The Need of this Belief:
Belief in the life after death has always been a part and parcel of the teachings of the Prophets. Every Prophet asked his followers to believe in it, in the same way as the last Prophet, Mohammad (PBUH), has asked us to do. This has always been an essential condition of being Muslim. All Prophets have categorically declared that one who disbelieves in it, or casts doubt on it is a Kafir. This is so, because denial of life after death makes all other belief meaningless. This denial also the very sanction for good life and man is driven to a life of ignorance and disbelief.
Impacts of Belief in Hereafter on individual and Society:
All injunctions of Holy Quran have tremendous effects on the human society. Similarly the faith in Akhirat has also great many effects on the lives of the believers not only individually but also collectively. Following is a discourse on impacts of belief in hereafter on lives of a Muslim and his society.
- Impacts of Individual Life:
- Sense of responsibility and Accountability:
A person who believes in resurrection and hereafter is always imbued with a sense of responsibility and accountability. He believes that he is accountable for all his actions before God and becomes God fearing person. Thus belief in the last Judgment makes him a responsible member of society.
- Optimistic about Reward in Hereafter:
A believer in afterlife adopts a selfless attitude as he expects rewards in the other existence. Even if he receives reward of chastisement in the world, he believes that ultimate rewards and punishments would be handed down in the hereafter.
iii. Humility:
A person believing in the day of Judgment will be neither arrogant nor will be rebellious and on the whole will be a server of mankind, drawing bliss form his virtuous deeds.
- Virtue and Piety:
A person believing in the hereafter will regard virtue as necessary as water or food is for this life, rather he will identify life with virtue. This is why Islam attaches importance to belief in the hereafter. A moral code and legal system have been wrought to support this belief. Fear Allah and know that you have to go to Him.
- Spirit of Sacrificing:
This belief safeguards mankind from tyranny, and lawlessness, and inspires him to protect his society at the risk of his life for which recompense has been promised in the coming life.
- Patience:
This faith enables us to bear trails and tribulation with patience and forbearance so that Man emerges from such trails burnished like gold emerging from the furnace.
vii. Courage:
Belief in the hereafter inculcates courage and fearlessness in men, so that they fear none but Allah.
viii. Human Progress:
This faith has been a solace in the sorest miseries suffered by men, has taught them to be upright and thus opened the path of human progress.
- Altruism:
This belief has nurtured the spirit of sacrificing in man, and has drawn attention to remove poverty from human society and has shown the futility of undue parsimony.
- Check on Animalistic Tendencies:
Belief in the hereafter has saved people from being careless of chastisement and has also prevented the God fearing from envying the evil doers. In fact it is this belief which prevents man from descending to the level of an animal.
- Impacts on Society:
- Ideal Society:
The faith in Akhirat makes the society ideal. It puts the whole society on the right path. Society is the name of the collectivity of people and when everyone in the society leads a virtuous and perfect life, the mischief will disappears and automatically an ideal virtuous society will emerge.
- The Spirit of Generosity:
It also creates the spirit of generosity among the believers because a believer knows that this world is temporary and so are the things of this universe, therefore, he will not love wealth and the things of this world to the extent to bar him from good deeds. He spends his life in this way of God in order to please God. He knows that one-day he will die and his wealth will be left in this world. He will have to travel to the next world with empty hands from wealth. Only wealth of good deed will help him. Hence he becomes generous.
iii. The spirit of Worship:
The very purpose of the life of the Muslims is to worship God as mentioned in the Holy Quran says: ―And I have created Jins and human beings to worship Me.‖ (Surah-e-al-Ziarat:56) The faith in Akhirat creates in him this sense of worship and the purpose of his life in this world. The Holy Quran describes that the creation of man is not purposeless but mankind are created with a specific purpose and that purpose is to worship Allah. The Holy Quran says: ―Any person who hopes to meet his God should do good deeds and should not make anyone partner in his worship (Surah-e-al-Kahaf:110)
- Co-operation and Brotherhood:
The believer in afterlife is imbued with the incentives to render meritorious services for the welfare of his brethren-in-faith and humanity at large.