There will be a time on earth when everything that God created will cease to exist. The day of resurrection will be the time when all of mankind will be brought back to their original physical form and every human being, from the past to the present, will be resurrected and examined by the deeds that they performed during their lifetime – this day is called the “Day of Judgment.”
The Quran has devoted almost one-third of its verses to this event, and in one passage we read:
“O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning the resurrection, then verily, We created you from dust, then from a drop, then from a clot, then from a lump of flesh [both] shaped and shapeless, that We make it clear for you. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterwards We bring you forth as infants: then you attain your full strength. And among you there is he who dies [young] and among you there is he who is brought back to the most abject time of life so that, after knowledge, he knows nothing. And you see the earth barren, but when We send down water on it, it thrills and swells and puts forth every lovely kind [of growth]. That is because Allah is Reality, and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who has power over all things, and because the Hour [of Judgment] will come concerning which there is no doubt, and because Allah will raise those who are in the graves. (22:5-7)
Regarding the Day of Judgment, God states,
“Verily We will give life to the dead, and We record all that they send before and that they leave behind, and We have taken account of all things in a clear Book [of evidence].” (36:12)
Another verse informs us,
“And every soul will be paid in full for its deeds, and He knows best all that they do.” (39:70)
The number of verses in the Quran that deal with life after death and the Day of Resurrection is close to 1,200. This is in addition to a vast number of traditions related from Prophet Muhammad and the twelve imams. This number reveals the importance and significance of life after death and emphasizes that the life of a human being does not end with death, but in fact, continues afterward towards a new life. The Quran calls this life the “true life” as we read,
“The life of this world is nothing but diversion and play, but the abode of the Hereafter is indeed Life, had they known!”[1]
Some people may wonder that if eventually mankind is going to die, then why were people created in the first place?
Humanity was created to be caretakers of the earth; thus, life on earth becomes a test, to maintain and preserve nature; and more importantly, to maintain and preserve our moral natures.
According to Islam, a person will be judged according to the actions that they performed in his or her life. If their deeds were primarily good, then they will enter Heaven (also called ‘The Garden’ or simply ‘Paradise’). However, if one’s deeds or actions are mainly evil, he or she will enter Hell (also referred to as ‘The Fire’). On the Day of Judgment, everyone will know the fate of everyone else.
Both Heaven and Hell have different levels. The worst of people will be in the lowest depths of Hell, while the best of people will be in the highest parts of Heaven.
[1] See Quran 29:64.