The belief in the Last Day includes having firm faith in all the events that will take place after death and all that Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) informed us about. These events include the trials in the grave, the sirat (the bridge over hell fire), the Scale or Balance, the reckoning and the reward and punishment and the giving of the records to everyone.
As for the believers, they will be given on their right hands while the Kaafirs (unbelievers) will be given in their left hands behind their back. Allaah says:
"O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, so you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did).Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, He surely will receive an easy reckoning, And will return to his family in joy! But whosoever is given his Record behind his back, He will invoke (his) destruction, and shall enter a blazing Fire, and made to taste its burning. Verily, he was among his people in joy! Verily, he thought that he would never come back (to Us)! (Q84:6-14)
You must believe It is a must to believe as a Muslim in the Day of Resurrection when all of creation (mankind and the jinns) will be brought back to life to give account of how they spent their lives in this world. Allaah says:
"... Then after that, 0 mankind, you will die. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will be raised up. " (Q23:15-16)
To deny it is unbelief whoever denies the Last Day has disbelieved in Allaah and he is out of the fold of Islaam Allaah says:
"The Unbelievers pretend and claim that they will never be resurrected after their death. Say (0 Muhammad): By my Lord you will certainly be resurrected from your graves-then you will be informed of the deeds which you did in the world. That is easy for Allaah. "(Q64:7)
Why last day? This day is termed last day because there is no day coming after it. Allaah says:
"this is a Day of eternal life! "(Q50:34)
It is the Day for rewards or punishment. Reward for your good deeds and punishment for your evil handiworks. Allaah says:
"Whoever meets his Lord with a good deed, shall receive ten times its like in reward; and whoever meets him with an evil deed shall not receive recompense except with its like; and they shall not be wronged. "(Q6:160)
Were the last day not appointed, the differences in life would have been meaningless and far above that is Allaah the Most Wise, the Most Great He says:
"Did you think that We created you without any purpose, and that you would not be brought back to us for recompense." (Q23:115)
It has other names the final Day has other names by which it also called. Allaah calls it Yawmul-Qiyaamah (the day of resurrection or standing), Yawmul Akhirah (the last day), Yawmul- Ghaasiyah (the day of the overwhelming event), Yawmul- Khulud (the day of eternity), Yawmul Taghabun (the day of mutual loss and gain), Yawmul Hisaab (the day of reckoning), Yawmul Fasl (the day of sorting out).
The signs of the coming of the last Day, is either minor or major. One of the minor signs is that women will walk about in nakedness despite being clothed and others. As for the major signs, they include the appearance of Al-Masihi-dajjal (the false messiah), the descent of Eesaa (Jesus) son of Maryam (peace be upon him), the appearance of the beast, the smoke, the rising of the sun from the its place of setting (i.e. the west), earthquakes in the east, west and in the Arabian peninsula and the emergence of the Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog people).
Benefits of belief in the Last Day: Belief in the last day awakens the desire to want to perform good deeds and acts of obedience and it also brings about the fear of committing acts of disobedience and evil deeds. The believer is also pleased and he will not feel sad about any matter of this world that may escape him. His heart looks to the place of ultimate and eternal reward from his Lord.
May we all get that from Allaah.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited