Will you prove the necessity of the resurrection and the existence of the eternal life through evidences?
The properties given to man are evidences for the necessity of his resurrection and the existence of the eternal life.
The Mortality of Man & His Desire to Live Eternally
It is definitely stated in many verses of the Quran that death is certain and that it is impossible to get rid of death as follows: "Every soul shall have a taste of death"(Aal-i Imran, 185; al-Anbiya, 35; al-Ankabut, 57), "All that is on earth will perish"(ar-Rahman, 26).
The fact man cannot find a remedy for death and that man is weak when death is in question is expressed through the following verses: "Say: Running away will not profit you if ye are running away from death or slaughter'" (al-Ahzab, 16), "Say: The Death from which ye flee will truly overtake you" (al-Jumu'a, 8), "Then why do ye not (intervene) when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat - And ye the while (sit) looking on― But We are nearer to him than ye, and yet see not - Then why do you not if you are exempt from (future) account― Call back the soul, if ye are true (in your claim of Independence)!" (al-Waqia, 83-87).
The Prophet (pbuh) stated that there was a cure for everything except old age and death. (1)
The fast advancement of scientific development, medicine and technology in this century has made some people think about the question, "Can a remedy for death be found in the course of time?" What is more, some people regarded this thought as a fact and used it as an excuse to deny the hereafter. However, the researches that were made proved that death was inevitable rather than finding a cure for death; the decree al-mawtu haqqun(death is real) was proved by all researches.
With the impulse of living eternally,human beings have always sought a world where they can live happily, eternally; they have determined hundreds of things that cause death and tried to eliminate these causes in order to attain their desires; they thought they would overcome death if they eliminated these causes. However, these efforts turned out to be useless; every research made on death strengthened the certainty of death. (2)
Alexis Carrel states the following after mentioning the unsuccessful efforts regarding the issue:
"Man will never tire of seeking immortality. He will not attain it, because he is bound by certain laws of his organic constitution. He may succeed in retarding, perhaps even in reversing in some measure, the inexorable advance of physiological time. Never will he vanquish death." (3)
The fact man cannot find a remedy for death and that man is weak when death is in question is expressed through the following verses: "Say: Running away will not profit you if ye are running away from death or slaughter'" (al-Ahzab, 16), "Say: The Death from which ye flee will truly overtake you" (al-Jumu'a, 8), "Then why do ye not (intervene) when (the soul of the dying man) reaches the throat - And ye the while (sit) looking on― But We are nearer to him than ye, and yet see not - Then why do you not if you are exempt from (future) account― Call back the soul, if ye are true (in your claim of Independence)!" (al-Waqia, 83-87).
The Prophet (pbuh) stated that there was a cure for everything except old age and death. (1)
The fast advancement of scientific development, medicine and technology in this century has made some people think about the question, "Can a remedy for death be found in the course of time?" What is more, some people regarded this thought as a fact and used it as an excuse to deny the hereafter. However, the researches that were made proved that death was inevitable rather than finding a cure for death; the decree al-mawtu haqqun(death is real) was proved by all researches.
With the impulse of living eternally,human beings have always sought a world where they can live happily, eternally; they have determined hundreds of things that cause death and tried to eliminate these causes in order to attain their desires; they thought they would overcome death if they eliminated these causes. However, these efforts turned out to be useless; every research made on death strengthened the certainty of death. (2)
Alexis Carrel states the following after mentioning the unsuccessful efforts regarding the issue:
"Man will never tire of seeking immortality. He will not attain it, because he is bound by certain laws of his organic constitution. He may succeed in retarding, perhaps even in reversing in some measure, the inexorable advance of physiological time. Never will he vanquish death." (3)
That man was created as a growing and developing being made it necessary for him to grow old and to die. Man can find ways of living longer and more healthily but he cannot stop aging; nor can he eliminate death...
Man indicates the existence of the hereafter through his material and spiritual properties
Man indicates the existence of the hereafter through his material and spiritual properties
Man is a being that has been created man in the best of moulds (at-Tin, 4), that has been fashioned in due proportion and that has been given a just bias (al-Infitar, 7), that has been given all that he asks for (Ibrahim, 34), that has been created a vicegerent on earth (al-Baqara, 30) and that has been given a lot of bounties and sustenance (al-Isra, 70) by Allah Almighty. All living and non-living beings in the world work for human beings and try to be human beings.
It is enough to look at the human brain to understand the greatness of man. It has been calculated that there are about 2³°° atoms in the universe. In human brain, there are about 10 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell can give two different responses; so, 10 billion nerve cells has 2¹°•°°°•°°°•°°° abilities. When 2³°° is multiplied by 2¹°•°°°•°°°•°°°, it will be seen how many universes human brain contains. (4)
Light travels amazingly fast, 300.000 km per second, but man reaches the sun and stars faster than light through thought and imagination; he virtually encompasses the universe through his thoughts. (5)
The other material organs of man are like that. Hundreds of factories virtually operate in every organ of man. The things that cannot be done in large factories are done even in a single cell.
Man's material structure is like that; what about his spiritual structure and world? The spirit is superior to matter; similarly, man's spiritual life, talents and abilities are so amazing and they are too sophisticated to understand. There are so many abilities and talents in human spirit in return for his endless needs, pains and pleasures. Man is like an enigma that has not been fully understood yet.
The following couplet attributed to Hz. Ali' expresses the place and importance of man in the universe concisely:
Tazunnu annaka jirmun saghirun
Wa fîka intawa al-alamu'l-akbar
It is enough to look at the human brain to understand the greatness of man. It has been calculated that there are about 2³°° atoms in the universe. In human brain, there are about 10 billion nerve cells. Each nerve cell can give two different responses; so, 10 billion nerve cells has 2¹°•°°°•°°°•°°° abilities. When 2³°° is multiplied by 2¹°•°°°•°°°•°°°, it will be seen how many universes human brain contains. (4)
Light travels amazingly fast, 300.000 km per second, but man reaches the sun and stars faster than light through thought and imagination; he virtually encompasses the universe through his thoughts. (5)
The other material organs of man are like that. Hundreds of factories virtually operate in every organ of man. The things that cannot be done in large factories are done even in a single cell.
Man's material structure is like that; what about his spiritual structure and world? The spirit is superior to matter; similarly, man's spiritual life, talents and abilities are so amazing and they are too sophisticated to understand. There are so many abilities and talents in human spirit in return for his endless needs, pains and pleasures. Man is like an enigma that has not been fully understood yet.
The following couplet attributed to Hz. Ali' expresses the place and importance of man in the universe concisely:
Tazunnu annaka jirmun saghirun
Wa fîka intawa al-alamu'l-akbar
You think you are a small thing,
But the big realm has been rolled into you.(6)
Therefore, man, who has such a nature, cannot be left on his own; the great care shown for him cannot be explained by having a short life and entering the grave without being resurrected afterwards. On the contrary, he has been created for a life beyond the life in this world. Man cannot say, "What value do I have? Why should the universe be demolished, the Doomsday strike and a new realm be established for me? Where is the harm if I deny and commit sins as an unimportant being?" (7)
Anyone who pays attention to the nature, abilities and talents of man will immediately understand that he has been created for an eternal realm. When a person sees a big fish like a whale thrashing about in a small pool, he immediately understands that this fish is not suitable for living in this pool but in big seas and oceans; similarly, man has a nature like that. Man's nature, abilities and talents witness and prove that he has been created for another realm.
It cannot be thought that man has been given numerous talents and abilities for this worldly life. For, he does not need most of them here. What is more, when many abilities, talents, feelings and faculties are not used for the purposes they have been created for, they harm man and give him troubles. For instance, thinking about the pleasures in the past, worrying about his future, excessive desire and ambition for the world but the lack of satisfaction despite them harm him and spoil his pleasure. It means these feelings have not been given to man for this worldly life. On the contrary, they have been given to him to gain the eternal life. For, the real worry about the future is necessary for what is beyond the grave. The real ambition is necessary to be prepared for the hereafter. The real love has been given for the hereafter and faithful friends... They are the real reasons for these feelings and faculties. Otherwise, they will bring harm rather than benefit.
Therefore, if it is assumed that the hereafter does not exist, man becomes lower and unluckier than all animals in terms of rank and honor. (8) For, the troubles, misfortunes and disasters that man encounters in this world are more than those of animals because man is exposed to pains and misfortunes before and after they take place too since he thinks and worries about them. However, animals are not like that. They suffer only when the misfortunes hit. Therefore, they are relaxed. They do not feel uneasy since they do not think about the future and the past. The benefits man obtains from the worldly life are not more than those of the animals in terms of their number and the pleasures and peace they give. For instance, if we think of the amount, the ox eats more than man and the sparrow has sexual intercourse more than man. If we think of the pleasures and peace, the worldly life is full of troubles, misfortunes, difficulties and hardships; the pleasures are very few, like a drop in the sea. Therefore, man will be meaner and unluckier than all animals if there is not another realm, the hereafter, where he will attain pure pleasures and bounties. Animals will obtain more pleasures and bounties than man if the hereafter does not exist. (9)
While interpreting the verses, "I do call to witness the Resurrection Day; And I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit" (al-Qiyama, 1-2) Jawhari states the following regarding the issue:
"Allah Almighty swears by the Resurrection Day andthe self-reproaching soul regarding our resurrection. That is, He says we will definitely be resurrected. Allah Almighty swears by the greatness of the Doomsday and the soul that turns toward lofty places and wishes to be elevated. This soul is such a soul that it does not find any rank sufficient; it desires more. It does not find anything enough and asks for the next one and the superior one.
Therefore, this vow is like proof for the hereafter. Allah Almighty virtually states the following: The love of being elevated in your souls and the desire of not remaining in a limited rank prove the existence of another life where you will attain the things that he desires.
The nature of man proves the existence of the hereafter. Man's desire of lofty ranks, his thirst, ambitions, seeking more wealth and knowledge all the time, not settling in a state and not finding that state sufficient prove that there is another life. Human soul wants to search and find new things a lot. There exists the desire of victory and being superior to others in his nature.
In history, all kings wanted to rule more people and all wealthy people wanted to have more property. Nothing fills the belly of man except dust. Were those desires and wishes created in vain? Definitely not. They were created due to a secret that will be revealed after death and on the Day of Judgment. If man does not have an eternal purpose, life will be valueless.
The end of the system in the world will be a failure. However, each faculty in living beings has a certain purpose. What is the reason for man's stinginess, wars, wishing to have a lot of knowledge, obtaining property, worries, building ships, inventing weapons, etc? Are they for the worldly life, which is not worth these efforts?
The Quran answers this question as follows: I swear by self-reproaching soul that does not stop at any limitations and that seeks lofty ranks. The meaning of this vow is as follows: This faculty has been placed in your spirits so that you will obtain everything in another realm and you will not be sad due to the lack of anything."(10)
If man were to be given the wealth of Croesus (Qarun), the wisdom of Luqman, the sultanate of Sulayman, even the earth and everything on and in it, the skies and everything in them, he would ask, "Are there more?" By expressing the meanings engraved in his spirit by the divine pen, he virtually says, "Wealth and property that I desire can be present only in another realm loftier than this one and in a land that is suitable for my demands and that will satisfy my needs."(11)
As a matter of fact, the following verse indicates that man should not be pleased with this worldly life and that he needs to search and desire another realm and it condemns those who try to be satisfied with the worldly life: "Those who are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present..." (Yunus, 7)
Footnotes:
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1. See Abu Dawud, Tibb, 1, II, 396; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 1, II, 1137.
2. Han, al-Islam Yatahadda, trnsl into Arabic by Zafaru'l-Islam Han, Beirut, 1985, 9th imp. p. 79-80.
3. Han, al-Islam Yatahadda, p. 81 (quoted from Man, the Unknown, p. 175)
4. Ayhan Songar. Enerji ve Hayat, Yeni Asya Publ İst. 1979, 8th imp. p. 1.
5. Georges Lakhovsky, L'Éternité La Vie et La Mort, Bibliotheque Charpentier, Paris, p. 202.
6. Ali b. Abi Talib, Diwanu Amiri'l-Mu'minin, compiled by: A. al-Karam, Beirut, 1998, p. 45
7. Said Nursi states the following while interpreting the verse, 'He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth': "In this verse, there is a sign for the existence of the hereafter and for removing doubts regarding the issue. The deniers virtually say, “What is man’s importance in the eye of Allah that the resurrection should be brought about for him and the world destroyed for his happiness?” The Quran answers such a doubt with the signs of this verse: “Seeing that all that the earth contains has been prepared for his use and all its species of beings have been subjugated to him, that Allah created the universe for man not for His own being and that He created man to worship Him, he must have supreme importance; this shows he is the fruit of creation." It shows that man is an exceptional and distinguished being in this universe; he is not like the other animals. Therefore, he deserves to be addressed by the core of the following verse: '…and again to Him will ye return.' (al-Baqara, 28)"(Nursi, İşâratu'l-İ'câz, p. 281)
8. See Raghib, Tafsilu'n-Nash'atayn wa Tahsilu's-Saadatayn, p. 178
9. Fawi, p.173.
10. Jawhari, XII, Part 2, p. 308.
11. Jawhari, V, Part 1, p. 110.
As a matter of fact, the following verse indicates that man should not be pleased with this worldly life and that he needs to search and desire another realm and it condemns those who try to be satisfied with the worldly life: "Those who are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present..." (Yunus, 7)
Footnotes:
----------------------------------
1. See Abu Dawud, Tibb, 1, II, 396; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 1, II, 1137.
2. Han, al-Islam Yatahadda, trnsl into Arabic by Zafaru'l-Islam Han, Beirut, 1985, 9th imp. p. 79-80.
3. Han, al-Islam Yatahadda, p. 81 (quoted from Man, the Unknown, p. 175)
4. Ayhan Songar. Enerji ve Hayat, Yeni Asya Publ İst. 1979, 8th imp. p. 1.
5. Georges Lakhovsky, L'Éternité La Vie et La Mort, Bibliotheque Charpentier, Paris, p. 202.
6. Ali b. Abi Talib, Diwanu Amiri'l-Mu'minin, compiled by: A. al-Karam, Beirut, 1998, p. 45
7. Said Nursi states the following while interpreting the verse, 'He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth': "In this verse, there is a sign for the existence of the hereafter and for removing doubts regarding the issue. The deniers virtually say, “What is man’s importance in the eye of Allah that the resurrection should be brought about for him and the world destroyed for his happiness?” The Quran answers such a doubt with the signs of this verse: “Seeing that all that the earth contains has been prepared for his use and all its species of beings have been subjugated to him, that Allah created the universe for man not for His own being and that He created man to worship Him, he must have supreme importance; this shows he is the fruit of creation." It shows that man is an exceptional and distinguished being in this universe; he is not like the other animals. Therefore, he deserves to be addressed by the core of the following verse: '…and again to Him will ye return.' (al-Baqara, 28)"(Nursi, İşâratu'l-İ'câz, p. 281)
8. See Raghib, Tafsilu'n-Nash'atayn wa Tahsilu's-Saadatayn, p. 178
9. Fawi, p.173.
10. Jawhari, XII, Part 2, p. 308.
11. Jawhari, V, Part 1, p. 110.
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