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Question
How can you prove the existence of hereafter, i.e. life after
death? Answer
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.
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.
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 hard-earned 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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
[Al-Qur’an 4:40] 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. 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 scot-free. 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 person perpetrators
of injustice to be punished. 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"
[Al-Qur’an 67:2] 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."
[Al-Qur’an 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. 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? 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"
[Al-Qur’an 4:56] If Allah wishes
he can incinerate Hitler six million times in the hereafter
in the hellfire. 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 person who is doing injustice especially when he is influential and powerful. |