“How can you disbelieve in Allah when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned. It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things.”
The first thing to note is that true belief in Allah, the Exalted, involves internal belief supported by physical actions of obedience. This involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In fact, as indicated by the main verses, this obedience is the reason why Allah, the Exalted, granted humans life. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 28:
“How can you disbelieve in Allāh when you were lifeless and He brought you to life…”
And chapter 51 Adh Dhariyat, verse 56:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
In addition, it is important to note that the non-muslims of Mecca and the people of the book in Medina, the first two groups which were addressed by the Holy Quran, did believe in Allah, the Exalted. But as they associated things with him and attributed partners to Him, such as idols or granting scholars the power to dictate the rules and regulations of faith, they were labeled unbelievers in this verse. This indicates that true belief lies solely in sincerely obeying and following the two sources of guidance: the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Any deviation from this leads to misguidance and even disbelief. This is why the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, warned that any matter which is not rooted in Islam is rejected by Allah, the Exalted. This has been discussed in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 4606. One must therefore avoid other actions which are not rooted in the two sources of guidance, even if they are good deeds and instead focus their full efforts on learning and acting on the two sources of guidance, as peace of mind and success lies only in this. Chapter 3 Alee Imran, verse 132:
“And obey Allāh and the Messenger that you may obtain mercy.”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 28:
“…you were lifeless and He brought you to life…”
As one’s time span on Earth is very limited and unknown, they must take advantage of every opportunity and blessing they have been granted in order to obtain peace of mind and body in this world, which is the greatest worldly blessing one can obtain, and peace of mind and success in the hereafter. This is only achieved through the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, the Creator of all things. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
But if one neglects their purpose and instead chooses to misuse their blessings in their short stay in this world, then they will lead a life of constriction and misery in both worlds. Chapter 20 Taha, verses 124-126:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” He will say, “My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?” [Allāh] will say, “Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.””
A wise person would not sacrifice eternity of bliss for a single moment of a fleeting enjoyment, which leads to stress in both worlds. One should not delay sincerely obeying Allah, the Exalted, believing they will do so in elderly age. This misguided belief is one of the greatest traps of the Devil. He does not try to convince muslims the hereafter does not exist, as this is futile endeavor. Instead, he encourages them to delay sincerely obeying Allah, the Exalted, and convinces them that peace of mind lies in pursuing worldly desires. The one who falls for his advice loses out in both worlds, as ignoring Allah, the Exalted, only leads to misery and stress in both worlds, even if one manages to gather the entire world. As indicated in the main verses, as Allah, the Exalted, alone created mankind, He alone controls their spiritual heart, the abode of peace of mind. If they sincerely obey Him, He will grant them peace of mind and success in both worlds. But if they disobey Him, then everything they obtain in this world will only become a source of their stress and misery in both worlds.
In addition, one should always remember that there is no guarantee they will live to elderly age, as many healthy young people die all the time. Even if one manages to reach elderly age, their attitude of hoping for a longer life will only urge them to continue in their usual habit of ignoring Allah, the Exalted, until death reaches them unprepared.
The One who created humans from nothing will find it easier to bring them back when they have turned into dust and bones, as creating something from nothing is harder than creating something from parts. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 28:
“…He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life…”
And chapter 17 Al Isra, verse 51:
“…And they will say, “Who will restore us?” Say, “He who brought you forth the first time.”…”
As indicated by verse 28, the time between life and resurrection refers to one’s stay in their grave, which in some form or fashion everybody will experience. The light required to illuminate one’s dark grave and protect them from its punishments is obtained in this world through the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, which involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Just like a muslim strives hard to beauty their temporal worldly home, they must strive harder to illuminate their grave, as their stay in it will be long and its dangers greater than what one can face in this world. If one ignores obtaining this light in this world, then they will be left to the horrors and darkness of their grave and what follows their resurrection will only be worse.
Whether one chooses to sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, or not, all will be returned to Him on Judgement Day in order to be questioned whether they fulfilled their purpose of creation or not. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 28:
“…He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.”
One must note the sequence of this verse to understand that their resurrection and final judgement will be determined by how they died. If they died on the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, which involves using the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, then they will be resurrected in a good state. But if they die while persisting on the disobedience of Allah, the Exalted, then they will be resurrected in a bad state. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 7232. One can determine how they will die based on the sequence of this verse. Meaning, the way one lives will determine how they will die. If they persist on the obedience of Allah, the Exalted, then they will die in a good state. Chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
But if they persist on the disobedience of Allah, the Exalted, then they will die and be resurrected in a bad state. Chapter 20 Taha, verses 124-126:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” He will say, “My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?” [Allāh] will say, “Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.””
In addition, verse 28 indicates that as Allah, the Exalted, chose and decided the beginning, middle and ultimate end for each person, they should therefore obey none other than Him. When He has complete control over the entire existence of a person, it does not make sense to disobey Him. In fact, as indicated by verse 29, everything Allah, the Exalted, decides for people during their lives is best for them, even if they do not recognize the wisdoms behind His choices. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 216:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
Understanding this reality will aid one in remaining patient during times of difficulties. Patience involves avoiding complaining through one’s actions or words and maintaining their sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verses 28-29:
“…He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned. It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth…”
The Earth and the blessings within them were created for mankind to sustain themselves, use them to obtain peace of mind in this world and pass their final test on Judgement Day successfully, by using them correctly, in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, the Creator of all blessings. The one who behaves in this manner has shown gratitude for the blessings of this Earth. This in turn leads to obtaining further blessings. Chapter 14 Ibrahim, verse 7:
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…”
In addition, verses 28-29 make it clear that a person was created in order to obey Allah, the Exalted, and worldly blessings were created in order to aid one to fulfill this noble purpose. One must not confuse this fact by behaving as if they were created to simply obtain, enjoy and hoard worldly blessings while ignoring Allah, the Exalted. One’s stay in this world is similar to a person in a foreign country on a work visa. Their purpose in that country is to earn wealth to take back to their homeland after their visa expires. They are not in that foreign country for the sake of entertainment and fun. Similarly, one’s purpose in this world is to gather good deeds, which involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, so that they obtain peace of mind and success in both worlds.
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah 29:
“It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth…”
It is important to note that Allah, the Exalted, allocated one’s lawful provision 50,000 thousand years before He created the Heavens and the Earth. This has been confirmed in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6748. Therefore, one must never pursue the unlawful out of impatience or greed. Just like one’s intention is the internal foundation of their faith similarly, pursuing and utilizing the lawful is the external foundation of one’s faith. If one utilizes the unlawful they will destroy every action that is built on it. This leads to destruction in both worlds.
Finally, this verse also indicates that Allah, the Exalted, does not want people to abandon the material world, somehow believing this is the path to salvation in the hereafter. This type of monasticism is not taught by Islam as it contradicts the very purpose of this world. Islam teaches a spiritual detachment from the material world not an entirely physical one. Simply put, the one who uses the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, is detached from these blessings. But if they use them in ways pleasing to themself, then they are attached to them. This is the difference between being attached to the material world and being detached from it and this therefore has nothing to do with how much or little worldly blessings one possesses. A pauper can be a worldly person just by pursuing their desires while a wealthy person can be detached from the world simply because they control their desires and use their blessings in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted.
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah 29:
“It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and made them seven heavens…”
Just like the blessings of the Earth were created to aid people to fulfill their purpose, similarly, the Heavens were created for this reason also. The Earth is the abode of physical provision, which is required to sustain people in this world while they sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted. Whereas, the Heavens is the main source of spiritual provision, which is required to nurture one’s belief in the Oneness of Allah, the Exalted. When one observes the Heavens and the Earth and its perfectly balanced and synchronized systems, such as the perfect distance of the Sun from the Earth, the precise timings of the day and night, the changing of the seasons, the movement of the clouds and their involvement in the water cycle, and many other systems, it clearly points to a Creator and Sustainer, Allah, the Exalted. All these systems also point towards the Oneness of Allah, the Exalted, as multiple Gods would desire and will different things and as a result nothing in the Heavens and the Earth would be balanced or synchronized. Chapter 21 Al Anbiya, verse 22:
“Had there been within them [i.e., the heavens and earth] gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined…”
When one reflects on the Heavens and the Earth with an open mind, they will acknowledge and accept the Oneness of Allah, the Exalted, and the inevitability of Judgement Day. All the perfect balanced systems clearly indicate a purpose and the fact that everything that has a beginning has an end, such as the day following the night. The only major thing within the universe which has not been balanced yet is the actions of people. The doers of good do not get their full reward in this world, nor do the wrongdoers face full justice, even if they are punished by Allah, the Exalted, during their lives. All the perfect balanced systems within the universe clearly indicate that the actions of people, the major unbalanced thing in this universe, will also be balanced on Judgement Day. Chapter 3 Alee Imran, verse 191:
“…and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.””
This reality has been indicated in the main verses under discussion as the creation of people and the Earth has been directly connected to Judgement Day. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verses 28-29:
“…He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned. It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven and made them seven heavens…”
As indicated by the final part of verse 29, one should not be fooled into believing that after creating people and the Earth and appointing their final return and judgement, Allah, the Exalted, is unaware of what they do. Allah, the Exalted, must never be compared to a worldly king, who may have power and authority over the land but as he cannot keep constant tabs on his people, he is unaware of what they do. Allah, the Exalted, did not create people and the Heavens and Earth in vain. Judgement Day will be established in order to make clear who fulfilled their purpose on Earth and who did not and to finally balance the great unbalanced thing in this universe, the actions of people. But as Allah, the Exalted, has knowledge of all things, this will not be a problem. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 29:
“…and He is Knowing of all things.”
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