THE WORLD HEREAFTER
Perfect and Eternal
SIR James Jeans once observed that the Creator of the universe must have possessed a mathematical mind. Here, I must add that the very meaningfulness of the universe is proof that its Creator must have had a deep sense of purpose. Such a purposeful Creator could not have created a world, which was imperfect—and therefore meaningless—if this objective was to be fulfilled.
Yet despite all its meaningfulness, our world in its present state is incomplete. It requires the existence of another world for its completion. It is such a world that all the prophets have called the world of the Hereafter.
This world of the Hereafter is not just a matter of dogma. It is an entirely scientific fact.
Scientific ProofFirst of all, we must define what is scientific proof? According to modern science, scientific proof does not mean that there can be any degree of absolute certainty about whatever is to be proved. This kind of undeniable certainty is not possible.
The very meaningfulness of the universe is proof that its Creator must have had a deep sense of purpose.
According to the modern scientific stand, when we say that something has been scientifically proven, this statement only means that its probability has been established. In modern science, concepts that are presented as established facts are generally accepted only because their probability has been established, not because there is any definite knowledge of them acquired as a result of observing them. An example of this is the acceptance of the structure of the atom.
We can, with confidence, apply the same scientific method to our belief in the world of the Hereafter. Indeed, employing any other method would not, in principle, be appropriate. And, from the scientific viewpoint, we cannot refuse to apply it to the case of the world Hereafter—a method that we hold valid in most scientific matters. As we know, the steps to a scientific inquiry include —hypothesis, observation and verification.
If we apply this three-point formula to the world Hereafter, we can certainly arrive at an understanding of its probability. And as we know, probability is another word for certainty. Out of all God’s creatures, man, who is unlike any of His other creatures—is the only one who has the greatest need for certainty, for he must know what lies ahead of him. No other created entity, whether animate or inanimate, possesses such a concept of 'tomorrow.' It is a well-acknowledged fact that the destination of all creatures, save man, is simply that of ‘today’, while man’s destination pertains to ‘tomorrow’.
Understanding the HereafterThose huge masses of ice, which we know as icebergs, found floating in the seas of the North and South poles, number amongst the most deceptive and, therefore, most dangerous phenomena to be found in nature. Their deceptiveness lies in the fact that no matter how huge, or wonderful in configuration, what we see of them amounts to only one tenth of their enormous bulk. What lies below the surface of the ocean, spreading far and beyond the visible perimeter, poses tremendous hazards to the unwary.
A purposeful Creator could not have created a world, which was imperfect—and therefore meaningless.
In some ways, our lives are like those floating mountains of ice. The part we spend in this world—about a hundred years, or less—is like the part of the iceberg which is visible above the surface. We can see it, touch it, feel it. We can measure it and deal with it effectively. But the part which comes after death is like the submerged part—vast, unfathomable and fraught with peril. It is something which defies the imagination, but which we must nevertheless try to comprehend, for that is the part of human life which God has decreed should be eternal and, as such, ineluctable.
We are all familiar with the facts of our origin and the course which life takes from the womb until death. But at the end of our life span, whether it terminates in youth or in old age, our familiarity with the nature of things comes to an end. It has been surmised that death means total and final annihilation. But this is not so. Death is simply a means of consigning us to a new womb, to the womb of the universe itself. From that point, we are ushered into another world: the Hereafter. While the present, physical world as we know it has a finite time-frame, the Hereafter stretches away from us into infinity. We fondly imagine that there is some parallel between the pleasures and pains of this world and those of the next, but, in truth, nothing that we can experience in this world will ever match the extremes of agony and bliss of life after death. Those who merit punishment in the Hereafter will be condemned to suffer the most horrific pain for all time to come. But those who merit God’s blessings in the Hereafter shall know the most wonderful joy and contentment.
Can we perceive the Hereafter?It is because life in this world is intended to be a testing-ground that the world of the Hereafter remains beyond our reach. But all around us, we have innumerable signs which can help us, by analogy, to understand and appreciate the nature of the world to come. Imagine a room which ostensibly consists of four walls, furniture, a few material objects and some human occupants. To all outward appearances, that is what the room adds up to. But the moment we switch on the TV set, we are introduced to a hitherto unsuspected world of colour, movement, and highly vocal human activity. This world, with its scenery and very alive human beings had existed all along. It had only needed the flip of a switch to make us aware of it.
The destination of all creatures, save man, is simply that of ‘today’, while man’s destination pertains to ‘tomorrow’.
Similarly, our terrestrial existence is made up of a world within a world. The world we know is concrete, visible, audible and tangible. The ‘other’ world, the world within it, or rather, beyond it, is not however, one which can be comprehended through any of the normal human senses; no switch can be turned on to make us understand what it is really like. Only death can do this for us. And when we reopen our eyes after death we find that what had formerly been impalpable, and quite beyond human comprehension is now a stark, overwhelming reality. It is then that we grasp what had hitherto existed, but remained invisible.
Are we Accountable?Once it is clear in our minds that the after-life truly exists, we realise that the sole aim of our earthly existence should be to strive for success in the life to come, for, unlike the present ephemeral world, the Hereafter is eternal and real. What we understand by suffering and solace in this world cannot be compared with the suffering and solace of the Hereafter.
Many individuals lead immoral, even criminal existences because they feel that they are free to do as they please in this world. Freedom we do have, but it exists only so that God may distinguish between the good and the evil, and determine who deserves a place of honour and dignity in the Hereafter and who should be condemned to eternal disgrace.
The sole aim of our earthly existence should be to strive for success in the life to come.
While there is nothing to prevent the good and the evil from living cheek by jowl in this world, they will be separated in the Hereafter like the wheat from the chaff and will be judged according to their record in this life. Some will be condemned to an eternal Hell of pain and distress, while others will be blessed with eternal bliss and pleasure. Each will get his just desserts.
When a man has a specific and worthwhile goal
before him, he sets a great value upon his time, but
when bereft of a goal, time hangs heavily
upon his hands.
It is then that ceremonial gatherings
and vain pursuits become welcome occupations.
He makes no real life for himself but depends upon
others for occupation and distraction. In this way, he drifts along,
like a ship without a rudder, to the end of his useless life.
On the surface, he has led a full, busy life; but, on closer inspection,
he discovers, too late, that his achievements are nil,
and that he has frittered away his
precious existence in vain,
meaningless diversions.