Hereafter- Shaykh Zakir Naik

[1]. Belief in the hereafter is not based
on blind faith
Many people wonder as to how a person with
a scientific and logical temperament, can
lend any credence to the belief of life after
death. People assume that anyone believing
in the hereafter is doing so on the basis of
blind belief. My belief in the hereafter is
based on a logical argument.
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[2]. Hereafter a logical belief
There are more than a thousand verses in
the Glorious Qur’an, containing scientific
facts (refer my book “Qur’an and Modern
Science-Compatible or Incompatible?”).
Many facts mentioned in the Qur’an have
been discovered in the last few centuries. But
science has not advanced to a level where it
can confirm every statement of the Qur’an.
Suppose 80% of all that is mentioned in
the Qur’an has been proved 100% correct.
About the remaining 20%, science makes
no categorical statement, since it has not
advanced to a level, where it can either
prove or disprove these statements. With the
limited knowledge that we have, we cannot
say for sure whether even a single percentage
or a single verse of the Qur’an from this 20%
portion is wrong. Thus when 80% of the
Qur’an is 100% correct and the remaining
20% is not disproved, logic says that even the
20% portion is correct. The existence of the
hereafter, which is mentioned in the Qur’an,
falls in the 20% ambiguous portion which
my logic says is correct.
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[3]. Concept of peace and human values
is useless without the concept of hereafter
Is robbing a good or an evil act? A normal
balanced person would say it is evil. How
would a person who does not believe in the
hereafter convince a powerful and influential
criminal that robbing is evil? Suppose I am
the most powerful and influential criminal
in the world. At the same time I am an
Intelligent and a logical person. I say that
robbing is good because it helps me lead a
luxurious life. Thus robbing is good for me.
If anybody can put forward a single logical
argument as to why it is evil for me, I will
stop immediately. People usually put forward
the following arguments:
A). The person who is robbed
will face difficulties
Some may say that the person who is robbed
will face difficulties. I certainly agree that it
is bad for the person who is robbed. But it
is good for me. If I rob a thousand dollars, I
can enjoy a good meal at a 5 star restaurant.
B). Someone may rob you
Some people argue that someday I may be
robbed. No one can rob me because I am a
very powerful criminal and I have hundreds
of bodyguards. I can rob anybody but
nobody can rob me. Robbing may be a risky
profession for a common man but not for an
influential person like me.
C). The police may arrest you
Some may say, if you rob, you can be
arrested by the police. The police cannot
arrest me because I have the police on my
payroll. I have the ministers on my payroll. I
agree that if a common man robs, he will be
arrested and it will be bad for him, but I am
an extraordinarily influential and powerful
criminal. Give me one logical reason why it
is bad for me and I will stop robbing.
D). Its easy money
Some may say its easy money and not hardearned
money. I agree completely that it
is easy money, and that is one of the main
reasons why I rob. If a person has the option
of earning money the easy as well as the hard
way, any logical person would choose the
easy way.
From “Answers to Non-Muslims’ Common Questions about Islam”
How can you prove the existence of hereafter?
Life
Death after
MY Spring 2008 17
E). It is against humanity
Some may say it is against humanity and
that a person should care for other human
beings. I counter argue by asking as to who
wrote this law called ‘humanity’ and why
should I follow it? This law may be good for
the emotional and sentimental people but I
am a logical person and I see no benefit in
caring for other human beings.
F). It is a selfish act
Some may say that robbing is being selfish. It
is true that robbing is a selfish act; but then
why should I not be selfish? It helps me enjoy
life.
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[1]. No logical reason for robbing being
an evil act
Hence all arguments that attempt to prove
that robbing is an evil act are futile. These
arguments may satisfy a common man but
not a powerful and influential criminal like
me. None of the arguments can be defended
on the strength of reason and logic. It is no
surprise that there are so many criminals in
this world. Similarly raping, cheating etc.
can be justified as good for a person like me
and there is no logical argument that can
convince me that these things are bad.
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[2]. A Muslim can convince a powerful
and influential criminal
Now let us switch sides. Suppose you are
the most powerful and influential criminal
in the world, who has the police and the
ministers on his payroll. You have army of
thugs to protect you. I am a Muslim who will
convince you that robbing, raping, cheating,
etc. are evil acts. Even if I put forth the same
arguments to prove that robbing is evil the
criminal will respond the same way as he
did earlier. I agree that the criminal is being
logical and all his arguments are true only
when he is the most powerful and influential
criminal.
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[3]. Every human being wants justice
Each and every human being desires justice.
Even if he does not want justice for others
he wants justice for himself. Some people
are intoxicated by power and influence and
inflict pain and suffering on others. The same
people, however, would surely object if some
injustice was done to them. The reason such
people become insensitive to the suffering
of others is that they worship power and
influence. Power and influence, they feel,
not only allows them to inflict injustice on
others but also prevents others from doing
likewise to them.
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[4]. God is Most Powerful and Just
As a Muslim I would convince the criminal
about the existence of Almighty God (refer
to answer proving the existence of God).
This God is more powerful than you and
at the same time is also just. The Glorious
Qur’an says:
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree”
[4:40]
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[5]. Why does God not punish me?
The criminal, being a logical and scientific
person, agrees that God exists, after being
presented with scientific facts from the
Qur’an. He may argue as to why God, if He
is Powerful and Just, does not punish him.
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[6]. The people who do injustice should
be punished
Every person who has suffered injustice,
irrespective of financial or social status,
almost certainly wants the perpetrator of
injustice to be punished. Every normal
person would like the robber or the rapist to
be taught a lesson. Though a large number of
criminals are punished, many even go scotfree.
They lead a pleasant, luxurious life, and
even enjoy a peaceful existence. If injustice is
done to a powerful and influential person, by
someone more powerful and more influential
than he, even such a person would want that
perpetrator of injustice to be punished.
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[7]. This life is a test for the hereafter
This life is a test for the hereafter. The
Glorious Qur’an says:
“He who created Death and life that He may
try which of you is best in deed; and He is
the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving”
[67:2]
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[8]. Final justice on day of judgement
The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: and
only on the Day of Judgement shall you be
paid your full recompense. Only he who is
saved far from the Fire and admitted to the
Garden will have attained the object (of life):
for the life of this world is but goods and
chattels of deception.”
[3:185]
Final justice will be meted out on the Day of
Judgement. After a person dies, he will be
resurrected on the Day of Judgement along
with the rest of mankind. It is possible that a
person receives part of his punishment in this
world. The final reward and punishment will
only be in the hereafter. God Almighty may
not punish a robber or a rapist in this world
but he will surely be held accountable on the
Day of Judgement and will be punished in
the hereafter i.e. life after death.
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[9]. What punishment can the human
law give Hitler?
Hitler incinerated six million Jews during his
reign of terror. Even if the police had arrested
him, what punishment can the human law
give Hitler for justice to prevail? The most
they can do is to send Hitler to the gas
chamber. But that will only be punishment
for the killing of one Jew. What about the
remaining five million, nine hundred and
ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and
ninety-nine Jews?
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[10]. Allah can burn Hitler more than
six million times in hellfire
Allah say in the Glorious Qur’an: “Those
who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into
the Fire; as often as their skins are roasted
through, We shall change them for fresh
skins, that they may taste the penalty: for
Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise”
[4:56]
If Allah wishes he can incinerate Hitler six
million times in the hereafter in the hellfire.
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[11]. No concept of human values
or good and bad without concept of
hereafter
It is clear that without convincing a person
about the hereafter, i.e. life after death, the
concept of human values and the good or
evil nature of acts is impossible to prove to
any.