| Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice The Complete Layman’s Guide to the Koran Chapter 20 Judgement Day 2:208 O believers, enter into complete peace (submission) and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan; for he is truly your manifest enemy. 2:209 If however you slip after the clear proofs have come to you, know that Allah is Mighty, Wise. 2:210 Do they wait until Allah comes to them in canopies of clouds with the angels, and thus the matter is settled? Unto Allah all matters shall be referred. ---- 2:254 O believers, spend of what We have provided for you before a Day comes (Judgement day) in which there is neither trading, nor friendship, nor intercession. The unbelievers are the wrongdoers. ---- 25:25 The Day heaven shall be parted by clouds and the angels are sent down in throngs. 25:26 The true Dominion on that Day shall be the Compassionate’s and it shall be a strenuous day for the unbelievers. 25:27 The Day the wrongdoer shall bite his hands and say: “Would I had taken with the Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad) a common path. 25:28 “Woe betide me, would that I had not taken so-and-so as a friend. 25:29 “He led me away from the Reminder (the Qur’an) after it had reached me. Satan has always been a betrayer of man.” Answering Your Questions about the Day Judgement Day, for those who are still not comfortable with the language and violent imagery of the Koran, will appear like a descent into madness. Nonetheless, I am convinced that for Allah, His Messenger and the believers there is method in the madness. The only way I felt I could portray the insanity, the organizational nightmare that will be Judgement Day is via a question and answer format where I try to anticipate questions a typical layperson might have about this most ominous of days and let Allah answer most of our inquisitive layperson’s inquiries. What is Judgement Day? Judgement Day, for the believers, is the day when all of humanity and everyone who ever lived and died will be brought back to life to be judged and be admitted into heaven or cast into hell. Why a Judgement Day? Judgement Day in the Koran, just like in the Bible, is strictly for show. What do you mean Judgement Day is only for show? Judgement Day is the second Judgement. According to the Prophet, just before you die you will be visited by the two angels who have been recording you good and bad deeds and in the blink of an eye your life will be flashed before your eyes. Then you really die and sink into the ground where you met your end to be immediately born again underground. If your grave is comfortable and if you open the curtain and you see heaven, that is your ultimate destination; if your grave is cramped and unconformable and you open the curtain and you see Hell…, need I say more? I get the picture. So, if Judgement Day is only for show who’s the show for? Judgement Day will provide Allah with one last opportunity to humiliate you in front of the believers; to gloat and sneer at you for not believing; to publicly enjoy the terror that you will experience as you realize that there is no hope for you, that you will be spending an eternity in agony. Judgement Day is also to give the believers their own opportunity to laugh at you, to mock you as the Compassionate One drags you in chains, kicking and screaming into His Fire. 69:18 On that Day, you shall be paraded, not a whit of your deeds will be concealed. Doesn’t sound like a compassionate God to me? What can I say? For Allah, compassion means allowing you to believe in Him, to worship Him and only Him. If you did not do that while you were alive then you have no redeeming value whatsoever in His eyes and Hell is your final destination. When will it start? No one knows. Allah did not even confide the date to His most trusted and greatest Messenger. 7:187 They ask you about the Hour, when it will strike. Say: “The knowledge thereof is with my Lord; none but He will disclose it at the right time. It will be fateful in the heavens and on earth, and will not come upon you except suddenly.” They ask you, as though you know about it. Say: “The knowledge thereof is with Allah, but most people do not know.” So, there will be no warning? Not necessarily. The Prophet Muhammad said that when women outnumber men and women singers are everywhere the end will be near. So women will be responsible for bringing on the end of the world? While women figure prominently in Allah’s doomsday scenario, the Prophet Muhammad also said that when the end is near the worst people will be chosen as leaders and it is reasonable to assume that most of these will be men. Is the Koran more specific about the end of the world? Yes, and no. Here is what Allah told His Messenger to tell a man who asked that same question. 75:6 He asks: “When is the Day of Resurrection coming?” 75:7 Then, when the sight is dazzled; 75:8 And the moon is eclipsed; 75:9 And the sun and the moon are join together; 75:10 Man will say on that Day; “Where is the escape?” The moon is on average 92 million miles or so from the sun. In any event, both the earth and the moon would be burnt to a cinder before any merging could take place. The leader of a well-known terrorist group Boko Haram which literally means “non-Islamic education is a sin” would argue that you have been brainwashed. In an interview on the BBC he actually argued that the earth was flat because the Koran said so; and in the Koran, the moon and the sun would appear to be approximately the same size and occupy the same orbit, and their race across the sky is what causes night and day. If this is the case, on Judgement Day, one will catch up with the other and merge, causing the grey gloominess – neither night nor day – befitting Judgement Day. That makes sense; but why did you answer yes and no to my question about the Koran being more specific about the signs that will indicate Judgement Day is imminent? Because in other revelations, it’s not always the same scenario; for example, in the following revelations the sun does not merge with the moon but is all coiled up. 81:1 When the sun shall be coiled up; 81:2 And when the stars shall be scattered about (fall); 81:3 And when the mountains shall be set in motion; 81:4 And when the pregnant camels shall be discarded; 81:5 And when the beasts shall be corralled; 81:6 And when the seas shall rise mightily; 81:7 And when souls shall be paired off; 81:8 And when the buried infant shall be asked: 81:9 “For what sins was she killed?” 81:10And when the scrolls shall be unrolled; 81:11And when heaven shall be scraped off; 81:12 And when Hell shall be stoked; 81:13 And when Paradise shall be brought near; 81:14Then each soul shall know what it had brought forth. You're making that up? Would I lie to you? 81:15 No I swear by the alternating stars; 81:16 Which circle then hide; 81:17 And the night when it recedes; 81:18 And the morning when it breaks, 81:19 It is truly the discourse of a noble Messenger (the Angel Gabriel who brought Allah’s revelations to the Prophet); 81:20 Who has power, with the Lord of the Throne, and is highly placed; 81:21 Obeyed, then trustworthy. You have to be mad! It's the truth, and if you can't trust the angel Gabriel who told the Prophet, what Allah told him, then who can you trust? 81:22 Your Companion (the Prophet Muhammad) is not mad; 81:23 He saw him (Gabriel) upon the luminous horizon. How will it start? First the angel Israfil, who has been waiting all his life for this one big occasion, will blow his massive horn – not once, but twice. The first blow will kill anyone who is still living, including Jesus. After everyone is dead, Israfil will blow his horn a second time. This second blast will raise the dead who will begin marching out of their graves like zombies (or maybe locusts) in a ghoulish procession in the direction of the angel blowing the trumpet. Islamic tradition claims this place where everyone will gather to be somewhere in present day Syria. 39:68 And the Trumpet shall be blown, so that whoever is in the heavens and on earth shall be made to expire, save him whom Allah wishes. Then it shall be blown another time, and behold, they shall arise, looking out. 36:51 And the Trumpet is blown, then behold how from their graves, unto their Lord, they slink away. 36:52 They will say: “Woe betide us; whoever has roused us from our sleep? This is what the All-Compassionate has promised, and the Messengers have spoken the truth.” 36:53 It was only a single cry, and behold they were all brought before Us. ---- 54:7 They will come out of their graves, with their eyes downcast, as if they were swarming locusts, 54:8 Scrambling towards the caller. The unbelievers will say: “This is a very hard day.” ---- 39:69 And the earth shall shine with the light of its Lord and the Book shall be laid down. Then the Prophets and the witnesses shall be brought forward and judgement shall be passed justly between them, and they shall not be wronged. Most will walk towards Allah in rows upon rows. 18:48 And they will be brought before your Lord in rows: “Now you come to Us as We created you for the first time. Nay, you claimed that We would not fix for you an appointed time.” Will it be a long walk? Not for the God-fearing. 50:31 Paradise will be brought closer to the God-fearing, not a far distance. 50:32 “This is what you were promised; to every penitent keeper (of Allah’s ordinances), 50:33 “He who fears the Compassionate in the Unseen and comes forward with a penitent heart. 50:34 “Enter it in peace; that is the Day of Immortality.” 50:35 They will have whatever they desire therein, and We have yet much more. Others may not have to walk though they may have preferred walking. 47:27 How then, will it be when the angels shall carry them off, beating their faces and their buttocks? 47:28 That is because they have followed what has angered Allah and were averse to His good pleasure. So He has foiled their works. How will they be able to do that while carrying them? Do angels have claws for feet like hawks? I doubt it. Maybe one angel will do the lifting and another the beating. How should I dress? I you are an unbeliever, fireproof clothing would be a good idea; if you are a believer, and you have the time, put on the finery that Allah has provided for you. 7:32 Say: “Who has forbidden Allah’s finery which He fashioned for His servants, or the good things He provided?” Say: “These are meant, in the present world, for those who believe, and exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.” Thus We make clear Our Revelations for a people who know. Can I have smoke while waiting for Allah to pass Judgement? Probably not, but there will be a lot of smoke on Judgement Day, just take a deep breath if you dare. 44:8 There is no god but He. He gives life and causes to die; your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. 44:9 Yet, in doubt, they frolic. 44:10 Await, then, the Day when heaven shall bring forth visible smoke; 44:11 Enveloping the people. This is a painful punishment. How will I know where to go? What to do? You will be accompanied by two angels; one of the two who has been following you around all your life and recording your good and bad deeds in a book and who will give this book of evidence to God. The other angel, the Koran calls the driver. His name may be an indication of what he does. I don’t know. The following verse would seem to suggest that it has something to do with herding cattle, human cattle that is. 50:21 Every soul will come forward with (an angel) driver and a (an angel) witness. If you were part of an entire nation who did not believe in Allah you will be marching as one into the Fire; and if you are the first or last nation to enter Hell you will shout accusations at each other, in unison I presume, if you want to be heard. 7:38 Allah will say: “Enter together with nations who have gone before you, jinn and men, into the Fire. Every time a nation enters it, it curses its sister-nation; so that when they shall have followed each other into it, the last of them will say of the first: “Our Lord, these let us astray; inflict on them a double punishment in the Fire.” He will say: “A double [punishment] to each, but you do not know.” 7:39 And the first of them will say to the last: “In no way are you better than us; so taste the punishment for what you did.” You may also be able to just follow your leader, as Pharaoh’s people will do? Which Pharaoh? The Pharaoh of Moses; he is the only historical figure to be mentioned by name as making an appearance on Judgement Day when he will lead his people into Hell. It will be a magnificent procession of the downcast. 11:97 ... Pharaoh’s command was not sound. 11:98 He shall be at the head of his people on the Day of Resurrection; thus he shall lead them into the Fire. How wretched is the place to which they will be led! Note to self: Don’t follow pharaoh on Judgement Day he’s going where you don’t want to go. But wait a minute, won’t the believers also be fumbling in the darkness towards the judgement place. Not really, Allah will have provided them with a light. 57:12 On the Day that you will see the believers, men and women, with their light beaming in front of them and in their right hands [the sign]: “Your good news today is Gardens beneath which rivers flow; dwelling therein forever. That indeed is the great triumph.” So if I don’t have a light of my own I can follow those with light? Think again. Allah thinks of everything. 57:13 On the Day the hypocrites, men and women, will say to the believers: “Wait for us, so that we may borrow from your light.” It will be said: “Go back and seek for yourselves a light.” Then a wall will be raised between them both, which has a door. On the inner part thereof is Mercy, and on the opposite side the outer part thereof is punishment. I thought the hypocrites were those who couldn’t make up their minds about accepting Islam? The on-again, off-again apostates! You may be right. All that is known for certain is that only the believers will be given a light. At least I have a driver; that is very considerate of Allah. Not really, not if you believed in other gods, or worshipped the Son He never had, that driver angel and his friend spell trouble, big trouble. 50:23 His companion (angel) will say: “This is what I have; it is ready.” 50:24 (Allah will say): “Cast into Hell every obdurate unbeliever; 50:25 “Hinderer of the good, transgressor and doubter; 50:26 “Who has set up another god beside Allah. Cast him, then, into the terrible punishment.” What is this inner door called Mercy? Again, I am not sure. What I am sure of however, is that if you were a hypocrite or an unbeliever you will not be allowed through it. 57:15 Therefore, today no ransom will be taken from you, nor from the unbelievers. The Fire will be your refuge; it will be your master; and what an evil fate!” So the believers will go through the door of Mercy and enter Paradise? I don’t think so. Believers who have committed no sin don’t require mercy to enter Paradise. Maybe that is why Allah will gather the believers in one group and lead them to the gates of heaven. Maybe that is where the driver angel comes in? 19:85 The Day we shall gather the God-fearing before the Compassionate as one party. ---- 13:23 They shall enter the Gardens of Eden, together with the righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their posterity; and the angels shall enter upon them from every gate [saying]: 13:24 “Peace be upon you for your forbearance and blessed is the final Abode!” And the other kind, the unbelievers? They will be herded into Hell, but perhaps boiled first. 40:71 When the fetters and chains shall be upon their necks and they shall be dragged along. 40:72 In the boiling water; then, in the Fire they will be consumed. 19:86 And drive the wicked into Hell as one thirsty herd. After parading the culpable around Hell on their knees there will be a selection of the most guilty. 19:68 By your Lord then, We shall certainly gather them together with the devils, then we will lead them around Hell on their knees. 19:69 Then We shall seize from each group the most rebellious against the Compassionate. How will He know who are the most guilty and why will He be singling them out? He is Allah, what can I say. As for the why; to single them out for special treatment, for special burning... 19:70 And We certainly know best who among them deserves most to be burned therein. 19:71 There is not one of you but will go down to it (Hell). That is for your Lord a Decree which must be accomplished. Or He may single them out to blind them. To blind them! Why? Because they shunned His Reminder, the Koran. 20:124 “But he who shuns My Reminder will have a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up a blind man, on the Day of Resurrection.” 20:125 He will say: “Lord, why did your raise me up a blind man, while I was originally capable of seeing?” 20:126 He (Allah) will say: “That is how our Revelations came to you, but you forgot them; and that is how, today, you shall be forgotten.” 20:127 And that is how We reward the extravagant who would not believe in the Revelations of His Lord. The punishment of the Hereafter is surely more terrible and more lasting. Then that means all unbelievers will be blinded. O My God! I don’t think so. Allah’s Hell isn’t just about pain and terror on a cosmic scale; it’s also about gloating. Remember, Hell can be seen from Paradise, and vice versa. In fact, Hell will be a large part of the entertainment of the inhabitants of Paradise who, along with Allah, will laugh at and mock the tormented unbelievers, from the comforts of Paradise, for not having believed in the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad until it was too late. Throughout the Koran, Allah revels in what He will do to unbelievers when they inevitably cross into His Dominion. Blind unbelievers roasting in Hell and not being able to see how much fun those who believed in Allah and His Messenger are having would seriously reduce the gloating factor. Gloating! If it wasn't for the sadism, that would be so childish! Children can be cruel, perhaps not that cruel, and children also will not be spared the terror of Judgement Day. 73:17 So, how will you guard, if you disbelieve, against a Day which will make children white with fear? What kind of god takes pleasure in scaring children? I thought Jesus was one of Allah’s Messenger and didn’t he say something about the Kingdom of Heaven belonging to children? To children and people who were like them, Mathew 9:14; but the Kingdom of Heaven is Allah’s, and remember, the Prophet Muhammad was sent to correct lesser messengers such a Jesus who obviously got it wrong. Heaven belongs to children who behave like believing adults and fear and worship Allah, not the other way around. Children being scared white; how awful! If you think that’s awful; those terrified children will then have to appear alone before Allah to be judged. 31:33 O people fear your Lord and beware of the Day when no father shall stand for his child and no infant shall stand for his father in the least. Allah’s promise is true, so let not the present life delude you or let any deceiver delude you regarding Allah. Did Allah actually single out infants? In my translation, yes. I think I am going to be sick … What next? Then it is time to separate the good people from the bad, although there may be exceptions. 19:72 Then, we shall deliver the righteous and leave the wrongdoers therein on their knees. 19:87 They have no power of intercession, except for him who has taken a pledge from the Compassionate. Haven’t we already done that? Maybe! How will you know your friends? You will be chained to them, that is assuming you are going to hell, and your faces will be on fire or blackened by fire 14:49 And you will see the wicked sinners on that Day bound together in chains. 14:50 Their garments made of pitch and their faces on fire. ---- 39:60 On the Day of Resurrection, you will see those who told lies against Allah with their faces blackened. Is not there in Hell a resting-place for the arrogant? 69:30 [It will be said:] “Take him and shackle him; 69:31 “Then let him roast in Hell. 69:32 “Then in a chain whose length is seventy cubits, tie him up. 69:33 “He certainly did not believe in Allah, the Sublime. Sublime is not the word I would use. Will I be allowed to carry anything? You will be allowed to carry your book of good and bad deeds which will be given to you by an angel. If the angel gives it to you in your left hand or behind your back your goose is literally and figuratively cooked. You are going straight to hell and you won’t even get an audience with the Compassionate One. 17:71 The Day [will come] when We will call every people with their leader. Then they who are given their book in their right hand – those will read their book and will not be wronged a whit. 84:7 As for him who will be given his book in his right hand; 84:8 He shall be called to an easy reckoning. 84:9 And shall go back to his people well pleased. That sounds efficient but it hardly seems fair? Fairness was never Allah’s strong suit. And it won’t be that efficient. Everyone who was given the book of his good and bad deeds in his right hand will be clamoring for Allah’s attention, wanting Him to read it in front of everybody, knowing they’re going to heaven. 69:19 As for him who has been given his book in his right hand, he shall say: “Come along, read my book. 69:20 “I knew I was going to meet my reckoning.” What about the people who are not given their book in their right hand? Do you really want to know? Can’t you guess? Yes and yes. 84:10 But as for him who is given his book behind his back; 84:11 He shall call out: “Perdition!” 84:12 And burn in Hell-fire. At least that part won’t last long. Not necessarily, for Allah will want those He often refers to as Companions of the Left to know exactly why they are going to Hell and to marvel at how an accurate and meticulous record keeper He is. 18:49 And the book will be set down, and you will see the wicked apprehensive at what is in it, and they will say: “Woe betide us. What book is this? It does not leave out anything, small or big, but enumerates it.” And they will find what they did in front of them; and your Lord will not wrong any one. The book will be set down! What book? I don’t get it. Allah may be referring to a master copy of all the good and bad deeds of all the people who ever lived, or maybe not. 17:13 And every man’s omen We have fasten to his neck; and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a book which he will find spread wide open, [saying to him]: 17:14 “Read your book; your own soul shall suffice today as reckoner against you.” Will we be allowed to talk? Yes. The believers and unbelievers will be able to discuss their relative situations but not too loud if they are close to Allah. 19:73 And when Our Revelations are clearly recited to them, the unbelievers will say to the believers: “Which of the two parties is better in position and fairer in company?” 20:108 On that Day, they will have to follow the caller who is not crooked, and the voices shall be hushed unto the Compassionate, so that you will hear nothing but whispering. Will I be given anything to eat while I am waiting to be judged? If you are a sinner, I think so, but you may want to pass on it. 56:51 “Then you, erring ones and denouncers, 56:52 “Shall eat from the Tree of Bitterness, 56:53 “Filling your bellies therefrom, 56:54 “And drinking on top of it boiling water, 56:55 “Lapping it like thirsty camels.” 56:56 That shall be their meal on the Day of Judgement. Can I plead my case? What case? If you were an unbeliever you have no case! And Allah will let you know in no uncertain terms. 50:28 He (Allah) will say: “Do not dispute before Me; for I warned you in advance. What if the devil made me do it, for example, worship another god instead of Allah? The devil will dispute that claim, even if Allah readily admits that he sent devils to incite the unbeliever to sin even more. 50:27 His companion (his demon) will say: “Our Lord, I did not mislead him; but he was already in profound error.” ----- 19:83 Have you not seen how We sent the devils against the unbelievers to keep inciting them to [sin]. That is wicked! No kidding! What if I am a weak person who can’t help but submit to the domineering, something I can’t control, I can’t help but love the bad boys. Being mentally or emotionally handicapped as your compulsory behavior would indicate, is not an excuse that I believe the Compassionate One will accept. His revelations, if you had believed in them could have given you the strength to resist whom Allah calls the overbearing. 14:21 And when they all appear before Allah, the weak will say to the overbearing : “We were indeed your followers; can you, then, do anything to save us from Allah’s Punishment?” They will say: “Had Allah guided us, we would have guided you. Whether we fear or forbear, we have no escape.” What if I was oppressed or treated badly by people in power. If you mean downtrodden, you’re also out of luck. 34:31 The unbelievers say: “We will never believe in this Qur’an, nor in what came before it.” If you could only see when the wrongdoers are arrayed before their Lord, each one reproaching the other, the downtrodden saying to the arrogant: “But for you, we would have been believers.” 34:32 The arrogant will say to the downtrodden: “Did we really bar you from the guidance after it came to you? No, you were rather ungodly.” 34:33 Then the downtrodden will say to the arrogant: “It was rather your cunning night and day, when you commanded us to disbelieve in Allah and assign equals to Him.” They will be secretly remorseful, when they see the punishment. We will put shackles around the necks of the unbelievers; will they be rewarded but for what they used to do? What if I was an unbeliever and now believe? Can I expect any mercy from Allah? Haven’t you been listening? 6:27 And if only you could see when they are stationed before the Fire and thus they say: “Would that we could be brought back so that we would not denounce the Revelations of our Lord but would be part of the believers.” 6:28 Indeed, what they use to conceal before will become clear to them; and were they returned [to life] they would surely go back to that which they were forbidden from. They are indeed liars. 6:29 And they say: “There is only this life and we shall not be resurrected.” 6:30 And if only you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord. He will say: “Is not this the truth?” They will say: “Yes, by our Lord.” He will say: “Taste then the punishment, on account of your disbelief.” 6:31 Those who deny the Encounter with Allah are losers. And when the Hour overtakes them suddenly, they will say: “Alas, we neglected much in it.” For they carry their burdens on their backs. And evil is what they carry! Why do I get the impression that only sycophants will be allowed into Paradise? It may not only be an impression. Even, it would seem, sinless infants too young to know the difference between good and evil, but born to unbelieving parents, are going to roast in Hell for eternity while believing adults who have done evil will be admitted into Paradise. 64:9 On the Day when He shall gather you for the Day of Forgathering. That is the Day of Mutual Exchange. He who believes in Allah and acts righteously, He will acquit him of his evil actions and admit him into Gardens beneath which rivers flow, dwelling therein forever. That is the great triumph. And as to the extravagant, the less said the better. 34:34 We have never sent forth a warner to a city but the extravagant in it said: “We disbelieve in the message you been sent with.” 34:35 They say: “We have more abundant wealth and children and we will not be punished.” 34:36 Say [O Muhammad]: “Indeed, my Lord expands the provision to whomever He wishes and restricts it; but most people do not know.” 34:37 It is not your wealth or your children that bring you closer to us, but it is he who believes and does the righteous deeds. To those will be meted the double reward and in the lofty chambers they shall be secure. ---- 63:9 O believers, let not your possessions or your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does that – those are the real losers. ---- 8:28 And know that your wealth and your children are a temptation, and with Allah is a great reward. I don’t think it is extravagant to care more about your children and have the wealth to look after them, which I consider a “righteous deed” than about pleasing a jealous vengeful deity which demands that I care more about him than my children if I am to be allowed into Paradise – not even for double the reward! And that is why I will probably see you in Hell. That Day of Mutual Exchange you mentioned earlier when talking about sinless children going to Hell; are we going to be exchanging gifts; should I bring a gift, and for whom? I don’t know, according to a respected Islamic scholar by the name of al-Tabari that is the day when the inhabitants of Paradise defrauded the inhabitants of Hell. Say that again? He’s been dead for more than a thousand years, but I think what he meant to say was that a believer who has tried to live a good live even if he has done bad things like stealing from the poor souls in Hell will be forgiven by Allah, but not the unbelievers. 64:10 And those who disbelieved and denounced Our Signs, those are the Companions of the Fire, dwelling therein forever; and what a miserable fate! In any event, even if evildoing believers are granted an audience, Allah will not be in a receptive mood seeing all those unbelievers after he had warned them about what would happen. They better be simultaneously flattering and penitent and not carry a “burden of wrongdoing” as opposed to evildoing I assume, if they hope to get out of Hell or move up a few levels. And they better tell the truth for Allah knows! 20:109 On that Day, intercession will not avail, except him to whom the Compassionate gives leave and He is pleased with his words. 20:110 He (Allah) knows what is before them and what is behind them; but they have no knowledge of that. 20:111 And they shall submit to the Living and Self-Subsisting One, and he who carries [a burden of] wrongdoing shall lose hope. ---- 78:38 The Day when the Spirit (the angel Gabriel) and the angels shall stand in line; none shall speak except him whom the Compassionate has allowed and has spoken the truth. 78:39 That will be the True Day; he who wishes will return unto his Lord penitently. 78:40 Indeed, We have warmed you of an imminent punishment, on the day when man will see what his hands have done, and the unbelievers will say: “O, would I have been mere dust.” Move up a few levels? Yes, hell like heaven is seven levels. Each level, depending which way you’re heading, is either more painful or less painful. Is it true that the Devil also will be sitting in judgement with God on Judgement Day? You are correct. On Judgement Day, the Devil will be with Allah and the Prophets mocking the poor souls who allegedly followed his advice instead of that of His Messenger, and the Devil will agree with Allah that they all should suffer a painful punishment. 14:22 And the Devil said when the issue was settled: “Allah has surely given you a true promise; and I made you a promise but did not keep it. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you answered me. Do not blame me then, but blame yourselves; I cannot help you and you cannot help me. I deny your associating me [with Allah] before. The wrongdoers will have a very painful punishment.” Anybody else? Yes. For the big Day, Allah will have invited all the other gods that unbelievers believed in. But I thought Allah said there was no other god but He? Maybe He was misunderstood. Maybe there were always other gods but they were lesser gods, not deserving of being worshipped as the one and only true God, Allah. Are these lesser gods there to try to convince Allah not to send me to Hell? Yeah, right! They are there to disown those who believed in them. They will call them liars to their face. 16:86 And when those who associated other gods with Allah see their associates they shall say: “Our Lord, these are our associates whom we used to call upon besides you.” But their associates will retort: “Surely you are liars.” ---- 19:81 And they took, besides Allah, other gods, to be for them a source of strength. 19:82 No, they shall repudiate their worship and turn against them. ---- 25:17 And the Day He shall muster them and what they worship, apart from Allah, then He says: “Was it you, then, who misled these My servants, or did they stray from the Path themselves?” 25:18 They will say: “Glory be to You; we should never have taken, apart from You, any protectors; but You accorded them and their fathers momentary enjoyment, until they forgot the Reminder and became a lost people.” Why would they do this? By agreeing with Allah that you should spend an eternity in hell these lesser gods hope to avoid your fate. 28:62 On the Day He shall call them saying: “Where are my associates that you use to allege?” 28:63 Those upon whom the sentence will be passed shall say: “Lord, those whom we induced into error, we induced into error just as we were induced. We proclaim our innocence to You. It was not us they were worshipping.” 28:64 And it will be said to them: “Call your associates”; and so they call them, but the associates will not answer. They saw the punishment and they wished they had been well guided. 35:14 If you call upon them, they do not hear your call; and were they to hear they will not answer you. On the Day of Resurrection they will repudiate your idolatry. None will inform you like the Well-Informed One. Hold on a minute! In verse 16:86 the other Gods, the associates, call the unbelievers liars and in verse 28:64 they remain silent. Which is it? I don’t know. Maybe for Gods, silence speaks volumes. I think they talk. In the following verses they talk. 10:28 On the Day We will muster them all together; then We will say to those who set up associates with Allah: “Stay in your places, you and your associates.“ Then We shall separate them, and their associates will say: “You were not worshipping us. 10:29 “Allah is a sufficient witness between us and you; for we were unaware of your worshipping us.” And Allah will believe them when they say that those who believed in them are liars? Perhaps gods stick together even when one god denies the existence of the others. 25:19 They have denounced you as liars, regarding what you say; and so you are not able to divert punishment or give support. He who does wrong among you, We shall make him taste a grievous punishment. Is that it! Any more snitches? Yes, one more. And this one you won’t believe! At this point I am ready to believe anything! Your own body will accuse you of being an unbeliever or of having sinned. Your various appendages and organs will call you a liar. 41:19 And when the enemies of Allah are mustered unto the Fire, they shall be held in check. 41:20 When they reach it, their hearing, sights and skins shall bear witness against them regarding what they used to do. 41:21 And they will say to their skins: “Why did you bear witness against us?” They will say: “Allah Who gave everything speech gave us speech, and He is the One Who created you the first time and unto Him you shall be returned.” 41:22 You did not try to hide from the witness that your hearing, sights and skins would bear against you; but you thought that Allah does not know much of what you do. 41:23 And that thought you entertained regarding your Lord led to your destruction, and so you were numbered among the losers. If I am a believer and for some reason I have been sentenced to Hell, is there any way I can improve my chance of getting Allah to hear me out? Yes. Most Muslims believe that whenever they wish peace and the blessings of God upon the Prophet an angel goes to his grave and brings the good news to his soul which is lying there. On the Day of Judgement, Allah, it is said, will listen to some pleas for mercy from the Prophet Muhammad for believers that Allah has sentenced to Hell’s fires. Since Allah will only allow a limited number of pleas, those on whose behalf the Prophet will plead are expected to be those that have most often wished him that the peace and blessings of God be upon him. Anybody else I should worry about? Only if you were a community leader, politician, priest or rabbi – a public figure that people trusted. If you were one of those and have been cast into hell, your former friends in hell will plead with Allah to double your punishment and increase His curse for you having led them astray. 33:64 Allah has cursed the unbelievers and prepared for them a blazing fire; 33:65 Dwelling therein forever, not finding a protector or supporter. 33:66 The day their faces are turned around in the Fire, they will say: “If only we had obeyed Allah and the Messenger.” 33:67 They will say:-left: 112px; margin-right: 112px">33:68 “Lord, give them the punishment twofold and curse them mightily. If I am a believer and for some reason I have been sentenced to Hell, is there any way I can improve my chance of getting Allah to hear me out? Yes. Most Muslims believe that whenever they wish peace and the blessings of God upon the Prophet an angel goes to his grave and brings the good news to his soul which is lying there. On the Day of Judgement, Allah, it is said, will listen to some pleas for mercy from the Prophet Muhammad for believers that Allah has sentenced to Hell’s fires. Since Allah will only allow a limited number of pleas, those on whose behalf the Prophet will plead are expected to be those that have most often wished him that the peace and blessings of God be upon him. That means the Prophet Muhammad will be next to God on Judgement Day? Yes. The Prophet will also take part in judging the unbelievers, as well as other Messengers but these lesser envoys may not have much to say. 5:109 The Day when Allah shall assemble the Messengers, then say: “What response were you given?” They shall say: “We have no knowledge; You are indeed the Knower of the Unseen.” Allah said that He sent a messenger before he sent his last and greatest the Prophet Muhammad with the final and corrected revelations. All the prophets from the Bible and the Koran will be given the opportunity to get back at those who did not believe they were sent by Allah. However, only the Prophet Muhammad is singled out as making an appearance on Judgement Day. 4:41 How then will it be, when We bring forward from each nation a witness (its Prophet) and We bring you (Muhammad) forth as a witness against them. 4:42 On that Day, those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish the earth were level upon them, and they will conceal nothing from Allah. ----- 16:89 On the Day when We shall raise up each nation a witness against them from among themselves. We will bring you (Muhammad) as a witness against them. We have revealed to you the Book (the Koran) which explains everything, as a guide, a mercy and good news to those who submit. ---- 7:6 So, We shall question those to whom Messenger were sent; and We shall question the Messengers. 7:7 Then, We shall recount to them in full knowledge; for We are never absent. 7:8 On that Day the weighing of the deeds will be just; those whose scales are heavy will prosper; 7:9 But those whose scales are light, are those who lost their souls on account of denying Our Revelations. This is incredible. Now we have a scale containing the good and bad deeds to decide who is going to Hell! First I thought your guilt was decided when you were given your Book of Good and Bad Deeds behind your back before you appeared before the Judge, revelation 84:100. Then for some reason, it was revealed that Allah would call the Devil as a witness for the prosecution, revelation 50:17; followed or proceeded by the arrogant, only God knows the order of appearance of witnesses of the prosecution, to deny that they had led the accused astray, revelation 34:31; then there were all those revelations about all the supposedly none- existent other gods appearing on behalf of the One All-Seeing, All-Hearing, All-Knowing God to bolster His case against the accused. And to cap it all, the accused’s body parts testifying against their owner in a grotesque imitation of someone with Lou Gehrig’s Disease! And now you are telling me that, after this mountain of real and surreal evidence against the accused, Allah will call all His Messengers, which one Islamic scholar estimated at more than 250 thousand, to testify against those who thought His Messengers were nuts. This is ridiculous. And don’t get me started on those confounding revelations about being resurrected and being led straight into Hell, like Pharaoh’s people, as if those unfortunate souls had anything to with the decisions of this pretender to some other god’s favours. Relax, you will give yourself a heart attack. Remember what I told you at the very beginning about Judgement Day being strictly for show; that you would have been judged when you died and know if you were going to spend an eternity in Paradise or in Hell, unless you died while slaughtering unbelievers in which it’s a one-way ticket to Paradise, by the size and condition of your grave. It would have been inconsiderate of Allah not to give his Messengers, especially His Last and Greatest to whom Allah revealed the most about what Judgement Day would be like, some speaking part. And as to the lesser Messengers, they may not have that much to say: 5:109 The Day when Allah shall assemble the Messengers, then say: “What response were you given?” They shall say: “We have no knowledge; You are indeed the Knower of the Unseen.” As to those souls who will be marched straight into Hell; think of Hell, in this instance, as a place where Allah keeps the criminals - which, as I keep telling you have already been judged when they died - until He has the time to officially sentence them, but not before humiliating them in front of the believers; because that is what Judgement Day is mostly all about. With all the souls Allah will be sending to hell how will he know when it is full? He will ask it. 50:30 “On the Day We shall say to Hell: ‘Are you full?”, and it shall respond: “Is there more to come?”. So on Judgement Day, Allah will send everybody to Heaven or Hell all at once? Probably, though Allah does make reference to a band of latecomers to heaven. I have no idea who they are. 56:14 And a small band of the latecomers. Can I sneak into heaven? That would be difficult. Its borders will be well guarded. 69:17 And the angels shall be ranged around its borders, eight of whom will be carrying above them, on that Day, the Throne of your Lord. Is Judgement Day imminent and how will Allah be able to judge billions, if not trillions, in just one Day? 70:1 A questioner asked about an imminent punishment, 70:2 Of the unbelievers, that none can avert; 70:3 From Allah, Lord of the Ways of Ascent. 70:4 Unto Him the angels and the spirit (Gabriel) ascend on a Day the duration thereof is fifty thousand years. 70:5 Bear up patiently then (Muhammad). 70:6 They think it is distant; 70:7 But we think it is close Allah said that an earth day for Him is a thousand years, therefore Judgement Day could conceivably last 50 million earth years. 22:47 They ask you to hasten the punishment. Allah will never break His Promise; but a day for your Lord is like a thousand years of what you reckon. Anything else I should know about Judgement Day? Yes, until judgement is rendered, you will all be naked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Will Allah beat the unbelievers so badly when He is alone with them on Judgement Day that they won’t be able to get down on all fours before His Eminence, or will it simply be the shackles that prevents them from prostrating themselves? 68:42 On the Day when nothing shall be concealed and they shall be called upon to prostrate themselves, but will not be able to. 68:43 Their eyes shall be cast down, disgrace overwhelming them, although they were called to prostrate themselves while they were in sound condition. 68:44 So, leave Me alone with those who disbelieve this discourse. We shall draw them out whence they do not know. Partners in Crime 37:20 And they say: “Woe betide us, this is the Day of Judgement. 37:21 “This is the Day of Decision which we used to question.” 37:22 Gather together those who were wrongdoers, their spouses and what they used to worship; 37:23 Apart from Allah, and lead them to the path of Hell. 37:24 And arrest them for they are accountable. 37:25 Why is it you do not support each other? 37:26 Instead, today they have surrendered. The conversation which follows is assumed to be between the false gods “what they used to worship” and the people they misled. 37:27 And some of them turned to one another asking. 37:28 They said: “You used to come to us from the right.” 37:29 They said: “No, you were no believers. 37:30 “And we had no authority over you; for you were an aggressive people. 37:31 “And thus the punishment of our Lord was meted out to us; therefore we are surely tasting it. 37:32 “So, we misled you, being misled ourselves.” 37:33 Therefore, they are on that Day partners in punishment. 37:34 This is how We treat the criminals. Questions About Bones When it came to the Day of Resurrection, most people were obviously sceptical of Allah’s ability to recreate them from pieces of bones or bones that have turned to dust. Allah on many occasions tells His Messenger to tell these skeptics that these are not insurmountable problems for Allah, including that He can resurrect them even if they were made of iron or stone. 17:49 And they say: “What, when we have become bones and mortal remains, shall we really be raised up as a new creation?” 17:50 Say: “[Even if you] be stones or iron; 17:51 “Or some creation magnified in your minds.” They will say: “Who will bring us back?” Say: “He who created you the first time.” Then they will shake their heads at you and say: ”When will that be?” Say: “Perhaps, it will be soon. 17:52 “The Day He will summon you and you will respond with His Praise, and you will imagine that you have tarried but for a short while.” A god who created heaven and earth surely will have no difficulty in recreating a human being from bones if not dust. 17:98 That is their punishment (Hell) because they disbelieve in Our Signs and say: “Shall we, after we have become bones and dust, be raised up as a new creation?” 17:99 Have they not considered that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them?” He has appointed for them a term which is undoubted; yet the wrongdoers insist on being ungrateful. Allah admits that He is not the first to promise that He can bring bones and dust back to life. 23:82 They said: “What, when we are dead and become dust and bones, we will be brought back to life? 23:83 “We have been promised this, we and our fathers before. This is simply legends of the ancients.” Again remind them that bones, any bones, present no problems. 75:1 No! I swear by the Day of Resurrection; 75:2 No! I swear by the reproachful soul. 75:3 Does man think that We will not put his bones back together? 75:4 Yes indeed; We are Able to straighten his fingertip. 75:5 Rather, man wishes to continue his profligacy in front of him. You will find other references to bones as they relate to Judgement Day in Part II The Great Blasphemy and Nameless Prophets of Doom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other, somewhat unusual precursors of Judgement Day found in hadiths of the Bukhari canonical collection. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The Hour will not be established till a man passes by a grave of somebody and says, 'Would that I were in his place.' " Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established till the buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daus move while going round Dhi-al-Khalasa." Dhi-al-Khalasa was the idol of the Daus tribe which they used to worship in the pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established till a man from Qahtan appears, driving the people with his stick." Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established till a fire will come out of the land of Hijaz, and it will throw light on the necks of the camels at Busra." Two Short Surahs About the Day The Earthquake THE EARTHQUAKE 99 Az-Zalzalah In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful 99:1 When the earth shall quake violently. 99:2 And the earth shall bring forth its burden. 99:3 And man shall say: “What is happening to it. 99:4 On that Day, it shall related its tales; 99:5 That its Lord has inspired it. 99:6 On that Day, men shall emerge in clusters to see their works. 99:7 Then whoever has done an atom’s weight of good shall find it; 99:8 Then whoever has done an atom’s weight of good shall find it. Atom comes from the Greek átomos and was used by the ancient Greeks to describe something infinitely small, so the use of the word by the translator’s may not imply that Allah was familiar with the atomic structure of matter. The Clatterer The Clatterer in the following surah, according to Fakhry, is actually Judgement Day; it is a reference to the noise made by the milling crowds on that most ominous of days. THE CLATTERER 101 Al-Qari’ah In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful 101:1 The Clatterer! 101:2 What is the Clatterer? 101:3 If only you knew what is the Clatterer. 101:4 The Day that men shall be like scattered butterflies; 101:5 And the mountains like tufted wool. 101:6 As for him whose scales shall be weighty, 101:7 He shall enjoy a well-pleasing life. 101:8 But as for him whose scales are light, 101:9 His mother shall be the Pit. 101:10 And if only you knew what it is. 11. A blazing Fire.
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