AFTER OUR DEATH (INTRODUCTION)

 

                                 

                                     LIFE AFTER DEATH

                          AND UNTO ALLAH BELONGS,

                         THE UNSEEN OF THE HEAVENS

                         AND THE EARTH.

                         AND THE MATTER OF THE HOUR (OF DOOMSDAY) IS,

                         BUT AS THE TWINKLING OF THE EYE,

                        OR IT IS NEARER STILL,

                         LO, ALLAH IS ABLE TO DO ALL THINGS".

                     ALL THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD AND ALSO MODERN SCIENCE, BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD IS GOING TO END, BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS, "HOW? WHEN WE LOOK AROUND AT TEH VAST SKIES STUDDED WITH STARS WE CANNOT REMAIN ASKING, WHAT WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN TO ALL THIS?  IN THE HEART OF OUR HEARTS, EACH ONE OF US IS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT HIS OWN EXISTENCE. BELIEVERS AND ATHEISTS ARE EQUALLY BOTHERED BY THIS THOUGHTS. IN DEATH THE THROUGH THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF OURS? IS THERE ANY PURPOSE IN THE UNIVERSE?

                     THESE ARE INDEED VERY PERTINENT QUESTIONS, BUT VERY FEW KNOW DEFINITE ANSWER TO ANY ONE OF THEM. RELIGION AND SCIENCE ARE BOTH DIVIDED ON THE ISSUE. IF THE FORMER  HAS MIXED IT WITH MYTHOLOGY, THE LATTER HAS ADULTRATED IT WITH DOUBT. IN THIS DOMAIN SCIENCE AND RELIGON HAVE DIFFERED MORE THAN ANY OTHER THING, ALTHOUGH BOTH CLAIM TO SEEK "THE TRUTH". THIS CHAPTER IS AN ATTEMPT TO BRING THEM CLOSER WITH REFERENCE TO THE HOLY QURAN. IT IS AN EFFORT TO PROBE INTO THE UNKNOWN, WITH THE HOPE TO ALTEAST PARTIALLY SATISFY THE CURIOSITY TO KNOW ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FATE OF OURSELVES AND THAT OF THE UNIVERSE.OUR THIS IS BASED UPON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY QURAN, THE "LAST AND THE LATEST DIVINE GUIDANCE" REVEALED ON PROPHET MUHAMMED (PEACE BE UPON HIM) FOURTEEN CENTURIES AGO, AND THE CURRENT SCIENTIFIC THOUGHTS ON THIS SUBJECT.

                          IN THE OLDEN TIMES, GREEKS HAD ADVANCED THE HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE ETERNITY OF THE UNIVERSE, MEANING IT HAD ALWAYS EXISTED LIKE IT. THIS NOTION, EVEN NOW PERSISTS AMONG SOME OF THE LEADING ASTRONOMERS, WHO BELIEVE IN THE CONTINUITY OF THE UNIVERSE.

                        ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY (1,18) MATTER CREATES MORE MATTER, AND THE COSMOS GOES ON EXPANDING FOR EVER. THEY SEE NO BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE UNIVERSE.

                               ON THIS, THE CURRENT POPULAR SCIENTIFIC VIEWS WERE SUMMED UP IN GENEVA, IN A CONFERENCE OF COSMOLOGISTS AND PARTICLE PHYSICISTS HELD IN NOVEMBER 1983, "IT WAS SAID, WHAT WE LOOK BACK ON AS THE "BIG BANG" WAS A TIME OF VERY HIGH BUT NOT INFINITE DENSITY, A STATE TO WHICH THE UNIVERSE PHASE IS OVER. OUT OF THE HIGH DENSITY PHASE, IT WILL BE BORN AGAIN. (WITH AN EXPONENTIAL INFLATION PHASE), TO REPEAT THE CYCLE AND INFINITIUM.(2)

                     AS REGARDS THE VARIOUS RELIGIONS, ACCORDING TO PAUL DAVIES, THEY DIFFER GREATLY IN THEIR CONCEPTION OF THE MOMENT AND MANNER OF THIS COSMIC DEMISE. SOME WARN OF AN IMMINENT CATASTROPHE, OF A WORLD OVERTAKEN BY AN APOCALYPTIC DESTRUCTION WHEN THE SINFUL WILL BE JUDGED STERNLY. OTHERS TEACH ABOUT A FORTHCOMING KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WHICH WILL REPLACE THE HARSH AND UNCERTAIN WORLD  WE NOW LIVE IN. HINDUISM AND BUDDAISM INCLINE TOWARD A CYCLIC SYSTEM IN WHICH THE END OF THE CURRENT WORLD FOLLOWS WITH THE REBIRTH OF ANOTHER WORLD.

                          HOWEVER , ON THIS SUBJECT THE GUIDANCE RECEIVED FROM THE HOLY QURAN IS MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND UNPARRALLELED IN CLARITY. FIRST OF ALL, IT TELLS THAT THE UNIVERSE HAD A BEGINNING, IT IS A CREATED WORK IN TIME AND SPACE, WITH A PURPOSE, AND ALLAH IS ITS ORGININATOR, WHO SAYS IN THE QURAN:

                     "WE  HAVE NOT CREATED THE 

                       HEAVENS AND THE EARTH,

                      AND ALL THAT LIES BETWEEN THEM

                      BUT WITH A PURPOSE,

                     ACCORDING TO A PRE-FIXED MEASUREMENT".