Islam The Voice of Human Nature
4. THE HEREAFTER
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Resurrection will place us in a position to see much
more. Just as a person standing on top of a wall can
look down on both sides, so shall we be able to see
both aspects of the truth. Not only shall we watch
our entire history unroll before us like a film, but
we shall witness the consequences of our own
worldly actions. ‘Then,’ as the Qur’an says, ‘shall
each soul know what it has sent forward (to the
Hereafter) and what it has kept back (in the world
behind)’ (82:5). Whatever was done for worldly
reasons will be left behind, unconsidered. Only
those actions which were carried out with the
Hereafter in mind will benefit us in the life to come.
Two men once brought a case before the Prophet for
judgement. One had misappropriated the other’s
land, but because of certain legal quirks, it was
difficult to pass a verdict against him. After due
consideration, the Prophet warned him: ‘If the court
gives a verdict in your favour, think of it as being
fire and brimstone which you have been awarded.’
The piece of land might, in terms of this world,
have been a prized possession, but in the
perspective of the Hereafter it would assume the
terrible properties of fire and brimstone. The
