Like Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial
preparation for the next realm of existence. This life is a test for
each individual for the life after death. A day will come when the
whole universe will be destroyed and the dead will be resurrected for
judgment by God. This day will be the beginning of a life that will
never end. This day is the Day of Judgment. On that day, all people
will be rewarded by God according to their beliefs and deeds. Those who
die while believing that "There is no true god but God, and Muhammad
is the Messenger (Prophet) of God" and are Muslim will be rewarded
on that day and will be admitted to Paradise forever, as God has said:
And those who believe and do good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise,
they dwell therein forever. (Quran, 2:82)
But those who die while not believing that "There is no true god but
God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God" or are not
Muslim will lose Paradise forever and will be sent to Hellfire, as God
has said:
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted
from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter. (Quran,
3:85)
And as He has said:
Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of
gold would not be accepted from any of them if it were offered as a
ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no
helpers. (Quran, 3:91)
One may ask, `I think Islam is a good religion, but if I were to
convert to Islam, my family, friends, and other people would persecute
me and make fun of me. So if I do not convert to Islam, will I enter
Paradise and be saved from Hellfire?'
The answer is what God has said in the preceding verse, "And whoever
seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and
he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter."
After having sent the Prophet Muhammad to call people to Islam, God
does not accept adherence to any religion other than Islam. God is our
Creator and Sustainer. He created for us whatever is in the earth. All
the blessings and good things we have are from Him. So after all this,
when someone rejects belief in God, His Prophet Muhammad , or His
religion of Islam, it is just that he or she be punished in the
Hereafter. Actually, the main purpose of our creation is to worship God
alone and to obey Him, as God has said in the Holy Quran (51:56).
This life we live today is a very short life. The unbelievers on the
Day of Judgment will think that the life they lived on earth was only a
day or part of a day, as God has said:
He (God) will say, "How many years did you stay on the earth?"
They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day...." (Quran,
23:112-113)
And He has said:
Did you then think that We had created you in jest (without any
purpose), and that you would not be returned to Us (in the Hereafter)?
So, God is exalted, the True King. None has the right to be worshipped
but Him... (Quran, 23:115-116)
The life in the Hereafter is a very real life. It is not only
spiritual, but physical as well. We will live there with our souls and
bodies.
In comparing this world with the Hereafter, the Prophet Muhammad said:
{The value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like what
your finger brings from the sea when you put it in and then take it
out.}1 <http://www.islam-guide.com/ch3-5.htm#footnote1> The meaning is
that, the value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like
a few drops of water compared to the sea.
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