Doctrine - The paradise of Islam - A day of judgment (part 1)

This is a continuation of a multi-post article. You can read the first post here. You can also find the previous post here. This is also part of a larger series called "The Koran from a Christian perspective." You can find other posts in this series here.

The Koran appoints a day when all of mankind, shall appear before God's judgment alone, to answer for his life, his beliefs, and the deeds he committed.

"Every one of them shall come to Him upon the Day of Resurrection, all alone [singly]. Surely those who believe and do deeds of righteousness -- unto them the All-merciful shall assign love." (Koran 19:95-96)

For some, by the will of God, their reward will be a blessing to them. However, for others, severe and grievous torment awaits them. In that day, the judgment upon men and Djinn alike, shall be that they knew what God demanded and that they knew the day of judgment would come, yet they failed to believe in it and to live their lives accordingly.

" 'Company of jinn and mankind, did not Messengers [apostles] come to you from among you [yourselves], relating to you [rehearsing] My signs and warning you of the encounter [meeting] of this your day?' They shall say, 'We bear witness against ourselves.' They were deluded [deceived] by the present life, and they bear witness against themselves that they were unbelievers [infidels]." (Koran 6:130)

This judgment will be executed not only upon mankind but also upon the Djinn for, in many respects, they worked together towards their own nefarious ends.

"On the day when He shall muster [gather] them all together: 'Company [race] of jinn, you have made much of mankind [much did ye exact from men].' Then their friends [votaries from] among mankind will say, 'Our Lord, we have profited each of the other [we rendered one another mutual service], and we have reached the term determined by Thee for us. He will say: 'The Fire is your lodging, therein to dwell forever' -- except as God will; surely thy Lord is All-wise, Allknowing. So We make the evildoers friends of each other for what they have earned [Even thus place we some of the wicked over others, as the meed of their doings]." (Koran 6:128-129)

Here, in speaking of the set "term" of God, Muhammad is reminding us that each of us have a day set by God where by we must stand and give an account for our doing. If we have done well, and God wills, we shall be rewarded with all the blessing of parades, but if we have done wrong, only hell awaits us. Jesus described hell as real place "which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41) It was not created for this purpose but has, since the fall, been prepared for this eternal purpose. Furthermore, it was never prepared for men and women, thought many will yet find their eternal abode therein. However, the hell of the Koran is a place God created long before the creation of mankind and for which, many of mankind, God has subsequently created to fill its caverns.

"Whomsoever God guides, he is rightly guided; and whom He leads astray [misleads] -- they are the losers [shall be lost]. We have created for Gehenna [hell] many jinn and men: they have hearts, but understand not with them; they have eyes, but perceive not with them; they have ears, but they hear not with them. They are like cattle [brutes]; nay, rather they are further astray. Those -- they are the heedless." (Koran 7:177-178)

"To that end He created them, and perfectly is fulfilled the word of thy Lord: 'I shall assuredly wholly] fill Gehenna [hell] with jinn and men all together.'" (Koran 11:120)

"'If We had so willed [pleased], We could have given every soul its guidance; but now My Word is realized -- " Assuredly I shall fill Gehenna with jinn and men all together." So now taste, for that you forgot the encounter of this your day! We indeed have forgotten you. Taste the chastisement [punishment] of eternity for that you were doing!'" (Koran 32:13)

God could have saved all, according to Muhammad, but there are those whom He has vanquished from His mind and created for this very purpose; created to be fodder for the fires of hell.

Muhammad, under the supposed inspiration of God, describes the day of judgment as follows.

"and you shall be [divided into] three bands -- Companions of [the people on] the Right (O Companions of the Right [Oh! How happy shall be the people of the right hand]!) Companions of [the people on] the Left (O Companions of the Left! [Oh! How wretched shall be the people of the right hand]) and the Outstrippers [those who were foremost on the earth – the foremost still]: the Outstrippers those are they brought nigh the Throne [nigh to God]" (Koran 56:7-10)

Muhammad describes three groups of people on that day: the winners, the losers, and the special, of which, he was considered one of them. The winners would find the paradise of God, but the foremost, would be ushered nigh unto the very thrown of God. However, in describing this same day, a day in which He would sit as Judge, Jesus describes only two groups: sheep and goats. "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:31-34, 41) Jesus knew nothing of class distinctions among those who were to be saved. On that day, there will not be a distinction between those who were common and those who were foremost. This is not to say that each one is equal and each one's deeds do not deserve varying rewards, but in the eyes of God we are all equally children of God and equally inheritors of the Kingdom of our Father. In that day it will not matter if you were of great position or mighty among men. All will be judged equally and all will, with equity, be assigned their rewards.

David Robison