A new Scientific Approach to Akhira, the Hereafter-AY Mol
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Does the Quran Support
the Reincarnation theory?
By Khurram Shahzad
Reincarnation in its essence is a religious belief. Millions of people worldwide believe in reincarnation or cyclic rebirths based on 'transmigration' of the human soul from one physical body to another. The dictionary meaning of the word reincarnation is 'coming back in the flesh'. The process of reincarnation allegedly continues until the soul reaches its full maturity and perfection when it joins its source - God or the 'Universal Soul'.
The Karma is defined as a kind of debt that one incurs as a result of his/her actions during a lifetime. If the actions are good, the person will have good karma and will be born again in a desirable state. Conversely a bad karma would result in a miserable rebirth. Thus one's condition in life is a direct effect of his/her actions during his/her past life dictated by the law of Karma. Therefore it is a simple case of cause and effect.
The roots of this religious belief can be traced back to ancient Greek and Egyptian philosophy. The Hindu and Buddhist teachings are also centred around this concept. The main idea is the same except for minor variations, that being the constant evolution of the soul until it reaches through trial and error, a state when it can merge back into the 'Universal Soul'. The ancient Egyptians on one hand believed that the dead person returns back to this earth for another life as the same person he/she used to be. Consequently, the pharaoh was buried with all his treasure and wealth intact so that he can claim them back upon his re-birth. The Hindu version of reincarnation is slightly different, whereas the dead pharaoh would return to life as the same person he used to be (the pharaoh), the Hindu version believes that a dead person would not return as the same person he/she used to be, but return as a completely different person but with the same soul. The idea of this paper is not to go into the depth and details of the various beliefs regarding the reincarnation theory, but to present a Quranic perspective of the concept and its validity.
Reincarnation is refuted by all the main Monotheistic religions of the world. The reason for this is that it is against their basic teachings of a finite life for the human upon which he/she is judged and rewarded accordingly. If the human is to go through numerous lifes, on which life is he/she to be judged? The first life? the last life? The Holy Quran, the last and proven word of God, unequivocally rejects this false religion of reincarnation.
Numerous Quranic verses confirm this position regarding the reincarnation concept, they can be classified as follows
FIRST THE BARZAKH (BARRIER)
2399-100
"When death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back.
"I will then work righteousness in everything I left." Not true. This is a false claim that he makes. A 'BARZAKH' (BARRIER) will separate his soul from this world until resurrection."
The above words of God are clear and unambiguous. When a person dies, God takes his/her soul while he is still in the process of imploring God for another chance. As soon as the human dies a barrier is immediately in place. This barrier prevents his/her soul from returning to earth. This barrier is maintained till the Day of Resurrection.
SECOND NUMBER OF DEATH'S (TWO DEATH'S OR ONE DEATH)
The mentioning of two deaths and two lives in 4011 may cause some interpreters to somehow connect the Quranic teachings to the concept of multiple births, however on closer examination we realise that the opposite is true.
4011
"They will say, "Our Lord, you have put us to death twice, and You gave us two lives; now we have confessed our sins. Is there any way out?"
The truth of the matter is that this very verse serves as another solid proof against any such theory. 4011 traces the progress of our course from the feud in the Heavenly Society (3869) to the Day of Judgement. We made a covenant with God (57) and then we were put to death. That was our First death.
The fact that we were all living in a previous life before being brought to earth is well confirmed in the Quran, for more information on this topic please visit
Why we are here
Consequently, the first death ended our life in the previous life which was in God's Kingdom and not here on earth. The second death ends the life of the disbelievers here on earth, hence they say to God
"You have put us to death twice, and You gave us two lives."
The believers on the other hand do not taste the second death, after the end of their life on earth the angels invite them to enter heaven, they do not die but move straight to heaven. For more info on this topic please visit
Righteous do not die
Upon our first death, we were brought to this life to be given a further chance to redeem our souls and submit to God's absolute authority. This is our first and ONLY life on earth. The 'one death' for the believers and the 'two deaths' for the disbelievers set the rule that all humans have only one life on earth and that no one returns to earth after their death. This is clearly different from reincarnation which implies multiple lives and deaths for each individual.
THIRD APPORTIONED SHARE IN LIFE
In this life every human being is apportioned a share in accordance with God's will. The Quran explains this concept in the following verse
2877
"Use the provisions bestowed upon you by God to seek the abode of the Hereafter, without neglecting your SHARE in this world."
This means that God has decreed for each human a share in this earthly life, which is entirely dependent on His will, and has nothing to do with one's actions in previous lives.
A concession for multiple lives would violate the concept of a fixed and preset share in this life, this is because each different life would encompass a different share, and not a set share as we read in 2877.
2438
"God provides for whomever He wills without limits."
Once again this verse points to the fact that there is no such thing as a Karma or debt. God out of His infinite mercy gives to whomever He wills without any limits.
There are always some case studies which may influence one's thinking causing some to believe in such multiple life theories. Many TV programs are based on so called 'past life recall' or 'dejas vu'. Many interpret such occurrences to having been living in a different place and time in a previous life. However, there are many plausible explanations to such phenomena. One such explanation is the unseen contact with the jinn who could be transferring such visions to us and tricking us into believing that we were alive in a previous life and place. The stories of jinn and their interactions with humans is well documented in the Quran. It is worth noting here that the majority of the jinn are disbelievers, and it is understandable that they would try to trick us into thinking that we have numerous lives, and thus impale the urgency to strive for righteousness in this only life we are given.
To conclude, and since we are given clear Quranic evidence against the concept of reincarnation, we must submit to such truth and discard this concept without any hesitation. This life on earth is our ONLY chance for redemption. We should set our goals and priorities straight, and seek God's approval through righteousness and good deeds. Contrary to what the devil may want us to believe, we will NOT get another chance.
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http//www.quran-islam.org/221.html
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Peace,
To make sure there are no misunderstandings, I do not belief nor promote Reincarnation in my article.
Reincarnation also wasn't part of original Vedistic beliefs. It was developed in the Axial age. In early Hinduism people started to believe that the smoke of the burned was taken up to the gods, it would come down again with the rain, then this would be taken up by plants, plants eaten by animals, animal eaten by man, man would procreate and thus the person is "reincarnated".
Only later on was this understanding connected to the concept of Karma and to the common understanding of Reincarnation we know today. Whereby Reincarnation is seen as evil as people want to escape rebirth to be taken into the state of non-being, Nirvana.
This contradicts the Quran who claims man will not be reborn on this earth, nor is its goal to escape existence into non-being. Man will be re-created into a new universe after this one perishes, and according to its deeds man will live on in bliss or sadness. The goal of mankind is to exist, to be a progressive being.
The Quran is very clear in its order of life
1.people are born
2.their actions are recorded into the universe
3.they die and their conciousness is taken into the universal datebase and kept there
4.this universe will die out and a completely new universe is created
5.man will reappear into the new universe and will develop (jannah) or stagnate (jahim) according to their deeds in the first life -
peace all
1 thing puzzles me a bit,
about this state of hell, which is supposed to be a state where there is no evolution, no development,
so how could people exit that state if they can not develope further?bytheway... since there will be other universes after this one... could that mean that this curent universe is not the first one? there were others?
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Peace Arnold,
I read your essay long ago, so I don't recall if you quoted the following verses or not
3019 He brings the living out of the dead, and He brings the dead out of the living. And He revives the land after its death. And similarly you will be brought out.
5011 A provision for the servants, and We gave life with it to the land which was dead. Such is the resurrection.
Resurrection is compared to an entirely natural process, so I think you're right to think that the afterlife will be a natural process rather than a supernatural one.
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Salaam brother,
No, I hadn't used these in my essay, but I had also noticed these verses when developing my theory, the kickstart was 225, then later I saw many verses always referring to natural systems of life-creation. Thanks for reminding me to add them, there are many of them throughout the Qur'an.
Interesting is that I saw a documaintaire on NatGeoCh this weekend which showed desert areas where it only rains once in every ten years or even longer. They showed the area before the rain (completely barren), and 1-2 days after it, and they had turned completely green. This happens a lot in desert areas, and so it is logical the Qur'an uses this example with the desert audience. It showed them that indeed life and death are natural processes, also the next life after death. That we do not see this law working now doesn't mean this natural system isn't present in the universe.
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Salaam Arnold,
Perhaps the more we'll learn about the natural world, the more the miracles mentioned in the great reading will seem like perfectly natural events. I wanted to read your essay on Jesus' birth, but I can't find it on 19.org anymore. I've looked for it on ourbeacon.com and I've even "yahooed" it, but I can't find it. Could you give me a link to it?
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Salaam Supernaut,
100% agreed, the miracle is nature itself. I have taken my essays off the web for upgrading.
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peace
hmm, perhaps that is what many experience when they claim they have reincarnated... perhaps is wasn't reincarnation on this earth, in this universe, but from a previous universe.
because there will come universes after this one, i don't think this is the first one created, maybe we were all here before in a different universe that existed and was destroyed...
could there be any truth to this theory? -
Assaalamualaikum,
In my younger days (age 45 now), we have been taught of heaven and hell. Adam and Eve ware driven out of heaven. They both eat apple. Qiyamah is the destruction of the universe.
Based on theory is it true that our universe is expanding or static? I think our whole universe were created at one time and the nature of our universe are moving in parallel not expanding nor static.
Qiyamah is not happening in sequence, but in seconds or snapshot in time, where all the things in the universe explode all together and after that the new universe, be they earth or planets will appear. At that time no positve or negative, everthing is neutral. We will not became an old man or woman. Everything are stable in nature. Actually the hell is the huge sun or star roaring every seconds. This is where for those who don't believe in GOD will reside there forever in form of stones. Why human being become stones? Because during on Planet Earth, they failed to become true human beings, so GOD turn them into stones and reside in the hell or big roaring stars forever and their soul will cry forever.
Heaven during Adam's time is not the Heaven after qiyamah. We must remember that Adam is not the first man on this universe but the first man on Planet Earth. There are thousand of Adams before Prophet Adam. Thousands of years ago in the higher level of the universe, GOD said, He will appoint Adam as the Khalifah or on the Planet Earth. This shows that Adam is matured enough to manage the Planet Earth. When he is matured enough, we understand that he must obey GOD's law. What happen is that, he don't obey GOD's instruction that is don't eat the khuldi tree. Actually this khuldi tree is not a tree but act of sex. That's why in the Quran, when Adam and Eve(??) peform sex, they have no clothes on. So, GOD instruct both Adam and Eve to make a million kilometer journey to Planet Earth and live on Planet Earth and find food and know how to live by themselves. Before this they are staying on Planet Muntaha or Sidratul Muntaha (or tenth planet or Planet X) at the edge of our Solar System. On the night of Israk Mikraj, this planet Muntaha is where our prophet Muhahammad had see this beautiful and huge greenish planet. Remember the buraq is not the bird, but the very highly sophisticated aerospace technology as fast as lightning.
Why I said Adam is not the first man in the universe is that why the Angels complained to GOD of Adam appointed as the ruler of Planet Earth, meaning that the Angles have seen other men fought and killed each other somewhere else in the universe.
Maybe my opinion is quite strange enough for most muslims, but we must try to dig deeper in the meaning of Quran. Whether believe or not, does'nt matter. I just like to swim in the deep oceans of the mystery of Quran to find truth.
Wassalam.