc ق,

The same rules should be applied in the translation of the Quran no matter whether the portion of the Quran to be translated is in metaphorical or colloquial form.

Some people assert that the Quran is in metaphorical language and they understand the whole Quran metaphorically, being ignorant of the fact that the whole Quran is not interpreted as metaphor, except only wherever Allah (SWT) Himself, has explained His metaphorical words in the Quran. One such example is the explanation of the hellfire given in the Quran.

د,ة- ( 104/6)ن,ار- الل7ه5 ال2م-وق,

This is the fire kindled by Allah (104/6)

( وئی آگ ہےی ا کی بھڑکائی ہ هللا (104/6ہ

ئ5د,ة5 ,ف2 (104/7)ال7ت5ي ت,ط7ل5ع- ع,ل,ى األ2

Which rises over the hearts (104/7)

(104/7ےجو دلوں پر جا لپٹ گی)

ب-ون, ا ك,ان-وا ي,ك2س5 و,اه-م- الن7ار- ب5م,أ2 (10/8)أ-ول,Tئ5ك, م,

Their home will be the Fire because of what they used to earn (10:8)

یں جن کا ٹھکانا آگ بسبب اس ک جو و )10:8( ی و لوگ ہی ے ہے ہ ہ ہ �س�ب کرت ر ہے۔ک ے

In the above examples you can derive the metaphorical meaning of the ‘Fire’ because Allah (SWT) has already explained the nature of the’ fire’ and also made clear what He wants to say in the verses of the Quran wherever Allah(SWT) mentions ‘fire’ and its effect on man .However, without giving any ‘clear’ reference from the Quran you cannot alter Allah’s sacred words under the umbrella of ‘metaphorical’ language otherwise any personal interpretation of the Quran will be treated as intervening with the divine as Jewish and Christians have already done

in their books .

Very first time in the history of theology Pope Damasus, who was the founder of intervention in the divine, declared that the Bible was in metaphorical language and he invented his personal colloquial interpretation of the Bible. This is linked with the conspiracy of the early church or as a deliberate fraud fabricated by early Church’. The Pope was originally Jewish and later converted to Christianity. He believed that the divine language has the potential to be meaningless and he devised his innovative theory to understand the Bible because he had his malevolent agenda to hold his political position by way of exploitation. Were these God’s word or man’s words? When Bruce Chilton openly opposed the Pope’s interpretation of the metaphor of Bible and described Jesus “as an inspired rabbi”, he was disqualified and banned by the Church, and was declared as an “illegitimate,” mystical teacher of Kabbalah, who was exclusively working on Jewish agenda”

The 1st century’s Jewish scholar Philo of Alexandria and Christian scholar of 4th century Augustine of Hippo mentioned that characters and actions have real symbolic meaning. Augustine of Hippo argued that everything in the universe was created by God in the same instant and not in six days as a plain account of Genesis would require. Philo of Alexandria also wrote that it would be a mistake to think that creation

happened in six days or in any determined amount of time. Saint Augustine suggested that the Biblical text should not be interpreted literally if it contradicts what we know from science and our God given reason. He argued that the six-day structure of creation presented in the book of Genesis represents a logical framework, rather than the passage of time in a physical way. Augustine also does not envisage original sin as originating structural changes in the universe, and even suggests that the bodies of Adam and Eve were already created mortal before the Fall. Apart from his specific views, Augustine recognises that the interpretation of the creation story is difficult, and remarks that we should be willing to change our mind about it as new information comes up. In light of scientific findings regarding the age and origins of the universe and life, many modern Christian theologians, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant have rejected literalistic interpretations of Genesis in favour of allegorical or poetic interpretations.

Pope John Paul II pointed out that the essential characteristic of heaven, hell or purgatory is that they are states of being of a spirit (angel/demon) or human soul, rather than places, as commonly perceived and represented in the human language. This language of place is, according to the Pope, inadequate to describe the realities involved, since it is tied to the temporal order in which this world and we exist. In this, he is applying the philosophical categories used by the Church in their theology and saying what St. Thomas Aquinas said long before him. Pope Leo XIII said,” Since the findings of reason and the supernatural knowledge of Faith go back to the same source, namely to God, there can never be a real contradiction between the certain discoveries of the profane sciences and the Word of God properly understood”. However, the Church gives no positive decisions in regard to purely scientific questions, but limits itself to rejecting errors which endanger faith.

The literal, historical truth of the Scriptures was usually assumed by the ‘Fathers’. However, some were an exception to this such as some belonged to the School of Alexandria. They were taught that the events of the Old Testament were not necessarily historically accurate, but served as stories to communicate spiritual truths. In contrast, the School of Antioch such as John Chrysostom strongly rejected this approach, and maintained the historical reality of the Scriptures. As the centuries passed, the actual education of the Bible diminished. Thus, the need for a more formal set of principles for hermeneutics and exegesis arose, which led to the Catholic tradition of the four senses of Scripture. The first of the four senses is the

literal sense, which, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is the sense upon which all of the senses rest. The literal sense is simply the literal and direct meaning of the words, although this could include a metaphor (e.g., the Sons of Thunder would still be the literal sense even though it is metaphorical). The other three senses, the allegorical, anagogical, and moral, together form the spiritual sense. The allegorical sense focuses on the symbolic meaning produced by the words. The anagogical focuses on how the words relate to what Catholics call the "four last things;" namely, death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

During the Middle Era of the Church Bernard of Clairvaux, Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, and Bonaventure, sought to synthesise reason and faith. In the 16th century the Church found itself facing critical challenges because Turkish were approaching the gates of Vienna and the Protestant Reformation. In many respects, the Church had been experiencing a gradual decline in spiritual vigour since the 13th century. Problems included increased corruption among the clergy, inadequate catechesis of the laity, and the scandalous Great Schism, during which two Popes claimed to be the legitimate successor of Peter--one in Rome and the other in Avignon, France. Interest also continued to grow in studying the original languages because lack of knowledge of the original language of the scripture that exploded during the Reformation opened the door to the critical and sceptical approach to the Bible during the 17th and 18th centuries. The historical-critical scholars, who were influenced by Hegel and other modern thinkers, approached the Bible with rationalist and naturalist presuppositions, according to which any supernatural events in the Bible were explained away as products of mythology. The methodologies of the rationalists were condemned by the Church toward the turn of the 20th century and Pope Leo XIII forcefully rejected the heretical and faithless denial of the truth and inspiration of the Bible. In 1943, The Pontiff wrote that the science of literary criticism had developed to the point that it could be safely employed in Biblical studies without jeopardising the true meaning of Scripture.

Since, the Normans conquered England in 1066, Middle English and French replaced Saxon (Old English), the Christians have various manuscripts such as the paraphrase of Orm (ca. 1150) and the Salus Animæ (ca. 1250). The existence of translations during this period is affirmed by the original preface to the King James Bible and Sir

Thomas More. During the late 14th century, the language of the English people began to change drastically, approaching what we would recognise today as the English language. During this period (in 1408) Church viewed Wyclif's translation as erroneous (such as translations by the Jehovah's Witnesses might be viewed today).

After the advent of the printing press in the 15th century, the first printed Bible in the vernacular in England was that of William Tyndale. This translation was condemned due to errors and copies were burned. Over the course of the 16th century, a Bishops Bible was written under Queen Elizabeth by the Church of England to counteract the Calvinist influence in the Geneva Bible. In 1582 the Old Testament was then translated at the English College in Douay, France and completed in 1609. During the mid-18th century, Bishop Challoner significantly revised the Douay-Rheims to eliminate obscure words and render the text more readable. The influence of the Latin in the Douay-Rheims is evident in the translation. The Douay-Rheims also influenced the translators of the King James Version. The Douay-Rheims became the standard Bible of English speaking Catholics for over three hundred years and in 1941, the Confraternity Version of the New Testament was released. The New American Bible (NAB) was released in segments from 1952 until 1970 with the abandonment of some traditional Catholic renderings. For instance, Luke 1:28 was translated "Hail, favoured one!" in place of the classic "Hail, full of grace!”. A revised New Testament was released in 1986. Christian theology has suffered in modern times from an inability to explain its reliance on traditions and more "literal" theology, is needed.

Randel Helms characterised the Gospels as “largely fictional accounts concerning an historical figure, Jesus of Nazareth, intended to create a life enhancing understanding of his nature.” Alvar Ellegård is even more daring in his assertion that the “historical Jesus” was an Essene teacher who predated Peter, Paul, and the early Church by a century: “Jesus of Nazareth, born to Mary at the end of Augustus’ reign, is a fiction created in the second century by the Gospel writers.” Joseph Campbell’s idea that Christianity is “myth” was popularised through a series of Public Broadcasting television interviews with Bill Moyers in which Campbell relegated the enduring value of religious metaphor. Campbell linked God to the psychological concept of collective unconscious and spirituality to the exploration of metaphors, symbols and myths. This liberation of subjectivity has spawned a flood of popular as well as

scholarly reinterpretations of the “historical” Jesus. Many popular books about early Church conspiracy have been published since the discovery of the Biblical Leadership Metaphors and Contemporary Management Theory.

Philosophers like Benjamin Thorpe, David Hume, A.J. Ayer, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Antony Flew, R.M. Hare, John Hick and William Paden believed that religion is significant because it offers a particular way of life, rather than confirming the existence of God.

Human psychological science has proven that people who over expose themselves to environments and public, they typically tend to develop understanding of new words and apply new meanings to existing words. Such people interpret a proper language in a different dialects or fictional language.

In the above stated history, this rule of psychological science accurately fits on the Jewish and Christian scholars and translators. However, the Muslim scholars are not far off from the above stated Jewish and Christians, who gave us so many illogical and non-scientific forms of expositions and more liberal interpretations of the Quran suitable to the mental perception of their times.

Having seen the above history of intervening in the divine language, anybody can conclude that our Muslim scholars have also been following the footsteps of the above mentioned Western philosophers. This is the reason why many interpretations and translations of the Quran are not only wrong but also against the education of the Quran because they were written by communist minds in the 20th century. That was the time when Marxists and Leninists were bringing revolution to the world and everyone was under their influence. The whole world was in an epidemic of communism and so our scholars could not escape from this futile wave.

This is a stigma on the history that the learned and educated people of that era, especially the ones who belonged to the deprived, poor or middleclass families were significantly inclined towards communism. Frustrated minds could not do anything towards the establishment of ‘social order’ except adding a new word in the dictionary against capitalism –‘social injustice’. In the philosophy of communism, the theory of materialism holds that all things are composed of ‘material’, and that all emergent phenomena including consciousness are the result

of material properties and interactions. In other words, the theory of communism claims that our reality consists entirely of physical matter that is the sole cause of every possible occurrence, including human thought, feeling and action. Their theory also added that this world and everything in it runs mechanically by productive forces and scientific laws.

Unfortunately our scholars of that era looked at everything under the influences stated above and ‘replaced the name of Allah’ by ‘laws of nature’ in their interpretation of the verses of the Quran. However, Allah (SWT) is more wise and He reserved his ‘Power of Discretion’ and ‘Authority’ by adding in the verses of the Quran ‘Illa Ma Sha Allah’

الله اال ما شاء . Don’t you think replacing Allah with the law of nature is exactly like a statement on a currency note or passport? That it was issued by the order of the Queen of United kingdom, President of Pakistan or President of India, where in reality they are not actively involved in such things but their name is used as a rubber stamp. Has Allah’s name in the Quran just been used as an inactive symbol? If Allah is doing nothing and only the set laws of nature are running everything, then comes the question; is Allah resting or sleeping? When, in actual fact the Quran says quite clearly that Allah does not rest or sleep. Allah has already set the laws of nature in which people are born and dying, where plants are growing, where planets are cruising around the orbits and all other natural phenomena’s are occurring. On top of that, He has deferred our accountability till an indefinite period when Qyamah will occur! So, again the question arises – what is Allah actually doing? What is He busy with?

Allah himself finished this argument using a single word in the Quran

‘azizun ع,ز5يز ’, meaning He is not a rubber stamp but it is He, Himself who is the live and active controller of everything and can do whatever he wills. Now we come to the point of accountability, which will not be deferred till an unknown period i.e. the day of Qyamah.

Contrary to our traditional beliefs, the Quran clearly informs us that the accountability is done soon after death and man is sent back to the environment of hell or paradise according to the evaluation of his deeds after resurrection under the veil of Burzakh, which separates previous and prospective lives.

Lخ ز� �ر( ب �ه�م ائ و�ر� و�م�ن �ل ه�ا ق�ائ ه و� Lم�ة� �ل ك #ه�ا �ن إ �ال# ك (ت ك �ر� ت ف�يم�ا ا �ح� ص�ال �ع(م�ل أ �ع�ل|ي ل(ع�ث ون� ي ب � �و(م ي Tى� �ل إ

‘In order that I may do righteous deeds in the life that I have left behind.’ Never, it is but a word that he utters. And behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised again. (23:100)

یں، ی تو بس ایک بات رگز ن ہامید ک اب میں نیک عمل کروں گا ہ ہ ۔ ہ ہے�ن سب )مرن والوں( ک پیچھ ایک پرد ا اب ا ہ جو و بڑ بڑا ر ے ے ے ہے۔ ہ ہ ہے

( ۔حائل اگلی زندگی ک دن تک ے (23/100ہے

I will write more about ‘burzakh’ in the next parts of this article but now I would like to refer those verses of the Quran which clearly mentions the accountability and recompense soon after death.

�م ون� �ع(ل ي ق�و(م�ي (ت� �ي ل �ا ي ق�ال� #ة� ن (ج� ال �اد(خ ل ق�يل�

It was said to him, Enter paradise, he said: Would that my people knew (36/26)

ا ا کاش! میری قوم بھی جان و جا اس ن ک ا گیا جنت میں داخل ےک ہ ے ہ ہ(36/26لیتی)

م�ين� (ر� (م ك ال م�ن� �ي �ن ع�ل و�ج� |ي ب ر� ل�ي غ�ف�ر� �م�ا ب

"For that my Lord has granted me Forgiveness and placed me among those held in honour!"(36/27)

ےک میر رب ن مجھ بخش دیا اور مجھ عزت والوں میں کر دیا) ے ے ے ہ36/27)

At the time of his death he was told, “Enter Paradise”. He said, “Oh, I wish my people knew. That my Lord has forgiven me, and made me honourable” (36/26-27)

In the above verses of the Quran, at the time of death an invitation was given to enter the paradise i.e. before the establishment of Qyamah. Also the grammatical structure of these verses does not refer to any future action but in fact both verses are in the past tense. Furthermore, a quick accountability is shown just after death which rejects the idea of so-called sleeping realm from death to the day of Qyamah. You may argue that the time of death is not mentioned in the above verses and likewise accountability is not mentioned but this is common sense that the ‘entry to the paradise’ is subject to death and accountability. However, following verses explain this scenario more clearly in which the accountability and punishment are mentioned at the time of death.

Moreover, the scholarly interpretation, of ‘ �و(م� (ي �و(م� ‘ Al-Youm’ or ال (ي الو(ن� Alyouma Tujzon’ as the ‘Day of Qyamah’ or the ‘Last Day of ت ج(ز�Judgement’, has been proved wrong in the following verses.

ي وح� �م( و�ل �ي# �ل إ أ وح�ي� ق�ال� و(� أ �ا �ذ�ب ك �#ه الل ع�ل�ى Tى �ر� اف(ت �م�م#ن �م �ظ(ل أ و�م�ن(

Tى �ر� ت �و( و�ل #ه الل ل� �نز� أ م�ا (ل� م�ث أ نز�ل س� ق�ال� و�م�ن Lي(ء ش� �(ه �ي �ل �ذ�إ إ�خ(ر�ج وا أ (د�يه�م( ي

� أ �اس�ط و ب �ة �ك ئ (م�ال� و�ال �(م�و(ت ال �ات غ�م�ر� ف�ي �م ون� الظ#ال �(ه ون ال ع�ذ�اب� و(ن� ت ج(ز� �و(م� (ي ال ك م �نف س� #ه� أ الل ع�ل�ى �ق ول ون� ت ك نت م( �م�ا ب

ون� �ر (ب �ك ت �س( ت ��ه �ات آي ع�ن( و�ك نت م( (ح�ق| ال (ر� غ�ي

And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah, or says: It has been revealed to me; while nothing has been revealed to him, and he who says: I can reveal the like of what Allah has revealed? and if you had seen when the unjust shall be in the sufferings of death and the angels shall spread forth their hands: Give up your souls; today shall you be recompensed with an embarrassing chastisement because you spoke against Allah other than the truth and you showed pride against His communications.(6/93)وگا جو الل پر جھوٹ افتراء کر یا ی ہاور اس س بڑھ کر ظالم کون ے۔ ہ ہ ےو اور ہک ک مجھ پر وحی آئی حاالنک اس پر کچھ بھی وحی ن آئی ہ ہ ہے ہ ہے

ہےجو ی ک ک جس طرح کی کتاب الل ن نازل کی ے ہ ہ ہے میں بھی عنقریبہی )کتاب(نازل کروں گا اور کاش تم ان ظالم لوگوں کو اس۔ہایسی

اتھ بڑھا وں اور فرشت ہوقت دیکھو جب موت کی سختیوں میں مبتال ے ہوں ک نکالو اپنی جانیں آج تم کو ذلت ک عذاب کی سزا دی ےر ۔ ہ ہ ہے

ےاس لئ ک تم الل پر جھوٹ بوال کرت تھ اور اس کی آیتوںےجائ گی ے ہ ہ ے( ےس سرکشی کرت تھ ے (6/93ے

#ة� ن (ج� ال ل وا اد(خ (ك م �ي ع�ل Lم ال� س� �ق ول ون� ي �ين� |ب ط�ي �ة �ك ئ (م�ال� ال �و�ف#اه م �ت ت #ذ�ين� ال�ع(م�ل ون� ت ك نت م( �م�ا ب

Those whom the angels take in death while they are pure. They say: ‘Peace be unto you! Enter Paradise for what you used to do." (16: 32)

یں یں ایس حال میں ک و پاک ۔جن کی جان فرشت قبض کرت ہ ہ ہ ے ہ ے ےو جاؤ بسبب ان شت میں داخل و ب یں تم پر سالمتی ت ہفرشت ک ہ ہ ہ ے ہ ے

( ےکاموں ک جو تم کرت تھ ے (16/32ے

ه م( �ار� �د(ب و�أ و ج وه�ه م( �ض(ر�ب ون� ي �ة �ك ئ (م�ال� ال وا �ف�ر ك #ذ�ين� ال �و�ف#ى �ت ي �ذ( إ Tى �ر� ت �و( و�ل �(ح�ر�يق ال ع�ذ�اب� و�ذ وق وا

And if you could see when at the time of death the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve, they strike their faces and their backs and [saying], "Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire. (8: 50)

وں اوکہےاور اگر تو دیکھ یں ان ک مون ہ جس وقت فرشت کافروں کی جان قبض کرت ے ہ ے ے

یں جلن کا عذاب چکھو) ت یں اور ک وں پر مارت ےرپیٹ ہ ے ہ ہ ے (8/50ہ

ق�ا غ�ر( �#از�ع�ات و�الن

I swear by the angels who violently pull out the souls of the wicked, (79/1)

ےان )فرشتوں( کی ق�سم جو )کافروں کی جان ان ک جسموں ک ایک ایک انگ ے( یں ایت سختی س کھینچ الت ( ن ۔میں س ہ ے ے ہ (79/1ے

ط�ا �ش( ن �#اش�ط�ات و�الن

And by those who gently draw out the souls of the blessed (79/2)

ایت ( بند ن ہاور ان )فرشتوں( کی ق�سم جو )مومنوں کی جان ک ے( یں ۔نرمی س کھول دیت ہ ے (79/2ے

ج�ع ون� ت ر( |ك م( ب ر� Tى� �ل إ ث م# �ك م( ب |ل� و ك #ذ�ي ال �(م�و(ت ال م#ل�ك �و�ف#اك م �ت ي ق ل(

Say: "The Angel of death that has been assigned to you causes you to die then to your Lord you return." (32/11)

اری روحیں قبض کر لیتا ہےک دو ک موت کا فرشت جو تم پر مقرر کیا گیا تم ہ ہے ہ ہ ہہو) ہپھر تم اپن پروردگار کی طرف لوٹائ جات ے ے (32/11ے

اء� و�ر� �اك م( (ن خ�و#ل م#ا (ت م ك �ر� و�ت ة� م�ر# و#ل�� أ �اك م( �ق(ن ل خ� �م�ا ك Tاد�ى ف ر� �ا (ت م ون ئ �ج �ق�د( و�ل

�ق�د ل �اء ك ر� ش ف�يك م( #ه م( ن� أ ع�م(ت م( ز� #ذ�ين� ال ف�ع�اء�ك م ش م�ع�ك م( Tى �ر� ن و�م�ا ظ ه ور�ك م(

ع م ون� �ز( ت ك نت م( م#ا ع�نك م و�ض�ل# �ك م( (ن �ي ب #ق�ط#ع� ت

And now you come to Us one by one even as We created you at first, and you have left behind you that which We bestowed upon you, and We see not with you your intercessors of whom you asserted that they were partners with God in your affairs. Now you have been cut off from one another and all your former fancies have forsaken you! (6/94)

لی بار یں پ م ن تم و جیسا ک نچ مار پاس اکیل اکیل آپ � تم ہاور یقینا ہ ے ہ ہ ہ ے ہ ے ے ے ہی( پیدا کیا تھا اور تم اپنی پیٹھوں ک پیچھ چھوڑ آئ جو مال و ے)اکیل اکیل ے ے ہ ے ے

یں دیکھ ار ان سفارشیوں کو ن ار ساتھ تم م تم یں دیا تھا اور م ن تم ہمتاع ے ہ ے ہ ہ ہ ے ہار مفاد کی حفاظت میں)الل ہر جن ک متعلق تم گمان کرت تھ ک و تم ے ہ ہ ہ ے ے ے ہے

و اور تم س و کھو گیا جسکا و چک یں تم آپس میں جدا جدا ( شریک ہےک ہ ے ہ ے ہ ۔ ہ ےے۔تم گمان کیا کرت تھ ) (6/94ے

�و(م� (ي ال ك� �ص�ر ف�ب غ�ط�اء�ك� ع�نك� �ا ف(ن �ش� ف�ك ه�Tذ�ا م|ن( �ة� غ�ف(ل ف�ي ك نت� #ق�د( لLيد�ح�د

‘You paid no attention to this; but today We have removed your veil and your sight is sharp.’(50/22)

م ن تجھ س تیرا پرد ا پس ہب شک تو اس دن س غفلت میں ر ے ے ہ ہ ے ے( ہےدور کر دیا پس تیری نگا آج بڑی تیز (50/22ہ

ع ر� س(� أ و�ه و� (م (ح ك ال �ه ل �ال� أ (ح�ق| ال ه م م�و(ال� �#ه الل �ل�ى إ دNوا ر ث م#

�ين� ب �(ح�اس ال

Then they, His servants, are returned to Allah, their true Lord. The Judgement is His alone. He is swiftest in taking account. (6/62)

و جاؤ، فیصل ک یں خبردار ، اپن حقیقی آقا کی طرف واپس الئ جات ےپھر سب ک سب الل ہ ہ ۔ ہ ے ے ے ہ ے

( ت تیز یں اور و حساب لین میں ب ہے۔سار اختیارات اسی کو حاصل ہ ے ہ ہ (6/62ے

(ق وم� ل (ح ال ��غ�ت �ل ب �ذ�ا إ �و(ال� ف�ل

Translation 1- Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat (56/83)

وتی نچ چکی ہے۔تو جب مرن وال کی جان حلق تک پ ہ ہ ے ےTranslation 2- Then why do you not intervene when the soul reaches the throat? (56/83)

یں لیت جب ک و گل تک آ جاتی ہےپھر کس لی روح کو روک ن ے ہ ہ ے ہ ےTranslation 3- So when it has reached the throat. (56/83)

( نچتی ہےبھال جب روح گل میں آ پ ہ (56/83ے

ون� �نظ ر ت �ذ� �ئ ين �ح �نت م( و�أ

Translation 1- And ye are at that moment looking dying man (56/84)ا و ک و مر ر وت ہےاور تم آنکھوں س دیکھ ر ہ ہ ہ ہ ے ہ ہے ے

Translation 2- And at that moment you look around.و ہاورتم اس وقت دیکھا کرت ے

Translation 3- While you gaze on-( و وت ۔اور تم اس وقت دیکھ ر ہ ے ہ (56/84ہے

ون� (ص�ر ت ب ال# �Tك�ن و�ل م�نك م( �(ه �ي �ل إ ب �ق(ر� أ �ح(ن و�نAnd We are nearer to him than you, but you do not see us. (56/85)

اری نسبت لیکن تم کو نظرا یں اس ک تم وت م زیاد قریب ہور ے ہ ے ہ ہ ہ

( یں آت ے۔ن (56/85ہ

�ين� م�د�ين (ر� غ�ي ك نت م( �ن إ �و(ال� ف�لTranslation1-Then why do you not, if you are exempt from account? (65/86)Translation 2-Then why do you not, if you are not to be recompensed,

؟) یں ون واال ن ارا حساب کتاب ہےپس کیا تم ہ ے ہ (65/86ہ

ص�اد�ق�ين� ك نت م( �ن إ �ه�ا ج�ع ون �ر( تBring it back, if you are truthful? (56/67)

؟ یں ل آت وئی جان کو واپس کیوں ن ےا س وقت ا س کی نکلتی ے ہ ہو) یں لوٹا دیت اگر تم سچ ہتو تم اس روح کو کیوں ن ے ے (56/67ہ

�ين� ب (م ق�ر# ال م�ن� �ان� ك �ن إ م#ا� ف�أ

Translation 1- So, if the deceased was of those brought near to Allah, (56/88)Translation 2- So, if he is one of those who are made near to AllahTranslation 3- If that dying person is one of those who will be brought near to God.

( و ۔پھر و مرن واال اگر مقرب لوگوں میں س ہ ے ے (56/88ہ

� �ع�يم ن #ت ن و�ج� Lح�ان) ي و�ر� Lو(ح ف�ر�Translation 1- Then happiness and bounty and a garden of pleasure. (56/89)Translation 2- (There is for him) Rest and Satisfaction, and a Garden of Delights.

Translation 3- For him shall be comfort, and fragrance and a Garden of Delight.Translation 4- There is solace and sweetness and a Garden of Delight.Translation 5- (There is for him) rest and provision, and a Garden of delights (Paradise).

ےتو اس ک لی ہے۔راحت اور عمد رزق اور نعمت بھری جنت ے ہے ہ ہےیں راحت اور خوشبو ئیں اور عیش کی باغ ہتو اس ک لی ے ے

راحت اور پھول اور چین ک باغ ےتو اس ک لی ہے ے ےراحت اور روزی اور باغ نعمت ک ہےتو اس ک لی ہے ے (56/89ا)ے

��م�ين (ي ال �ص(ح�اب� أ م�ن( �ان� ك �ن إ م#ا

� و�أTranslation 1- And if he (the dying person) be of those who have attained to righteousness, (56/90)Translation 2- And if he was of the companions of the right, Translation 3- And if he is one of the people of the right.

و ۔اور اگر مرن واالاصحاب یمین میں س ہ ے ےاتھ والوں میں س ہےاور اگر و دائیں ے ہ ہ

و) نی طرف والوں س ہاور اگر د ے (56/90ہ

��م�ين (ي ال �ص(ح�اب� أ م�ن( ل#ك� Lم ال� ف�س�

Translation 1- Then [the angels will say], "Peace for you; [you are] from the companions of the right." (56/91)Translation 2- Then peace to you from those on the right hand.Translation 3- Then, ‘Peace upon you,’ from those on the Right.

و) ن والوں میں س تجھ پر سالم ہتو ا شخص تو جو دا ہے ے ے ہ (56/91ے

|ين� الض#ال �ين� �ذ|ب (م ك ال م�ن� �ان� ك �ن إ م#ا� و�أ

Translation 1- But if he was of the deniers [who were] astray, (56/92)Translation 2- But if one happens to be of those who are wont to call the truth a lie, and [thus] go astray,Translation 3- But if he is one of those who rejected [the truth] and went astray,Translation 4- But if he be among those who denied the truth and strayed from the path of righteousness,

( وں میں س ہےاور اگر و جھٹالن وال گمرا ے ہ ے ے (56/92ہ

� ح�م�يم م|ن( Lل ف�ن ز

Translation 1- Then [for him is] accommodation of scalding water (56’93)Translation 2- Then the welcome will be boiling waterTranslation 3- He shall have an entertainment of boiling water,Translation 4- Then the welcome will be smouldering anguish.Translation 5- He is welcomed with scalding water,Translation 6- Then for him is entertainment with boiling water

وا پانی ہے۔تو اس کی تواضع ک لی کھولتا ہ ے ے( مانی کھولتا پانی ہے۔تو اس کی م (56/93ہ

� ج�ح�يم �ة �ي �ص(ل و�ت

Translation 1- And his (end) is the admission to Hell. (56/94)Translation 2- And burning in Hellfire Translation 3- And the heat of a blazing fire!

نم میں جھونکا ہےجاتاہاور جوتا ہےاور دوزخ میں داخل ہ

نم میں داخل کیا جا ہاور و ج (56/94تا ہے)ہ

��ق�ين (ي ال Nح�ق �ه و� ل ه�Tذ�ا �ن# إ

Indeed, this is the true certainty, (56/95)Verily, this is an absolute Truth with certainty.Indeed this is the absolute Truth;This is indeed the ultimate truth.

ی قطعی حق ۔بالشب ی ہے ہ ہہے۔ی سب کچھ قطعی حق ہ

) یہہی بیشک ہے۔ اعلیT درج کی یقینی بات (56/95ہ

�ال# إ ��ات |ئ ي الس# ع�م�ل وا #ذ�ين� ال ى ي ج(ز� ف�ال� ��ة |ئ ي �الس# ب ج�اء� و�م�ن (ه�ا م|ن Lر) ي خ� �ه ف�ل ��ة ن (ح�س� �ال ب ج�اء� م�ن�ع(م�ل ون� ي �ان وا ك م�ا

Whoever comes with a good deed, receives a better reward; whoever comes with an evil deed is punished only for what he has done. (28/84)

تر صل اور جو شخص برائی ل کر آ تا تو بر کام ےجو شخص نیکی ل کر آ تا اس ک لئ اس س ب ہے ے ہے ہ ہ ے ے ے ہے ے

( یں دیا جائ گا مگر اسی قدر جو و کرت ر تھ ےکرن والوں کو کوئی بدل ن ہے ے ہ ے ہ ہ (28/84ے

We have noted in all above verses of the Quran that the day of Qyamah or the Last Day of Judgment is not mentioned as a timeframe of the accountability, reward and punishment in the subsequent lives but in fact the time of death is clearly mentioned. Also instead of going to the sleeping mode, people were sent to paradise or hell soon after their death.

#ة �ن (م ط(م�ئ ال #ف(س الن #ت ه�ا ي� أ �ا ي

"O reassured soul (89/27)

(89/27ےا نفس مطمئن)

#ة ض�ي م#ر( �ة� اض�ي ر� �|ك ب ر� Tى� �ل إ ج�ع�ي ار(

Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him] (89/28)

) �س حال میں ک تو )اپن انجام نیک س ےچل اپن رب کی طرف، ا ے ہ ے

( ہےخوش )اور اپن رب ک نزدیک( پسندید ہ ے (89/28ے

�اد�ي ب �ع ف�ي ل�ي ف�اد(خ So enter among My [righteous] devotees (89/29)

و جا میر )نیک( بندوں میں) ےشامل (89/29ہ

#ت�ي ن ج� ل�ي و�اد(خ And enter My Paradise." (89/30)

و جا میری جنت میں) (89/30ہاور داخل

The above verses confirm that when the lives of the righteous come to the predetermined end, the angle of death simply invites them to leave their earthly bodies and move on to Heaven. This happens before the establishment of Qyamah because there is no condition of the timeframe mentioned for these actions and these verses (89/27-30) are not in the future tense. So, (89/27-30) Allah (SWT) invites the satisfied souls to enter His paradise. On the other hand we have also read that the wrong doers know at the moment of their death that they are destined for Hell.

The angels beat them on their faces and rear ends (8/50 & 47/27), order them to evict their souls (6/93), then “snatch their souls” (79/1) .

Please see the following verse of the Quran as conclusion .

م2 ه5 ل2ف5 خ, م[ن2 ب5ه5م وا ق- ي,ل2ح, ل,م2 ب5ال7ذ5ين, ون, ر- ت,ب2ش5 ي,س2 و, ل5ه5 ف,ض2 م5ن الل7ه- آت,اه-م- ا ب5م, ين, ر5ح5 ف,

ن-ون, ز, ي,ح2 ه-م2 و,ال, م2 ع,ل,ي2ه5 و2ف خ, أ,ال7

“They are rejoicing in Allah’s grace, and they have good news for their comrades who have not joined them yet, who still live on Earth, that they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve” (3/170)

یں، یں دیا ا س پر خوش و خرم ہجو کچھ الل ن اپن فضل س ان ہے ہ ے ے ے ہیں اور ل ایمان انک پیچھ دنیا میں ر گئ یں ک جو ا ہاور مطمئن ے ہ ے ے ہ ہ ہ

یں ان ک لی بھی کسی خوف اور رنج کا موقع نچ یں پ اں ن ےابھی و ے ہ ے ہ ہ ہ( یں ہے۔ن (3/170ہ

The significance of this verse is truly great. We have read that while we still live on Earth, there are the righteous, which are already in Heaven rejoicing in Allah’s grace, and waiting for the rest of the believers to join them. This can only mean that the accountability is done soon after death and some people progress to the further stage, while we are still living on the Earth.

Dr Kashif Khan

24th January 2014