death: a beginning––not the end

people of poor faith, or those having no faith at all in the Hereafter, have a distorted perception of death and the life that comes after it. that is why they consider death a calamity rather than as a blessing. they believe that when they lose someone to death they lose them for ever; therefore, according to them, in the ground he is reduced to nothingness.

the fact is, however, that death is not eternal extinguishment; on the contrary, it is a transition to the life of the hereafter, our resting place. it is a moment we are all drawing near to, to the day we will have to give account of all that we engaged in the life of this world, that is, the Day of Judgement. every human being, without exception, will meet the moment of death and pass to his eternal resting place. this may happen at an early age as well as later in life. ultimately then, everyone will one day depart from this world; every day brings that predetermined date nearer. as such, to strive to escape death, or avoiding the very thought of it, or considering it as a calamity, is completely irrational.

Say: "Death, from which you are fleeing, will certainly catch up with you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible and He will inform you about what you did." [QS al-Jumu’ah 8]

man never actually disappears. from the very moment we are created, our eternal life begins. that is, we have already started our eternal life. once our worldly trial has ended, and immediately following the moment of transition, which we call death, we will live on into eternity. whether that time will be spent in torment or in bliss depends on one's commitment to the Word of God, the Qur'an, and his fastidiousness in observing His limits. this entire system: the universe, the world, human beings, and everything created for human beings, have been designed for an ultimate purpose–the life in the Hereafter. Allah informs us that man's existence in this world is not without a purpose and that, in the Hereafter, after his short life in this world, man will have to offer an account of his deeds:

Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us? [QS al-Muminun 115]

the life of the Hereafter is important in the sense that it represents the manifestation of Allah's infinite justice, as well as the provision of His infinite blessings. the Hereafter will be the place where everything a man does in this world will be repaid, where justice and compassion will prevail. the absolute justice of the Hereafter is described in a verse as follows:

...Say, "The enjoyment of the world is very brief. The Hereafter is better for those who have fear. You will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck." [QS an-Nisa' 77]