The last blog, Reincarnation Two, gave information about what some world religions believe happens after death, namely that the soul passes into another being, human or animal. This process is called reincarnation.

There are two world religions that do not believe in reincarnation: Islam and Christianity. Their beliefs are given as follows:

ISLAM:

In Islam, when someone dies, the Angel of Death, Azra’il, takes the soul. Two angels sent by Allah question the soul, and if the soul answers correctly it enters Barzakh, a state of waiting. It sleeps in this condition until the Day of Judgement. Barza’kh is an unseen realm that separates life and death.

If the soul answers incorrectly, it is tormented in the grave by angels.

Where an individual’s soul goes after death depends upon what has been done. Allah notes a person’s good and bad deeds and this balance will be crucial on the Day of Judgment.

Allah has done nothing specific to help Muslims get into paradise. Everyone is accountable for his/her own actions and deeds.

Islam teaches the belief in a Last Day Judgement. Everyone will be resurrected for judgment by Allah, but no one knows when that will be. The final destination will be either paradise or hell.

However, entrance into Paradise is questionable and not guaranteed. Even Muhammad was not sure if he would enter Paradise (Surah 46:9; Hadith 5:266). The following is what Muhammad said: “I (Muhammad) am not something new among the messengers, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me. I am only a warner. (Qur’an 46:9).

Further, Allah’s Apostle said (at a funeral), “As for him, by Allah, death has come to him. By Allah, I wish him all good. By Allah, in spite of the fact that I am Allah’s Apostle, I do not know what Allah will do to me.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 7003; vol 9, bk 87, no 131).

If Muhammad wasn’t sure about his attaining Paradise, it seems other Muslims could have the same concerns.

If a Muslim dies in Jihad his/her soul goes directly to Paradise, where, supposedly, there are gardens and beautiful women. (Qur’an 3:157). They avoid Barzakh. Those Muslims, of course, who do not die in Jihad, but die a regular death, stay in Barzakh until the Day of Judgement.

Barzakh is a state of waiting, for the soul, until Judgement day.

CHRISTIANITY:

In Christianity, the soul of a believer, after death, immediately goes to heaven to be with Christ.

The soul is not unconscious. It is immortal and does not die or sleep.

When an unbeliever dies, the soul goes to Hades (Luke 16:23) where the soul remains to be raised bodily for the White Throne Judgement. (Revelation 20:11-15).

God says the way to Him is by dealing with the sin problem. The first humans to sin were Adam and Eve, because they did not follow God’s instructions. The penalty for this was death. But rather than causing the death of Adam and Eve, God accepted the shedding of blood of animals. This covered the sins of humans for a time. But God had another plan.

The Christian scriptures state that Jesus Christ became the perfect sacrifice to provide forgiveness for sins. He came to earth, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus is quoted to say, “I am the living one! I was dead but now am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

Christianity teaches that if you accept what Jesus did and ask for forgiveness, you will go to heaven when you die.

ATHEISM:

Atheism holds the view that nothing happens after death.

Thanks for visiting. Hopefully this blog has shared some interesting and useful information.