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