If there is no original
sin, then why does everyone have to die? Isn't death the consequence of
sin?
Muslims have a very positive view of life and
death. Life on earth is temporary. Death is the door through which one
enters into everlasting life. Muslims do not see death as something scary
or frightful. Death is the way one returns to Allah. God says in the
Qur'an: Say: The angel of death, who has been given charge of you, will
carry off your souls. Then to your Lord you shall all return (Qur'an
32:11).
Muslims hopeful of God's mercy look forward to the day when
God will address them as stated in the Qur'an: O peaceful and fully
satisfied soul, return to your Lord: you are well-pleased (with your good
end) and well-pleasing (in the sight of your Lord). Join My (righteous)
servants and enter my Paradise (Qur'an 89: 27-30).
Viewed in this
way, death becomes a joy for the true believer. This view of death was
further explained in a saying of the Prophet, on whom be peace. He
said: Allah loves to meet whoever loves to meet Him.
It is true
that no one likes to die. But the prophet, on whom be peace, said: When
death comes to a believer, he is given good news of the pleasure of Allah
and his gifts. There is then nothing dearer to him than what is ahead of
him. So he loves to meet Allah, and Allah loves to meet him (This was
reported by Bukhari and Muslim).
This positive view of death should
not imply a negative view of life. Life should be lived to its fullest,
and believers should not wish for an end to their lives. The prophet said;
no believer should wish for death, for, as long as there is life in you,
if you are righteous, perhaps you may increase your good deeds, and if you
are sinful, perhaps given time you may repent (reported by
Bukhari).
God in His plan devised this earthly life as a temporary
life. The earth is a testing ground. Those who accept God's guidance in
this life will be given the abundance of God's grace in the next, the
everlasting life. When God decreed for humans to live on the earth, He
declared: Henceforth there shall come to you guidance from Me now and
again; whoever will follow it shall have neither fear nor sorrow, and
whoever will refuse to accept it and defy Our Revelation, they shall be
doomed to the Fire wherein they shall remain forever (Qur'an
2:38-39).
Again, God says that He "created life and death so that
He may try you, which of you is best in conduct" (Qur'an67:2). God says
further: Indeed We created man from a mixed drop to try him and
therefore We made him capable of hearing and seeing. We showed him the
way, whether to be grateful or disbelieving (Qur'an 76:2-3; see also 90;8-
10).
In this life we should use our God-given faculties to learn
and follow God's message. The Qur'an says that those who end up being
punished for their sins will regret that they neither listened nor used
their brains when God's message had reached them (see Qur'an
67:10).
Incidentally, in the Qur'an it is not said that God warned
Adam and Eve of death if they ate from the forbidden tree. What God
actually said to them was that if they ate from the tree they would become
wrongdoers (see Qur'an 2:35). Given the Qur'anic viewpoint, there is no
reason to consider death as a consequence for
sin. |