of the
Authorized
English translation of the Quran by
Dr.
Rashad Khalifa
Death
Death is a great mystery to most
people. Not so for the students of the Quran. We learn that death is exactly
like sleeping; complete with dreams
(6:60,
40:46).
The period between death and
resurrection passes like one night of sleep
(2:259;
6:60;
10:45;
16:21;
18:11, 19, 25;
30:55).
At the moment of death, everyone
knows his or her destiny; Heaven or
Hell. For the disbelievers, death
is a horrible event; the angels beat them on the faces and rear ends as they
snatch away their souls
(8:50,
47:27,
79:1).
Consistently, the Quran talks
about two deaths, the first death took place when we failed to make
a stand with God's absolute authority
(Appendix
7).
That first death lasted until
we were born into this
world. The second death terminates
our life in this world
(2:28,
22:66,
40:11).
____________________________________________________________________________
Note:
The following is a reproduction of the lead article from
the February,
1990 issue of the Submitters Perspective, the
monthly bulletin
of United Submitters International. This was the second
to last
issue that was written by Dr. Khalifa. It was completed
and
mailed
ahead of time, in December, 1989. Dr. Khalifa was martyred
on January
31, 1990 and his soul was taken directly to
Paradise.
The Righteous
Do Not Really Die
They
Go Straight to Heaven
Give good news to those who believe
and work righteousness that they will have gardens with flowing streams.
When provided with provisions of fruits therein, they will say,
"This is what was given to us
in the past."
They will be given similar provisions,
and they will have pure spouses therein. They abide therein forever.
(2:25)
Do not think that those who are
killed in the cause of God are dead; they are alive at their Lord, being
provided for.
(3:169)
Do NOT say about those who are
killed in the cause of God,
"They are dead." For they are
alive, but you do not perceive.
(2:154)
O you who believe, you shall respond
to God and the messenger when he
invites to what keeps you alive.
(8:24)
Those who emigrate in the cause
of God, then get killed or die, God
will surely provide for them a
good provision.
(22:58)
They do not taste death, beyond
the first death, and God spares them
the retribution of Hell.
(44:56)
He was told, "Enter Paradise."
He said, "I wish my people (on earth)
know; that my Lord has forgiven
me and honored me."
(36:26-27)
The wages of sin is death [Romans
6:23]
As stated in
3:81 and
46:9, God's Messenger
of the Covenant does not
bring anything new; everything
I receive and pass on to you is already
in the Quran.
However, the Quran is full of
information that is kept
by Almighty God for revelation
at a specific time. Now is the time tolook at the verses shown above and
learn the great news:
THE RIGHTEOUS DO NOT DIE;
when their lives on this
earth come to the predetermined end, the angel of death simply invites them
to leave their earthly bodies and move on to Heaven, the same Paradise where
Adam and Eve once lived.
Heaven has been in existence since
Adam and Eve.
We learn from
89:27-30 that
God invites the believers' souls:
"Enter My Paradise."
MY OWN
EXPERIENCE
When God's covenant with the prophets
was fulfilled in accordance with
3:81,
I was taken to Heaven where the righteous live NOW
(4:69).While
my body was down here on earth, I was in the same
Paradise of Adam &
Eve.
THE
DISBELIEVERS
As for the disbelievers, they
know at the moment of death that they
are destined for Hell. The angels
beat them up on the faces and rear
ends
(8:50 &
47:27), order
them to evict their souls
(6:93),
then
"snatch their souls"
(79:1).
The Quran teaches that the
disbelievers
go through 2 deaths
(2:28 &
40:11). They
will be put to death - a
state of nothingness during which
they see Hell day and night in a
continuous nightmare that lasts
until the Day of Judgment
(40:46).
Hell is not yet in existence
(40:46,
89:23).
Of Course,
the Righteous Depart
As far as people are concerned,
the righteous "die." People do not
realize that the righteous simply
leave their bodies, and move on toParadise. The verses shown above are self
explanatory.
They tell us that the righteous
die only once - the one death we have already experienced as a consequence
of the great fued
(38:69). In
36:26-27, we
see the best evidence that the righteous go to Paradise, while
their friends and relatives are
still living on earth. Like going to
Hawaii and waiting for us there.
See also 16:32
&
6:60-62.
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