Question How can you prove the existence of the Hereafter i.e. life after death? Answer:
Is believing in the Hereafter a blind belief? Many people wonder as to how a person who believes in science and logic believes in the existence of life after death. People assume that anyone believing in the Hereafter is doing so on the basis of blind belief. My belief in the Hereafter is also based on a logical argument.
Believing in Hereafter is a logical belief There are more than a thousand verses in the Glorious Qur’an, containing scientific facts (refer to my book, “The Qur’an and Modern Science – Compatible or Incompatible?”). Many facts mentioned in the Qur’an have been discovered in the last few centuries. But science has not advanced to a level where it can confirm every statement of the Qur’an. Suppose 80% of all that is mentioned in the Qur’an has been proved to be 100% correct. About the remaining 20%, science makes no categorical statement, since it has not advanced to a level, where it can either prove or disprove these statements. With the limited knowledge that we have, we cannot say for sure whether even a single percentage or a single verse of the Qur’an from this 20% ambiguous portion is wrong. Thus when 80% of the Qur’an is 100% correct and the remaining 20% is not disproved, my logic says that even the 20% ambiguous portion is correct. The existence of the Hereafter, which is mentioned in the Qur’an, falls in the 20% ambiguous portion, which my logic says is correct.
Concept of peace and human values is useless without the concept of Hereafter Is robbing good or bad? Any normal human being would say it is bad. How would a person who does not believe in the Hereafter convince a powerful and influential criminal that robbing is bad? Suppose I am the most powerful and influential criminal in the world. At the same time I am an intelligent and a logical person. I say that robbing is good because it helps me to lead a luxurious life. Thus robbing is good for me. If any person can give me a single logical reason or argument as to why it is bad for me, I will stop immediately. People usually put forward the following arguments
a. The person who is robbed will face difficulties Some may say that the person who is robbed will face difficulties. I do agree that it is bad for the person who is robbed. But it is good for me. If I rob a thousand dollars, I can enjoy a good meal at a 5-star restaurant.
b. Someone may rob you Some people argue that someday I may be robbed. No one can rob me because I am a very powerful criminal and I have hundreds of bodyguards. I can rob anyone but no one can rob me. Robbing may be bad for a common man but not for an influential person like me.
c. The police may arrest you Some may say, if you rob, you can be arrested by the police. The police cannot arrest me because I have the police in my pocket. I have the ministers on my payroll. I agree that if a common man robs, he will be arrested and it will be bad for him, but I am an extraordinarily influential and powerful criminal. Give me one logical reason why it is bad for me and I will stop robbing.
d. It’s easy money Some may say it’s easy money and not hard-earned money. I totally agree that it is easy money, and that is one of the main reasons why I rob. If a person has the option of earning money the easy way or the hard way, any logical person would choose the easy way.
e. It is against humanity Some may say it is against humanity and that a person should care for other human beings. I counter argue by asking as to who wrote this law called ‘humanity’ and why should I follow it? This law may be good for the emotional and sentimental people but I am a logical person and I see no benefit in caring for other human beings.
f. It is a selfish act Some may say that robbing is being selfish. I agree that robbing is a selfish act; but then why should I not be selfish? It helps me enjoy life.
No logical reason as to why robbing is bad Hence all arguments put forth to prove that robbing is bad are illogical. It may satisfy a common man but not a powerful and influential criminal like me. Similarly raping, cheating etc. can be justified as good for a person like me and there is no logical argument that can convince me that these things are bad.
A Muslim can convince a powerful and influential criminal Now let us switch sides. Suppose you are the most powerful and influential criminal in the world, who has the police and the ministers in his pocket. You have hundreds of bodyguards to protect you. I am a Muslim who will convince you that robbing, raping, cheating, etc. are bad. Even if I put forth the same arguments to prove that robbing is bad, the criminal will respond the same way as he did earlier. I agree that the criminal is being logical and all his arguments are only true when he is the most powerful and influential criminal.
Every human being wants justice Each and every human being wants justice. Even if he does not want justice for others, he wants justice for at least himself. Some people who are powerful and influential would not mind doing injustice to others. However, the same people would surely object if some injustice were done to them. The reason such people do not mind doing injustice to others is because they think their power and influence besides helping them in doing injustice to others, will also prevent others from doing injustice to them.
God is Most Powerful and Just As a Muslim I would convince the criminal about the existence of Almighty God (refer to my answer on proving the existence of God). This God is more powerful than you and at the same time is also just. The Glorious Qur’an says: “Allah is never unjust in the least degree” [Al-Qur’an 4:40]
Why does God not punish me? The criminal, being a logical and scientific person, agrees that God exists, after being presented with scientific facts from the Qur’an but he may argue as to why God, if He is Powerful and Just, does not punish him.
The people who do injustice should be punished Every person who has suffered injustice, irrespective whether he is rich or poor, influential or not, would surely want the perpetrator of injustice to be punished. Every normal person would like the robber or the rapist to be punished. Though a large number of criminals are punished, many even go scot-free. They lead a pleasant, luxurious life, and even live peacefully. If injustice were done to a powerful and influential person, by someone more powerful and more influential than he, even such a person would want that person to be punished.
This life is a test for the Hereafter This life is a test for the Hereafter. The Glorious Qur’an says: “He who created Death and Life that He may try which of you is best in deed; and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” [Al-Qur’an 67:2]
Final justice is on the Day of Judgement The Glorious Qur’an says: “Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.” [Al-Qur’an 3:185] Final justice will be done on the Day of Judgement. After a person dies, he will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement. It is possible that a person receives part of his punishment in this world. The final reward and punishment will only be in the Hereafter. God Almighty may not punish a robber or a rapist in this world but he will surely be held accountable on the Day of Judgement and will be punished in the Hereafter i.e. life after death.
What punishment can the human law give to Hitler? Hitler incinerated six million Jews. Even if the police had arrested him, what punishment can the human law give Hitler for justice to prevail? The most they can do is to incinerate Hitler. But that will only compensate for the killing of one Jew. What about the remaining five million, nine hundred and ninetynine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Jews?
Allah can burn Hitler more than six million times in the Hellfire Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an: “Those who reject Our signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire; as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah Is Exalted in Power, Wise.” [Al-Qur’an 4:56] If Allah wishes He can incinerate Hitler six million times in the Hereafter in the Hellfire.
No concept of human values or good and bad without the concept of Hereafter It is clear that without convincing a person about the Hereafter, i.e. life after death, it is impossible to prove the concept of human values or the good and bad to any person who is doing injustice especially when he is influential and powerful.