When we face the final judgment
Dzikrullah W Pramudya
DEATH is mysterious, yet certain. It is only a part of our eternal journey described in plain words by our Creator, Allah the Exalted, in the Holy Quran:
"How can you disbelieve in Allah the Exalted ? Seeing that you were dead and Allah the Exalted, gave you life. Then Allah the Exalted, will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Allah the Exalted, you will return." (Surah Al-Baqarah [2]: 28)
Our death is not the end of our journey. In fact, the true journey will have begun after we are dead.
The death that we will surely face is actually our second death. We had passed the first one before our creation as human beings.
Our second death will bring us to three stages: the stupor of death (sakaratul maut); the death itself; and, the world of Barzakh (a barrier that separates the current life from the world of the Day of Judgment).
After the stage of Barzakh - which we do not know how long it will last - Allah the Exalted, will grant us the second life by resurrecting us to face the Day of Judgment.
This will be the greatest assessment affecting us. Did we accept the Truth from Allah the Exalted, and His Messengers (for us it was Muhammad s.a.w the last Messenger of Allah the Exalted ), with no reserve? Did we testify that there is no worshiped God but Allah the Exalted? Did we testify that Muhammad is Allah's messenger? Did we live our first life consistently to the Truth? Did we obey Allah the Exalted and do good deeds to people, to our world? The Day of Judgment will also become the Day of Recompense when an atom of deed will be recompensed. The last stage of our eternal journey is when we will return to the Creator, Allah the Exalted.
The following are the details of the stages after our death as mentioned by Allah the Exalted in al-Quran.The Second Death
The stupor of death (Sakaratul Maut). "And the stupor of death will come in truth: 'This is what you have been avoiding!'" (Qaaf [50]: 19)
The Death (al-Maut). "Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)." (Ali-Imran [3]: 185)
"Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" (An-Nisaa' [4]: 78)
A Barrier World ('Alam Barzakh). "Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah the Exalted, he says: 'My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!' No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected." (Al-Mu'minun [23]: 99-100)The Second Life
Total death. "And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon away, except him whom Allah the Exalted will. Then it will blown a second time and behold, they will be standing, looking on (waiting)." (Az-Zumar [39]: 68)
The End of Universe (Al-Qiyamah). "Then when the Trumpet will be blown with one blowing (the first one), and the earth and the mountains shall be removed from their places, and crushed with a single crushing, then on that Day shall the (Great) Event befall, and the heaven will split asunder, for that Day the heaven will be frail (weak), and torn up.." (Al-Ha{aci}qqah [69]: 13-16)
The Ressurection. "They will say: 'Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep.' (It will be said to them): 'This is what the Most Beneficent (Allah the Exalted) had promised, and the Messengers spoke truth!' It will be but a single Saihah (shout, etc), so behold! They will all be brought up before Us! This Day (Day of Resurrection), none will be wronged in anything, nor will you be requited anything except that which you used to do." (Yasin [36]: 52-54)
The Gathering (at the Site of Mahshar). "Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Surely, He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection about which there is no doubt. And who is truer in statement than Allah the Exalted?" (An-Nisa{aci} [4]: 87)
The Judgment. "And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners." (Al-Anbiya{aci}' [21]: 47)
The Perfect Recompense. "Whoever brings a good deed (Isla{aci}mic Monotheism and deeds of obedience to Allah the Exalted and His Messenger ) shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit, and whoever brings an evil deed (polytheism, disbelief, hypocrisy, and deeds of disobedience to Allah the Exalted and His Messenger) shall have only the recompense of the like thereof, and they will not be wronged." (Al-An'am [6]: 160)Today, as we are breathing and alive, we have the freedom to choose the kind of journey that we will have in the future and how we face Judgment Day.
