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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lynette Thomas, Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife, bahai-library.com.
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Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife
Lynette Thomas
Abstract
Traditionally, Judeo-Christian and Muslim views of life after death have
been given a literal interpretation: bodily resurrection, a day of judgement
and the physical reality of heaven and hell. This paper seeks to interpret
these beliefs in heaven, hell and the afterlife from a spiritual viewpoint as
enunciated in the writings of the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i perspective of
the nature of the soul and its continued existence after the death of the
physical body will become apparent in the course of this examination.
Introduction
The writings of the Baha'i Faith offer an interpretation of the writings of
many other holy scriptures on the subject of life after death. These
interpretations are often, though not always, at variance with the so-called
traditional or literal interpretations espoused by the followers of the other
monotheistic religions.
The basis of belief in these interpretations is, for a Baha'i, fundamental to
one's belief in Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this age. As
Baha'u'llah Himself has explained:
"Know verily that the purpose underlying all these symbolic terms
and abstruse allusions, which emanate from the Revealers of
God's holy Cause, hath been to test and prove the peoples of the
world; that thereby the earth of the pure and illuminated hearts
may be known from the perishable and barren soil From time
70 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
immemorial such hath been the way of God amidst His creatures,
and to this testify the records of the sacred books."*
Thus, the use of figurative language to explain spiritual truths, especially
events associated with the appearance of a new prophet, have been used
by past prophets so that their followers would understand these truths.
Hence, such terms as "birth", "death", "resurrection" and so on are not
meant to be taken literally, but are used as symbols.
An examination of the references made to heaven, hell and the afterlife in
Judaism, Christianity and Islam will reveal the respective escatologies of
these religions, while a comparison with the Baha'i perspective of such
issues will offer a new interpretation of their literal meaning.
1. Judaism
As with many of the earlier religions, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly
what Jewish belief regarding various issues was at a particular time in
history. All we really have to go on are the texts that have survived. It
seems that views about the afterlife and concepts such as heaven and hell
did alter and evolve over time, and became mixed with the cultures
associated with the Jewish diaspora. Even today there are many schools of
thought including the Orthodox, Conservative and the Reform movement
as well as others.
Up to the 2nc* century BC, Jews believed that nothing remained after the
physical death of the body except a "shade". This entity descended into a
deep pit called Sheol which is located beneath the earth - a place of gloom
and dust inhabited by the just and the unjust alike.
"When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit,
with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of
the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the
i
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 49-50.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 71
pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of
the living" (Ezekiel 26,20)
There is no mention of judgement or resurrection and all seem to exist
there in a state of sleep.
"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more,
they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job 14,
12)
Other characteristics ascribed to Sheol are silence, destruction, an absence
of knowledge of one's former life or of life in the material plane, lack of
material possessions, and complete inactivity.
"... there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, no wisdom, in
the grave, whither thou goest" (Ecclesiastes 9, 10)
Heaven and hell as distinct destinations of the soul after death did not exist
in Jewish eschatology at that time. Heaven was simply the dwelling place
of God, and when paradise is mentioned it is only in the context of the
Garden of Eden rather than the final resting place for righteous souls. Hell
or Gehenna is a physical place - a valley outside Jerusalem which served
as a general rubbish dump and a burial place for criminals. It was only
later that it became associated with a place of torment for wicked souls.
These views reflect both the Hebrew Bible and the so-called
pseudepigraphic literature (non-official scriptures whose origin and
authorship are in doubt). Only Enoch (written between the third and first
centuries BC by several different authors) mentions Sheol as a kind of
holding place, divided into three separate compartments, for souls
awaiting a final judgement. Only those who were punished for their sins
while on earth would remain in Sheol. The others are resurrected: sinners
who died without being punished would be despatched to the horrors of
Gehenna, while those who lived a righteous life would find themselves in
paradise, having achieved bodily resurrection.
A conceptual change in Jewish belief is apparent in the second and first
centuries BC, when resurrection is associated with the coming of a
72 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
redemptive figure and the establishment of a messianic kingdom on earth.
This is very similar to the Christian concept of the Last Judgement.
Among other events that will come to pass is the gathering together of the
scattered tribes of Israel into one place when all will be renewed by the
breath of God.
"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out
of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all
yourfilthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you . A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will
give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgements, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I
gave to your fathers: and ye shall keep my judgements, and do
them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers:
and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36,
24-28)
The Judgement will see sinners destroyed and only the righteous
resurrected to live eternally in God's kingdom on earth. The
pseudepigraphic literature of the 1 s t century BC mentions a temporary
earthly kingdom ruled by the Messiah before the final judgement takes
place at which time the righteous will be spiritually resurrected while the
wicked will remain in Gehenna or Sheol for eternity.
There is a possibility of the Jews having adopted the belief in resurrection
from the Zoroastrians whom they encountered in the Persian Empire
during the Babylonian Exile since it was only after the Babylonian Exile
that the idea of resurrection appeared in Old Testament apocalyptic
literature.
Bowker2 comments, "at the time when Jesus was alive, there were many
competing views of how Jews should live as the true children of the
covenant ... what we find in practice is a coalition of traditions and, even
In The Meanings of Death, CUP, Cambridge, 1991, p. 76.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 73
more, a coalition of dreams - dreams based on Biblical promises, and, not
least, in those days, dreams of a coming Messiah."
Contemporary Jewish belief in general seems to indicate that death is not
considered a tragedy even when it occurs before old age. Belief in the
afterlife, where those who have lived a worthy life are rewarded is the
main reason for this view. As to what happens after death, the dominant
view is that when the body dies the soul still exists in different places.
While part of the soul remains with the body in anticipation of the revival
of the dead at the Resurrection, other parts go elsewhere - perhaps to
Paradise, or to Gehenna, or even to join another soul in an existing person
to assist with its development. This continues until the time that God
decrees.
Beliefs originating from the kabbala, the Jewish mystical teachings, which
can be traced back to the Biblical prophets indicate the belief in a kind of
purgatory called chibut hakever or kafhakeleh (also known as Sling Shot)
in which the soul is beaten or scrubbed to purge it of its impurities. This is
the lot of those who have not merited connection with the All-Mighty.
Once this purging (described as being chased by destroying angels from
one end of the spiritual world to the other) is complete, one of two things
occur: suitably purged, the soul may attain Shekina (God's presence) or it
may be reincarnated. Some souls return to earth not because they need
improvement, but simply out of a desire to help others.
2. Christianity
Christianity did not become recognizably different from Judaism, of
which it was seen as a movement, until around 64 AD/CE. It shares with
Judaism the books of the Old Testament as part of its holy scripture.
Much of what Christians believe about the afterlife is associated with their
belief in the resurrection of Christ.
In the New Testament, Hades or hell as the place between death and
resurrection is mentioned several times, but most descriptively in the
parable of Lazarus. (Luke 16, 19-26):
74 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
'There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the
rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was caried by
the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died and was
buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
Elsewhere Hell is described as a 'furnace of fire" (Matthew 13, 42,50),
"everlasting fire" (Matthew 25, 41) and a place where the wicked shall
"go away into everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25, 46). Revelation also
provides a graphic description of what awaits those who have sinned:
(Revelation 20, 10-13):
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 75
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works."
This however, in contrast to the parable of Lazarus, refers to the final
judgement. So while Hades is the intermediate stage between death and
resurrection, Hell as described in Revelation is the final and everlasting
abode for those whose deeds have been judged to be wicked.
References to humanity's final reckoning are prolific in the New
Testament compared with descriptions of what is in store for us
individually. Paul asserts that it is only those "in Chrisť who will be
resurrected, although in Acts he is reported to have said that both the
righteous and the wicked will be raised. But in any case the general
resurrection is linked to that of Jesus {"the first-born of the dead' -
Colossians 1,18) which is thought to be instrumental to our "saving". As
Paul says in Romans 5, 24-5:
"If we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the
dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again
for our justification."
Indeed, the notion of Jesus as saviour is pivotal to Christian belief in the
afterlife - if one accepts him one will enter paradise, if not one's lot is hell-
fire and damnation with no possibility of resurrection. It is belief more
than deeds that will decide one's lot. Even then, according to some
Christians, God's grace and mercy are so all-encompassing that even those
who have not lived in Christ, so to speak, may be accepted into God's
kingdom upon death. As one Christian minister^ said, "Who am I to
judge? God is the final judge and it is not my place to deny a man or his
family a Christian burial."
Whether resurrection will be a bodily or a spiritual one depends on the
particular "brand" of Christianity subscribed to. Many contemporary
Christians reject the literal interpretation of biblical references to Hell,
Reverend Gareth Huw Thomas, Uniting Church of Australia, in a telephone
conversation with the author in April 1998.
76 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
preferring to view it as "isolation from Goď\ Roman Catholics believe
that Hell exists as a place where the wicked will be punished in
accordance with the gravity of their sins. This may take the form of
permanent isolation from God and the administration of some kind of
"fire" that will cause pain to the soul. Even those who die in a state of
grace will need to spend some time being cleansed of their imperfections
and (venial or minor) sins in Purgatory. The duration and intensity of this
punishment may be lessened by people offering prayers and other acts of
piety and devotion. In "Life After Death: A Study of the Afterlife in
World Religions" Farnaz Ma'sumian states:
"It would seem inappropriate to ascribe physical attributes to this
celestial heaven or kingdom of spirits, and neither would it make
sense to expect material pleasures or rewards for souls in such a
celestial environment." (p. 60)
Likewise the bodily resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion is often
disputed. It is Paul who emphasises the spiritual resurrection: "And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was
made a quickening spirit" (I Corinthians 15, 45) and later "Now this I say,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" (I
Corinthians, 15, 50). He speaks of our having both a terrestrial and a
celestial body and that it is the latter that is resurrected. His own
conversion was the result of his vision of Christ not in the flesh but in the
spirit, and he also imputes that the disciples also saw Jesus' celestial rather
than his physical body in 1 Corinthians 15, 44:
"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
The Final Judgement and the second coming of Christ (often known as the
Parousia) are mentioned extensively throughout the New Testament and
are even considered as imminent. Humankind will be judged by or
through Christ and the dead will be resurrected with spiritual bodies. The
Book of Revelation describes two stages during which different categories
of the departed are raised. The first to be raised will be the martyrs:
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 11
"I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, andfor the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in the hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years. But the rest of the dead live not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
(Revelation 20, 4-5)
The second resurrection takes place after Satan, previously imprisoned for
one thousand years in a bottomless pit, is released and his army
consequently defeated and he himself thrown into a lake of fire and
brimstone to be tormented night and day for ever and ever. (Revelation 20,
7-10):
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
The righteous, however, will be saved:
"...the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
(Revelation 21, 3-4)
78 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
3. Islam
For Islamic beliefs we turn to the Qu'ran, considered by Muslims to be the
word of God as revealed to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel. It
summons man to submit to God and do His Will or suffer the
consequences in the afterlife. Thus, those who submit will enter the garden
of paradise, while those who do not undergo severe punishment. In
addition to the Qu'ran, Muslims refer to the stories and sayings of the
prophet (the Hadith or the Tradition) and other customs to determine their
understanding of death, although not in a way that would be contrary to
the authority of the Qu'ran.
Hell is reserved for those who commit sacrilege and blasphemy,
hypocrites, polytheists, those who go astray, those who deny God's signs,
transgressors, sinners and the arrogant. Their destiny is the "scourge of
Hell" (S32;20). The wrongdoers "shall be left to endure its torments on
their knees." (SI9; 68), and those damned by their sins shall "drink boiling
water and be sternly punished for their unbelief (S6; 70). There is no
respite from the torture, for once one's skin has burned, it will be renewed
to be burned anew! (S4;55). Hell also goes by the name of Jahannan or Al-
Gehennam (similar to the Hebrew Gehenna).
It is interesting how descriptions for Paradise centre on the metaphor of
luxuriant "Gardens under which rivers flow". This undoubtedly has to do
with the arid desert climate of the country where Muhammad preached.
Paradise is also known in Arabic as Al-Jannah and translated as the
Garden of Reward. Those who qualify are those who turn to Islam, and the
rewards are not just metaphorical. The majority of Muslims believe these
descriptions to be literal - in other words, as actual places in another part
of God's creation. Again, only those with true faith and good works shall
inhabit this exalted creation:
"He shall abide for ever in the gardens of Eden, in gardens
watered by running streams. Such shall be the recompense of
those that purify themselves." (S20; 76)
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 79
"Allah ... will reward them for their steadfastness with robes of
silk and the delights of Paradise. Reclining there upon soft
couches, they shall feel neither the scorching heat nor the biting
cold. Trees will spread their shade around them, and fruits will
hang in clusters over them. They shall be served with silver
dishes, and beakers as large as goblets; silver goblets which they
themselves shall measure: and cups brim-full with ginger-
flavoured water from the Fount ofSelsabil. They shall be attended
by boys graced with eternal youth, who to the beholder's eyes will
seem like sprinkled pearls. When you gaze upon that scene you
will behold a kingdom blissful and glorious. They shall be arrayed
in garments of fine green silk and rich brocade, and adorned with
bracelets of silver. Their Lord will give them pure beverage to
drink. Thus you shall be rewarded;" (S76; 12-22)
Paradise is also described as a place of peace where the righteous "will
dwell in peace with Allah." (S6; 127). In addition to all these material
delights the faithful will experience the sublime joy of beholding Allah:
"On that day there shall be joyous faces, looking towards their Lord."
(S75; 22)
Both Hell and Paradise are seen as real. This comment by Bowkeri*
explains:
"Whereas Jews and Christians may (some do not) regard
particular imaginations of heaven and hell as conceptual
episodes, whose rise and fall can be traced, Muslims cannot do
so: the descriptions of the Garden and the Fire are not conceptual
episodes - they are not even concepts: they are places and
circumstances, the reality of which will be eschatologically
verified, as the Qu 'ran frequently reminds us, though it does not
use that language!".
The Day of Judgement, the day when the dead will be revived, is another
literal event:
Bowker, John, The Meanings of Death, CUP, Cambridge, 1991, p. 127.
80 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
"7 swear by the Day of Resurrection, and the self-reproaching
soul! Does man think We shall never put his bones together
again? Indeed, We can remould his very fingers!" (S75; 1-4)
The sequence of events will be as follows: first the raising up of the dead,
second the delivery of each man's record into his hand (either right - for
the righteous or left - for the wicked, according to his deeds), third the
judgement of the virtuous and the sinners, and finally the admittance of
the righteous into Paradise and the despatch of the wicked to the eternal
torments of Hell. Immediately preceding the raising of the dead will occur
two (or three) trumpet blasts. None except God knows when the Day of
Judgement will take place, not even Muhammad whose duty is to "warn
those that fear it" (S75, 44).
However there are many signs recorded in the Hadith as to when this will
occur. Some of these are the sun rising in the west, the eclipse of the
Moon, the coming of the Antichrist, the eruption of Gog and Magog, the
appearance of the Beast or the Anti-Christ, the return of Christ and the
appearance of the Al-Mahdi (the Rightly Guided One) as well as various
cataclysmic events. Many of these signs are similar to those depicted in
the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. After the Judgement time
will come to an end, the universe will disappear and nothing shall remain
except Allah, paradise for the blessed and Hell for the doomed.^
4. Baha'i Faith
The Baha'i Writings offer an interpretation of the writings of some holy
scriptures other than its own, particularly on the subject of the life
hereafter, as well as the Baha'i view of the origin, nature and progress of
the soul once it has become separated from the body.
The soul, as distinct from the body albeit related to it, comes into being at
the moment of conception and endures forever.
Sherif, Faruq, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an, Garnet Publishing, Reading,
1995.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife
"Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from
the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence
of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of
ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world,
can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His
sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure "6
When freed from the confines of its physical body upon death, the soul
continues its unending progress through the spiritual worlds - worlds
beyond time and space. That is all we are permitted to know as
"The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet
and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes ofmen"^
We are told, however, that the soul can be assisted to progress, not through
our conscious effort (we can only do that here) but through God's grace
(the main means) or by others saying prayers on our behalf and good
deeds performed by others in our name.
There is much in the Writings that we are told about the soul in general
and this helps us understand the purpose of our physical existence. Our
material existence is necessary, it is said, so that our souls may acquire the
spiritual capacities necessary for existence in the realm of the spirit. This
workshop of life requires a teacher to enable us to learn and develop those
qualities that will equip us for the next life. Such a teacher must exemplify
all the virtues in their conduct and provide us with the laws that will
provide for our development. The divine teachers are of course the
prophets of God.
This world is seen as
"but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the
semblance of reality ...a vapour in a desert, which the thirsty
BaháVlláh, Gleanings, pp. 155-6.
BaháVlláh, Gleanings, pp. 156-7.
82 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until
when he cometh unto it, hefindeth it to be mere illusions
"The meaning of eternal life is the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the
flower receives the gift of the season, the air, and the breezes of
spring. Consider: this flower had life in the beginning like the life
of the mineral; but by the coming of the season of spring, of the
bounty and the clouds of the springtime, and of the heat of the
glowing sun, it attained to another life of the utmost freshness,
delicacy and fragrance. The first life of the flower, in comparison
to the second life, is deaths
Life in this world is compared to the unborn child in the womb of its
mother - during its preparation for life in this world the foetus develops
organs, limbs, and so on that are necessary for its survival. So it is with
our preparation for the spiritual world to come - we must (but consciously)
develop the spiritual capacities needed for our souls to progress. Our
principal duty in this world is to know God and to worship Him. We do
this by recognizing His Manifestation for this Day and by obedience to
His Laws.
Paradise as a place of material delights is regarded as a symbol of the
spiritual condition of the soul when it attains God's good pleasure.
"As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt about it,
and now in this world it is realized through love of Me and My
good-pleasure. Whosoever attaineth unto it God will aid him in
this world below, and after death He will enable him to gain
admittance into Paradise whose vastness is as that of heaven and
earth ..." 10
This is the case whether the soul is still in contact with the physical body
or in the spiritual plane. Thus, heaven can be regarded as the joy of loving
BaháVlláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf p. 56.
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-I-Iqan, pp. 120-121.
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, pp. 70-71.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 83
God and drawing closer to Him by following the teachings of God's
messenger and by acquiring virtues.
Elsewhere in the Baha'i Writings paradise has been described as:
"to be exposed to God's Manifestation in His Day, to hear His
verses and believe in them, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly
kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits
of the paradise of His divine Oneness"^ 1
and also "to obey God's commandments"^.
The rewards of the next world are "peace, the spiritual graces, the various
spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the desires of the
heart and the soul, and the meeting of God in the world of eternity. "13
We are told that the soul will retain its consciousness and individuality
and remember its physical life on earth including recognizing other souls
and communing spiritually with them. In addition, if marriage bonds have
been spiritual they will also survive into the next world. The soul will also
be able to converse with the prophets of God and His chosen ones, and we
will become aware of all the mysteries of the universe.
Hell can also be experienced while we are still alive - it is interpreted as
being far from God, and being deprived of His good pleasure. Exclusive
focus on one's material nature and desires are obvious examples of a
soul's torture in this life. The soul in this condition can be described as
being condemned to the "fire" of unbelief and to the "wrath" of God.
Punishment for such souls in the next life is likely to "consist in being
deprived of the special divine blessings and the absolute bounties, and
falling into the lowest degree of existence "^^
' Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 88-89.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 77.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 98-99.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 98-99.
84 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
Concerning judgement of our lives after death, Baha'is believe that we
become aware of our past good and bad deeds immediately after death, so
that we may actually experience a state of bliss or loss accordingly. This
corresponds with the literal references to heaven and hell in other
scriptures. The rewards of heaven would thus be nearness to God and
everlasting joy, whereas the punishments of hell would be remoteness
from God and being deprived of His blessings^. The rewards of heaven
are not restricted to Baha'is, incidentally, but are extended to "every pure,
every refined and sanctified soul". 16
With reference to the resurrection of Christ, 'Abdu'1-Bahá explains, "The
resurrections of the Divine Manifestations are not of the body" and that
their teachings have a spiritual and divine signification. Christ's
resurrection is given a completely spiritual interpretation:
"the disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of
Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His
bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power, was hidden and
concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom, and was not
resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost, for the believers
were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The Cause
of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after three days the
disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the
Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings,
putting His counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the
Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared;
His religion found life; His teachings and His admonitions
became evident and visible. In other words, the Cause of Christ
was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty of the Holy
Spirit surrounded it." 17
The events predicted in the scriptures of other religions as characterising
the Last Days are explained by Baha'u'llah in his Book of Certitude
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 224.
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, p. 154.
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Some Answered Question, pp. 103-105.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 85
(Kitab-i-Iqan) as being symbolic. The events were described in this way
so that people could, in their own capacity, understand them. The Day of
Resurrection is the day when a new messenger appears to guide the people
back to spiritual truth. The spiritually dead, if they are able to accept the
new messenger, are thus brought out of the graves of disbelief.
Conclusion
While literal interpretations of scriptural references to heaven, hell and the
Day of Judgement continue to be upheld in Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, the Baha'i Faith offers a new, spiritual, interpretation of these
beliefs.
Baha'u'llah, as the latest in a line of prophets who have appeared
throughout history to guide humanity, re-affirms the spiritual teachings of
all religions and at the same time opens our eyes to the allusions of the
holy scriptures of the past - explaining them and revealing their spiritual
meaning:
"whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is
quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily
is of those that have attained unto life' and 'resurrection' and
have entered into the 'paradise' of the love of God. And
whosoever is not of them, is condemned to 'death' and
'deprivation', to the 'fire of unbelief, and to the 'wrath' of God. In
all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death,
of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath
been pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the
ethereal cup of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been
deprived of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day"^%
For those who ascribe to these new interpretations,
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 76-7.
86 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
"The flames of hell have been made to blaze, and heaven hath
been brought nigh; the celestial gardens are in flower, and fresh
pools are brimming over, and paradise gleameth in beauty ... the
veil hath fallen away, the curtain is lifted, the clouds have parted,
the Lord of Lords is in plain sight,"^
while the unaware are "are still mired down in their empty dreams"^
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Selections of the Writings of 'Abdu 'l-Bahá, pp. 14-15.
Ibid.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 87
Works Cited
'Abdu'1-Bahá,
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, Haifa, Baha'i World
Centre, 1978.
Some Answered Questions, Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1984.
Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Bahá 7 World Centre,
Baha'i World Centre, 1976
BaháVUáh
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, revised edition, 1953.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, trans. S. Effendi, 2n(*
revised ed., Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976.
Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude), Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1983.
Bowker, John, The Meanings of Death, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press, 1991.
Ma'sumian, Farnaz, Life After Death, A Study of the Afterlife in World
Religions, Oxford, Oneworld Publications, 1995.
Randies, Jenny & Hough, Peter, The Afterlife: An Investigation into the
Mysteries of Life after Death, London, Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd,
1993.
Sherif, Faruq, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an, Reading, Garnet
Publishing, 1995.
The Holy Bible (King James version), Oxford University Press, London
The Koran, trans. N.J. Dawood, Middlesex, England, Penguin Books,
1956.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife
Lynette Thomas
Abstract
Traditionally, Judeo-Christian and Muslim views of life after death have
been given a literal interpretation: bodily resurrection, a day of judgement
and the physical reality of heaven and hell. This paper seeks to interpret
these beliefs in heaven, hell and the afterlife from a spiritual viewpoint as
enunciated in the writings of the Baha'i Faith. The Baha'i perspective of
the nature of the soul and its continued existence after the death of the
physical body will become apparent in the course of this examination.
Introduction
The writings of the Baha'i Faith offer an interpretation of the writings of
many other holy scriptures on the subject of life after death. These
interpretations are often, though not always, at variance with the so-called
traditional or literal interpretations espoused by the followers of the other
monotheistic religions.
The basis of belief in these interpretations is, for a Baha'i, fundamental to
one's belief in Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this age. As
Baha'u'llah Himself has explained:
"Know verily that the purpose underlying all these symbolic terms
and abstruse allusions, which emanate from the Revealers of
God's holy Cause, hath been to test and prove the peoples of the
world; that thereby the earth of the pure and illuminated hearts
may be known from the perishable and barren soil From time
70 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
immemorial such hath been the way of God amidst His creatures,
and to this testify the records of the sacred books."*
Thus, the use of figurative language to explain spiritual truths, especially
events associated with the appearance of a new prophet, have been used
by past prophets so that their followers would understand these truths.
Hence, such terms as "birth", "death", "resurrection" and so on are not
meant to be taken literally, but are used as symbols.
An examination of the references made to heaven, hell and the afterlife in
Judaism, Christianity and Islam will reveal the respective escatologies of
these religions, while a comparison with the Baha'i perspective of such
issues will offer a new interpretation of their literal meaning.
1. Judaism
As with many of the earlier religions, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly
what Jewish belief regarding various issues was at a particular time in
history. All we really have to go on are the texts that have survived. It
seems that views about the afterlife and concepts such as heaven and hell
did alter and evolve over time, and became mixed with the cultures
associated with the Jewish diaspora. Even today there are many schools of
thought including the Orthodox, Conservative and the Reform movement
as well as others.
Up to the 2nc* century BC, Jews believed that nothing remained after the
physical death of the body except a "shade". This entity descended into a
deep pit called Sheol which is located beneath the earth - a place of gloom
and dust inhabited by the just and the unjust alike.
"When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit,
with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of
the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the
i
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 49-50.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 71
pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of
the living" (Ezekiel 26,20)
There is no mention of judgement or resurrection and all seem to exist
there in a state of sleep.
"So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more,
they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job 14,
12)
Other characteristics ascribed to Sheol are silence, destruction, an absence
of knowledge of one's former life or of life in the material plane, lack of
material possessions, and complete inactivity.
"... there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, no wisdom, in
the grave, whither thou goest" (Ecclesiastes 9, 10)
Heaven and hell as distinct destinations of the soul after death did not exist
in Jewish eschatology at that time. Heaven was simply the dwelling place
of God, and when paradise is mentioned it is only in the context of the
Garden of Eden rather than the final resting place for righteous souls. Hell
or Gehenna is a physical place - a valley outside Jerusalem which served
as a general rubbish dump and a burial place for criminals. It was only
later that it became associated with a place of torment for wicked souls.
These views reflect both the Hebrew Bible and the so-called
pseudepigraphic literature (non-official scriptures whose origin and
authorship are in doubt). Only Enoch (written between the third and first
centuries BC by several different authors) mentions Sheol as a kind of
holding place, divided into three separate compartments, for souls
awaiting a final judgement. Only those who were punished for their sins
while on earth would remain in Sheol. The others are resurrected: sinners
who died without being punished would be despatched to the horrors of
Gehenna, while those who lived a righteous life would find themselves in
paradise, having achieved bodily resurrection.
A conceptual change in Jewish belief is apparent in the second and first
centuries BC, when resurrection is associated with the coming of a
72 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
redemptive figure and the establishment of a messianic kingdom on earth.
This is very similar to the Christian concept of the Last Judgement.
Among other events that will come to pass is the gathering together of the
scattered tribes of Israel into one place when all will be renewed by the
breath of God.
"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out
of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all
yourfilthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you . A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will
give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgements, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I
gave to your fathers: and ye shall keep my judgements, and do
them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers:
and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36,
24-28)
The Judgement will see sinners destroyed and only the righteous
resurrected to live eternally in God's kingdom on earth. The
pseudepigraphic literature of the 1 s t century BC mentions a temporary
earthly kingdom ruled by the Messiah before the final judgement takes
place at which time the righteous will be spiritually resurrected while the
wicked will remain in Gehenna or Sheol for eternity.
There is a possibility of the Jews having adopted the belief in resurrection
from the Zoroastrians whom they encountered in the Persian Empire
during the Babylonian Exile since it was only after the Babylonian Exile
that the idea of resurrection appeared in Old Testament apocalyptic
literature.
Bowker2 comments, "at the time when Jesus was alive, there were many
competing views of how Jews should live as the true children of the
covenant ... what we find in practice is a coalition of traditions and, even
In The Meanings of Death, CUP, Cambridge, 1991, p. 76.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 73
more, a coalition of dreams - dreams based on Biblical promises, and, not
least, in those days, dreams of a coming Messiah."
Contemporary Jewish belief in general seems to indicate that death is not
considered a tragedy even when it occurs before old age. Belief in the
afterlife, where those who have lived a worthy life are rewarded is the
main reason for this view. As to what happens after death, the dominant
view is that when the body dies the soul still exists in different places.
While part of the soul remains with the body in anticipation of the revival
of the dead at the Resurrection, other parts go elsewhere - perhaps to
Paradise, or to Gehenna, or even to join another soul in an existing person
to assist with its development. This continues until the time that God
decrees.
Beliefs originating from the kabbala, the Jewish mystical teachings, which
can be traced back to the Biblical prophets indicate the belief in a kind of
purgatory called chibut hakever or kafhakeleh (also known as Sling Shot)
in which the soul is beaten or scrubbed to purge it of its impurities. This is
the lot of those who have not merited connection with the All-Mighty.
Once this purging (described as being chased by destroying angels from
one end of the spiritual world to the other) is complete, one of two things
occur: suitably purged, the soul may attain Shekina (God's presence) or it
may be reincarnated. Some souls return to earth not because they need
improvement, but simply out of a desire to help others.
2. Christianity
Christianity did not become recognizably different from Judaism, of
which it was seen as a movement, until around 64 AD/CE. It shares with
Judaism the books of the Old Testament as part of its holy scripture.
Much of what Christians believe about the afterlife is associated with their
belief in the resurrection of Christ.
In the New Testament, Hades or hell as the place between death and
resurrection is mentioned several times, but most descriptively in the
parable of Lazarus. (Luke 16, 19-26):
74 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
'There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was
laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the
rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was caried by
the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died and was
buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me,
and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water,
and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
Elsewhere Hell is described as a 'furnace of fire" (Matthew 13, 42,50),
"everlasting fire" (Matthew 25, 41) and a place where the wicked shall
"go away into everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25, 46). Revelation also
provides a graphic description of what awaits those who have sinned:
(Revelation 20, 10-13):
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 75
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their works."
This however, in contrast to the parable of Lazarus, refers to the final
judgement. So while Hades is the intermediate stage between death and
resurrection, Hell as described in Revelation is the final and everlasting
abode for those whose deeds have been judged to be wicked.
References to humanity's final reckoning are prolific in the New
Testament compared with descriptions of what is in store for us
individually. Paul asserts that it is only those "in Chrisť who will be
resurrected, although in Acts he is reported to have said that both the
righteous and the wicked will be raised. But in any case the general
resurrection is linked to that of Jesus {"the first-born of the dead' -
Colossians 1,18) which is thought to be instrumental to our "saving". As
Paul says in Romans 5, 24-5:
"If we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the
dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again
for our justification."
Indeed, the notion of Jesus as saviour is pivotal to Christian belief in the
afterlife - if one accepts him one will enter paradise, if not one's lot is hell-
fire and damnation with no possibility of resurrection. It is belief more
than deeds that will decide one's lot. Even then, according to some
Christians, God's grace and mercy are so all-encompassing that even those
who have not lived in Christ, so to speak, may be accepted into God's
kingdom upon death. As one Christian minister^ said, "Who am I to
judge? God is the final judge and it is not my place to deny a man or his
family a Christian burial."
Whether resurrection will be a bodily or a spiritual one depends on the
particular "brand" of Christianity subscribed to. Many contemporary
Christians reject the literal interpretation of biblical references to Hell,
Reverend Gareth Huw Thomas, Uniting Church of Australia, in a telephone
conversation with the author in April 1998.
76 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
preferring to view it as "isolation from Goď\ Roman Catholics believe
that Hell exists as a place where the wicked will be punished in
accordance with the gravity of their sins. This may take the form of
permanent isolation from God and the administration of some kind of
"fire" that will cause pain to the soul. Even those who die in a state of
grace will need to spend some time being cleansed of their imperfections
and (venial or minor) sins in Purgatory. The duration and intensity of this
punishment may be lessened by people offering prayers and other acts of
piety and devotion. In "Life After Death: A Study of the Afterlife in
World Religions" Farnaz Ma'sumian states:
"It would seem inappropriate to ascribe physical attributes to this
celestial heaven or kingdom of spirits, and neither would it make
sense to expect material pleasures or rewards for souls in such a
celestial environment." (p. 60)
Likewise the bodily resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion is often
disputed. It is Paul who emphasises the spiritual resurrection: "And so it is
written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was
made a quickening spirit" (I Corinthians 15, 45) and later "Now this I say,
brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" (I
Corinthians, 15, 50). He speaks of our having both a terrestrial and a
celestial body and that it is the latter that is resurrected. His own
conversion was the result of his vision of Christ not in the flesh but in the
spirit, and he also imputes that the disciples also saw Jesus' celestial rather
than his physical body in 1 Corinthians 15, 44:
"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
The Final Judgement and the second coming of Christ (often known as the
Parousia) are mentioned extensively throughout the New Testament and
are even considered as imminent. Humankind will be judged by or
through Christ and the dead will be resurrected with spiritual bodies. The
Book of Revelation describes two stages during which different categories
of the departed are raised. The first to be raised will be the martyrs:
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 11
"I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, andfor the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in the hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years. But the rest of the dead live not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
(Revelation 20, 4-5)
The second resurrection takes place after Satan, previously imprisoned for
one thousand years in a bottomless pit, is released and his army
consequently defeated and he himself thrown into a lake of fire and
brimstone to be tormented night and day for ever and ever. (Revelation 20,
7-10):
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed
the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
The righteous, however, will be saved:
"...the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
(Revelation 21, 3-4)
78 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
3. Islam
For Islamic beliefs we turn to the Qu'ran, considered by Muslims to be the
word of God as revealed to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel. It
summons man to submit to God and do His Will or suffer the
consequences in the afterlife. Thus, those who submit will enter the garden
of paradise, while those who do not undergo severe punishment. In
addition to the Qu'ran, Muslims refer to the stories and sayings of the
prophet (the Hadith or the Tradition) and other customs to determine their
understanding of death, although not in a way that would be contrary to
the authority of the Qu'ran.
Hell is reserved for those who commit sacrilege and blasphemy,
hypocrites, polytheists, those who go astray, those who deny God's signs,
transgressors, sinners and the arrogant. Their destiny is the "scourge of
Hell" (S32;20). The wrongdoers "shall be left to endure its torments on
their knees." (SI9; 68), and those damned by their sins shall "drink boiling
water and be sternly punished for their unbelief (S6; 70). There is no
respite from the torture, for once one's skin has burned, it will be renewed
to be burned anew! (S4;55). Hell also goes by the name of Jahannan or Al-
Gehennam (similar to the Hebrew Gehenna).
It is interesting how descriptions for Paradise centre on the metaphor of
luxuriant "Gardens under which rivers flow". This undoubtedly has to do
with the arid desert climate of the country where Muhammad preached.
Paradise is also known in Arabic as Al-Jannah and translated as the
Garden of Reward. Those who qualify are those who turn to Islam, and the
rewards are not just metaphorical. The majority of Muslims believe these
descriptions to be literal - in other words, as actual places in another part
of God's creation. Again, only those with true faith and good works shall
inhabit this exalted creation:
"He shall abide for ever in the gardens of Eden, in gardens
watered by running streams. Such shall be the recompense of
those that purify themselves." (S20; 76)
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 79
"Allah ... will reward them for their steadfastness with robes of
silk and the delights of Paradise. Reclining there upon soft
couches, they shall feel neither the scorching heat nor the biting
cold. Trees will spread their shade around them, and fruits will
hang in clusters over them. They shall be served with silver
dishes, and beakers as large as goblets; silver goblets which they
themselves shall measure: and cups brim-full with ginger-
flavoured water from the Fount ofSelsabil. They shall be attended
by boys graced with eternal youth, who to the beholder's eyes will
seem like sprinkled pearls. When you gaze upon that scene you
will behold a kingdom blissful and glorious. They shall be arrayed
in garments of fine green silk and rich brocade, and adorned with
bracelets of silver. Their Lord will give them pure beverage to
drink. Thus you shall be rewarded;" (S76; 12-22)
Paradise is also described as a place of peace where the righteous "will
dwell in peace with Allah." (S6; 127). In addition to all these material
delights the faithful will experience the sublime joy of beholding Allah:
"On that day there shall be joyous faces, looking towards their Lord."
(S75; 22)
Both Hell and Paradise are seen as real. This comment by Bowkeri*
explains:
"Whereas Jews and Christians may (some do not) regard
particular imaginations of heaven and hell as conceptual
episodes, whose rise and fall can be traced, Muslims cannot do
so: the descriptions of the Garden and the Fire are not conceptual
episodes - they are not even concepts: they are places and
circumstances, the reality of which will be eschatologically
verified, as the Qu 'ran frequently reminds us, though it does not
use that language!".
The Day of Judgement, the day when the dead will be revived, is another
literal event:
Bowker, John, The Meanings of Death, CUP, Cambridge, 1991, p. 127.
80 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
"7 swear by the Day of Resurrection, and the self-reproaching
soul! Does man think We shall never put his bones together
again? Indeed, We can remould his very fingers!" (S75; 1-4)
The sequence of events will be as follows: first the raising up of the dead,
second the delivery of each man's record into his hand (either right - for
the righteous or left - for the wicked, according to his deeds), third the
judgement of the virtuous and the sinners, and finally the admittance of
the righteous into Paradise and the despatch of the wicked to the eternal
torments of Hell. Immediately preceding the raising of the dead will occur
two (or three) trumpet blasts. None except God knows when the Day of
Judgement will take place, not even Muhammad whose duty is to "warn
those that fear it" (S75, 44).
However there are many signs recorded in the Hadith as to when this will
occur. Some of these are the sun rising in the west, the eclipse of the
Moon, the coming of the Antichrist, the eruption of Gog and Magog, the
appearance of the Beast or the Anti-Christ, the return of Christ and the
appearance of the Al-Mahdi (the Rightly Guided One) as well as various
cataclysmic events. Many of these signs are similar to those depicted in
the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. After the Judgement time
will come to an end, the universe will disappear and nothing shall remain
except Allah, paradise for the blessed and Hell for the doomed.^
4. Baha'i Faith
The Baha'i Writings offer an interpretation of the writings of some holy
scriptures other than its own, particularly on the subject of the life
hereafter, as well as the Baha'i view of the origin, nature and progress of
the soul once it has become separated from the body.
The soul, as distinct from the body albeit related to it, comes into being at
the moment of conception and endures forever.
Sherif, Faruq, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an, Garnet Publishing, Reading,
1995.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife
"Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from
the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence
of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of
ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world,
can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His
sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure "6
When freed from the confines of its physical body upon death, the soul
continues its unending progress through the spiritual worlds - worlds
beyond time and space. That is all we are permitted to know as
"The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet
and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes ofmen"^
We are told, however, that the soul can be assisted to progress, not through
our conscious effort (we can only do that here) but through God's grace
(the main means) or by others saying prayers on our behalf and good
deeds performed by others in our name.
There is much in the Writings that we are told about the soul in general
and this helps us understand the purpose of our physical existence. Our
material existence is necessary, it is said, so that our souls may acquire the
spiritual capacities necessary for existence in the realm of the spirit. This
workshop of life requires a teacher to enable us to learn and develop those
qualities that will equip us for the next life. Such a teacher must exemplify
all the virtues in their conduct and provide us with the laws that will
provide for our development. The divine teachers are of course the
prophets of God.
This world is seen as
"but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the
semblance of reality ...a vapour in a desert, which the thirsty
BaháVlláh, Gleanings, pp. 155-6.
BaháVlláh, Gleanings, pp. 156-7.
82 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until
when he cometh unto it, hefindeth it to be mere illusions
"The meaning of eternal life is the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the
flower receives the gift of the season, the air, and the breezes of
spring. Consider: this flower had life in the beginning like the life
of the mineral; but by the coming of the season of spring, of the
bounty and the clouds of the springtime, and of the heat of the
glowing sun, it attained to another life of the utmost freshness,
delicacy and fragrance. The first life of the flower, in comparison
to the second life, is deaths
Life in this world is compared to the unborn child in the womb of its
mother - during its preparation for life in this world the foetus develops
organs, limbs, and so on that are necessary for its survival. So it is with
our preparation for the spiritual world to come - we must (but consciously)
develop the spiritual capacities needed for our souls to progress. Our
principal duty in this world is to know God and to worship Him. We do
this by recognizing His Manifestation for this Day and by obedience to
His Laws.
Paradise as a place of material delights is regarded as a symbol of the
spiritual condition of the soul when it attains God's good pleasure.
"As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt about it,
and now in this world it is realized through love of Me and My
good-pleasure. Whosoever attaineth unto it God will aid him in
this world below, and after death He will enable him to gain
admittance into Paradise whose vastness is as that of heaven and
earth ..." 10
This is the case whether the soul is still in contact with the physical body
or in the spiritual plane. Thus, heaven can be regarded as the joy of loving
BaháVlláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf p. 56.
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-I-Iqan, pp. 120-121.
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, pp. 70-71.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 83
God and drawing closer to Him by following the teachings of God's
messenger and by acquiring virtues.
Elsewhere in the Baha'i Writings paradise has been described as:
"to be exposed to God's Manifestation in His Day, to hear His
verses and believe in them, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly
kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits
of the paradise of His divine Oneness"^ 1
and also "to obey God's commandments"^.
The rewards of the next world are "peace, the spiritual graces, the various
spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the desires of the
heart and the soul, and the meeting of God in the world of eternity. "13
We are told that the soul will retain its consciousness and individuality
and remember its physical life on earth including recognizing other souls
and communing spiritually with them. In addition, if marriage bonds have
been spiritual they will also survive into the next world. The soul will also
be able to converse with the prophets of God and His chosen ones, and we
will become aware of all the mysteries of the universe.
Hell can also be experienced while we are still alive - it is interpreted as
being far from God, and being deprived of His good pleasure. Exclusive
focus on one's material nature and desires are obvious examples of a
soul's torture in this life. The soul in this condition can be described as
being condemned to the "fire" of unbelief and to the "wrath" of God.
Punishment for such souls in the next life is likely to "consist in being
deprived of the special divine blessings and the absolute bounties, and
falling into the lowest degree of existence "^^
' Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 88-89.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 77.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 98-99.
Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 98-99.
84 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
Concerning judgement of our lives after death, Baha'is believe that we
become aware of our past good and bad deeds immediately after death, so
that we may actually experience a state of bliss or loss accordingly. This
corresponds with the literal references to heaven and hell in other
scriptures. The rewards of heaven would thus be nearness to God and
everlasting joy, whereas the punishments of hell would be remoteness
from God and being deprived of His blessings^. The rewards of heaven
are not restricted to Baha'is, incidentally, but are extended to "every pure,
every refined and sanctified soul". 16
With reference to the resurrection of Christ, 'Abdu'1-Bahá explains, "The
resurrections of the Divine Manifestations are not of the body" and that
their teachings have a spiritual and divine signification. Christ's
resurrection is given a completely spiritual interpretation:
"the disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of
Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His
bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power, was hidden and
concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom, and was not
resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost, for the believers
were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The Cause
of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after three days the
disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the
Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings,
putting His counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the
Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared;
His religion found life; His teachings and His admonitions
became evident and visible. In other words, the Cause of Christ
was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty of the Holy
Spirit surrounded it." 17
The events predicted in the scriptures of other religions as characterising
the Last Days are explained by Baha'u'llah in his Book of Certitude
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 224.
Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, p. 154.
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Some Answered Question, pp. 103-105.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 85
(Kitab-i-Iqan) as being symbolic. The events were described in this way
so that people could, in their own capacity, understand them. The Day of
Resurrection is the day when a new messenger appears to guide the people
back to spiritual truth. The spiritually dead, if they are able to accept the
new messenger, are thus brought out of the graves of disbelief.
Conclusion
While literal interpretations of scriptural references to heaven, hell and the
Day of Judgement continue to be upheld in Judaism, Christianity and
Islam, the Baha'i Faith offers a new, spiritual, interpretation of these
beliefs.
Baha'u'llah, as the latest in a line of prophets who have appeared
throughout history to guide humanity, re-affirms the spiritual teachings of
all religions and at the same time opens our eyes to the allusions of the
holy scriptures of the past - explaining them and revealing their spiritual
meaning:
"whosoever in every dispensation is born of the Spirit and is
quickened by the breath of the Manifestation of Holiness, he verily
is of those that have attained unto life' and 'resurrection' and
have entered into the 'paradise' of the love of God. And
whosoever is not of them, is condemned to 'death' and
'deprivation', to the 'fire of unbelief, and to the 'wrath' of God. In
all the scriptures, the books and chronicles, the sentence of death,
of fire, of blindness, of want of understanding and hearing, hath
been pronounced against those whose lips have tasted not the
ethereal cup of true knowledge, and whose hearts have been
deprived of the grace of the holy Spirit in their day"^%
For those who ascribe to these new interpretations,
Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 76-7.
86 THE SINGAPORE BAHAT STUDIES REVIEW
"The flames of hell have been made to blaze, and heaven hath
been brought nigh; the celestial gardens are in flower, and fresh
pools are brimming over, and paradise gleameth in beauty ... the
veil hath fallen away, the curtain is lifted, the clouds have parted,
the Lord of Lords is in plain sight,"^
while the unaware are "are still mired down in their empty dreams"^
'Abdu'1-Bahá, Selections of the Writings of 'Abdu 'l-Bahá, pp. 14-15.
Ibid.
Heaven, Hell and the Afterlife 87
Works Cited
'Abdu'1-Bahá,
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, Haifa, Baha'i World
Centre, 1978.
Some Answered Questions, Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1984.
Báb, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, Bahá 7 World Centre,
Baha'i World Centre, 1976
BaháVUáh
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, revised edition, 1953.
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, trans. S. Effendi, 2n(*
revised ed., Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976.
Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude), Wilmette, Illinois, Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1983.
Bowker, John, The Meanings of Death, Cambridge, Cambridge
University Press, 1991.
Ma'sumian, Farnaz, Life After Death, A Study of the Afterlife in World
Religions, Oxford, Oneworld Publications, 1995.
Randies, Jenny & Hough, Peter, The Afterlife: An Investigation into the
Mysteries of Life after Death, London, Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd,
1993.
Sherif, Faruq, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an, Reading, Garnet
Publishing, 1995.
The Holy Bible (King James version), Oxford University Press, London
The Koran, trans. N.J. Dawood, Middlesex, England, Penguin Books,
1956.
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