Christopher Livingston

Kaltner, Introducing the Qur’an

Precis, Ch. 7, Death and the Afterlife,
pgs. 215-240 and coinciding readings from the Qur’an.

Reward and Punishment

Many people, when discussing the topic of the afterlife (or as the Qur’an most
commonly refers to it as the Hereafter), we all want to know what are the characteristics
of the ones who end up in heaven and those who end up in hell. The Qur’an states that
everything you do here and now on earth (those things done, said, or kept unspoken)
will all be judged for you because death is inevitable for all men. Depending on how you
spend your time on earth the reward of heaven and hell will be chosen respectively.
God, many times throughout the Qur’an, is mentioned as both a forgiving, but
vengeful God. God is divine and true and whatever punishment he deems for a soul
deserves is always “just.” He will never put a person where he does not belong. The
chapter quickly mentions that those are good are normally described as pious
men/women and will be rewarded. The book also mentions that Jews and Christians
can also be apart of these groups. “Others who will be doubly rewarded included people
to whom prior scriptures were given, like Jews and Christians (28;54), those who have
fought for the faith (57:10), and those who do good deeds.” (Notice how far apart these
two readings are because we will mention them again later.)
The same goes for the opposite side of the coin and those who are considered to
have done evil deeds are rightfully punished. Those described as doing evil are those
who deny the word of God, those who convince others to leave the following of God,
and the same goes for “murderers and adulterers (25:69)” All that do wrong against God
will be punished and the Qur’an goes into great detail of how this will happen that we
will describe later.
The further you go into the Qur’an, almost as if they wanted to add an
addendum, you start to find more changes to the characteristics that apply for a
righteous or evil soul. During the Meccan passages you find that those who do good are
also ones who pray often, fear punishment of God, and “those who guard their private
parts from all except their spouses and their slave-girls” (Kaltner 218). Those who fight
the word of God, mock the end of times, and kill/punish believers will be punished.
During the Medinan chapters you find a more focused approach on war. Those
described as good financially or physically help military operations, fight in war, and die
on the battlefield. They also include that “believing in the divinity of Jesus” is a way to
fall from the graces of God.
“Those people who say that God is the third of three are defying [the truth]: there
is only One God. If they do not stop what they are saying, a painful punishment will
afflict those of them who persist. Why do they not turn to God and ask His forgiveness,
when God is most forgiving, most merciful? The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a
messenger; other messengers had come and gone before him; his mother was a
virtuous woman; both ate food [like other mortals]. See how clear We make these signs
for them; see how deluded they are. … Say, ‘people of the Book, do not overstep the
bounds of truth in your religion and do not follow the whims of those who went astray
before you – they led many others astray and themselves continue to stray from the
even path.’” (5:73-5:77)
After mentioning that Christians are still able to receive the gifts of God
how do you think should a Muslim react to someone of our faith?

Repentance
Repentance, Kaltner tells us, is mentioned only a few times throughout the
Qur’anic verses, yet repentance is still an important enough topic for Muslims that they
label Ch. 9 of the Qur’an “al-tawba” meaning repentance. To Muslims God is vengeful
and is always to be feared, but he is also a forgiving being. Kaltner explains if you are a
rightful and just Muslim that you will earn rewards both here on earth and in the afterlife,
but if you do wrong you must always ask/beg for forgiveness. To do this one must
change with a full heart to actually be noticed in the eyes of the lord, lest you be
damned once your life passes over. There are no second chances. The Qur’an
mentions the souls that try to turn too late in their lives, or on judgement day, God will
turn his head away from them.
The book does make a mindful effort to point out that anyone can ask repentance
before God, including many that you see in the Bible who never ask forgiveness for
wrongs they had committed. Cain (Murder), Moses (Asking to see Gods face), David,
Solomon, and most notably the Israelites, after worshiping the false golden calf as
Moses left for the mountain, all asked forgiveness and knew that they have done wrong
before God. God was the only one to save mankind and it is not through Jesus, nor
Muhammad, or any other being that one can ask repentance and achieve salvation.

Death
Death is always taken as a serious affair in the Muslim community. One, like
knowing the date of the end times, will never know the day they will pass away. One
must be ready for this, and know that, always, they are being noted by angels of their
actions both done in person and thought in mind. The book mentions two angels at
everyone’s side observing with a ready hand to write all your life story, mostly your
wrong actions to become evidence in your Hereafter trial. They stress the importance of
how death is death. Once you pass away the only way you will return is through the
graces of God or when the final day arrives, and all bodies are raised from their graves.
It is thought, most commonly by scholars, that once you die you will be taken to an
almost purgatory like domain to wait to be judged by the angels. With a record of your
life and a scale to judge your deeds, they will then determine where you will spend
eternity. (Lounging on sofas in Heaven or in flames in Hell.)
 Those who do good will have pleasures in heaven, but for unbelievers, things are
not so easy, and their deaths are described in heavier detail. For unbelievers, when
they pass, “Angels will reach out to them, taunting them to give up their souls because
of their lack of belief. At the moment of the death rattle in their throats, God continues to
be near, but they will be rejected and suffer eternal punishment because they refused to
listen.” (Kaltner 222) They will also not be spared a humiliating death. The book
mentions for believers, when mourning an unbeliever’s death, to “not ever pray for any
of them when they die, and do not stand by their graves. They did not believe in God
and His Messenger, and died transgressors.” (Kaltner 223)
If Predestination is a valid belief, then how can there be so much detail into
the process of how one is to be judged for the afterlife? If it is pre-determined
should they not just throw the damned should where they belong in hell rather
than weigh their transgressions?

End of Times
The Qur’an when mentioning the final days of earth, like most things in the book,
are once again describes in very lucid detail. Trumpets sounding, the dead rising (yes
we have zombies [physical corpses]), smoke covering the sun, and animals of all kinds
gathering for the coming of God. Many names are used for this day like “the last day,”
“the day of resurrection,” and “the day of reckoning.” Like our concept of the end of the
world, the book at least warns us of many signs that will signify the coming day.
10 signs mark the day by:
1. Smoke
2. The Deceiver
3. The Beast
4. Sunrise in the West
5. Jesus’ Return
6. The Coming of Gog and Magog
7. Earthquakes in the East
8. Earthquakes in the West
9. Earthquakes in Arabia (for some reason alone?)
10. Fire
(Kaltner 226)
Why do you think Jesus returning is a sign of the end in the Qur’an as well
as the bible? If Jesus is one to be frowned upon to follow, can one assume he is
the Deceiver? Or is he something separate like the book makes it out to be?
The end of the world will come one day, and there is no stopping it. The Qur’an
does mention that Muhamad (The one chosen prophet is assumed to be he) may be
able to stave Gods movement forward, but it is on its way and it is close always. All
men/women will come to be judged before God both those who are living and those
who are dead.
 I do not know if we have zombies on our hands, but this sounds frightening to
me, because all souls (from the purgatory like state) will come and fill their lifeless
bodies, on earth, to come before God and his angels to be judged. Like stated before,
angels will come to show each person’s life and weigh their deeds to determine their
placement in the afterlife. The only thing the book mentions after this about the end of
days, is the connection of the “deceiver” and the “anti-Christ.” There are some
similarities, but Kaltner wants us to know that they are not the same person. The
deceiver is one that will lead many from the faith.
Given many similarities between what we know about our end of days and
what Islam believes, is there enough connection to say that one was influenced
by the other? What similarities do we see? We have many signs, do they line up
with the 10 Islamic signs?

Hell
Hell is meant to be terrifying for every man and women, and just from reading
this book I can tell you (personally) that I never want to see it. Hell is illusive in its
destination. It is not under our feet or on some other plain of existence. It just is. Just the
name it is referred to as “jahim” has its origins from “Jahannam” which was a valley near
Jerusalem known for child sacrifices. Hell is so much of an opposing figure, by its very
self, it has also been known to speak once before. After being asked if there was no
more room for more souls to enter, Hell replies with “Are there any more?” (Kaltner 229)
The biggest known detail of hell is its fire and flames. Just like Christianity hell is
covered with the hottest flames one could never begin to imagine. There are roads
leading to seven doors/gates that angels guard for anyone trying to escape. The souls
of the damned need to stay in because it is their skin, insides, and bones that fuel the
fires of hell like a campfire that never dies.
The inhabitants of hell are known as people of the left. Almost casting similarities
to when Jesus called the Goats/Rams on his left side, those who will not enter heaven,
while those on the right (the lambs) will. Actions that will cause one to be sent here are;
“murder, being a deserter of war, showing abuse to property of orphans or others,
disregarding inheritance laws, people who hoard wealth” (Kaltner 230) those who
murder a prophet, mock God’s message, claim to be divine, denying the end of the
world, those who are wasteful, and hypocrites will all share the flames of hell.
The punishments of hell are probably described, more than anything else when
regarding the topic of hell, most gruesomely. Those who are thrown into the flames will
experience their face melting and then it being drugged throughout the fire, clothing
being placed on them made of flames and brimstone, being branded on both the
forehead and the chest, being bound in iron chains, and beat with iron torture
instruments that all burn and increase with the temperature of the fire you yourself are
fueling. You will beg for food and water and they will feed you with dari (cactus like
plant) and let you drink ghassaq (a dark and bitter pus like substance) and boiling water
that they will also bathe you with until your insides boil/melt and your skin blisters and
tapers away.
Men will bicker and blame each other for their being there, while others will call
out to heaven where angels will return to them with no sympathy. Hell is referred to
multiple times as being for eternity. There is no exit from hell unless God decides
otherwise, which, as of my knowing, has been little to none at all at this point.

Do you think the concept of Hell is something that a divine being like God
would want to create? Do you think it is more played up by man to frighten a
strait moral compass into the followers of Islam? (Or any other religion at that
point?)

Heaven
Little is said about heaven in the chapter I read, but Kaltner described it as a
paradise. The promises of Heaven are things like a personal mansion and rivers of
honey, wine, and milk. It is also mentioned that one will have a personal lounging
couch/sofa that he/she may lie on all day. Couches, Couches, and Couches for one to
bask in the perfect temperature that is never too hot nor cold. (I am not kidding when he
mentions lounging in your couch and looking over paradise is one of the largest things
you will be doing.)
You will also receive a “perfect spouse,” which is where many concerns with the
idea of 72 virgins comes into the story. These stories, according to Kaltner, are raised
from misunderstandings of the text. There is no number given to the number of spouses
you will have and it is not limited to male or female. If you were truly loved on earth,
even your earthly spouse may be yours again in Heaven.

Knowing that there was such a misunderstanding on such a simple point of the
Qur’an amongst even its own followers that it lead to having a man rise up,
misquoting it, and still earning a following for a terrible cause, how many
Muslims, like most Christians today, say they read and follow scripture yet have
not read it themselves? Do you think this is an actual problem or not? Explain.

This gives me the great opportunity to ask a question that I have always wondered.
When one is taken to heaven or hell, given the stories we have been told, and
even having the possibility to see loved ones again in the afterlife, is it safe to say
we keep our memories of our time on earth after we pass? It is not mentioned in
my chapter’s readings, so I am honestly very curious.