The Grand Scheme of God

The Grand Scheme of God

In the light of Quran Parvez Hashmy

CreationofthePresentUniverse

EndofthePresentUniverse

PurposeofthisUniverse’sCreation

CreationoftheBodies(Carriers)ofAdam&EveonthisEarthand ThreeAspectsofHumanBeing

TheCurtainWorld(Barzakh)

FirstPhaseof“Youm-Al-Qiyamah”orBeginningoftheJudgmentDay.. 60

SecondPhaseoftheJudgmentDayor“Al-Qiyamah”

ThirdPhaseofJudgmentDay“Nuzal”(TheInitialFeast)

EndofthePresentUniverse

NatureofthePermanentWorld

TheUltimateTriumph&RankofHonourinthe“PermanentWorld”

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

It was an evening of summer 2013, while watching a documentary on YouTube, I found myself intrigued by a title among the watch options; “The God, the Universe and Everything else”. It was approximately an hour long discussion between the finest minds of the 20th Century, recorded and released in 1988. The panel included Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan and Arthur C. Clarke. The anchor person, Magnus Magnusson, a famous presenter of the BBC TV program series ‘The Master Mind’,conductedthesession.

Carl Sagan was a celebrated American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist and astrobiologist. His award winningTVseries“APersonalVoyage”,releasedin the 1980s, was the most watched series in the American PublicTelevisionhistory.Itsaudiencetotaledtoabout500 millionpeopleacross60differentcountries.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke, a renowned British science-fiction writer and futurist, introduced the concept of communication satellites long before the technology existed to launch one. Stephen Hawking, as we all know, is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist. His all timefamousbook“ABriefHistoryofTime”,writtenin 1988,hasremainedabestsellerformanyyears.

I strongly recommend this talk to anyone seriously interested in understanding how the finest western minds/scientists think. As the title suggests, the talk was about The God, the universe and things related to both. However, the focus of the talk was Mr. Hawking’s book, “A Brief History of Time”. In his introductory remarks, Magnusson observed: “Professor Hawking has just made publishing history by writing a book about hard theoretical science, which has outsold even Michael

Jacksoninthebestsellerlists,itiscalled‘ABriefHistoryof Time’ , and we will be talking about the concepts that are init.NowStephenHawkingisengagedin asearchforthe ultimateanswer,a ‘GrandUnifiedTheory’thatwillexplain everything.” Turning to Stephen Hawking, he asks: “Stephen Hawking that is quite an agenda. How are you gettingonwithit?”StephenHawkingrespondsbysaying: “In the last 300 years we have discovered the laws that govern the universe; I think there is a reasonable chance thatwemayfind‘acompletesetoflaws’bytheendofthe century,ifwedon’tblowourselvesupfirst.”

MagnussonaddressesCarlSagan,inquiring:Youwrotethe introductionofthebookandsaid;thisisalsoabookabout God, or perhaps about the absence of God, and Hawking left nothing for a Creator to do. Carl Sagan notes, during his explanation, that if we believe in a maker, then the questionis,whomadethemakerandthenwhomadehim. This would be an infinite regress. Discussing the nature of God’s existence, Sagan suggested considering two alternativenotions.Theonepopularinthewestholdsthat God is an elderly, oversized white male, with a long flowingbeard,sittingonthethroneintheskyintervening consistently in everything. Another alternative, held by Spinoza and Einstein, was very close to the sum total of the laws of the universe. Now it would be madness to deny that there are well defined laws in the universe. IfthatiswhatonemeansbyGod,thenthereisnoquestion that“Godexists.”

I first read Stephen Hawking's book “A Brief History ofTime”in 1999,noticingintheconclusion thatheraised very important questions: “We find ourselves in a bewilderingworld.Wewanttomakesenseofwhatwesee aroundusandtoask: Whatisthenature ofthe universe? Whatisourplaceinitandwherediditandwecomefrom? Whyisitthewayitis?”

I reflected on these questions, and it crossed my mind that I should write to Hawking and share with him “The Grand Scheme of God”. As I felt, lacking knowledge on the subject was probably leading him to agnosticism. Because of unavoidable circumstances, the purpose could not be achieved and I almost forgot about it until I was reminded by the video ‘The God, the Universe and Everythingelse’in2013.

Iamafirmbelieverthatnothinghappensinthisworldby chance.ItisTheSupremeIntelligentBeing,“TheGod”who plans everything with a purpose. I reflected on the fact that the participants of that talk were all dead except StephenHawking,whowassaidtohavemerelytwoyears of life left by doctors in 1963, but still miraculously survives! Thinking it an indication from The Almighty, I decidedtoputmyresearchinorderwithoutfurtherdelay, andsendittohim,hopingitmighthelphimovercomehis agnosticism. This was my primary intention, however, it later-ondevelopedintothisfull-fledgedbook.

Ifeelthatfindinga“GrandUnifiedTheory”andtoanswer thequestion“whythisuniversewascreated”,isnotinthe realmofscience.Sciencecanonlytellushowthisuniverse operates, so there is no question of science discovering a “Grand Unified Theory” enabling it to answer this question. ItcanonlybeansweredbyGod, providedHeis “AnIntelligentBeing”andnotjustasetofphysicallaws.

As far as His Being is concerned, God is beyond our imaginationforthereisnothingcomparabletoHiminthis universe.QuranmentionsinSurahAsh Shura:

“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. ” (Q 42:11)

So we can only know “God” through His attributes. We would say that God is a Conscious / Intelligent Being, pure from any bad attributes or weaknesses and simultaneously, possessing all good attributes toperfection.

Moreover, the notion that “everything” has a creator is incorrect and of course, results in an infinite regress as remarkedbyCarlSagan.Thecorrectnotionwouldbethat “every creation” has a creator. For instance, a table or a chair brings a concept of carpenter behind it, but a log of wooddoesnot. Thereasonbeing, thatalogofwooddoes notreflecttheapplicationofhumanmindbehindit.

There are many who believe that God does not explain the Grand Unified Theory in the Quran (which I term The Grand Scheme of God), but my 28 years journey with this book proves otherwise. I am presenting an overview of “The Grand Scheme of God”, hoping to free friends from the bondage of agnosticism, of which I was onceavictimtoo.

Moreover, I strongly feel that the vague and incomplete knowledgeof“TheGrandSchemeofGod”causesdoubts/ confusions in the minds, whereas knowing it completely brings unity to all pieces of the “puzzle” –whether it pertains to Anthropology, Paleontology, Archeology, Cosmology, Creation, Evolution, or Eschatology. Thus, it eventuallyandradicallyaltershumanthought,inspiringa positive change in society which, in fact, is my only purposeofwritingthisbook.

August2017,Lahore Pakistan

ParvezHashmy

A FEW WORDS ABOUT MYSELF

IgrewupstudyinginanEnglish mediumboardingschool up to FSc in Hyderabad, Sindh. Thereafter, I attended Engineering University (UET), Lahore, and in 1972, attained a degree in Civil Engineering. Soon afterwards, I movedtoSaudiArabiaandworkedinafirmforthefirst 3 years.ThenIsoughttostartmyownbusiness,continuing itforfouryearsthatfollowed,tillIcamebacktoPakistan.

As far as religion is concerned, I did not have a specific background.ItcansafelybesaidthatIwasaMuslim,only because, I was born in a Muslim family. Hence, even during my time in Saudi Arabia, I never prayed or fasted. However, I did perform Hajj in 1972 and many Umrahs with friends and family who visited me from Pakistan fromtimetotime.Iperformedtheseritualsmechanically, withoutgivingitmuchthought.

Though, I never cared about religious rituals, yet I was very particular about the universal values like Honesty, Truthfulness, Integrity, and Commitment. Though, this was my usual practice, but when my family and friends wereinvolvedthenIwouldstandbythemunconditionally as I believed that supporting close ones was a 'value' in itself. It was my practice till I read the Quran and learnt theimportanceofstandingbythe‘Truth’,evenifitmeant opposingone’sparentsandnextofkin. TheQuransaysin Surah An-Nisa:

“

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allâh, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allâh is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allâh is Ever Well-acquainted with what you do.” (Q 4:135)

As stated earlier, I had no interest in religion, hence I never consciously thought about bigger issues like the existenceofthe universeor lifeanddeath. Whenever any thought of this nature crossed my mind, I reasoned that the world had always existed and will continue to exist forever. People come and go from here; if they do good deeds, people remember them in a pleasant manner, and otherwise, thoughts of them are associated with bitterness. If at all, A Creator created it, this was the sole purpose. Sometimesthe thoughtcame tomymindthat, it is not probably the first time that scientific progress occurred; such periods would have passed before too. Then humans would have destroyed themselves through atomic and hydrogen bombs and after that, the few who survived, would have started the development all over again.Inthismanner,erashavebegunandendedandwill continuelikethisforever.

This was my concept about this world and the life cycle. Moreover, because of my contemporary education, my thinking regarding human development mirrored the theoryofevolutionquiteclosely.

Our family did not have a religious background. As a matter of fact we did not even know, what are Barailvi's, Deobandi's, Ahl-e-Hadith and Wahabi's1 .

We just had a basic idea that some Muslims were Sunni, others were Shias2 . Those that belong to the sect labelled Shias mourn in the month of Muharram while the Sunnis do not. Besides this difference, other customs such as ‘Konday’, ‘Bibi Fatima Ka Piyala’ , ‘Milaad’, ‘Ayat-e-Karima’ , ‘Qul’ , and ‘Chaleeswan’3 were all the same. However, if at an early age someone started praying and fasting, the

1 DifferentsectsamongSunniMuslims.

2 OneofthemainsectsinIslam.

3 DifferentreligiousritualsamongMuslimsofIndo/Pak.

family members would be perplexed, speculative and worried, having perceived these tasks to be reserved for the elderly alone. My mother would sometimes send me witha ‘Daeg’ (atypeofoffering)totheshrineof Hazrat Ali Hajvery (commonly known as Data Sahib in Pakistan / India), with instructions that I should distribute it myself ratherthanputtingitwiththe Langar1 .

A sage, Baba Jee, from Gujranwala used to visit us frequently. My mother often claimed that the sage had lookedthesameeveninherchildhood.Hepassedawayin 1993, at the age of 105. Baba Jee was a Sufi Saint. His conversations were very polite and gentle and their pleasancewouldleavemelisteningtohimforhours.Once, while narrating a story, he said “if you find a Wahabi2 and a snake going together, you should kill the Wahabi andleavethesnake”.

This startling expression forced me to ask him, 'is a Wahabi moredangerousanimalthanasnake?’

When I heard his elaboration of a Wahabi, I realized that Baba Jee was not as soft-hearted from the inside, as he appeared to be externally; otherwise, he would not suggest killing a person merely on the basis of contrasting beliefs. Anyway, whenever Baba Jee left our house, my mother would send him off with a lot of gifts. Before leaving, he used to give us coins, which we would keep in our pockets as charms of good omen and neverspentthem.

IreturnedfromSaudiArabiain 1979.Beforecomingback, I had managed to obtain two years multiple visa for the United States of America for I wanted to move there and startabusiness.However,myfatherfellillandinorderto

1 Placewhereofferingsareputcollectivelyandthendistributed.

2 Muslimswhodonotvisitshrinesareusuallycalled Wahabies inIndo/Pak.

take care of him, I abandoned this idea and settled in Lahore, Pakistan – where I commenced my business of developingresidentialschemesandcommercialplazas.

I was always extremely fond of playing and watching sports.Participatinginsocialclubswasaconsistenthobby andplayingcardswas a specialinterest. Inshort, life was being spent in a very carefree manner and I never reflecteduponseriousissuesduringthatstageofmylife.

In 1988, my mother fell seriously ill and passed away in 1989. Consequently, my brother and sisters decided to recite the Qur’an for my mother because of the Eesal e Swab (for dead person's salvation). As I did not know to recite the Quran in Arabic, I decided to read its translation.Astheritualgoes,theQuranhadtobefinished infortydays.IcouldnotgraspmostofwhatIreadbutone thing was absolutely clear to me: the Quran’s main emphasisfromfirstpagetothelastis: Oh man! Your temporary life in this world is a trial and yourreallifewillbeginafteryouareresurrectedandheld accountable to God, on the basis of your deeds. Furthermore,theQurandepicts theafterlifeaseitherofa king in Paradise (as anyone would definitely desire) or livinginseverepunishmentinHell. This sparked a chain of thoughts in my mind fueling questionsuponquestions couldthisbepossible?CouldI be resurrected after my death and be forced to face accountability? Doparadiseandhell reallyexist? Ifthis is true,thenmycarefreeattitudetowardsthisworldlylifeis incorrectandifitisfalse,thenIshouldgiveuponthefew religiousrituals,whichIsometimesusedtoperform.

Manismadeassuch,thathecannotbeindifferenttowards hisfuture,providedheconsidersittobearealityandnot storiesor myths. Nowsince my own future was involved,

henceIhadtoreachadefiniteconclusion.Ijustcouldnot let it remain unattended. A worldly example of which couldbethat;ifIammadetobelievethatIaminPakistan foronlya weekandthen Iwillbe senttoAmerica for the rest of my life, where I could be given beautiful palaces and all other luxuries of life, or on the contrary, could be put in a prison and face punishment day in and day out. WouldIthenleavethistoChance???

AsImentionedearlier,whileinSaudiArabia,Iperformed Hajj, Umrahs but when I consciously began to think seriously about the whole issue, it dawned upon me that IwasindoubtregardingAnIntelligent/ConsciousBeing/ A Mind, behind all this. Whatever name you give Him Allah, God.Dios,ShangDi, Ishwar, Yahweh or some other name(asineverylanguagetherewillbeadifferentword for that Supreme Being). Due to my modern education, I was aware of the ‘Chance Theory’ and ‘Darwinian Perspective’.Hence,Ihadconsideredthespontaneousand automaticexistenceoftheuniverseunderasetofPhysical Lawsentirely plausible and believed that there might not beaConsciousIntelligentBeingbehindallthiscreation.

According to ‘Chance Theory’, the coming of the Universe into existence around 13.8 billion years ago was a 'Chance'…the beginning of biological life millions of years ago in the sea was also a 'Chance'…the appearance of animals from sea creatures was also a 'Chance'. Now, the question which came to my mind was that, this modern humanwhoisnowanintelligent /consciousbeingandno longerjustaphysicalsubstance(matter),howcome,heis not able to repeat such creation? And if at all, this is throughanevolutionaryprocess,thenitshouldhavebeen continued; why did it stop? Why is one species not being evolvedintoanothernow?

Itwasmyintensedesiretosolvethispuzzlecreatedbythe existence of the Universe inherently present in the development of modern humans, their life and death, the innate concept of good and evil without the inclusion ofAn IntelligentBeing ‘The God’. Iwishedthis religious rhetoric would turn out to be a myth, so that I could continuetoleadacarefreelife.

During that period, I spent all my time studying Human Civilizations in addition to the history of religion andtheuniverse.Reflectingdayandnight,Itriedtosolve this puzzle on the basis of the ‘Set of Physical Laws’ withoutAnIntelligentBeing,‘TheGod’ .

In essence, I was not trying to prove religion right. I was trying to falsify it. Proving it ‘right’ would call for a complete change in my lifestyle. The problem was, these pieces of the puzzle cannot be put together without an IntelligentBeing,‘TheGod’.Thisistheonlysolutionwhich has been publicly announced by all Prophets of God throughoutthehistoryofhumans.

The Quran says,as there isnothing comparable to God in this universe, we cannot form any image of His Being or His Personality. So, we can only know Him through His attributes. The Quran says that He is a Person / A Mind, who does not possess any bad attributes or weaknesses, and simultaneously masters all good attributes to the pointof perfection.Ifeel,once manconsciouslydiscovers ‘God’,thenbeliefintheHereafterisjustitscorollary.

This reminds me of an incident in 1993. In those days, I would spend most of my time in pondering over and discussingtheeternallifetocome.Afriendofminesaidto me, “Generallyyou are a very rational person;hence, this kind of conversation does not suit your personality.

Anyhow,Ineedto discussthistopic withyousomeday in detail, but I will need 4-5 hours”. One day while I was in my office at Center Point Plaza, Lahore, I received a call from this friend. He asked me if I had time for the promiseddiscussion.

I told him to come over. When he came, we had a short dialoguewhichIreproducehere:

I said: “Before going into a full fledged long debate, Iwanttoaskyouafewquestions”.

“Which building are you sitting in, at the moment?,” Iasked.

“CenterPoint,”Hereplied.

“Whomadethisplaza?,”Iasked.

“You,”Hereplied.

“If I claim that I can make a building like this again, wouldthatberational?,”Iasked.

“You have made this building once, you can make it again. Andifyoumakeitonceagain,youwillprobably doabetterjob,”heexplained.

“WhomadeyouandtheUniverse?,”Iasked.

“God,”Hesaidpromptly.

“IfGodsaysthatHewillcreateallthisagain,wouldthat bearationalorirrational!”Iasked.

Once I posed this question, a silence fell over him. He becameabsolutelyquietandthereremainednoneedfora full fledgeddiscussionof4-5hours.

Atthattime,Iknewverywellthatthisfriendofminewas referringtoGodwithoutmuchthought,(thewayIusedto do in the past) but yet he had not accepted God as a conscious Intelligent Being / A Mind. Since he was not mentally prepared to accept this reality, I decided not to plunge him into further distress. Whenever in life he would be ready to face this reality, the discussion would begin from “The God” and not from “The Hereafter”. Obviously, if one finds it difficult to create something, it has to be in his first try. If he is able to create it once, it should be easier for him to repeat the process. This is whatGodexplainsinQuran:

It is He who originates the creation, then will create it again; and it is easier for Him. His is the highest description in the heavens and the earth, and He is the Mighty, the Wise” . (Q 30: 27)

That is why I say that the basic belief is the belief in ‘The God’ (The Glorious Supreme Being who is free from any negative attributes or weaknesses, and positively has all the good attributes to the perfection). Once a man consciouslyacknowledgesthisreality, then accountability orlifeafterdeathisjustitscorollary.

Having consciously discovered “The God”, I came to the compelling conclusion that He should have some mode of communication with us (humans). Basically, the AbrahamicreligioustraditionsattributetwoBookstoGod; The Holy Quran and The Bible. I resolved to study these twoBooksastheydeservedtobe studied. Mystudywent onforyearsandwithGod’sblessing,Iamstillengagedin theexercise.

WhenIreadtheBible,Iwasextremelytakenabackbythe Old Testament’s concept of God. The Old Testament depictsaGodwhowrestleswithJacobandloses,walksin the garden and does not know where Adam and Eve are hiding, and carries out some actions and then regrets over them. These and other similar issues in the Bible made it clear to me why peoplein the West have become indifferenttothereligionordeserteditaltogether.

My motivation was to understand the scheme of God. I needed to base myself on an absolutely reliable source. It came to my knowledge that the Quran is the only book whose text is authentic. It has been preserved and protected from changes by God Himself. Hence I concluded that this is the only book which could lead me totheanswer.IcontinuedmystudyoftheQuranforyears, benefitting from the works of scholars from the past as well as from my contemporaries. I always tried to refrain from falling into prejudice. Perhaps, I should clarify here that when I say ‘scholars’, I am referring only to those who do not represent any specific sect. Because representatives of ‘sects’ accept things because of their birthfirstandthenspendtheirwholelivestryingtoprove itright.Onthecontrary,truescholarsacceptthingsonthe basisofargumentsratherthantheirbirthorsect.

Such scholars, although a few in number, are found in all eras of human history. Their works on the Holy Quran have been translated into English as well as into Urdu. Urdu language is exclusive in this regard because whatever research on Quran has been conducted in the past1400years,canbefoundinUrdu.

For my research, which was strictly based on the Quran, I tried to comprehend the works of these scholars and endeavoredtoputthecontentsoftheirconclusionsintoa definedsequence.

Atabasiclevel,thiskindofwork demandscrucialinsight asitrequiresaccumulating‘relevantdata’andappropriate sequencing guided with the ‘art of reasoning’. However, I have prioritized the views of some scholars over others regarding certain matters. Here I want to make it clear that while doing all this work, I never ventured to translate any of the Quranic Verses myself. Rather I have always turned to the translations of the Quran by the authenticscholars.

I further want to clarify that while doing my research work, I never went beyond the stable / unambiguous / well established meanings of  Ayaat e Mutashabehaat as thecommonsensedoesnotpermitonetodoso.

How my God led me to guidance during all those years of my research is another story for another day. I usually say that it all became possible not because of any extraordinary intelligence but certainly because of extraordinary effort spanning over thousands and thousandsofhours.



Ayaat e Mutashabehaat:Verseswhicharerelatedtounseenworld.

In my opinion, “The Grand Scheme of God” could be dividedintoelevenstages:

(1) The Creation of the Present Universe (2) End of the Present Universe (3) Purpose of the Creation of the Universe (4) Creation of Bodies (Carriers) of Adam & Eve on this Planet Earth & Three Aspects of Human Being (5) The Curtain World (Barzakh) (6) First Phase of “Youm-Al-Qiyamah” or Beginning of the Judgment Day (7) Second Phase of the Judgment Day or “Al Qiyamah” (8)ThirdPhaseofJudgmentDay‘Nuzal’ (TheInitialFeast) (9) End of the Present Universe (10) Nature of the PermanentWorld (11) TheUltimateTriumphandRankof Honourinthe“PermanentWorld”.

Under every stage, I have presented certain conclusions and then listed the verses from which these conclusions were derived. Particularly, those words in the verses as I wantthereaderstoreflectuponarehighlightedinred.My suggestionisthatthisbookshouldbestudiedkeepingthis matter in mind so that the arguments of Quran become fullyapparent.

May God the Almighty enable us to fully understand the reality of this temporary life and give us the strength for planning to attain best grades in our everlasting lifeafterdeath.

phashmy@gmail.com

TheGrandSchemeofGod

TheGrandSchemeofGod

Space and Time Graph

Thefactsmentionedinthisbookareexplained graphicallyhere:

PresentUniversefrombeginningtoAl Sa’ah

FromAl Sa’ahtoAl Qiyamah

FromAl QiyamahtoAccountability ‘Nuzal’PhaseinHeaven&Hell

Explanation of “Space and Time Graph”

‘A’

‘B’

Beginning of the universe around 13.8  billion years ago with a 'Big Bang', after which the universe started expanding.

‘Al Sa'ah’ (thehour),whenthe1sttrumpetwillbeblown whichwouldbringendtothislifecycleandtheuniverse wouldstartshrinking.

‘C’

‘B’ or before ‘B’ to ‘C’

‘Al-Qiyamah’ when 2nd trumpet will be blown and all humanswouldberesurrectedwithnewphysicalbodies.

Certain period would pass but we will feel as if we have sleptonlyforpartoftheday.

‘C’ to ‘D’

Afterresurrection,wewillbegatheredinthecourtofthe ‘Almighty Lord’ for accountability and the process of accountabilitywillbecompleted.

‘D’ to ‘E’

‘E’

Reward and punishment period in Paradise and Hell, Qurantermsitas‘Nuzal’ .

TheEnd/AnnihilationofthePresentUniverse/Present Heaven and Earth, which was created for test, and shifting of the graded spiritual beings to the permanent order of existence, from where they were sent for test andgradation.

‘B’ to ‘E’

‘A’ to ‘E’

‘Youm Al Qiyamah’ which represents a long period and nota“24hour’sday”,asthecreationoftheuniversewas completedinsixlongperiodsandnotsixdays.

The ‘specified’ time period ordained for this temporary universe.

 Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Beginning of Universe

Big Bang

Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Formation of Galaxies after the beginning of Universe

Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Formation of Solar System

 Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Formation of Earth & Moon in the Solar System

Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

The Grand Scheme of God

InthelightofQuran

When an insightful person observes the universe and his ownbeing,somenaggingquestionsfacehim:

What is the reality of this universe?

How and when did this universe come into existence?

Will this universe last forever?

Where did humans come from and where do they go after death?

If some INTELLIGENT BEING (GOD) has created this universe and the humans, what purpose has He, behind it?

Let us try to find the answers to these baffling questions from the Quran, the book which God revealed and has preservedforfourteencenturies.

“Verily We: It is we who have sent down the reminder (i.e. the Quran) and surely, we will guard it (from corruption)”. (Q 15:9)

Creation of the Present Universe

TheHolyQuranreferstothisentireuniverseastheseven heavens and the seven earths. According to the Holy Quran, this universe is not eternal; rather it has been created in a specific moment. That particular moment marks the beginning of time for this universe. The Quran furtherinformsusthatitwasacreationex nihilo,i.e.,The God produced the initial Energy through His word “Kun” which was later converted into matter, and then matter startedexpandingaspertheschemedesignedbyGod.

The Quran informs us that this was not a purposeless creation. Rather the universe was created for a great purpose and for a specified period. It further mentions that these heavens and earths were created in six days. Here, six days do not refer to a temporal day, rather they signifysixlongperiodsoftime.

The Holy Quran further mentions that the universe had a smoke like condition atthe beginning. God divided it into sevenunitsi.e.,thesevenheavensandthesevenearths.In each unit, there is only one place where life is possible, termed as the earth of that unit. The unit for our trial, accountability,and gradation is termed as the nearest heaven,(Samaa-Al-Duniya)i.e.,theobservableuniverse.

Our earth is the only place in this observable universe where lifeis possible. Neither humans nor jinnshave any access beyond this unit. The other six units, the six heavens and the six earths, are specified for the physical rewardandpunishmentofhumanandjinnfolk.

 Explainedundertheheading,secondphaseofthe JudgmentDayor “Al Qiyamah”.

ThesesixunitscompriseoftwoParadisesforthehumans (theforemostandpeopleoftherighthand),twoParadises for jinns(the foremostandpeopleofthe righthand), and separateHellsforhumansandjinns.

Let's consider the verses of the Holy Quran regarding the points under discussion. The relevant part of the verses are highlighted in red:

“The originator of heavens and the earth! When He decrees a matter, He says to it: Be, and it is.” (Q2:117)

“Is not He, Who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the like of them? Yes, indeed! He is the All-Knowing Supreme Creator. Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be!" and it is!" (Q 36:81 82)

“Do they not think deeply (in their ownselves) about themselves (how God created them from nothing, and similarly He will resurrect them)? God has created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with true purpose and for a specified period. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their Lord.” (Q 30:8)

revelation of the Book (this Quran) is from God, the All Mighty, the All Wise. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with true purpose, and for a specified period. But those who disbelieve turn away from that whereof they are warned.” (Q 46:2 3)

power did We construct the heaven. And verily, We are continuously expanding it.” (Q 51:47)

“Then turned He to the heaven and it was smoke, and said unto it and unto the earth: Come both of you, willingly or loth. They said: We come, obedient. Then He ordained them seven heavens in two days and inspired in each heaven its mandate; and We decorated the nearest heaven with lamps, and rendered it inviolable. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Knower.” (Q 41:11 12)

“It is God Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that God has power over all things, and that God surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” (Q 65:12)

“The One who created death and life, so that He may test you as to which of you is better in his deeds. And He is the All-Mighty, the Most-Forgiving, Who has created seven heavens, one over the other. You will see nothing out of proportion in the creation of the Rahman (the All-Merciful God). So, cast your eye again. Do you see any rifts? Then cast your eye again and again, and the eye will come back to you abased, in a state of weariness. And We have decorated the nearest heaven with lamps, and have made them devices to stone the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of Hell.” (Q 67:2 5)

“Then you are to be raised again on the Day of Judgment. And We created above you seven paths (heavens), and We were never neglectful of the creation.” (Q 23:17)

“Surely your God is but One, The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the points of sunrise. Verily, We have decorated the nearest heaven with an adornment, the stars, And (have made them) a security against every rebellious devil. They cannot listen to the Upper Realm and are hit from every side.” (Q 37:4 8)

“But for him who fears the standing before his Lord there are two paradises.” (Q 55:46)

“And beside them are two other paradises.” (Q 55:62)

The End Of The Universe

End of the Present Universe

According to the Holy Quran, this material cosmos/ universe is not going to last forever. God Almighty has determined a specific period for it after which it shall cometoanendi.e.itsexpansionphaseshallbechangedto contraction phase the cosmos / universe shall start shrinkingtillitscompleteannihilation.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“Do they not reflect in their own being? Not but for true purpose and for a specified term, did God create the heavens and the earth, and all between them.” (Q 30:8)

“The revelation of the Book (this Quran) is from God, the AllMighty, the All Wise. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with true purpose, and for a specified term. But those who disbelieve turn away from that whereof they are warned.” (Q 46:2 3)

“Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: for your Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He plans. And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: It will be an award never to be ceased.” (Q 11:106-108)

Purpose of this Universe’s Creation

Purpose of the creation of this cosmos/universe is to test andgradeHumansandJinns (TwoSpiritualBeings/Minds) sothattheymayearn honour,grace, andranksaccording tothemerit,atthetimeoftheirreturntotheActualOrder oftheExistence/Permanentworldwhichisnon matter.

Aftertheinitialphaseofphysicalrewardandpunishment (Nuzal), we (Spiritual Beings) shall be reverted to the Actual Order of Existence/Permanent World. The Holy QuranreferstothatpermanentworldastheGreatThrone. That is the abode of our permanent life. This present material cosmos/universe was created for a specific period within that Actual Order of Existence/Permanent World,andiscontinuouslyexpandingwithinasmallplace in the latter, like a balloon. After the ordained specific period,itshallbetotallyannihilated.

Now onwards, we shall be using two terms for our understanding:

The Temporary World: Signifyingthesevenheavensand earths, i.e., this material present temporary/finite cosmos/universe which God created for testing and gradingHumansandJinns(TwoSpiritualBeings).

The Permanent World: Signifying the Great Throne of God / non matter actual order of existence which is the abodeofourpermanentlife.

 ThisistheanswertoStephenHawking’sfamousquestion: “Whyitisthatweandtheuniverseexist”

ThatActualOrderofExistenceisruledbyaJust,Merciful, and a Compassionate King. That King is our Creator and our God. As far as the reality of permanent world is concerned, that is beyond our understanding and imagination. The dwellers of that permanent world are angels(SpiritualBeings).Quraninformsusthattheyhave different ranks and positions and they are assigned responsibilitiesaccordingtotheirstatus.

There is an Angel “Gabriel” who is entrusted with the responsibility of being the divine messenger to the Prophets. There are others who record our deeds. These differentresponsibilitiesimplycertaingradingandstatus. All this perhaps imply that Angels would have gone through some kind of test as well; otherwise they could nothavehad differentranksin the permanentworld. For example, the Quran states about the Arch Angel Gabriel that he possesses great power and very high status with theLordofThrone,andthatheisobeyedthere.

In order to become a member of that permanent world, one has to qualify for it first, and then attain positions according to the grades determined through the test in thisworldlylife.

The Quran informs us that we the spiritual beings (persons) were created in that permanent world. The Qurantermsthesespiritualbeingsas“Al Nafs”. There,we weremadetogothroughsystematictrainingandacquired differentvaluesandconcepts.

Justice(Truthfulness,Honesty,Trustworthiness,Meritand Commitmentare themanifestationsofthisbasicvalue) is thevaluethatweacquiredinthatpermanentworld.

Justice is a moral concept. We also acquired aesthetical and mathematical concepts during that form of existence. But, we should always keep in mind that our test in this lifeisconfinedtothemoralsphereandisnotextendedto theotherconcepts.

Aftercompletionofthisprocess,GodpresentedHisentire scheme before us. We (Spiritual Beings) took an oath (covenant mentioned in verse 172 of Surah Al-Araaf, termed as Ahd-e-Alast)withGodinthatpermanentworld.

The oath obliged us to always remember that He is our Lord.Italsoobligedusthatwewoulddojusticewherever wearesentfortest.Afterthisoathtakingceremony,weall were put to slumber, a sleep like state which Quran calls thefirstdeathofthespiritualbeings.Duringthissleep,we were made to forget the details about that permanent world. However, nobody can deny that they do have the concept of Justice within them. Truthfulness, honesty, trustworthiness, commitment and Merit are the manifestationsofthisbasicconcept“Justice”.

Then God created this tiny temporary world (Ex nihilo through Energy of His word “Kun”) for the purpose of grading us, so that on reverting to the permanent world, wecouldbegivenpositionsandranksaccordingtomerit, and nobody could object over being assigned a higher or lowerrank.

In fact, our creation finds meaning in a very grand scenario in that permanent world. The lens of this tiny temporary world cannot explain the purpose of God for creatinghumansandthisuniverse.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of great Throne?" (Q 23:86)

you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us? So Exalted is God, the True King, the Lord of the Supreme Throne!” (Q.23: 115 116)

“He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, while His throne was on water, so that He might test you as to who among you is better in deed. And if you say, You shall be raised after death, the disbelievers will surely say, This is nothing but total magic.” (Q 11:7)

“We did not create the heavens and the earth and what lies between them for play. Had We intended to have a pastime, surely We would have chosen it in Our presence if We were ever going to do that.” (Q 21:16 17)

power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof.” (Q 51:47)

revelation of the Book (this Quran) is from God, the All Mighty, the All Wise. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with true purpose, and for a specified term. But those who disbelieve turn away from that whereof they are warned.” (Q 46:2 3)

“Do those who have committed evils assume that We will make them like those who believe and do righteous deeds, so as their life and death becomes equal? Worst is the judgment that they make. God has created the heavens and the earth with just purpose, and so that everybody is recompensed for what he (or she) earned, and they will not be wronged”. (Q 45:21 22)

them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest you should say at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware. Or lest you should say: (It is) only (that) our fathers ascribed partners to God and we were (their) descendants after them. Will you destroy us on account of that which those who follow falsehood did?” (Q 7:172 173)

“And they said, Is it that when we disappear in the earth is it that we really come into a new creation? Rather they are ones who deny the meeting with their Lord. Say, The angel of death who has been assigned for you will take yourself (soul) in full, then you will be brought back to your Lord. And (you will wonder) if you see the sinners hanging their heads before their Lord (and saying,) Our Lord, we have now seen and heard, so send us back, and we will do righteous deeds. Surely, (now) we are believers.”(Q 32:10 12)

“The ones to whom the angels brought death while they were (still) wronging themselves. Then, they will resort to submission, (yet will say), We used to do nothing wrong.” (They will be answered) Why not? God knows well what you used to do. Hence, enter the gates of Jahannam to live in it forever. So evil is the abode of the arrogant.” (Q 16:28 29)

whom the angels cause to die (while they are) pure. They say: Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden because of what you used to do.” (Q 16:32)

have sent down to you the Book for the people with truth. So, whoever follows the guidance, it is for his own good, and whoever goes astray, he will go astray only to his own detriment - and you are not responsible for them. Allah fully takes away the souls (of the people) at the time of their death, and (of) those who do not die, in their sleep. Then He withholds those on whom He had decreed death, and sends others back, up to an appointed term. Surely, in this, there are signs for a people who ponder.” (Q 39:41 42)

And be not like those who forgot Allâh (i.e. became disobedient to Allâh) and He caused them to forget their ownselves. Those are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).” (Q 59:19)

“How disbelieve you in God when you were dead and He gave life to you! Then He will give you death, then life again, and then unto Him you will return.” (Q 2:28)

لٰفها

“Those who disbelieve will be addressed (by a voice saying): “God's aversion (for you), when you were invited to the true faith and you refused, was greater than your aversion for yourselves (today when you are hating your own selves out of remorse).They say: Our Lord! Twice have you made us die, and twice you have given us life. Now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go out? The reply will be, ‘No’.) This is because whenever God alone was invoked, you used to disbelieve, and if partners were associated with Him, you used to believe. Now the decision lies with God, the High, the Great.” (Q 40:10-12)

“It (the Qur'an) is surely the word of a noble messenger (Gabriel), the one possessing power and a high status with the Lord of the Throne. The one obeyed there and trustworthy”. (Q.81: 19 21)

“When the two receiving angels receive (every human act to record it), seated (one) on the right and (one) on the left. Not a single word is uttered by one but there is a watcher near him, ready (to record)”. (Q.50: 17 18)

“While (appointed) over you there are watchers, Who are noble, writers (of the deeds), Who know whatever you do”.

(Q.82: 10 12)

Creation of the bodies (carriers) of Adam & Eve on this earth

As explained earlier, in the first unit (i.e. the observable universe) out of the seven heavens and earths, there is onlyoneplacewherelifeispossible,andthatisourplanet earth. Life started on this earth millions of years ago, but the perfect bodies or carriers for our test have been evolvedovera periodoftime. From Australopithecusto HomoHabilistoHomoErectustoHomoNeanderthalensis to Homo Sapien Sapien i.e. the Modern Human. The first pair of all these races was created directly from soil (contrary to the dictates of the theory of evolution) and thennormalreproductionprocessstarted.

Similarly,bodiesofAdamandEve(perfectcarriersforthe “Nafs” subject to testing and gradation) were created directly from soil on this earth, (again contrary to the postulates of the theory of evolution). In the early stages of creation of these bodies (male and female), two actual persons(SpiritualBeings)whowereinstateofslumberin that permanent world, were brought to life after being attached with the hearts of these newly created bodies. The male and female bodies are two carriers given to actual persons (Spiritual Beings) for their test in this temporary world. After attaching the Spiritual Beings to the physical bodies, God Almighty blew a divine spark (Spirit/Rooh/Conscience) from His own, into the bodies for further guidance of the Spiritual Beings. This divine spark or conscience acts as an alarm and rebukes the persons(SpiritualBeings)overtheirbaddeeds.



Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

From Australopithecus

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/750820264744321025

Evolution of the skull

https://infovisual.info/en/human body/evolution of the skull  Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Human Development

AccordingtoScientificKnowledge,manyMissingLinksexistbetweenthe ModernHumansandtheearlierspecieswhichareshownhere. http://www.sally ann melia.com/wp content/uploads/2014/10/missinglinkdebate.jpg

Human Stages

DifferentstagesofModernHuman

 Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Fetus Growth From 8 to 40 Weeks

https://www.domesticviolencecrimewatch.com/fetal development week by week/

Human Embryo Development

Three Aspects of Human Being:

I. The actual personality (soul): Thisisa Spiritual Beingwhichisa non matter, complete personality /entity. This was created in the permanent world. The Quran terms this spiritual being as “Nafs”. These personalities or “Nafoos” were put to slumber after the covenant (Surah Al-Araaf, Verse 172) with God in the permanent world. These Nafoos are brought from that order of existence andattachedtotheheartsofthephysicalbodiesin the womb of the mothers, after around 120 days fromconception.

Moral concepts, aesthetical concepts, and mathematical concept relate to this actual personality/spiritual being. But we should always keepinmindthatourtestisconfinedtothemoral concepts only. We are not under test with regards tootherconcepts.

II. Body: This body is also a creation of God and is provided to the actual personality as a “carrier”, for a limited time to use, and not to misuse. The body acts on the principle of “Survival of the self andsurvivalofthespecies”,justlikeotheranimals. For the survival of the self the human being eats, drinks, and makes shelter. For the survival of the species,themaleandfemaleactinstinctively,mate, andprocreate.

The term Nafs Al-Ammara in the Quran refers to thissexualinstinct.

III. Rooh (Spirit): This is the Spirit/Divine Spark of God, which could be termed as conscience. The Qur’an describes it as “Nafs e Lawwama”. It is attached with the body (carrier) for further guidance of the actual personality. The function of the Spirit/Divine Spark or the Conscience is to rebuke the actual personality (Spiritual Being) on the commission of bad deeds. This is termed as “Trust”(Al Amânah)attheendofSurahAl Ahzab.

Theactualpersonality(soul)isthedriverofthebodyand its basic test is to keep the body (carrier) within certain limits,foraspecifiedperiod(i.e.untilthebiologicaldeath ofthephysicalbody),whileRoohisthespiritofGod.

In Christianity these three aspects of a human being are more clearlydescribedas body, soulandspirit. Here, itis important to reiterate that the instincts relate to the physical body (carrier), whereas, attributes or concepts relatetotherideri.e.actualpersonality(soul).

Pyramids Sphinx

FewmonumentsmadebyModernHumanaround4500yearsago http://www.history.com/topics/ancient history/the egyptian pyramids

GOBEKLI TEPE (Oldest Archeological Site)

TheoldestmonumentmadebyModernHumanaround11000yearsago. The three monuments shown here to get a glimpse of Modern Human’s gradualdevelopment.

http://geniusofancientman.blogspot.com/2013/10/gobekli tepe buried temple.html

Early Writing System of Egypt (hieroglyphs) & Rosetta Stone

https://www.ancient.eu/image/5317/

ModernHumaninventedthiswritingsysteminEgyptaround5000yearsago. This dead language (Hieroglyphics) was deciphered with the help of Rosetta StonediscoveredbyNapoleonforcesin1799.

This is shown just to give readers an idea of Modern Human’s development.

The oldest writing system invented by Modern Human around 5500 years ago. This Sumerian Language (Cuniform) was deciphered with the help of BihistunInscription.

This is shown just to give readers an idea of Modern Human’s development.

Different Artifacts

Previous concept of fixed & flat earth

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/scienceandthesacred/2009/08/the ancient science in the bible.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmament

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

And God has caused you to grow from earth as a growth, and afterward He makes you return thereto, and He will bring you forth again (from it) without difficulty.”(Q 71:17-18)

“He it is Who has created you from clay, and then has decreed a (stated) term (for you to die). And there is with Him another determined term (for you to be resurrected), yet you doubt (in the Resurrection).” (Q 6:2)

“Just ask their opinion: are they the more difficult to create, or the (other) beings We have created? Certainly, We did create them from sticky clay. But you wonder (at their denial), and they mock (at the idea of an Hereafter).” (Q 37:11 12)

“We know those of you who went ahead, and We know those who remained late. Surely, your Lord will gather all of them together. Indeed He is All Wise, All Knowing. Indeed We created man from a ringing clay made of decayed mud.” (Q 15:24 26)

“He has created man from dry clay, ringing like pottery” (Q 55:14)

“O mankind, if you are in doubt about Resurrection, then (recall that) We created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then from a clot, then from a piece of flesh, either shaped or unshaped, so that We manifest (Our power) to you. We retain in the wombs whatever We will to a specified term. Then We bring you out as babies, then (We nourish you) so that you reach your maturity. And among you there is one who dies, and among you there is one who is carried to the worst part of the age, so that he knows nothing even after having knowledge. And you see the land dry. Then once We send down water on it, it stirs and swells and puts forth every pleasant pair (of vegetation). That is because Allah is the truth, and that He gives life to the dead, and that He is powerful to do everything, And that the Hour (of Doom) has to come, in which there is no doubt, and that Allah will raise again all those in the graves.” (Q 22: 5 7)

“We have created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him a sperm-drop in a firm resting place. Then We turned the sperm drop into a clot, then We turned the clot into a fetus lump, then We turned the fetus lump into bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh; thereafter We developed it into another creature. So, glorious is God, the Best of the creators. Then, after all this, you are to die. Then you are to be raised again on the Day of Judgment.” (Q 23:12 16)

And the Jinn race, We had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind. Recall when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am going to create a human being from a ringing clay made of decayed mud. When I form him perfect, and blow in him of My spirit, then you must fall down before him in prostration’.” (Q 15:27 29)

Who made well whatever He created, and started the creation of man from clay. Then He made his progeny from a drop of semen, from despised water. Then He gave him a proportioned shape, and breathed into him of His spirit. And He granted you the (power of) hearing and the eyes and the hearts. Little you give thanks. And they said, “Is it that when we disappear in the earth__is it that we really come into a new creation?” Rather they are ones who deny the meeting with their Lord” (Q 32:7 10)

When your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to create man from clay. So, once I make him perfectly and breathe My spirit into him, you must fall down in prostration before him.” (Q 38:71 72)

I swear by the Day of Resurrection, And I swear by the self reproaching conscience, (that Resurrection is a reality.) Does man think that We will never reassemble his bones? Why (can We) not (do so), while We are able to reset (even) his fingertips perfectly? But man wishes to go on violating Allah's injunctions in front of him. He asks, “When will be this Day of Resurrection?” (Q 75: 1 6)

We did indeed offer the Trust (Al-Amânah) to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains: but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it― he was indeed unjust and foolish. (With the result) that Allah has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the Unbelievers, men and women, and Allah turns in Mercy to the Believers, men and women: for Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.”(Q 33: 72-73)

The Curtain World

Termed as “Barzakh” in the Holy Quran

At the time of death of the physical body, the reality is exposed to the actual personality (Spiritual Being) for a while. The angels welcome the person who preferred Hereafter to this worldly life. However, those who did otherwise (i.e. they preferred this worldly life to the Hereafter)arearrested.Thenboththegroupsaretakenby the angels to some place in this universe. After this short observation,theactualPersonality(SpiritualBeing)isput tosleepagain.Qurantermsthisastheseconddeathofthe SpiritualBeing.

The actual Personalities (Spiritual Beings) stay in this phasetilltheDayofResurrection.Duringthisperiod,they are totally disconnected from this world. The persons (Spiritual Beings) arrested would have the feeling of remorseandareflectionofthefuturepunishmentwaiting for them due to ignoring the reality of the Hereafter. Theywouldcontinuallyexperiencenightmaresandsevere agony during their sleep. On the contrary, those who followedtherighteouspathintheirworldlylifewouldfeel great pleasure and enjoy sweet feelings of meeting their Lord and the blessings of Paradise during their sleep. Both groups shall remain in this state till the Day of Resurrection.

Asstatedearlier,Qurantermsthisphaseoflifeas Barzakh (A Curtain) but as far as the prophets and martyrs are concerned, the stage of curtain world/Barzakh does not apply to them. As soon as their physical bodies (carriers) dietheyaregivennewbodies(carriers)andarewelcomed intheparadisereservedfortheforemost(Sabqoon).

There, they are given the best of the provisions by their Lord.TheyrejoiceinwhatGodhasbestoweduponthemof His Bounties. Moreover, the angels give them the glad tidings that their righteous companions shall also join themsoon.

On the Judgment Day, they will be brought from there as theprosecutionwitnessesagainsttheirnations.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“(The infidels go on doing their misdeeds) until when death comes to one of them, he will say, “My Lord send me back, So that I may act righteously in that (world) which I have left behind.” Never! It is simply a word he utters, and in front of such people there is Barzakh (a curtain) till the day when they will be resurrected.” (Q 23:99 100)

“Who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against God or says, Revelation has been sent to me, whereas no revelation has been sent to him, and the one who says, I would produce the like of what God has revealed.” If only you could witness when the unjust are in the agonies of death, and the angels stretch their hands

(and say), deliver yourself. Today, you shall have your punishment, a punishment of humiliation, because you have been saying about God what is not true, and have been showing arrogance against His verses.” (Q 6:93)

“And they said, Is it that when we disappear in the earth is it that we really come into a new creation? Rather they are ones who deny the meeting with their Lord. Say, The angel of death who has been assigned for you, will receive yourself in full, then you will be brought back to your Lord.” (Q 32:10 11)

“And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve (at death), they smite their faces and their backs, (saying): ‘Taste the punishment of the blazing Fire’. This is because of that which your hands had forwarded. And verily, Allah is not unjust to His slaves."

(Q 8:50 51)

“Then how (will it be with them) when the angels gather them, smiting their faces and their backs! That is because they followed that which angered God, and hated that which pleased Him. So He made their deeds fruitless.”(Q 47:27 28)

“The ones to whom the angels brought death while they were (still) wronging themselves. Then, they will resort to submission, (yet will say), We used to do nothing wrong.” (They will be answered) Why not? God knows well what you used to do. Hence, enter the gates of Jahannam to live in it forever. So evil is the abode of the arrogant.” (Q 16:28 29)

“Those whom the angels cause to die (while they are) pure. They say: Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden because of what you used to do.” (Q 16:32)

“Those who disbelieve will be addressed (by a voice saying): “God's aversion (for you), when you were invited to the true faith and you refused, was greater than your aversion for yourselves (today when you are hating your own selves out of remorse).They say: Our Lord! Twice have you made us die, and twice you have given us life. Now we confess our sins. Is there any way to go out? The reply will be, ‘No’.) This is because whenever God alone was invoked, you used to disbelieve, and if partners were associated with Him, you used to believe. Now the decision lies with God, the High, the Great.” (Q 40:10 12)

“And say not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh, "They are dead. Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not.” (Q 2:154)

“Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision- They rejoice in what Allâh has bestowed upon them of His Bounty, and they are given good news about those who have not yet joined them from behind, that on them no fear shall come nor shall they grieve”. (Q 3:169 170)

“It was said (to him when the disbelievers killed him): Enter Paradise. He said: Would that my people knew! "That my Lord (Allah) has forgiven me, and made me of the honoured ones!” (Q 36:26 27)

“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord (Allâh, when He will come to judge among men) and the Book will be placed (open) and the Prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward, and it will be judged between them with truth, and they will not be wronged.” (Q 39:69)

And who obeys Allâh and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allâh has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqûn (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are! (Q 4:69)

A multitude of those (foremost) will be from the first generations (who embraced Islâm). And a few of those (foremost) will be from the later generations.” (Q 56:13 14)

First Phase of “Youm-Al-Qiyamah” or beginning of the Judgment Day

Thecycleoflifeanddeathinthepresentprobationphase, which is running smoothly on this earth, shall come to a sudden end on a specific moment. The Holy Quran terms this moment as Al Sa'ah (the Hour). At that moment, a mighty earthquake will strike the earth and a great trumpetshallblow. Thisincidentwilloccur suddenlyand everyone living shall become unconscious. In that state, theyshallbeputtodeath.

Thisfirstblowingofthetrumpetshallmarkthebeginning ofdisorderonthisearth.AccordingtotheHolyQuran,this momentofdisorder(Al Sa'ah)marksthebeginningofthe JudgmentDay.Theword‘day’herereferstoalongperiod justlikesixdaysofcreationoftheheavensandtheearth.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“They ask you about the Hour (i.e. the Doomsday), When is it due to happen? Say, Its knowledge is only with my Lord. No one can unfold it except He at its time. It shall weigh heavy in the heavens and the earth. It shall not come upon you but suddenly. They ask you as if you were aware of it. Say, Its knowledge is only with God, but most of the people do not know.” (Q 7:187)

“Losers indeed are those who deny that they will ever face God, until when the Hour will come upon them suddenly, they will say, Alas! We have been negligent about it. They shall carry their burdens on their backs. Beware! Evil is the burden they carry.” (Q 6:31)

“And so that those who have been given knowledge may know that it (i.e. the revelation recited by the prophet) is the truth from your Lord, and they may believe in it and their hearts may become humble towards it. God is the Guide of the believers to the straight path. Those who disbelieve will remain in doubt about it (the Qur'an) forever, until the Hour (of Judgment) comes upon them suddenly, or there comes to them the punishment of a barren day.” (Q 22:54 55)

“Surely, it is God who is my Lord and your Lord; so worship Him. This is the straightway. Then different groups, out of them, fell into disagreement. Woe to the wrongdoers because of the punishment of a painful day! They are waiting for nothing but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly, while they would not even imagine (it). Friends, on that day, will become enemies to one another, except the God-fearing.” (Q 43:64-67)

“And they say, “When will this promise come true, if you are truthful? They are looking for nothing but for a single Cry that will seize them when they will be quarreling. So they will not be able to make a bequest, nor will they return to their household.”(Q 36:48 50)

“And the trumpet is blown, and all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth swoon away, save him whom Allah willeth. Then it is blown a second time, and behold them standing waiting!” (Q 39:68)

Second Phase of the Judgment Day or “Al-Qiyamah”

Thefirsttrumpetshallbefollowedbythesecondtrumpet “Al-Qiyāmah”. Just after this, all the persons (spiritual beings) shall be resurrected with new physical bodies. Thisis the second stageof the Judgment Day. Quran does notinformusaboutthedurationoftimebetween Al Sa’ah (the first trumpet) and Al Qiyāmah (the second trumpet). However,aftertheResurrection,peoplewillfeelasifthey sleptbutonlyforawhile.

All of us shall be resurrected on this planet Earth where we are living now. At that time, our earth would be in a great disorder. Terrible earthquakes would occur frequently, oceans will overflow, and the mountains will fly like pieces of carded wool. People shall witness all these catastrophes with their own eyes. (i.e. eyes of the newphysicalbodies).

GodAlmightywillcome tothisearth from the permanent worldandpeopleshallbe gatheredbefore Himfor a final accountability.Aftertheresurrectionwiththenewbodies, gatheringinthecourtfortheaccountabilitywilltaketime. During that period, people shall pass through different conditions.Asstatedearlier,theearthwouldbeinagreat chaos and disorder. Mighty earthquakes will strike, the oceans will boil, and the mountains will fly like pieces of carded wool. God Almighty shall protect the believers from this mighty terror, which Quran calls Faza al Akbar (SupremeHorror).

Theangelswillmeetthebelievers,consolethem,andgive them the glad tiding of Paradise. On the contrary, those who lived their worldly life in complete heedlessness towardstheHereafterwouldsufferthehardshipsofthese terrorsandthundersphysically. Theywouldbein a great fear of facing the Almighty in His court. To increase their anxiety, they will be made to observe blazing fire of Hell every dawn and dusk, so that they have an idea of their next abode. At this stage, no intercession would be permitted by the Almighty God. However, the Prophets shall be brought to the court as prosecution witnesses to testify against their nations. They will only state what is inquiredbytheAlmightyandwillsaynothingmore.

After completion of the accountability process, people shallbedividedintothreecategories:

i. Theforemostinfaith,Qurantermsthemas “Al Sabqoon”.

ii. The people of the right hand, Quran terms them as “Al Ashab Al Yameen”.

iii. Peopleofthelefthand,Qurantermsthemas “Al Ashab Ashamal” (Thosewhofailed)

This division of the people into three categories shall be finalized on this planet earth where we are living now. ThisperiodisalsopartoftheJudgmentDay.

Since those demised before the first trumpet shall only hear the second trumpet, therefore the Holy Quran sometimesterms “Qiyamah” as “Al Sa'ah”.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“He said, Go down, some of you enemies of some; and for you on the earth there will be a dwelling place and enjoyment for a time. (Further) He said, There you shall live and there you shall die, and from there you shall be raised again.” (Q 7:24 25)

this (dust) We created you, and in this we shall put you back, and from this We shall raise you up once again.” (Q 20:55)

Allah has caused you to grow well out of the earth, Then He will send you back into it, and will bring you forth once again.” (Q 71:17-18)

“The daze of death has (to) come with truth. That is what you tried to escape. And the Trumpet will be blown that will be the Day whereof warning (had been given) (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And everybody will come, along with one (angel) to drive (him to the field of reckoning) and one (angel) to testify (about his deeds). You were heedless of this. Now We have removed your veil from you and sharp is your sight this day” (Q 50:19 22)

“And the trumpet is blown, and all those in the heavens and all those in the earth will faint, except the one whom God wills (otherwise). Thereafter, it will be blown once again, and suddenly they will stand up, looking around. And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and the book (of everyone's deeds) will be placed, and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and matters will be decided between them with justice, and they will not be wronged.” (Q 39:68 69)

“(You will be resurrected) on the Day when the shocking event (i.e. the first blowing of the trumpet) will shock (everything), Followed by the next one (i.e. the second blowing of the trumpet.)”(Q 79:6 7)

And they say: "When will this promise (i.e. Resurrection) be fulfilled, if you are truthful?" They await only but a single Saihah (shout), which will seize them while they are disputing! Then they will not be able to make bequest, nor they will return to their family. And the Trumpet will be blown (i.e. the second blowing) and behold from the graves

they will come out quickly to their Lord. They will say: "Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep." (It will be said to them): "This is what the Most Gracious (Allâh) had promised, and the Messengers spoke truth!" (Q 36:84 52)

“We have created you; then why do you not believe in it? So, tell Me about the semen you drop (in the wombs): Is it you who create it, or are We the Creator? We have appointed (the times of) death among you, and We cannot be frustrated, From replacing you with others like you, and creating you (afresh) in that (form) which you do not know. And you certainly know the first creation; then why do you not take lesson?” (Q 56: 57 62)

“On the Day when the earth and the mountains will quake and the mountains will turn into a slipping heap of sand.” (Q 73:14)

“It will happen, on a day when people will be like scattered moths, and the mountains will be like carded wool. Then, as for him whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, He will be in a happy life. But he whose scales are light, His abode will be Abyss. And what may let you know what that (Abyss) is? A blazing Fire!” (Q 101:4 11)

“The Day when the sky will tremble, a horrible trembling, and the mountains will move about, a terrible movement. So, woe to those who reject (the true faith), who are indulged in vain talk, playing (with truth), The Day they will be pushed to the Fire forcefully. (And it will be said to them) This is the fire used to deny. Is it magic or do you not see clearly?” (Q 52:9 15)

“(This punishment will befall) on the Day when the sky will be like dregs of oil, And the mountains will be like dyed wool, And no friend will ask about any friend, (Though) they will be made to see each other” (Q 70:8 10)

He asks: "When will be this Day of Resurrection?" So, when the sight shall be dazed, And the moon will be eclipsed, And the sun and moon will be joined together (by going one into the other or folded up or deprived of their light).On that Day man will say: "Where (is the refuge) to flee?" No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord (Alone) will be the place of rest that Day.” (Q 75: 6 12)

“They shall not be grieved by the Biggest Panic, and the angels shall receive them (saying), This is your day that you had been promised”. (Q 21:103)

“And when the Hell will be set ablaze, And when the Paradise will be brought close, Then everyone will know what he (or she) has put forward.”(Q 81:12 14)

“Surely, those who have declared: Our Lord is God, then remained steadfast, on them the angels will descend, saying, Do not fear, and do not grieve; and be happy with the good news of the Paradise that you had been promised. We have been your friends in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter. And for you here is whatever your selves desire, and for you here is whatever you call for, an initial feast (Nuzal) from the Most-forgiving, the Very-Merciful.”(Q 41:30 32)

“Nay, but when the earth is pounded a great pounding and leveled, And your Lord will come, and the angels as well, lined up in rows, and Hell, on that day, will be brought forward, it will be the day when man will realize the truth, but from where will he take advantage of such realization?” (Q 89:21-23)

“And (visualize) the Day when We will make mountains move, and you will see the earth fully exposed, and We shall gather them together, so as not to leave a single one of them. And they shall be presented lined-up before your Lord. (It will be said to them,) “Lo! You have come to us just as We had created you for the first time, while you claimed that We would not make any appointed time for you.” (Q 18:47 48)

“Are you more difficult to create (again), or is the heaven that He constructed? He has raised its height, then made it proper, and darkened its night, and brought forth its daylight, and, after that, He spread out the earth. From it, He brought out its water and its meadows, and firmly fixed the mountains, (All this) as a benefit to you and your cattle. So when the Greatest Havoc will take place, On the day when man will recall what he did, And the Hell will be exposed for all who see, Then for the one who had rebelled, And preferred the worldly life (to the Hereafter), The Hell will be the abode, Whereas for the one who feared to stand before his Lord, and restrained oneself from the (evil) desire, The Paradise will be the abode.” (Q 79:27 41)

“When the earth will be jolted with a terrible jolt, and the mountains will be crumbled a thorough crumbling, Until they will become dust, scattered in the air, And you will be (divided into) three categories. As for the People of the Right, how (lucky) are the People of the Right! And the People of the Left? How (wretched) are the People of the Left! And the Foremost are the foremost. Those are the ones blessed with nearness (to God).” (Q 56:4 11)

And fear a Day (of Judgement) when a person shall not avail another, nor will intercession be accepted from him nor will compensation be taken from him nor will they be helped.

(Q 2:48)

And fear the Day (of Judgement) when no person shall avail another, nor shall compensation be accepted from him, nor shall intercession be of use to him, nor shall they be helped.

(Q 2:123)

Third Phase of Judgment Day

'Nuzal'

(The initial feast)

While discussing “Creation of the Present Universe”, it was mentioned: “The Holy Quran further mentions that the universe had a smoke like condition at the beginning. Goddivideditintosevenunitsi.e.,thesevenheavensand the seven earths. In each unit, there is only one place wherelifeispossible,termedastheearthofthatunit.The place reserved for our (humans and Jinns, i.e., the two spiritual beings) trial, gradation, and accountability is termed as the nearest heaven (Samaa Al Duniya) i.e., the observableuniverse.

Our earth is the only place in this observable universe where lifeis possible. Neither humans nor jinnshave any access beyond this unit. The other six units, the six heavensandthesixearths,areearmarkedforthephysical rewardandpunishmentofHumanandthe Jinn.These six units comprise of two Paradises for the jinns (for the foremost,andpeopleoftherighthand),twoParadisesfor humans (for the foremost and people of the right hand), andseparateHellsforhumans,andjinns.”

Having faced the accountability in the second phase “Al Qiyamah”, peoplewillbe dividedintothree categories i.e.theforemostinfaith,thepeopleoftherighthand,and the people of the left hand. The criminals and the sinners among the humans and the jinn (i.e. people of the left hand) shall be shifted to their respective hells for punishmentandpurification.Thepeopleoftherighthand andtheforemostamongthehumansandthejinnshallbe shiftedtotheirrespectiveParadises.Whatevertheydesire

shall be provided to them and all their wishes shall be fulfilled to their entire satisfaction. This stage comprises theirinitialfeasttermedas“Nuzal”intheHolyQuran.This isalsopartoftheJudgmentDay.

The physical phase of reward and punishment “Nuzal” is ofgreatimportanceforusnow,aswecanonlyappreciate things with reference to our present condition. Since we exist with physical bodies now, hence only material reward and punishment would create an impact on us, which of course the spiritual reward and punishment cannot. For instance, if we hold a ball in one hand and a billion dollars cheque in another, and offer a kid of 4/5 years to choose between them, the kid would always be attracted towards the ball. He probably would not have a second glance on the cheque, no matter how hard we try tomakehimappreciateitsimportance. Imaginewhenthe samekidgrowsup,whatwouldheoptfor!

Every person is in pledge for his deeds. It is in one’s own hand to attain the minimum purification level in this worldtoavoidthefireofHell.Otherwise,onewillbemade to pay for his actions on the Day of Judgment. After reaching the minimum level of purification, people from hell shall be shifted to the paradises (i.e. both Human & the Jinn) ofpeopleofthe righthand. The time neededfor thepurificationofpersonsinhelldependsuponthestains on the divine spark (Spirit/Conscience/Rooh) they have caused.Thesestainsareresultofthebaddeedswhichone commitsintheworldlylife.Onewillnotbeabletoescape hell until these stains are removed. God Almighty shall notify His Messengers and pious people who will take their acquaintances and believers from the Hells to the Paradises of the people of the right hand. This act is termed as “Intercession” , concisely mentioned in Quran

and detail of which can be found in narrations of the Prophet PBUH. This honor shall only be granted to those withwhomGodhasmadeapromise.

Whocanbeanintercessorandhelpergreaterthantheone who rescues them from this painful condition specially whentherewasnohopeofescapeleft!Thepurificationof the polytheist shall not be accomplished till the end i.e. annihilationofthisuniverse.ThedurationoftheJudgment Daystillcontinues.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“It is God Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that God has power over all things, and that God surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” (Q 65:12)

“Surely, those who have declared: Our Lord is Allah, then remained steadfast, on them the angels will descend, saying, do not fear, and do not grieve; and be happy with the good news of the Paradise that you had been promised. We have been your friends in the worldly life, and in the Hereafter. And for you here is whatever your selves desire, and for you here is whatever you call for, An initial feast (Nuzal) from the Most forgiving, the Very Merciful.”(Q 41:30 32)

those who fear their Lord, for them there are Gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will live foreveras an initial feast from God. That which God has in store is better for the righteous.” (Q 3:198)

“Say, “Who has prohibited the adornment God has brought forth for His servants, and the wholesome things of sustenance? Say, They are for the believers during this worldly life (though shared by others), while they are purely for them on the day of Resurrection. This is how We elaborate the verses for people who understand.”(Q 7:32)

“So, can one who is a believer become like one who is a sinner? They cannot become equal. As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for them there are gardens to dwell, as an initial feast for what they used to do. And the ones who disobeyed, their abode is the Fire. Whenever they wish to come out from it, they will be turned back into it, and it will be said to them, Taste the punishment of fire that you used to deny.” (Q 32:18-20)

“Do the disbelievers reckon that they can choose My bondmen as protecting friends beside Me? We have prepared hell as an initial feast (Nuzal) for the disbelievers.” (Q 18:102)

“And used to say, Is it that when we die and become dust –is it that we will be raised again, And our ancient fathers as well? Say, All the earlier and the later ones, will be gathered together for a fixed time of a specified Day. Then O you, the erring, the denying people, You will have to eat from the tree of zaqqum, And to fill with it the bellies, Then on top of it, you will have to drink boiling water, And to drink like camels suffering from the disease of over-thirst. This will be their initial feast on the Day of Requital.” (Q 56:47 56)

“Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: for your Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He plans. And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell

therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: It will be an award never to be ceased.” (Q 11:106 108)

“The day He will assemble all of them together (and say) O' you assembly of Jinn! Many did you misled of men and their friends amongst men will say our lord! We benefitted one from the other, but now we have reached our appointed term which you did appoint for us. He will say, The Fire is your Abode wherein you will remain for ever, unless God wills (otherwise). Surely, your Lord is All Wise, All Knowing”. (Q 6:128)

:38)74 (Q “Every person is a pledge for what he has earned.”

“And those who believed and their children followed them in belief, We will join their children with them, and will not curtail (the reward of) any of their deeds at all. Every person will be pledged for what he earned.” (Q 52:21)

“But for him who fears the standing before his Lord there are two paradises.” (Q 55:46)

“And beside them are two other paradises.” (Q 55:62)

“Verily, those who conceal what God has sent down from the book, and purchase a small gain therewith (of worldly things), they eat into their bellies nothing but fire, God will not speak to them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them, and for them there is painful punishment”. (Q 2:174)

“Surely, those who take a small price by (breaking) the covenant of God and their oaths, for them there is no share in the Hereafter, and God will neither speak to them, nor will He look towards them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them. For them there is a painful punishment.” (Q 3:77)

“Surely, God does not forgive that a partner is ascribed to Him, and He forgives anything short of that for whomsoever He wills. Whoever ascribes a partner to God commits a terrible sin.” (Q 4:48)

And those who followed will say, “We wish we had another (chance to) return (to the world), so that we may disown them as they had disowned us.” Thus Allah will show them that their deeds were (nothing but) causes of remorse for them, and they are not to come out of the Fire. (Q 2:167)

They will wish to come out of the Fire, but they will not be able to come out from there. For them there will be a lasting punishment. (Q 5:37)

And shall drive the culprits to Hell as a herd. They shall not own intercession, excepting those who have taken of the Compassionate a covenant.” (Q 19: 86-87)

End of the Present Universe

As stated earlier, this universe shall not last forever. GodAlmightyhasdecreedaspecifictermforit,atthetime ofitscreation.Thepleasureandenjoymentofthedwellers of the Paradises and punishment for those suffering in Hellswillcontinuetilltheendofthisuniverse.

Theuniverseshallcontinuetoshrinkuntilitiscompletely annihilated. The present heavens and the earth / the temporary world would come to an end, and the permanentheavensandtheearths /thepermanentworld willappear.

As stated earlier, God Almighty created this temporary universe through the energy of His word “KUN”. The universe has been expanding continuously like a balloon, withinaverysmallspaceinthepermanentworld.Rightat the time of its creation, God Almighty decreed a specific term for it. This universe will therefore be annihilated at thecompletionoftheterm.ThePersons(SpiritualBeings) stillinhellsshallalsobeannihilatedwiththisuniverseas that they did not qualify to be part of the permanent world. The remaining persons (Spiritual Beings) shall be reverted to the permanent world from where they were sentforthetestandgradation.

The Holy Quran calls this stage ‘changing of Earth and Heavens’.ItwillmarktheendoftheJudgmentDay.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will be the heavens, and they all shall appear before God, the One, the All Dominant. On that day you will see the culprits tied up together in chains, their shirts will be of rosin, and their faces will be covered with Fire.”(Q 14:48 50)

“Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: There will be for them therein (nothing but) the heaving of sighs and sobs: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: for your Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He plans. And those who are blessed shall be in the Garden: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills: it will be an award never to be ceased.” (Q 11:106 108)

“God has created not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with true purpose and for a specified term. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with their Lord.” (Q 30:8)

“The revelation of the Book (this Qur'an) is from God, the All Mighty, the All Wise. We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them except with true purpose, and for a specified term. But those who disbelieve turn away from that whereof they are warned.” (Q 46:2 3)

“Thus God will show them that their deeds were (nothing but) causes of remorse for them, and they are not to come out of the Fire”. (Q 2:167)

“Surely, God does not forgive that a partner is ascribed to Him, and He forgives anything short of that for whomsoever He wills. Whoever ascribes a partner to God commits a terrible sin.” (Q 4:48)

Nature of the Permanent World

As stated earlier, we (the spiritual beings) were created for a very big scenario in that permanent world, and not just for this temporary world or this tiny universe. But as far as the reality of that permanent world and its bounties are concerned, we cannot imagine it as long as we are in this probation phase. That is inconceivable and inaccessible to our imagination. Since nothing from that permanent world can be compared to this temporary universe,theQuranjustgiveshintsaboutit.Itcanonlybe saidthatnoeyehasseenit,noearhaseverheardofit,and nothoughtofitevercrossedhumanmind.

The relevant verses of the Holy Quran:

“The one who feared the Rahman (The All Merciful God), without seeing Him, and came up with a heart oriented towards Him. Enter it in peace. That is the Day of Eternity. They will have in it whatever they wish, and with Us there are things even more than that.” (50:33 35)

no one knows the delight of eyes that has been reserved for them in secret, as a reward of what they used to do.” (Q 32:17)

“We did not create the heavens and the earth and what lies between them for play. Had We intended to have a pastime, surely We would have chosen it in our presence--if We were ever going to do that.” (Q 21:16 17)

“But those who fear their Lord, for them there are paradises beneath which rivers flow, where they will live forever as an initial feast from God. That which God has in store, is better for the righteous.” (Q 3:198)

“Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us? So Exalted is God, the True King, the Lord of the Supreme Throne!” (Q.23: 115 116)

“Say: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of great Throne?” (Q 23:86)

“In an honourable seat, near a Sovereign Omnipotent King.” (Q 54: 55)

The Ultimate Triumph and rank of Honour in the “permanent world”

In Surah Aal-e-Imran Almighty God, after a description of thebountiesoftheParadise(Nuzal Phase),says: “An initial feast of welcome from their Lord and that which is with God is the Best for Al Abrâr (faithful).”

Similarly,AlmightyGodsaysinSurah Qaf: “There they will have all that they desire and we have more (for them)”.

Surah Al Qamar informsusabout The Ultimate Triumph:

“In an honourable seat, near a Sovereign Omnipotent King”.

Here we intend to present the thoughts of two renowned exegetesofourtimeconcerningourultimatetriumphand subsequent participation in the phenomenal projects of Almighty God. The relevant parts of their exegesis are reproduced here for the purpose of reflection and contemplation.

While explaining the above mentioned verse from Surah Al Qamar,MoulanaAminAhsanIslahiwritesinhisTafsir, Tadabbar e Quran: “Statedhereistherealsuccessofthebelievers….……....the honour which they would have of being courtiers of the court of that Almighty King, will neither be pretentious display nor temporary, that if a person is de seated next

day,nobodywouldcareless.……..……thehigheststatusone canattainisanhonourableseatneartheAlmightyKingof theHeavensandEarth.OnewillnevermergeintoGodand become God, as is claimed by some esoteric Sufis.” (Tadabbar e Quran, Jild 8, Ayaat 115 116)

Similarly,MoulanaAbulA'laMaududiwrote: “There will be continuous development of humans without the fear of demotion and they will participate in phenomenal projects of Almighty God, with no fear of failure.Buttoimaginethosedevelopmentsandservicesis not conceivable for us in this worldly life, as is not conceivable for a kid to comprehend what would be his exact feelings when he gets married.”(Tafheem-Al-Quran, Surah Taha, Vol 3, Page 135)

Afterreachingtheconclusionregardingourrealsuccessin the permanent world, should we not as a conscious being start planning seriously for that ultimate triumph, which is to attain an honourable seat in the court of that AlmightyKing.

Summary

 Creation of the Present Universe

TheHolyQuranreferstothisentireuniverseastheseven heavens and the seven earths. According to the Holy Quran, this universe is not eternal; rather it has been created in a specific moment. That particular moment marks the beginning of time for this universe. The Quran furtherinformsusthatitwasacreationex nihilo,i.e.,The God produced the initial Energy through His word “Kun” which was later converted into matter, and then matter startedexpandingaspertheschemedesignedbyGod.

The Quran informs us that this was not a purposeless creation. Rather the universe was created for a great purpose and for a specified period. It further mentions that these heavens and earths were created in six days. Here, six days do not refer to a temporal day, rather they signifysixlongperiodsoftime.

The Holy Quran further mentions that the universe had a smoke like condition atthe beginning. God divided it into sevenunitsi.e.,thesevenheavensandthesevenearths.In each unit, there is only one place where life is possible, termed as the earth of that unit. The unit for our trial, accountability,and gradation is termed as the nearest heaven,(Samaa Al Duniya)i.e.,theobservableuniverse. 

Explainedundertheheading,secondphaseofthe JudgmentDayor “Al Qiyamah”.

Our earth is the only place in this observable universe where lifeis possible. Neither humans nor jinnshave any access beyond this unit. The other six units, the six heavens and the six earths, are specified for the physical rewardandpunishmentofhumanandjinnfolk.

ThesesixunitscompriseoftwoParadisesforthehumans (theforemostandpeopleoftherighthand),twoParadises for jinns(the foremostandpeopleofthe righthand), and separateHellsforhumansandjinns.

 End of the Present Universe

According to the Holy Quran, this material cosmos/ universe is not going to last forever. God Almighty has determined a specific period for it after which it shall cometoanendi.e.itsexpansionphaseshallbechangedto contraction phase the cosmos / universe shall start shrinkingtillitscompleteannihilation.



Purpose of this Universe’s Creation

Purpose of the creation of this cosmos/universe is to test andgradeHumansandJinns (TwoSpiritualBeings/Minds) sothattheymayearn honour,grace, andranksaccording tothemerit,atthetimeoftheirreturntotheActualOrder oftheExistence/Permanentworldwhichisnon-matter.

Aftertheinitialphaseofphysicalrewardandpunishment (Nuzal), we (Spiritual Beings) shall be reverted to the 

ThisistheanswertoStephenHawking’sfamousquestion: “Whyitisthatweandtheuniverseexist”

Actual Order of Existence/Permanent World. The Holy QuranreferstothatpermanentworldastheGreatThrone. That is the abode of our permanent life. This present material cosmos/universe was created for a specific period within that Actual Order of Existence/Permanent World,andiscontinuouslyexpandingwithinasmallplace in the latter, like a balloon. After the ordained specific period,itshallbetotallyannihilated.

Now onwards, we shall be using two terms for our understanding:

The Temporary World: Signifyingthesevenheavensand earths, i.e., this material present temporary/finite cosmos/universe which God created for testing and gradingHumansandJinns(TwoSpiritualBeings).

The Permanent World: Signifying the Great Throne of God / non matter actual order of existence which is the abodeofourpermanentlife.

ThatActualOrderofExistenceisruledbyaJust,Merciful, and a Compassionate King. That King is our Creator and our God. As far as the reality of permanent world is concerned, that is beyond our understanding and imagination. The dwellers of that permanent world are angels(SpiritualBeings).Quraninformsusthattheyhave different ranks and positions and they are assigned responsibilitiesaccordingtotheirstatus.

There is an Angel “Gabriel” who is entrusted with the responsibility of being the divine messenger to the Prophets. There are others who record our deeds. These differentresponsibilitiesimplycertaingradingandstatus. All this perhaps imply that Angels would have gone through some kind of test as well; otherwise they could

nothavehaddifferentranks in the permanentworld. For example, the Quran states about the Arch Angel Gabriel that he possesses great power and very high status with theLordofThrone,andthatheisobeyedthere.

In order to become a member of that permanent world, one has to qualify for it first, and then attain positions according to the grades determined through the test in thisworldlylife.

The Quran informs us that we the spiritual beings (persons) were created in that permanent world. The Qurantermsthesespiritualbeingsas“Al Nafs”. There,we weremadetogothroughsystematictrainingandacquired differentvaluesandconcepts.

Justice(Truthfulness,Honesty,Trustworthiness,Meritand Commitmentare themanifestationsofthisbasicvalue) is thevaluethatweacquiredinthatpermanentworld.

Justice is a moral concept. We also acquired aesthetical and mathematical concepts during that form of existence. But, we should always keep in mind that our test in this lifeisconfinedtothemoralsphereandisnotextendedto theotherconcepts.

Aftercompletionofthisprocess,GodpresentedHisentire scheme before us. We (Spiritual Beings) took an oath (covenant mentioned in verse 172 of Surah Al-Araaf, termed as Ahd-e-Alast)withGodinthatpermanentworld.

The oath obliged us to always remember that He is our Lord.Italsoobligedusthatwewoulddojusticewherever wearesentfortest.Afterthisoathtakingceremony,weall were put to slumber, a sleep like state which Quran calls thefirstdeathofthespiritualbeings.Duringthissleep,we were made to forget the details about that permanent

world. However, nobody can deny that they do have the concept of Justice within them. Truthfulness, honesty, trustworthiness, commitment and Merit are the manifestationsofthisbasicconcept“Justice”.

Then God created this tiny temporary world (Ex-nihilo through Energy of His word “Kun”) for the purpose of grading us, so that on reverting to the permanent world, wecouldbegivenpositionsandranksaccordingto merit, and nobody could object over being assigned a higher orlowerrank.

In fact, our creation finds meaning in a very grand scenario in that permanent world. The lens of this tiny temporary world cannot explain the purpose of God for creatinghumansandthisuniverse.



Creation of the bodies (carriers) of Adam & Eve on this earth

As explained earlier, in the first unit (i.e. the observable universe) out of the seven heavens and earths, there is onlyoneplacewherelifeispossible,andthatisourplanet earth. Life started on this earth millions of years ago, but the perfect bodies or carriers for our test have been evolvedovera periodoftime. From Australopithecusto HomoHabilistoHomoErectustoHomoNeanderthalensis to Homo Sapien Sapien i.e. the Modern Human. The first pair of all these races was created directly from soil (contrary to the dictates of the theory of evolution) and thennormalreproductionprocessstarted.

 Accordingtothecurrentscientificknowledge

Similarly,bodiesofAdamandEve(perfectcarriersforthe “Nafs” subject to testing and gradation) were created directly from soil on this earth, (again contrary to the postulates of the theory of evolution). In the early stages of creation of these bodies (male and female), two actual persons(SpiritualBeings)whowereinstateofslumberin that permanent world, were brought to life after being attached with the hearts of these newly created bodies. The male and female bodies are two carriers given to actual persons (Spiritual Beings) for their test in this temporary world. After attaching the Spiritual Beings to the physical bodies, God Almighty blew a divine spark (Spirit/Rooh/Conscience) from His own, into the bodies for further guidance of the Spiritual Beings. This divine spark or conscience acts as an alarm and rebukes the persons(SpiritualBeings)overtheirbaddeeds.

Three Aspects of Human Being:

I. The actual personality (soul): Thisisa Spiritual Beingwhichisa non matter, complete personality /entity. This was created in the permanent world. The Quran terms this spiritual being as “Nafs”. These personalities or “Nafoos” were put to slumber after the covenant (Surah Al-Araaf, Verse 172) with God in the permanent world. These Nafoos are brought from that order of existence andattachedtotheheartsofthephysicalbodiesin the womb of the mothers, after around 120 days fromconception.

Moral concepts, aesthetical concepts, and mathematical concept relate to this actual personality/spiritual being. But we should always keepinmindthatourtestisconfinedtothemoral concepts only. We are not under test with regards tootherconcepts.

II. Body: This body is also a creation of God and is provided to the actual personality as a “carrier”, for a limited time to use, and not to misuse. The body acts on the principle of “Survival of the self andsurvivalofthespecies”,justlikeotheranimals. For the survival of the self the human being eats, drinks, and makes shelter. For the survival of the species,themaleandfemaleactinstinctively,mate, andprocreate.

The term Nafs Al Ammara in the Quran refers to thissexualinstinct.

III. Rooh (Spirit): This is the Spirit/Divine Spark of God, which could be termed as conscience. The Qur’an describes it as “Nafs-e-Lawwama”. It is attached with the body (carrier) for further guidance of the actual personality. The function of the Spirit/Divine Spark or the Conscience is to rebuke the actual personality (Spiritual Being) on the commission of bad deeds. This is termed as “Trust”(Al-Amânah)attheendofSurahAl-Ahzab.

Theactualpersonality(soul)isthedriverofthebodyand its basic test is to keep the body (carrier) within certain limits,foraspecifiedperiod(i.e.untilthebiologicaldeath ofthephysicalbody),whileRoohisthespiritofGod.

In Christianity these three aspects of a human being are more clearlydescribedas body, soulandspirit. Here, itis important to reiterate that the instincts relate to the physical body (carrier), whereas, attributes or concepts relatetotherideri.e.actualpersonality(soul).

 The Curtain World Termed as “Barzakh” in the Holy Quran

At the time of death of the physical body, the reality is exposed to the actual personality (Spiritual Being) for a while. The angels welcome the person who preferred Hereafter to this worldly life. However, those who did otherwise (i.e. they preferred this worldly life to the Hereafter)arearrested.Thenboththegroupsaretakenby the angels to some place in this universe. After this short observation,theactualPersonality(SpiritualBeing)isput tosleepagain.Qurantermsthisastheseconddeathofthe SpiritualBeing.

The actual Personalities (Spiritual Beings) stay in this phasetilltheDayofResurrection.Duringthisperiod,they are totally disconnected from this world. The persons (Spiritual Beings) arrested would have the feeling of remorseandareflectionofthefuturepunishmentwaiting for them due to ignoring the reality of the Hereafter. Theywouldcontinuallyexperiencenightmaresandsevere agony during their sleep. On the contrary, those who followedtherighteouspathintheirworldlylifewouldfeel great pleasure and enjoy sweet feelings of meeting their Lord and the blessings of Paradise during their sleep. Both groups shall remain in this state till the Day of Resurrection.

Asstatedearlier,Qurantermsthisphaseoflifeas Barzakh (A Curtain) but as far as the prophets and martyrs are concerned, the stage of curtain world/Barzakh does not apply to them. As soon as their physical bodies (carriers) dietheyaregivennewbodies(carriers)andarewelcomed intheparadisereservedfortheforemost(Sabqoon).

There, they are given the best of the provisions by their Lord.TheyrejoiceinwhatGodhasbestoweduponthemof His Bounties. Moreover, the angels give them the glad tidings that their righteous companions shall also join themsoon.

On the Judgment Day, they will be brought from there as theprosecutionwitnessesagainsttheirnations.

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First Phase of “Youm-Al-Qiyamah” or beginning of the Judgment Day

Thecycleoflifeanddeathinthepresentprobationphase, which is running smoothly on this earth, shall come to a sudden end on a specific moment. The Holy Quran terms this moment as Al Sa'ah (the Hour). At that moment, a mighty earthquake will strike the earth and a great trumpetshallblow. Thisincidentwilloccur suddenlyand everyone living shall become unconscious. In that state, theyshallbeputtodeath.

Thisfirstblowingofthetrumpetshallmarkthebeginning ofdisorderonthisearth.AccordingtotheHolyQuran,this momentofdisorder(Al Sa'ah)marksthebeginningofthe JudgmentDay.Theword‘day’herereferstoalongperiod justlikesixdaysofcreationoftheheavensandtheearth.

Second Phase of the Judgment Day or “Al-Qiyamah”

Thefirsttrumpetshallbefollowedbythesecondtrumpet “Al-Qiyāmah”. Just after this, all the persons (spiritual beings) shall be resurrected with new physical bodies. Thisis the second stageof the Judgment Day. Quran does notinformusaboutthedurationoftimebetween Al Sa’ah (the first trumpet) and Al Qiyāmah (the second trumpet). However,aftertheResurrection,peoplewillfeelasifthey sleptbutonlyforawhile.

All of us shall be resurrected on this planet Earth where we are living now. At that time, our earth would be in a great disorder. Terrible earthquakes would occur frequently, oceans will overflow, and the mountains will fly like pieces of carded wool. People shall witness all these catastrophes with their own eyes. (i.e. eyes of the newphysicalbodies).

GodAlmightywillcome tothisearthfrom the permanent worldandpeopleshallbe gatheredbefore Himfor a final accountability.Aftertheresurrectionwiththenewbodies, gatheringinthecourtfortheaccountabilitywilltaketime. During that period, people shall pass through different conditions.Asstatedearlier,theearthwouldbeinagreat chaos and disorder. Mighty earthquakes will strike, the oceans will boil, and the mountains will fly like pieces of carded wool. God Almighty shall protect the believers from this mighty terror, which Quran calls Faza-al-Akbar (SupremeHorror).

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Theangelswillmeetthebelievers,consolethem,andgive them the glad tiding of Paradise. On the contrary, those who lived their worldly life in complete heedlessness towardstheHereafterwouldsufferthehardshipsofthese terrorsandthundersphysically.Theywouldbein a great fear of facing the Almighty in His court. To increase their anxiety, they will be made to observe blazing fire of Hell every dawn and dusk, so that they have an idea of their next abode. At this stage, no intercession would be permitted by the Almighty God. However, the Prophets shall be brought to the court as prosecution witnesses to testify against their nations. They will only state what is inquiredbytheAlmightyandwillsaynothingmore.

After completion of the accountability process, people shallbedividedintothreecategories:

i. Theforemostinfaith,Qurantermsthemas “Al Sabqoon”.

ii. The people of the right hand, Quran terms them as “Al Ashab Al Yameen”.

iii. Peopleofthelefthand,Qurantermsthemas “Al Ashab Ashamal” (Thosewhofailed)

This division of the people into three categories shall be finalized on this planet earth where we are living now. ThisperiodisalsopartoftheJudgmentDay.

Since those demised before the first trumpet shall only hear the second trumpet, therefore the Holy Quran sometimesterms “Qiyamah” as “Al-Sa'ah”.

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Third Phase of Judgment Day 'Nuzal' (The

initial feast)

While discussing “Creation of the Present Universe”, it was mentioned: “The Holy Quran further mentions that the universe had a smoke like condition at the beginning. Goddivideditintosevenunitsi.e.,thesevenheavensand the seven earths. In each unit, there is only one place wherelifeispossible,termedastheearthofthatunit.The place reserved for our (humans and Jinns, i.e., the two spiritual beings) trial, gradation, and accountability is termed as the nearest heaven (Samaa-Al-Duniya) i.e., the observableuniverse.

Our earth is the only place in this observable universe where lifeis possible. Neither humans nor jinnshave any access beyond this unit. The other six units, the six heavensandthesixearths,areearmarkedforthephysical rewardandpunishmentofHumanandthe Jinn.These six units comprise of two Paradises for the jinns (for the foremost,andpeopleoftherighthand),twoParadisesfor humans (for the foremost and people of the right hand), andseparateHellsforhumans,andjinns.”

Having faced the accountability in the second phase “Al Qiyamah”, peoplewillbe dividedintothree categories i.e.theforemostinfaith,thepeopleoftherighthand,and the people of the left hand. The criminals and the sinners among the humans and the jinn (i.e. people of the left hand) shall be shifted to their respective hells for punishmentandpurification.Thepeopleoftherighthand andtheforemostamongthehumansandthejinnshallbe shiftedtotheirrespectiveParadises.Whatevertheydesire shall be provided to them and all their wishes shall be fulfilled to their entire satisfaction. This stage comprises

theirinitialfeasttermedas“Nuzal”intheHolyQuran.This isalsopartoftheJudgmentDay.

The physical phase of reward and punishment “Nuzal” is ofgreatimportanceforusnow,aswecanonlyappreciate things with reference to our present condition. Since we exist with physical bodies now, hence only material reward and punishment would create an impact on us, which of course the spiritual reward and punishment cannot. For instance, if we hold a ball in one hand and a billion dollars cheque in another, and offer a kid of 4/5 years to choose between them, the kid would always be attracted towards the ball. He probably would not have a second glance on the cheque, no matter how hard we try tomakehimappreciateitsimportance. Imaginewhenthe samekidgrowsup,whatwouldheoptfor!

Every person is in pledge for his deeds. It is in one’s own hand to attain the minimum purification level in this worldtoavoidthefireofHell.Otherwise,onewillbemade to pay for his actions on the Day of Judgment. After reaching the minimum level of purification, people from hell shall be shifted to the paradises (i.e. both Human & the Jinn) ofpeopleofthe righthand. The time neededfor thepurificationofpersonsinhelldependsuponthestains on the divine spark (Spirit/Conscience/Rooh) they have caused.Thesestainsareresultofthebaddeedswhichone commitsintheworldlylife.Onewillnotbeabletoescape hell until these stains are removed. God Almighty shall notify His Messengers and pious people who will take their acquaintances and believers from the Hells to the Paradises of the people of the right hand. This act is termed as “Intercession”, concisely mentioned in Quran and detail of which can be found in narrations of the Prophet PBUH. This honor shall only be granted to those withwhomGodhasmadeapromise.

Whocanbeanintercessorandhelpergreaterthantheone who rescues them from this painful condition specially whentherewasnohopeofescapeleft!Thepurificationof the polytheist shall not be accomplished till the end i.e. annihilationofthisuniverse.ThedurationoftheJudgment Daystillcontinues. 

End of the Present Universe

As stated earlier, this universe shall not last forever. GodAlmightyhasdecreedaspecifictermforit,atthetime ofitscreation.Thepleasureandenjoymentofthedwellers of the Paradises and punishment for those suffering in Hellswillcontinuetilltheendofthisuniverse.

The universe shall continue to shrink until it is completely annihilated. The present heavens and the earth/the temporaryworldwould come to anend, andthe permanent heavensandtheearths/thepermanentworldwillappear.

As stated earlier, God Almighty created this temporary universe through the energy of His word “KUN” . The universe has been expanding continuously like a balloon, withinaverysmallspaceinthepermanentworld.Rightat the time of its creation, God Almighty decreed a specific term for it. This universe will therefore be annihilated at thecompletionoftheterm.ThePersons (SpiritualBeings) stillinhellsshallalsobeannihilatedwiththisuniverseas that they did not qualify to be part of the permanent world. The remaining persons (Spiritual Beings) shall be reverted to the permanent world from where they were sentforthetestandgradation.

The Holy Quran calls this stage ‘changing of Earth and Heavens’.ItwillmarktheendoftheJudgmentDay.

 Nature of the Permanent World

As stated earlier, we (the spiritual beings) were created for a very big scenario in that permanent world, and not just for this temporary world or this tiny universe. But as far as the reality of that permanent world and its bounties are concerned, we cannot imagine it as long as we are in this probation phase. That is inconceivable and inaccessible to our imagination. Since nothing from that permanent world can be compared to this temporary universe,theQuranjustgiveshintsaboutit.Itcanonlybe saidthatnoeyehasseenit,noearhaseverheardofit,and nothoughtofitevercrossedhumanmind.

 The Ultimate Triumph and Rank of Honour in the “Permanent World”

In Surah Aal-e-Imran Almighty God, after a description of thebountiesoftheParadise(Nuzal Phase),says: “An initial feast of welcome from their Lord and that which is with God is the Best for Al Abrâr (faithful).”

Similarly,AlmightyGodsaysinSurah Qaf: “There they will have all that they desire and we have more (for them)”.

Surah Al Qamar informsusabout The Ultimate Triumph: “In an honourable seat, near a Sovereign Omnipotent King”.

Here we intend to present the thoughts of two renowned exegetesofourtimeconcerningourultimatetriumphand

subsequent participation in the phenomenal projects of Almighty God. The relevant parts of their exegesis are reproduced here for the purpose of reflection and contemplation.

While explaining the above mentioned verse from Surah Al Qamar,MoulanaAminAhsanIslahiwritesinhisTafsir, Tadabbar e Quran: “Statedhereisthe realsuccessofthebelievers….……....the honour which they would have of being courtiers of the court of that Almighty King, will neither be pretentious display nor temporary, that if a person is de seated next day,nobodywouldcareless.……..……thehigheststatusone can attain is an honourable seat near the Almighty King of the Heavens and Earth. One will never merge into God and become God, as is claimed by some esoteric Sufis.” (Tadabbar e Quran, Jild 8, Ayaat 115 116)

Similarly,MoulanaAbulA'laMaududiwrote: “There will be continuous development of humans without the fear of demotion and they will participate in phenomenal projects of Almighty God, with no fear of failure.Buttoimaginethosedevelopmentsandservicesis not conceivable for us in this worldly life, as is not conceivable for a kid to comprehend what would be his exact feelings when he gets married.”(Tafheem Al Quran, Surah Taha, Vol 3, Page 135)

Afterreachingtheconclusionregardingourrealsuccessin the permanent world, should we not as a conscious being start planning seriously for that ultimate triumph, which is to attain an honourable seat in the court of that AlmightyKing.