The Life of the World and the Afterlife

Quoted from the book (An Hour with Ghosts) By Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilli

God – be exalted – explained to us in the Quran, and declared that man lives two lives:

The First – is that which he lives in the "life of the World" which is the material life with his material body.

The Second – is the everlasting life which he lives in the "afterlife" in the ethereal world.


The reason why God created man in the World:
Then He – be glorified – explained why He created man in the "life of the World" and the duty of man therein.

Therefore, God explained to us in many ayat of the Quran that:

The first purpose: is in order that man should understand and become wise by studying sciences and by studying the heavenly books and by contemplating in the universe and what God has created in the heavens and the earth, and by the experience which he acquires in his life, and the events and the incidents that happen to him [by God's decree.]

The second purpose: is that he should come to know that there is a Creator, Who created him and bestowed on him all these favors and grace; so that he should worship and serve Him alone.

That is His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 51: 56
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ
The explanation:
(I created the genie-kind [: the alien] and human-kind only that they might worship Me.)

And God – be glorified – said in the Quran 2: 242
كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
The explanation:
(Thus does God explain to you His signs [of revelation]; in order that you may understand.)

Moreover, God – be glorified – said in the Quran 40: 67
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا شُيُوخًا وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّى مِن قَبْلُ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
The explanation:
(It is He Who created you from earth, then from a scanty-liquid [i.e. the semen], then from a worm-like, then He takes you out [of the wombs of your mothers] a child [after another], then you become old men, although some of you die before that, and that you attain an appointed term, and in order to discern.)

Therefore, God – be celebrated His praise – explained that He gave to man a long life-span in order to learn so that his mind will grow and he will become wise.

God – be glorified – said in the Quran 6: 151
قُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
The explanation:
(Say [O Mohammed, to these associaters:] "Come, I will recite to you what your Lord has forbidden you, that you associate not anything with Him, and that you do good to parents, and that you slay not your children because of penury – We provide for you and for them, and that you come not near to adultery whether open or concealed. And that you kill not the [living] person, which God did forbid save by right. This He has commanded you; haply you will understand.)

The commandments which God – be exalted – commanded in this aya are five commandments that none commits but only the unwise short-sighted and ignorant person.

The first of them is His saying – be glorified -
أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا
i.e. (that you associate not anything with Him)

And none, associates with God: so that he worships idols or pillars, but only the ignorant one.

Then His saying – be glorified –
وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا
i.e. (and that you do good to parents)

That is because none denies the favor of his parents on him and their care about him, but only the ignorant and wicked person.

Similarly His saying – be glorified –
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ
i.e. (and that you slay not your children because of penury – We provide for you and for them)

And none kills sons of people and robs their clothes and steals their wealth but only the wicked and short-sighted person, because the murderer must be killed, and the victim's family or friends will take revenge of him.

Then His saying – be glorified –
وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الْفَوَاحِشَ
i.e. (and that you come not near to adultery)

Certainly none approaches to adulteresses and commits adultery save the foolish, unwise and short-sighted person.

Similarly, anyone who kills a human being is a wicked rancorous and short-sighted person; because the family members of the victim must take revenge of him.

Therefore, if man trains himself to patience, piety and avoiding such prohibitions, then his wisdom will increase gradually and he will become wise; that is His saying – be glorified –
ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
i.e. (This He has commanded you; haply you will understand.)

Moreover, God – be glorified – said in the Quran 12:2
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
The explanation:
(We have revealed it, an Arabic Quran; haply you [people] may understand.)

It means: in order to study the Quran, understand it and work according to its instructions, and by that your wisdom will increase.


Read more
|
An Hour with Ghosts