Can We Believe in the Hereafter? Qur'anic Evidence for Resurrection and Life After Death
Introduction
One of the most fundamental beliefs in Islam is belief in the Hereafter. Muslims believe that the life of human beings does not come to an end once death takes place. After death, every human being will be resurrected, brought forth to Allah and judged based on their belief and deeds.
The common question asked by atheists and skeptics is: How is it possible for us to believe in a Hereafter, if human bodies are reduced to dust after death. What of the ones who are burnt, their ashes are then scattered away. Or those who die in the sea and their flesh is consumed by marine animals. How will such people be resurrected?
These questions can be addressed from both a rational perspective and the perspective of the Qur'an.
If Allah Created us, why cannot He resurrect us?
The Qur'an continuously invites man to think regarding his own creation. A being that was non-existent 100 years back, now exists as a living and breathing human with a brain, skills and his own life, which does not came into existence by means of human strength.
Allah states in the Qur'an regarding the possibility of Resurrection:
"And he presents for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, 'Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?' Say, 'He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'" - Qur'an 36:78-79
This is one of the clearest indications from the Qur'an regarding resurrection and the argument for it, is as simple as a child asking how does an airplane get into the air, while the person asking this knows that man is not capable of doing such a thing. Thus, it falls upon the Allah who created us from the first place to create us again after death, as there is no problem for Allah (swt) to recreate us, if we can comprehend that He is the One Who created us in the first place.
Humans may perceive this to be impossible by means of their own strength; however, Islamic believe, does not measure Allah's strength by the strength of humans.
Evidence for Resurrection from the Qur'an:
The belief in the Hereafter is not to be dismissed as merely speculative; rather, the signs and arguments for resurrection are provided in the Qur'an repeatedly.
Allah states in the Qur'an:
"And He is the One who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is even easier for Him." - Qur'an 30:27
Allah calls our attention, to the way we bring to life the very earth which was once dead after rain, which once was not supporting any form of vegetation but with the fall of rain it comes back to life and springs up with vegetation. This phenomenon in the natural world serves as a sign of Allah's ability of bringing life where, no where was there any form of life previously perceived. Similarly, Allah states in the Qur'an;
"And We send down from the sky rain charged with blessing, and We produce thereby gardens and grains of crops, and lofty palm trees..." - Qur'an 50:9-11
Therefore, the fact that life comes out of death is evidence from natural phenomena for man to comprehend Allah's power to bring life out of something dead and thus Resurrection. This is not to say that these natural occurrences are the resurrection, but they are signs for humans to believe in Resurrection since these signs reflect Allah's power.
What of people who are dead and disintegrated or cremated?
Another objector questions the concept of resurrection in regards to people that died and their bodies decomposed or burnt to ashes and then dispersed. However, this belief implies that our resurrection relies on the existence of a specific grave with our bodies. This is not a condition upon which resurrection is reliant.
Allah knows the exact composition of everything within His creation.
What the humans have lost track of does not go beyond the ability of Allah to know.
Thus, Allah provides an answer for this very type of question by stating in the Qur'an;
"Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes. We are Able even to proportion his fingertips." - Qur'an 75:3-4
Allah is thus saying that no human being, not even his fingertips, are hidden from Him, and since Allah knows each and every atom comprising His creation, resurrection becomes a matter of no consequence to His ability, no matter what the state of the body is, burning, decomposition, sea, or whatever else may be, as Allah is capable of bringing anything into being again. The question is not whether humans are capable of re-assembling dead remains, but can Allah resurrect His creation.
Punishment of the grave:
Apart from the belief in resurrection, the tradition speaks of an life after death, before the Day of Resurrection, known as a barrier; 'Barzakh', placed in between the grave and the resurrection.
"...behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected." - Qur'an 23:100
Authentic Hadith talk of various things happening to deceased human beings including the punishment of the grave, etc. All these are aspects of the un-seen which, cannot be perceived or measured by the means which we normally use to measure things, meaning that whether one opens a grave and sees a physical punishment taking place or one does not, are inconsequential to the existence of punishments as they only exist, by the word of Allah (swt). As it has been mentioned before, that if man is cremated, burned and has no physical remnants, then the belief about the punishment of the grave can not be taken as simply a place (grave) where these punishments are meted out, because what can be seen does not encompass all the reality there is.
Belief in the unseen.
The Islamic theology asks believers to abide by the signs given in the Qur'an and Sunnah, even if they are not observable through physical means, or are not rationalized upon according to human beings' comprehension as Islam believes that "those who believe in the unseen..." - Qur'an 2:3. This does not mean abandon rational thinking, but rather the limitations of humans cannot understand nor prove some of the things that exist. It's like trying to prove the existence of sound through light only, man is not able to detect sound via means of light, however does that mean sound does not exist?
Conclusion. The Qur'an proves Resurrection.
The Qur'an provides the believer with an argument that there is no need for human beings to consider whether decomposed bones, dispersed ashes or destroyed bodies can possibly be resurrected by Allah, as Allah is the One Who created us first, and therefore has the power to create us again second, irrespective of our state. The answer given by the Qur'an is clear, that where there is doubt regarding the Resurrection's possibility, one should remember Who created them in the first place. This question as said before, does not apply to human limitations but to Allah's capabilities.
The Hereafter is a reality which is based on nothing less than the Word of Allah, therefore there is no cause to doubt.
The entire idea is to reflect upon Who is it that is able to create us and believe on what He has mentioned.
This is only for Islamic knowledge informations not for hurting others.