Qiyamah
Encyclopedia
In Islam
, Yawm al-Qiyāmah ( "the Day of Resurrection") or Yawm ad-Din ( "the Day of Judgment
") is believed to be God's
final assessment of humanity as it exists. The sequence of events (according to the most commonly held belief) is the annihilation of all creatures allowable, resurrection
of the body, and the judgment of all sentient creatures.
The exact time when these events are to occur is not specified, however there are said to be major and minor signs which are to occur near the time of Qiyamah (End time). Many Qur'an
ic verses, especially the earlier ones, are dominated by the idea of the nearing of the day of resurrection.
"al-Qiyama" is the name of the 75th Sura
of the Qur'an, whose subject is the resurrection.
s.. Belief in the day of Judgement is one of the six articles of faith
. The trials and tribulation
s associated with it are detailed in both the Qur'an and the hadith
, as well as in the commentaries of the Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities
such as Ghazali, Ibn Kathir
, Ibn Majah, Muhammad al-Bukhari
, and Ibn Khuzaymah
who explain them in detail. Every human, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is believed to be held accountable for their deeds and are believed to be judged by God accordingly.
The importance of the 'last judgment' in the Islamic belief system is underlined by the many references to it in the Qur'an and its many names. For example, it is also called "the Day of Reckoning", "the Hour", "the Last Day", "Day of Judgment", "Day of the Reckoning".
There are a wide variety of views and interpretations of the verses in the Qur'an referring to the Day of Judgment.
s debate over signs from Hadith
as none of them are considered authoritative in the manner that the Qur'an
is and thus various interpretations applied to some signs, with some scholars interpreting them allegorically and others literally. The signs mentioned above, as described in the Qur'an
, are those believed by all Muslim
s as they are considered authoritative.
, barzakh
is the intermediate state
in which the soul
(Nafs
) of the deceased is believed to be transferred across the boundaries of the mortal realm into a kind of "sleep" in which the soul would supposedly rest until the Qiyamah.
From the Qur'an itself, barzakh is described as the intermediate state; interface or barrier between two states.
, it is believed that each person's Book of Deeds, in which "every small and great thing is recorded", will be opened. (Actions taken before puberty are not judged.) Throughout the judgment, the underlying principle is complete and perfect justice administered by God. Accounts of the judgment are also replete with the emphasis that God is merciful and forgiving, and that mercy and forgiveness will be granted on that day.
The Qur'an states that even the smallest acts of the believers will not be wasted.
The supposed age of the hereafter
or rest of eternity
is the final stage believed to commence after the Day of Judgment, when all of humanity is believed to have received their judgment from God, if one were righteous and did good deeds based on their own circumstances, one would go to Jannah
(Paradise), and if one had attained little in life and were unrighteous in their actions, or were, despite all evidence shown to one, bent on denying the truth of life once it was presented to one, one would go to Jahannam
(Hell).
(Ezekiel
, James
, 1 Peter
, Revelation
) this is dissimilar to some Protestant
branches of Christianity
, where salvation
comes by faith in Jesus alone. Catholics, however cite James 2:24 as evidence that judgment is not based on faith
alone. Islam emphasizes that grace
does not conflict with perfect justice
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Yawm al-Qiyāmah ( "the Day of Resurrection") or Yawm ad-Din ( "the Day of Judgment
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
") is believed to be God's
God in Islam
In Islamic theology, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique and inherently One , all-merciful and omnipotent. According to the Islamic...
final assessment of humanity as it exists. The sequence of events (according to the most commonly held belief) is the annihilation of all creatures allowable, resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
of the body, and the judgment of all sentient creatures.
The exact time when these events are to occur is not specified, however there are said to be major and minor signs which are to occur near the time of Qiyamah (End time). Many Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic verses, especially the earlier ones, are dominated by the idea of the nearing of the day of resurrection.
"al-Qiyama" is the name of the 75th Sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
of the Qur'an, whose subject is the resurrection.
Importance and terminology
Belief in al-Qiyāmah is considered a fundamental tenet of faith by all MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s.. Belief in the day of Judgement is one of the six articles of faith
Islamic theology
Islamic theology is a branch of Islamic studies regarding the beliefs associated with the Islamic faith. Any religious belief system, or creed, can be considered an example of aqidah. However, this term has taken a significant technical usage in Islamic history and theology, denoting those...
. The trials and tribulation
Tribulation
The Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
s associated with it are detailed in both the Qur'an and the hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, as well as in the commentaries of the Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
such as Ghazali, Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir
Ismail ibn Kathir was a Muslim muhaddith, Faqih, historian, and commentator.-Biography:His full name was Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din, Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir, Al-Qurashi, Al-Busrawi...
, Ibn Majah, Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari , popularly known as Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, , was a Sunni Islamic scholar of Persia...
, and Ibn Khuzaymah
Ibn Khuzaymah
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah was a prominent Muslim hadith and Shafi'i fiqh scholar best known for his hadith collection, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah.- Biography :...
who explain them in detail. Every human, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is believed to be held accountable for their deeds and are believed to be judged by God accordingly.
The importance of the 'last judgment' in the Islamic belief system is underlined by the many references to it in the Qur'an and its many names. For example, it is also called "the Day of Reckoning", "the Hour", "the Last Day", "Day of Judgment", "Day of the Reckoning".
Qur'an
Muslims believe that the Qur'an provides the framework for understanding the Day of Judgment. Ideas such as the return of Jesus to Earth and the second kingdom before the occurrence are believed to be indirectly mentioned in the Qur'an.There are a wide variety of views and interpretations of the verses in the Qur'an referring to the Day of Judgment.
- The timing of the day of judgment is not known to people - only God knows when it will occur.
- MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, as the messenger of Islam, does not know when the day will be. - Muhammad cannot bring it forward.
- The people will believe that a short time has passed between their deaths and resurrection.
- Nothing will remain except God.
- God will resurrect people even if they turn to stone or iron.
- The Trumpet will be blown twice: the first time all creatures will swoon and the second time the resurrection will come to pass. This is based on the verse of Qur'an in which God says (interpretation of the meaning):
- The Qur'an declares that the belief in God and the belief in the last prophet MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
(including the belief in all the prophets of Islam) and the last Day of Judgment and the doing of good works on earth is the requirement for salvation, provided that ShirkShirkShirk may refer to:* "Shirk", to avoid work or other responsibilities* Shirk , in Islam, the sin of idolatry or associating beings or things with Allah* "Shirk break", a synonym for coffee break*Susan Shirk, US academic...
is not committed. Believing in and observing in the five pillars of Islam: tawheed, salatSalatSalah is the practice of formal prayer in Islam. Its importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, of the Ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Islam and of the 7 pillars of Musta'lī Ismailis...
, fastingFastingFasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, ZakatZakatZakāt , one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.-History:Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history...
and HajjHajjThe Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
are necessary to secure heaven.
- No injustice shall be done
- Non-Believers will go to hell
Events described as taking place on the day of judgment
Many chapters/surah of the Qur'an describe proposed events to occur on the day of judgement:- Destruction/flattening of the earth
- Creation of a new earth
- Resurrection of peopleResurrection of the deadResurrection of the Dead is a belief found in a number of eschatologies, most commonly in Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Zoroastrian. In general, the phrase refers to a specific event in the future; multiple prophesies in the histories of these religions assert that the dead will be brought back to...
- Gathering of the people
- Books of records of the deed accounts of the people shall be given to them in their right hands if they are judged to be good on earth and in their left hands if they are judged to be evil on earth
- Separation of the people who are hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
bound and heaven bound
Hadith
The hadith give the view that the day of the judgment will be foreshadowed by events classified as the minor and major signs of the day. Nonetheless, MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s debate over signs from Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
as none of them are considered authoritative in the manner that the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
is and thus various interpretations applied to some signs, with some scholars interpreting them allegorically and others literally. The signs mentioned above, as described in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, are those believed by all Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s as they are considered authoritative.
Supposed major signs
The major signs are the seven which are thought to occur closer to the supposed day of judgment.- The appearance of Masih ad-Dajjal (AntichristAntichristThe term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
) - The appearance of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and MagogGog and MagogGog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation...
) - The appearance of the Dabbat al-ard (the strange beast)
- Three huge earthquakes
- The smoke
- The rise (SunniSunni IslamSunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
view) or the return from occlusionThe OccultationThe Occultation in Shia Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure, or Mahdi, who in Shi'i thought is an infallible male descendant of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, was born but disappeared, and will one day return and fill the world with justice. Some Shi'is, such as the Zaidi and...
(Shia view) of the MahdiMahdiIn Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
to restore Islam - The return of Isa from heaven to assist the Mahdi in restoring Islam
- The sun appears to be rising from the west. The final sign after which repentance is not accepted.
Other supposed signs
- Fire from the west of what is now YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
- People fighting over gold revealed by the river EuphratesEuphratesThe Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
- Inanimate objects speaking
- When the slave girl will give birth to her master
Barzakh
In Islamic eschatologyIslamic eschatology
Islamic eschatology is concerned with the al-Qiyāmah . Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam teaches the bodily resurrection of the dead, the fulfillment of a divine plan for creation, and the judgement of the soul; the righteous are rewarded with the pleasures of Jannah while the unrighteous...
, barzakh
Barzakh
In Islamic eschatology, Barzakh is the intermediate state in which the soul of the deceased is transferred across the boundaries of the mortal realm into a kind of "cold sleep" where the soul will rest until the Qiyamah . The term appears in the Qur'an Surah 23, Ayat 100.Barzakh is a sequence that...
is the intermediate state
Intermediate state
In Christian eschatology, the intermediate state or interim state refers to a person's "intermediate" existence between one's death and one's resurrection from the dead...
in which the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
(Nafs
Nafs
Nafs is an Arabic word which occurs in the Qur'an and means self, psyche, ego or soul. In its unrefined state, "the ego is the lowest dimension of man's inward existence, his animal and satanic nature." Nafs is an important concept in the Islamic tradition, especially within Sufism and the...
) of the deceased is believed to be transferred across the boundaries of the mortal realm into a kind of "sleep" in which the soul would supposedly rest until the Qiyamah.
From the Qur'an itself, barzakh is described as the intermediate state; interface or barrier between two states.
Sunni
- Tariq RamadanTariq RamadanTariq Ramadan is a Swiss academic, poet and writer. He is also a Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford University...
- Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz
- Muhammad ibn al UthaymeenMuhammad ibn al UthaymeenSheikh Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen at-Tamimi an-Najdi was one of the most prominent Sunni Islamic scholars of the latter half of the twentieth century...
Judgment
During Divine judgmentDivine Judgment
Divine judgment means the judgment of God or other supreme beings within a religion. The concept is prominent in Abrahamic religions, most significantly in the Last judgment.-Objective and subjective judgment:...
, it is believed that each person's Book of Deeds, in which "every small and great thing is recorded", will be opened. (Actions taken before puberty are not judged.) Throughout the judgment, the underlying principle is complete and perfect justice administered by God. Accounts of the judgment are also replete with the emphasis that God is merciful and forgiving, and that mercy and forgiveness will be granted on that day.
The Qur'an states that even the smallest acts of the believers will not be wasted.
The supposed age of the hereafter
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
or rest of eternity
Eternity
While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existence for a limitless amount of time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside time. By contrast, infinite temporal existence is then called sempiternity. Something eternal exists outside time; by contrast,...
is the final stage believed to commence after the Day of Judgment, when all of humanity is believed to have received their judgment from God, if one were righteous and did good deeds based on their own circumstances, one would go to Jannah
Jannah
Jannah , is the Islamic conception of paradise. The Arabic word Jannah is a shortened version meaning simply "Garden". According to Islamic eschatology, after death, one will reside in the grave until the appointed resurrection on . Muslims believe that the treatment of the individual in the life...
(Paradise), and if one had attained little in life and were unrighteous in their actions, or were, despite all evidence shown to one, bent on denying the truth of life once it was presented to one, one would go to Jahannam
Jahannam
Jahannam is the Arabic language equivalent to Hell. The term comes from the Greek Gehenna, itself derived from the Hebrew geographical name for the Valley of Hinnom.-Jahannam in the Qur'an:...
(Hell).
Comparison with Christianity
While appearing similar to certain parts of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(Ezekiel
Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
, James
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James, usually referred to simply as James, is a book in the New Testament. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ", with "the earliest extant manuscripts of James usually dated to mid-to-late third century."There are four views...
, 1 Peter
First Epistle of Peter
The First Epistle of Peter, usually referred to simply as First Peter and often written 1 Peter, is a book of the New Testament. The author claims to be Saint Peter the apostle, and the epistle was traditionally held to have been written during his time as bishop of Rome or Bishop of Antioch,...
, Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
) this is dissimilar to some Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
branches of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, where salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
comes by faith in Jesus alone. Catholics, however cite James 2:24 as evidence that judgment is not based on faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
alone. Islam emphasizes that grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
does not conflict with perfect justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
.