THE DIFFERENT RELIGION'S VIEWS ON THE MA'AD

[Taqavi]

What are the different religions' views on the Ma'ad, and what similarities and differences exist in this regard?

 

Belief in the Day of Judgment, or life after death, is one of the fundamental principles of many divine religions; this belief includes the belief in the return of humans after death to life again and the audit of their actions in the hereafter.

here are some examples of these common beliefs in different religions:

Zoroastrians:

Zoroastrians believe that after death, the human soul spends three days around the body taking care of its past life; after this time, the body is guided towards judgment; in this process, good thoughts, words, and deeds are weighed against bad thoughts, words, and deeds; another belief of Zoroastrians is the belief in the Chinvat Bridge; in this way, if a person is righteous, he will safely cross the bridge and enter heaven;[1] These beliefs of Zoroastrians show their deep belief in the Day of Judgment, divine justice, and accurate accounting in the hereafter.

Judaism:

In the Old Testament, one of the holy books of Judaism, it is written: "Many of those who sleep* in the dust of the earth shall awake; Some to everlasting life, others to reproach and everlasting disgrace."[2]

The Talmud frequently speaks of the Day of Judgment; also, the Old Testament contains information about the prophets' promise of the Day of Judgment; prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea warned the children of Israel with their eloquent statements and warned them of the consequences of their evil and wicked deeds; these prophets reminded the children of Israel that if they continued their wrongdoings, they would face humiliating captivity. [3]

In the Old Testament, one of the holy books of Judaism, it is written: " But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise!" [4] This statement shows the belief in the resurrection of the dead among Jews.

Christianity:

From the content of the Christian Bible regarding resurrection, it is clear that Christians also believe in the afterlife; they believe that after death, humans are judged in the hereafter and, based on their actions, they will find their way to heaven or hell; the Christian Bible clearly refers to this issue. [5]

In the New Testament, one of the Christian holy books, it is written: " and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation";[6] this statement in the Christian book shows belief in the afterlife.

Buddha:

Buddhism's beliefs have been mentioned in this way: when a person dies, our mind, all the inclinations and abilities that it acquired during life, is re-established at the point of conception. When the fetus grows and matures, rebirth takes place, and a new individual is formed with the mental characteristics of the previous individual.[7] In their holy book, it is written: Samsara (meaning wandering), which refers to the ocean of life and death, meaning endless rebirths from which the follower cannot escape except by recognizing the true path that leads to Nirvana. [8]

Hindu:

In Hinduism, belief in reincarnation is similar to that of Buddhism and is considered an original and well-established faith. In their holy book, it is written: Just as a person sheds worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul casts off worn-out bodies and takes on new ones. [9] In explaining reincarnation, they state that a person at the moment of death has three descriptions: either the person, by overcoming the description (Sat), dominates the description, in which case they understand God; or the person, by overcoming the description (Raj), dominates the description, in which case they appear in the bodies of people who are greedy for results; or the person at the time of death has the description (Tam) dominating them, so they appear in the form of insects and lowly animals like snakes and find new offspring. [10]

Islam:

In the Holy Quran, it is written: "Every soul shall taste death, and you will be returned to Us." [11] This statement indicates a deep Islamic belief in the Ma'ad and the return to God after death; based on this divine statement, death is only a transition, not annihilation; this is evidence that the Ma'ad is a proven matter in divine speech.

Regarding Allah's court on Judgment Day, the Quran says: "By your Lord, We will surely call them to account for what they used to do." [12] These verses demonstrate divine justice and the necessity of accountability for actions on the Day of Judgment; therefore, according to the Islamic perspective, humans will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment; this belief highlights the necessity of accountability for actions and the importance of divine justice in Islam.

In Islam, resurrection is physical; in the divine word, it is said: "He presented an example to us and forgot his own creation, and said: 'Who will give life to these bones when they are decayed?' Say: 'He who created them the first time will give them life, and He is Knowing of every creation.'"[13] This statement demonstrates the belief in the physical resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgment in Islam; this verse answers the doubts of those who considered the resurrection of decaying and scattered bodies unlikely; because the doubt was about the resurrection of bodies, Allah gave them a clear answer. Therefore, this verse refers to a physical resurrection, because Allah will revive the bones, even if they are decayed and disintegrated, and this statement clearly shows the belief in the physical resurrection of the dead on Judgment Day.

Differences:

Life after death and resurrection are fundamental concepts that have been expressed in various religions with different interpretations; these differences in understanding and teachings sometimes lead to fundamental differences in the beliefs of the followers of these religions; in the following, we will discuss some of these differences and viewpoints to arrive at a more comprehensive picture of the diversity of beliefs in this area.

Zoroastrians:

In the Zoroastrian view, heaven and hell are not eternal; rather, the purpose of punishments seems to be the reform of individuals. Therefore, it is unlikely that hell is eternal because if hell were eternal, the reform of individuals would not make sense; [14] this Zoroastrian view is incompatible with the Islamic view, which considers heaven and hell to be eternal; in Islam, it is believed that heaven and hell are everlasting and unending. [15]

Judaism:

In Judaism, there are different views on the afterlife; Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon, a Jewish scholar in the 9th century CE, believed that the belief in the resurrection is accepted by all Jews; however, some Jews believe that life after death and resurrection is only for the righteous, and the wicked will never rise from their graves and will be eternally dead; Moses Maimonides is among the Jewish thinkers who believe in this view. [16] In Islam, it is believed that every individual, whether righteous or sinful, will appear before the divine court of justice on the Day of Judgment. [17]

Christianity:

Regarding the Ma'ad, it should be noted that from the Christian perspective, Jesus is the separator and judge among people, who determines who will go to heaven and who will go to hell; [18] while among Muslims, this judgment is the responsibility of Allah, and it is He who judges His servants; [19] this belief shows the deep belief of Muslims in divine justice and judgment.

Buddhism and Hinduism:

In Buddhism and Hinduism, there is no belief in the Ma'ad, and they believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is defined as the transfer of the soul from one body to another after death, meaning that heaven and hell are within these human bodies.[20]

Conclusion

Based on the information provided, it is understood that the divine religions share commonalities regarding the afterlife, however, there are differences in the details and interpretation of this belief; and most of them believe in the return of humans after death and the accounting of their actions on the Day of Judgment; Zoroastrians believe that heaven and hell are not eternal; some Jews believe that sinners will not attain eternal life; Christians believe in the final judgment by Jesus Christ, and Muslims believe in divine justice and the eternity of heaven and hell; in addition, non-divine religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism do not believe in the other world and the Ma'ad, and believe that the soul is transferred from one body to another.

 

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[1] . Ayyin-e Zardosht va Parsian (Zoroastrianism and the Persians): Jan Russell, Hinells, p. 68.

[2] . Holy Bible, Old Testament, Book of Daniel, Chapter: 12, Verse: 2.

[3] . Adyan-e Tohidi (Monotheistic Religions): Javad Baghbani, p. 51.

[4] . Holy Book, Old Testament, Isaiah Chapter: 26 Verse: 19.

[5] . Holy Bible, New Testament, Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 31-46.

[6] . Holy Bible, New Testament, John chapter 5, verse 29.

[7] . Amuzehaye Buda (Teachings of the Buda): translated to Persian by Arash Jabraiel, p. 24.

[8] . Red Pine (trans.) (2004). The Heart Sutra: The Womb of Buddhas. Counterpoint.

[9] . Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, In Verse 22.

[10] . Ibid.: Chapter 14, In Verse 14.14-15.

[11] . Ankabut: 57. «كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ» 

[12] . Hijr: 92-93. «فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ* عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ»

[13] . Yasin: 78-79. «وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًا وَنَسِيَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ مَنْ يُحْيِي الْعِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمٌ* قُلْ يُحْيِيهَا الَّذِي أَنْشَأَهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ خَلْقٍ عَلِيمٌ»

[14] . Ayyin-e Zardosht va Parsian (Zoroastrianism and the Persians): Jan Russell, Hinells, p. 68.

[15] . Baqarah: 39.  «وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ» / Ra’d: 35. «مَثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ أُكُلُهَا دَائِمٌ وَظِلُّهَا ۚ تِلْكَ عُقْبَى الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَعُقْبَى الْكَافِرِينَ النَّارُ»

[16] . Rastakhiz dar Ahd-e Jadid va Ahd-e Atiq (Ma'ad in New and Old Testaments😞 Forough, Rahimpoor, p. 7.

[17] . Yunus: 26-27. «لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ وَلَا يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ* وَالَّذِينَ كَسَبُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ جَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ بِمِثْلِهَا وَتَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ مَا لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ كَأَنَّمَا أُغْشِيَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ قِطَعًا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ مُظْلِمًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ»  

[18] . The Holy Bible, New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 31-32.

[19] . Hajj: 69. «اللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ»  

[20] . Tanasokh (Reincarnation): Fatima, Minaei, Majalleh Naghd va Nazar, 1385 H, No. 43-44, p. 1.