Life after death
Islam teaches that there is life after death, and this is known as akhirahEverlasting life after death in Islam.. In Islam, Allah decides when a person dies. Most Muslims believe that when they die, they will stay in their graves until Yawm al-DinThe Day of Judgement (yawm means ‘day’, and din means ‘judgement’)., which is the Day of JudgementThe last day, when God judges all of humanity according to how they have lived.. On that day, their bodies will be resurrection (Islam)In Islam the belief that on the last day all humankind will be raised from their graves to face judgement before Allah. and brought before Allah, and they will be judged on how they lived their earthly lives.
Life as a test for the afterlife
Muslims believe that life on Earth is a time of preparation for the afterlifeLife after death..
Seeing life as a test encourages Muslims to take responsibility for their actions. The idea of life as a test also means that God can make a fair and just judgement of whether people are worthy of punishment or reward:
We [God] shall surely test your steadfastness with fear and famine, with loss of property, life and produce. Give good news to those who endure with patience.
Stewardship
In the Qurʾan (Koran)The Recitation or Reading. Allah’s eternal utterance revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Jibril as his final revelation to humankind., God calls Adam (the first man God created) his khalifahSuccessor; inheritor; representative custodian; vice-regent. In the Qur’an, Adam is called the khalifah of God, and Muslims believe that humans are God’s khalifahs on Earth - an important concept in the Islamic religion.. This means that God entrusted Adam and all future generations of people to look after the world. A khalifah is a steward – someone who looks after something for someone else. This idea of stewardshipTaking responsibility for looking after and caring for something on behalf of another person. is very important within Islam. Muslims believe that people will be judged upon how well they have respected and followed the command to care for the world, which is on loan from Allah.
Question
What is stewardship?
Stewardship means caring for something on behalf of someone else, to whom it belongs. The word ‘khalifah’ is used in Islam to refer to humans being stewards of God’s world.
