Page 34 - Islam and Karma

ISLAM AND KARMA

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T The afterlife as described in the Qur’an
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As we have seen above, in religions that accept the idea of karma
there is either no belief in an afterlife, or there is mention of the next
world as a place where one stays temporarily. Whereas, Allah tells us
in the Qur’an that when people have lived on earth for a short time
they will stay in their "real home”, the next world, for ever. According
to the Qur’an's teaching, it is this world that is transitory. Everyone,
when they have lived in this world for some 50 or 60 years on average,
will receive their reward in Heaven or in Hell for all they have done
during their time on earth. This is explained in the Qur’an as follows:
The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The
abode of the hereafter—that is truly Life if they only knew. (Surat
al-Ankabut: 64)
The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The
hereafter is better for those who do their duty. So will you not use
your intellect? (Surat al-An’am: 32)
Belief in the afterlife is one of the basic tenets of Islam. Therefore
it is not possible for a Muslim to accept the validity of any belief that
denies the existence of an afterlife, or to be guided by such a belief.
Those who adopt a superstitious belief of this kind on the basis of
hearsay, as an affectation or to follow the latest fad, need to keep this
in mind. Allah describes the fate of those who deny the existence of the
next world in the following words:
As for those who denied Our Signs and the encounter of the here-
after, their actions will come to nothing. Will they be repaid except
for what they did? (Surat al-Araf: 147)
As we see in this verse, the actions of those who reject Allah's
words and deny the existence of the next world will not receive a
pleasant reward. Even though such people's actions are good, if they

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