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Islamic eschatology
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Islamic eschatology is concerned with the al-Qiyamah "Last Judgement". Eschatology relates to one of the six articles of faith (aqidah) of Islam. Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam teaches the bodily resurrection of the dead, the fulfillment of a divine plan for creation, and the immortality of the human soul; the righteous are rewarded with the pleasures of Jannah "Heaven" while the unrighteous are punished in Jahannam "Hell). A significant portion (about one third) of the Qur'an deals with these beliefs, with many hadith elaborating on the themes and details.
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Islamic eschatology is concerned with the al-Qiyamah "Last Judgement". Eschatology relates to one of the six articles of faith (aqidah) of Islam. Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam teaches the bodily resurrection of the dead, the fulfillment of a divine plan for creation, and the immortality of the human soul; the righteous are rewarded with the pleasures of Jannah "Heaven" while the unrighteous are punished in Jahannam "Hell). A significant portion (about one third) of the Qur'an deals with these beliefs, with many hadith elaborating on the themes and details. Islamic apocalyptic literature describing the Armageddon is often known as fitna "a test" or malahim (or ghayba to the Shi‘ah).
Signs of the Judgement day
Among many hadith related to signs of day of judgement, one of the most famous hadith is Hadith of Gabriel.
Jesus and the Dajjal
According to Islamic view Jesus (Isa, in Arabic) is not the "Son of God", but was a prophet. It is believed that Jesus was not crucified; instead he was raised bodily. According to many hadith and believed by most Muslims, he will return to Earth. At the time appointed by Allah, Jesus will physically return to this world with the Mahdi (Difference in belief b/w Sunnis and Shias) and will end all wars, and usher in an era of peace. The messianic era comes after Jesus kills ad-Dajjal, the antichrist figure in Islam, and defeats his followers.
Afterlife
A fundamental tenet of Islam is belief in the day of resurrection, Qiyamah. The trials and tribulations of Qiyamah are explained in both the Qur'an and the Hadith, as well as in the commentaries of Islamic scholars such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Kathir, and Muhammad al-Bukhari.
Muslims believe that God will hold every human, Muslim and non-Muslim, accountable for his or her deeds at a preordained time unknown to man. The archangel Israfil, will sound a horn sending out a "blast of truth". Traditions say Muhammad will be the first to be brought back to life.
Bodily resurrection is much insisted upon in the Qur'an, which challenges the Pre-Islamic Arabian concept of death. Resurrection is followed by judgement of all souls. According to the Qur'an, sins that can consign someone to hell include lying, dishonesty, corruption, ignoring God or God's revelations, denying the resurrection, refusing to feed the poor, indulgence in opulence and ostentation, the economic exploitation of others, and social oppression.
The punishments in hell includes adhab, "pain or torment inflicted by way of chastiment; punishment", a very painful punishment (see , ); khizy, "shame, disgrace, ignominy" (). The descriptions in the Qur'an of hell are very descriptive (see , etc).
The punishments in the Qur'an are contrasted not with release but with mercy ( , etc). Islam views paradise as a place of joy and bliss.
Islamic descriptions of heaven are described as physical pleasures, sometimes interpreted literally, sometimes allegorically. Heaven is most often described as a cool garden with running streams of unlimited food and drink. Some interpretations also promise enormous palaces staffed with multitudes of servants, and perfect, perpetually-virginal spouses. Despite the graphical descriptions of the physical pleasures, there are clear references to a greater joy that exceeds the pleasures of flesh: The acceptance from God, or good pleasure of God (ridwan) (see ). Islam also has a strong mystical tradition which places these heavenly delights in the context of the ecstatic awareness of God.
Salvation
According to all the traditional schools of jurisprudence, faith (Iman) ensures salvation. There are however differing views concerning the formal constituents of the act of faith. "For the Asharis it is centred on internal ta?di?[internal judgment of veracity], for the Maturidi-?anafis on the expressed profession of faith and the adherence of the heart, for the Mu?tazilis on the performance of the 'prescribed duties', for the ?anbalis and the Wahhabis on the profession of faith and the performance of the basic duties." The common denominator of these various opinions is summed up in bearing witness that God is the Lord, L. Gardet states.
There are traditions in which Muhammad stated that "No one shall enter hell who has an atom of faith in his heart" or that "Hell will not welcome anyone who has in his heart an atom of faith" however these passages are interpreted in different ways. Those who consider performance as an integral part of faith such as ?h_arid_j_is, consider anyone who does a grave sin to be out of faith, while the majority of Sunnis who view works as merely the perfecting the faith, hold that a believing sinner will be punished with a temporary stay in hell. Still there is disagreement over the possibility of a believing sinner being forgiven immediately (e.g As_h_?aris) and in full rather than undergoing temporary punishment. (e.g. Maturidis)
Some, but not all, Muslims also believe that those who have heard the messages of a prophet of God (Moses, Jesus, or Muhammad) but have chosen not to follow will receive eternal damnation in hell.
Rationalization
Ibn al-Nafis dealt with Islamic eschatology in some depth in his Theologus Autodidactus, where he rationalized the Islamic view of eschatology using reason, science, and philosophy to explain the events that would occur according to Islamic eschatology. He presented his rational and scientific arguments in the form of Arabic fiction, hence his Theologus Autodidactus may be considered the earliest science fiction work.
See also
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