Death, Resurrection, and Human Destiny: Christian and Muslim Perspectives

Death, Resurrection, and Human Destiny in the Islamic Tradition

Death, Resurrection, and Human Destiny in the Islamic Tradition ASMA AFSARUDDIN Islamic tradition is defined here as consisting of extra-Qurānic sources—the h .adı̄th corpus, containing the statements of the Prophet Muh .ammad; the tafsı̄r or exegetical works; and ethical or edifying literature that provides moral counsel and guidance for the educated Muslim. Since these genres include a prodigious amount of material and it would be impossible to do full justice to it, I will restrict my discussion to selective primary sources and attempt to provide a broad overview of some of the major themes included under the topics of death, resurrection, and human destiny, particularly in the premodern literature. Theology of Death, Resurrection, and the Afterlife The constant remembrance of death is a frequent topos in Islamic edifying literature and pious works in general. The well-known figure of piety and abstemiousness from the eighth century Abd Allāh b. Mubārak (d. 797) wrote a treatise titled in Arabic Kitāb al-Zuhd. The word Zuhd is notoriously difficult to translate pithily into English. Variously rendered as ‘‘piety,’’ ‘‘abstemiousness,’’ and ‘‘God-consciousness,’’ zuhd is all this and more. It is above all a moral and ethical imperative that encourages the believer to live his or her life in this world as a preparation for the more glorious life in the presence of the Almighty in the next. The pious, abstemious person realizes that death is both the joyous gateway to the Hereafter and the sober reminder of the true purpose of our earthly life that heightens our spiritual awareness and God-consciousness. Ibn al-Mubārak records a report from the famous Companion Abd Allāh ibn Abbās, who counseled: ‘‘If you should see a man close to death, give him good tidings so that he may meet his Lord with a happy disposition. But while he lives, awake in him fearful reverence for his Lord, the Mighty and Exalted.’’1 43 44 Surveys Another early pious figure, the jurist Nuaym b. H . ammād (d. 843), emphasizes that the preparation for our eternal life in the next world revolves around constant remembrance of death, which protects us from the useless distractions of life. He cites a h .adı̄th in which the Prophet remarks, ‘‘Increase your remembrance of that which extinguishes worldly frivolities—that is to say, Death.’’2 Death is a sober reminder that our worldly possessions and friendships do not travel with us into the next world. In another h .adı̄th, the Prophet is quoted as observing: ‘‘Three things follow the deceased—two of them return and only one remains. His family, wealth, and actions follow him—however, his family and wealth come back and only his deeds remain.’’3 Appreciation of the fleeting nature of our worldly attachments enhances our awareness of death and the eventual meeting with our Creator. Even though—in our modern, somewhat deracinated world—reflection on death is regarded as rather morbid and unhealthy, the great Muslim scholars, like their Christian counterparts, saw such contemplative practices as nurturing one’s inner, spiritual life and as representing the pathway to true wisdom and happiness. The famous Muslim mystic and theologian Abū H . āmid al-Ghazālı̄ (d. 1111) addresses the student of the mysteries of God in the following manner: ‘‘Know, beloved, that we cannot understand the future world, until we know what death is: and we cannot know what death is, until we know what life is: nor can we understand what life is, until we know what the spirit is.’’4 Al-Ghazālı̄ further remarks that not all of the things and accoutrements of this world are blameworthy; rather happiness consists in finding pleasure in the right things and in the right attributes because they lead to happiness in the next world. Thus, he says, Delight in knowledge, delight in worship, delight in prayer and delight in communion with God are things of this world, but still they are for the sake of the future world. It follows, therefore, that the pleasures of the world are not all of them blamable, but only those which entail punishment in the future world, or which are not in the path to paradise, and so the apostle declares, ‘‘The world is a curse and that which is in it is a curse, except the remembrances of God and that which is the object of His love.’’5 Death and the Grave: Pondering...