Understanding the Afterlife in Islam

For the most part, Islamic theology has not concerned itself with questions about the location and structure of the Garden and the Fire, on the understanding that only God knows these particulars. Theologians have, however, speculated at great length on the question of whether or not these abodes are already in existence. Orthodoxy has concluded that they are created and do exist, awaiting their inhabitants on the last day.

Confident in God's mercy as well as God's justice, neither the theologians nor the traditionalists have questioned the eternal nature of the Garden and the residence of the faithful in it. The question becomes more problematic in relation to the Fire, however. The majority has held to the view that despite the Qur'anic indication that sinners will stay eternally in the Fire, it is not only possible but even likely that at some future time all sinners will be pardoned and the fires of judgment will be extinguished forever. Equally complex has been the issue of whether or not non-believers will be able eventually to enjoy the Garden.

Conclusion

It is clear, then, that afterlife beliefs in Islam are a blend of Qur'anic description, traditional elaboration, theological speculation, and popular belief. There is much in the general Islamic understanding that is intended to comfort the bereaved as well as to reassure and challenge the community as a whole. Many contemporary Muslim writers do not deal directly with issues of life after death because they see the basic affirmation of the Qur'an as so natural and reasonable as to require no defense or elaboration. To the extent that they do, it is generally to affirm to the Muslim community and the world at large that the strength of Islam lies in the faith that the fruits of today's labor will be reaped in the hereafter, and that God will reward all in justice and mercy in the world to come.

Jane Smith is Senior Lecturer in Divinity and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Harvard Divinity School. Smith is the author of numerous books on Muslim communities in America and on Christian-Muslim relationships.