Resurrectionor Ākhirah or raising the dead to life is one of the three fundaments of Islam, the other two being Tawhīd or Monotheism or belief in One God, and Risalat or belief in Prophets or Messengers, the last and final being Muhammad ﷺ. The Qur’ān, in sūrah after sūrah, emphasises these truths for the guidance of we humans. The Book of God gives glad tidings to those who believe in these truths and warns those who reject them and thus commit disbelief and disobedience.
Again, the message of divine warning reaches every kind of people. However, it works differently on different people. Some people take the admonition lightly. They persist in their denial, pride and antagonism. For such people the Qur’ān (36:10) says: “It is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them for they shall not believe.” That is, for such people the divine admonition proves as futile as rain drops falling on a rock.
But there are another kind of people whom the admonition shakes to the hilt, who realise the truth and come forwardassincere servants of God.They pay heed to the admonition and fear God and turn to the right path. The Qur’ān (36:11) says: “You can warn only him who follows the Admonition and fears the Merciful Lord without seeing Him.”Fearing God and believing in God without seeing Him is at the core of the Islamic belief system. This āyah announces reward for such people: “Give such a one good tidings of forgiveness and a generous reward.”
Then the Qur’ān (36:12) emphasises resurrection as well as reckoning:“We shall surely raise the dead to life and We record what they did and the traces of their deeds that they have left behind.” People are warned that whatever they do and whatever effects their deeds cause are written down, and nothing is forgotten.
God has made a very grand arrangement to record whatever we do and whatever traces our deeds leave behind, good or bad. The āyah says: “We have encompassed that in a Clear Book.”Whatever a person does, is entered in the divine register.Whatever impressions he makes on the objects of his environment and on the limbs of his own body itself, become recorded. And all these impressions will become so conspicuous that man’s own voice will become audible and the whole history of his ideas and intentions and aims and objects and the pictures of all of his good and bad acts and deeds will appear before him. Also, whatever influences he has left behind of his good and bad actions on his future generation, on his society and on mankind as a whole, will go on being recorded in his account. And, on the Day of Resurrection, he will be rewarded if his actions, impressions and influences prove acceptable to God and enough to win His Pleasure. Or he will be punished if his actions, etc. don’t qualify for the test. So, let’s strive to secure ultimate success in the Day of Resurrection.