Islamic Intellectual Theology Lesson 50

1. Islamic Intellectual TheologyLesson 50 The Intellectual Evidence of ME’AAD Questions About ME’AAD Remaining questions on ME’AAD 7th – 8th Stages of Hereafter in brief as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an Primary Source : ELAHIYAAT (Arabic) of Sh. Ja’far Subhani Vol. 4 Pages 404 – 425 (summary) Edited: Nov. 21, 2009 - BHD

2. 7th Is Paradise and Hell Created or Not? MU’TAZILAH said No A’SHAA’ERAH said yes The majority of Shia said yes and some said no (like SHAREEF ARRADHI the compiler of NAHJUL BALAGAH) Evidences of those who said that is has not been created: Since the reward and punishment of the Paradise and Hell will be in the hereafter, then creating it before that is useless and in vain, which does not suit the All wise. If it was created then it is going to perish before being used, so how can it be eternal. وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ {88} [Shakir 28:88] And call not with Allah any other god; there is no god but He, every thing is perishable but He; His is the judgment, and to Him you shall be brought back.

3. Limited Cannot Encompass the Vast 3. The dimension of this universe cannot hold that Paradise of the hereafter alone: وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ {133} [Shakir 3:133] And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord; and a Garden, the extensiveness of which is (as) the heavens and the earth, it is prepared for those who guard (against evil). سَابِقُوا إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاء وَالْأَرْضِ ….{21} [Shakir 57:21] Hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and to a garden the extensiveness of which is as the extensiveness of the heaven and the earth; …. Therefore if it exists in our time then it exists in our system, and such a huge system cannot be encompassed in it. Also it may be that It is beyond this system and that means that if it is vast then it could overcome this system possibly leading to its collapse.

4. Response: Our limited minds cannot perceive many things which have the wisdom of Allah [swt] behind it. How can we have the knowledge of the purpose of our existence, the aim, and the purpose of existence of hell and heaven before the hereafter where our knowledge is limited?! How can we claim that if it exists now then it is aimless or out of vain. Every thing is HAALIK in the verse means perishable and not necessary going to be perished, as assumed except Allah [swt] . If we say then every thing is going to perish except His face [which might mean except His representatives], it may indicate that every thing is perishable except that which Allah [swt] has said it will not perish; from His face or His representatives.

5. Those Who Perish will be in our System Other meaning of HALAAK [perish]: Change in the form of something; therefore the previous form perishes and the new form takes in place. After death and in the hereafter there will be a return to Allah [swt]. How can the return happen if someone totally perishes? Therefore the HALAAK may from one stage to another stage, such as transmitting from the system of this world to the system of the hereafter. ما عِنْدَكُمْ يَنْفَدُ وَ ما عِنْدَ اللَّهِ باقٍ وَ لَنَجْزِيَنَّ الَّذينَ صَبَرُوا أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (96) What is with you passes away And what is with Allah is enduring And We will most certainly give to those who are patient their reward for the best of what they did [Bee:69] كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْها فانٍ (26) وَ يَبْقى‏ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلالِ وَ الْإِكْرامِ (27) (Everyone on it must pass away) RAHMAAN 62 (And there will endure forever the Person of your Lord, the Lord of Glory and Honor) 72

6. Response [Cont’d] 3. The third point is a misconception, due to a lack of scientific knowledge, because science has proven that the universe is expanding and there are billions of galaxies. Some galaxies have millions of stars like the sun of our system. Therefore picturing paradise in our system is not impossible, however the system may be a totally a different system. This material system is so vast that no one knows where it ends, so how can we picture the another system. It seems that there may be another system after this system of galaxies that is greater than our system. Therefore even if this system perishes, then the other system will indeed not perish. Finally all the explicit narrations and verses indicate that the eternal paradise and hell have been created and the Prophet [s] saw it in the ME’RAAJ when he saw the JANAAT of MAWA. NAJAM عِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهى‏ (14) (At the farthest lote tree) 41 ( عِنْدَها جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوى‏ (15 (Near which is the garden, the place to be resorted to) 51

7. 8th: The Means of Punishment and Entertainment, Spiritual, or Physical? There are two opinions: It is a Spiritual cause or means It is a Physical cause or means

8. Spiritual Entertainment The evidence to support this opinion: The ROOH or the soul is the one which becomes happy and sad. These are characteristics of the soul and are expressed by the body. Many animals become happy and sad but cannot express it due to their limited face muscles. The body becomes annihilated, and the soul is given a spiritual body to have spiritual entertainment and the spiritual pain of the punishment In the dream the ROOH entertains and feels the pain as well. Some times the pain could be very severe but without any thing happening to the body. The main aim of the physical activities is to entertain the soul. Therefore on the day of judgment if the soul can be entertained directly without going through the channel of physical activities, then why not.

9. 5. Besides the physical activities which are entertaining could be energy consuming, stressful or messy. Even chewing food requires efforts. Some entertaining activities requires stress such as sports for example, if any entertainment can be done without such stress, then why to for go the stress. Eating pomegranate, mango, fish, or goat legs time and effort over preparing other foods, but people go through it for the end pleasure. The verses indicates that for the believers there will be no fatigue, people of Paradise are saying: الَّذِي أَحَلَّنَا دَارَ الْمُقَامَةِ مِن فَضْلِهِ لَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا يَمَسُّنَا فِيهَا لُغُوبٌ {35} [Shakir 35:35] Who has made us alight in a house abiding for ever out of . His grace; toil shall not touch us therein, nor shall fatigue therein afflict us. لاَ يَمَسُّهُمْ فِيهَا نَصَبٌ وَمَا هُم مِّنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ {48} [Shakir 15:48] Toil shall not afflict them in it, nor shall they be ever ejected from it. Spiritual Entertainment [Cont’d.]

10. It is true that the ROOH is the one which is entertained, but without the physical channel does it become entertained? Besides the Holy Qur’an has explicitly mentioned the physical entertainment, and the physical beauty of the HOOR, physical gardens, rivers, etc. Therefore the physical entertainment exists in the paradise, including the spousal entertainment. Even if it goes through certain physical efforts, because the taste of the entertainment is integrated physically and spiritually. So when any physical activity is associated with the spiritual taste its fulfillment becomes greater. Why should Allah [swt] recreate the physical body, he can let the soul entertain spiritually. Physical Entertainment

11. Response If all the entertainment and pleasure associated with the physical activities is achieved without going through the physical actions, then why go through it if the soul can have all the pleasure it wants. The Holy Qur’an indicates entertainment and the pleasure of the soul through these activities. Therefore if some one makes an intention of having the desire of eating pomegranate of having spousal relations, then immediately that pleasure is evoked inside his spiritual system. So why is there a problem. It does not go against the Holy Qur’an, because the main aim of eating food is the pleasure of that taste in the soul. Therefore if such a pleasure is felt within the soul then the benefits of the food has been extracted without physically eating.

12. Both Physical and Spiritual Both are provided as there are people they would want to go through the physical activities to have the spiritual pleasure. There are people perhaps from the higher level or from those who could appreciate and understand the spiritual pleasure without requiring the physical activity would like to get it direct with their intention and will experience a similar pleasure which is acquired by those who acquire it through the physical activities. النصب العناء و اللغوب الكسل و الضجر يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِصِحَافٍ مِّن ذَهَبٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ وَفِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ الْأَنفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الْأَعْيُنُ وَأَنتُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ {71} [Shakir 43:71] There shall be sent round to them golden bowls and drinking-cups and therein shall be what their souls yearn after and (wherein) the eyes shall delight, and you shall abide therein. جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَآؤُونَ كَذَلِكَ يَجْزِي اللّهُ الْمُتَّقِينَ {31} [Shakir 16:31] The gardens of perpetuity, they shall enter them, rivers flowing beneath them; they shall have in them what they please. Thus does Allah reward those who guard (against evil)

13. The Stages of the Hereafter These stages have been discussed in our lessons on the Journey of the Soul [20 lessons]. Please refer to them. Briefly these are the topics which are discussed: The Return of the souls in this world before the hereafter (RAJAA) The signs of the destruction of the earth and its actual destruction The resurrection and the blow of the trumpet Books of deeds, accounting, testimonies and witnesses, and the MEZAAN [scale] The SIRAAT over on the Hellfire The SHAFA’A (intercession) and the A’ARAAF (heights) The Hell fire and the punishment in it The Paradise and the punishment in it